Too Sweet to Swallow:

Searching for the truth about aspartame

Darren Shore, The Link (Concordia University)

SACKVILLE, NB (CUP)—What legal
substance has been accused of causing
fibromyalgia, manic depression, multiple
sclerosis, lupus, ADD, brain tumours,
headaches, and seizures? Here’s a hint:
This chemical can be found in over 6,000
products, including most diet pops, low-
calorie yogurts, and sugar-free gum. It is
about 200 times sweeter than sugar. Still
guessing? It’s the artificial sweetener
known as aspartame.

Aspartame is currently the target of an
international debate that has lasted sever-
al decades. Marketed as NutraSweet and
Equal, aspartame is one of the most test-
ed food additives in the world. The World
Health Organization (WHO), the US
Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
the National Multiple Sclerosis Society,
and the American Cancer Society all
endorse it as a safe alternative to sugar.
According to these bodies, no study to
date has sufficiently proven that aspar-
tame is linked to any harmful disease or
symptom.

However, a search for “aspartame” on
any Internet search engine results in a
number of fanatical websites claiming the

 

contrary. According to many of these
sites, an obscene number of medical con-
ditions and negative symptoms can be
linked to the casual consumption of
aspartame. Follow a link, and you will be
directed to a number of “aspartame
detoxification programs,” available for
only a small fee per treatment.

Despite these dramatic differences of
opinion, sources do agree on the compo-
sition of aspartame. Aspartame is an
artificial linkage of three chemicals: two
amino acids called aspartic acid and
phenylalanine, and a form of alcohol
known as methanol. Both amino acids

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naturally occur in foods containing pro-
tein, and methanol naturally occurs in
many fruits and vegetables.

Upon digestion, the body splits aspar-
tame into its three chemical components.
Methanol, phenylalanine, and aspartic
acid are all poisonous to the body, but
only in extremely large amounts. The
amount of methanol produced by digest-
ing one can of diet soda is six times less
than that produced by a serving of toma-
to juice. Likewise, a serving of non-fat
milk produces about six times more
phenylalanine and 13 times more aspartic
acid than the same amount of a beverage
sweetened with aspartame. Those who
condemn aspartame use these “hazardous
toxins” to prove aspartame’s inherent evil,
when in fact each chemical is harmless
when consumed in regular serving
amounts.

Both the WHO and FDA have estab-
lished an acceptable daily intake for
aspartame. That figure is the amount of
an additive that can be safely consumed
every day of one’s life. According to the
acceptable daily intake, an individual is
able to consume 40 milligrams of aspar-
tame per kilogram of body weight. This is
equivalent to 2,800 milligrams of aspar-
tame per day for the typical 70-kilogram,
or 150-pound, adult. An average can of
diet pop than 100
milligrams, meaning that an adult would

contains less
have to consume at least 28 cans of diet
pop in order to reach his or her daily limit.

For a small percentage of the world’s
population, aspartame does pose an
acknowledged risk. An estimated one in
16,000 people suffer from a rare heredi-
tary disease known as phenylketonuria.
The disease results in sensitivity to pheny-
lalanine, one of the components of
aspartame. For this reason, the FDA
requites that all products containing
aspartame be labelled as containing
phenylalanine.

Proponents of the sweetener argue the

An adult would have to con-
sume at least 28 cans of diet
pop in order to reach his or her

daily limit

~

 

a

long-term effects of sugar are much more
detrimental to one’s health than any
effects of aspartame. Our society’s sweet
tooth has resulted in high levels of obesi-
ty, malnutrition, and tooth decay, all of

 

which could be solved by substituting
aspartame. Regardless, aspartame still
contains nothing of use to our bodies.
Although the human body is able to toler-
ate the additive, it gains little from its
digestion.

None of the components of aspar-
tame accumulate in the bloodstream,
reducing the risk of enduring health
effects. However, the additive was
approved only in 1981, leaving little time
to study the long-term risks of repeated
exposure. Like tobacco, the long-term
effects of aspartame may have yet to be
discovered—or revealed. Although test
results appear to support claims that
aspartame is safe, there could potentially
be some truth to the millions of accusa-
tions condemning aspartame.

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