Dangers in Aspartame

Calorie free, sweet tasting, non-cavity promoting; aspartame sounds like a sweets addict's dream, but the possible hidden dangers in aspartame show that life isn’t always so sweet and easy.

When you mix phenylalanine and aspartic acid you get an artificial sweetener called aspartame. Aspartame is widely used in both the United States and Canada and is approved in more than 100 countries. It’s added to drinks, food items and even to our daily diet lattes. You may know it as NutraSweet or Equal.

If you consider eating an item that was once categorized by the Pentagon as a biochemical warfare agent safe, then by all means use all the aspartame you like. This strong anti-aspartame view is well-known.

On the other side are various organizations that stand to make a lot of money from aspartame, and they’re touting its safety. On yet another side is actual scientific evidence that goes every which way.

Aspartame has never, not once, been proven perfectly safe. But it’s hard to prove almost any chemical food item perfectly safe. It’s also extremely difficult to prove negatives about a product. So what happens, unfortunately, is that the reactions about aspartame use are as varied as the 6,000-plus products it comes in. It’s not just this sweetener either. Lately the dangers of Stevia has been a topic of conversation as well.

The one issue everyone agrees on absolutely is aspartame consumption is for individuals with the inherited disease, phenylketonuria (PKU) is very dangerous. Individuals born with PKU should have very little, if any, aspartame-sweetened products. People with PKU are missing phenylalanine hydroxylase an enzyme that breaks down phenylalanine. If you can’t break phenylalanine down, your body allows it to build up and an excess will cause brain damage.

Almost all babies are tested for PKU. If a baby is born with PKU brain damage can be lessoned or avoided by following a diet that eliminates foods containing phenylalanine. Aspartame is one of these food items.

Another agreed upon danger is aspartame for children less than two years old. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set the safe daily aspartame intake at 50 milligrams per pound of body weight in an adult. But children should not have it.

Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) has a very recent study out that covers its findings on how aspartame in low doses does affect one’s probability of developing cancer. This study also reports that when fetuses are exposed to aspartame, the life-long rates for developing cancer can increase.

You can read the EHP study here. The Center for Science in the Public Interest supports the EHP study and the public’s continuing education about the possible dangers of aspartame.

Across the board studies have been done or people have reported the following in relation to aspartame consumption, which doesn’t mean it’s proven, just reported. It offers something to think about though.

According to numerous reports, 75 percent or more of food reactions reported to the FDA are aspartame-related. Some reported reactions thought to be caused by aspartame include:

• Headache
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Memory loss
• Fatigue
• Vision loss

And many more; here’s one large anti-aspartame Web site.

Leading the pack are the Aspartame Information Center and the FDA. But many others feel that dangers in aspartame are completely unfounded.

According to the Aspartame Information Center, the FDA has approved aspartame as safe a total of 26 times in 23 years. But can the public trust the FDA? Many health organizations throughout the years have made poor choices and even death wielding mistakes at one point. Has the FDA? Why yes they have; here are a few examples:

• Canola Oil
• Zoloft
• They shut the public out from public medical discussions.
• A mess of mistakes.

Something to consider when you read a site such as the Aspartame Information Center site, is this group is is associated with The Calorie Control Council. Now, this site is working toward a healthy lifestyle by trying to get people in shape. What is bad is that it’s got very one-sided views of low calorie, fat-free, and diet food products. Every single thing they say about these products is positive.

Another interesting aspect of the CCC is its obsession with diet-foods over exercise. They tout exercise but it plays second fiddle to diet food consumption and calorie counting when really calorie counting AND exercise together create a healthy lifestyle.

Anytime a health site offers you one view and one view alone about weight-loss products, fads or trends it’s time to stop and think.

One of the best articles you can read that offers all sides of the aspartame controversy is Artificial Sweeteners at Medicine Net. It goes into more depth than what can be covered here and shows both sides.

Another thing to consider is that sometimes foods or chemicals are considered safe until way later – after you’ve already consumed a bunch of it. If you want to avoid becoming a health statistic down the road it’s honestly best to stick as close to natural foods as possible.

A good rule of thumb is that if it’s made in a high-tech lab such as a science experiment, it probably shouldn’t be on your dinner plate. Eat things that grow; vegetables, fruits, grains, fish and dairy in moderation. Eat processed food in very moderate doses. If you’re dieting, you don’t need a gallon of diet coke.

Here is a diet secret. You don’t need artificial sweeteners. Drink water, exercise and eat right and you will lose weight and feel great. When it comes to possible dangers in aspartame; better safe than sorry.

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