Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that is used as a sweetening agent in over 6,000 food and beverage products. It is calorie-free and commercialized widely in the "dieting" industry ("sugar-free" "calorie-free" & "diet" claims). It was approved by the FDA in 1981 and has had to reaffirm its safety 26 times since then. It is the most scrutinized artificial sweetener and the most widely consumed worldwide. Aspartame is also known as: Nutrasweet, Equal, SweetOne & Spoonful.
Aspartame is made of two amino acids, phenylalanine & aspartic acid. Once ingested, these amino acids breakdown into methanol (aka wood alcohol) before becoming formic acid & formaldehyde.
There are NUMEROUS research articles that focus on the health effects of aspartame. Some claim that it is safe while others claim it is the most poisonous food additive out there. If you are really interested in the nitty gritty then you need to search out these articles and then make your own personal, health decision.
The FDA has set the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for aspartame at 50 mg/kg of body weight/day. The ADI for aspartame is the equivalent of a 70 kg (154 lb.) person consuming about 20 cans of aspartame-sweetened beverage or about 100 sachets of tabletop sweetener with aspartame per day... www.aspartame.org
WAIT! You are thinking that there is no way one person could possibly consume that much aspartame in a day... look at this short list of foods containing Aspartame:
Food/Beverage products that contain Aspartame:
Breath
Mints, Carbonated Soft Drinks, Cereals, Chewing Gum, Flavored Syrups for Coffee,
Flavored Water Products, Frozen Ice, Frozen Ice Cream Novelties, Fruit Spreads,
Gelatin, Sugar Free, Hard Candies, Ice cream Toppings, Ice Creams, No Sugar or
Sugar Free, Iced Tea, Powder, Iced Tea, Ready to Drink, Instant Cocoa Mix, Jams
& Jellies, Juice Blends, Juice Drinks, Maple Syrups, Meal Replacements, Mousse,
No Sugar Added Pies, Non-Carbonated Diet Soft drinks, Nutritional Bars, Powdered
Soft Drinks, Protein Nutritional Drinks, Pudding, Soft Candy Chews, Sugar Free
Chocolate Syrup, Sugar Free Cookies, Sugar Free Ketchup, Table Top Sweeteners, Vegetable
Drinks, Yogurt, Drinkable, Yogurt, Fat Free, Yogurt, Sugar Free, MULTIVITAMINS
Now, ponder on that for a minute and then ask yourself "How much aspartame am I eating daily?" Even your multivitamins are not safe! There are over 6000+ possible ways aspartame could be sneaking its way into your diet without you knowing.
So, is Aspartame a good choice? Absolutely not. Who wants a neurotoxin to quench their thirst?! ...Apparently A LOT OF PEOPLE.
A Little More Chemistry
Are you having trouble loosing weight? Do you buy "sugar-free" & "Carb-free" snacks? Those extra pounds that keep hanging around just might be your fault after all...Artificial sweeteners (aspartame) are known to increase our craving for sugar and inhibit our ability to regulate hunger. So, we are trying to avoid extra calories and excess sugar by consuming an artificial sugar that in-turn makes use crave sugar and lose the ability to feel full! Great, now we are worse off than just eating the sugar.
Artificial sweeteners are
known to rapidly stimulate the release of insulin and leptin; two hormones that
are intricately involved with satiety and fat storage. Insulin and leptin are also the primary
hormones that regulate your metabolism. Mercola.com
Possible Adverse Reactions & Side Effects of Aspartame
- abdominal pain
- anxiety or panic attacks
- bloating
- edema
- chronic cough
- chronic fatigue
- depression
- diarrhea
- excessive thirst
- increased hunger
- hair loss or thinning of hair
- insomnia
- irritability
- dizziness or vertigo
- Lupus
- Parkinson's Disease
- Fibromyalgia
- Epilepsy
- Arthritis
- Alzheimer's Disease
How Do I Eliminate Aspartame From My Diet
2. Remove all sugar-free products from your diet
3. Detox (you are going to have a headache and major cravings... fight through it!)
4. Start eating fresher foods
Sources: aspartame.org; mercola.com
Image Source: google.com
Over 90 regulatory authorities worldwide have examined aspartame and over twenty+ years found no safety problems when used as directed. But if you don't believe them, believe these facts about the critics.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercola
http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/mercola.html
http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Joseph_Mercola
As to the others often cited as aspartame sources,consider this post, http://quackfiles.blogspot.com/2005/06/dr-jim-bowen-on-nutra-sweet-politricks.html
John E. Garst, Ph.D. (Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Nutrition)
John, thank you for your thoughts but I think you may have misunderstood my reference to Mercola. I am not supporting his literature or his business. I was simply giving credit to the source I used to explain the breakdown of aspartame. And I do agree that there is a lot of “quack” nutrition on the internet and this is a major problem for consumers. With that said, I do stand by opinion of artificial sweeteners (in this case aspartame); they do more harm than good. I would prefer my clients learn to control their portions, identify satiety and lower their intake of processed foods. The real issue is over-consumption and artificial sweeteners are just another “short cut” that we do not need.
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