The Truth About Aspartame

The truth about Aspartame, Aspartic acid, and phenylalanine’s methyl ester (i.e., methanol) comprises two amino acid-like molecules. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener 200 times sweeter than sugar but has no calories. The term “dipeptide” describes aspartame’s chemical classification.

Aspartic acids and phenylalanine, two of aspartame’s building blocks, are structurally identical to amino acids found in everyday foods. Similar does not imply identical, though. And this synthetic ingredient is unparalleled in the natural world.

What Is Aspartame?

The blue packets of sugar substitute are aspartame. Its trademarked name, Equal®, most widely recognizes it. You may also recall that in 2014, NutraSweet® ceased production of aspartame, citing “impossible” foreign competition.

More than 6,000 items, medicines, and beverages (especially diet drinks) use this sweetener. Millions of adults and children in the United States consume aspartame (often without realizing it) daily. Aspartame is one of the most debated food additives despite its widespread use.

On one side, scientists and health fanatics claim that the truth about aspartame (and its metabolites) cause various adverse health effects, including but not limited to headaches, memory loss, anxiety, depression, behavioral changes, hair loss, weight gain, and even cancer.

I recall one-time feeding ants this stuff, and guess what they did? The ants ignored this stuff entirely.

On the other side of the coin are those who defend aspartame’s safety by pointing to long-standing studies and the endorsement of regulatory agencies, including the FDA, Health Canada, and the European Food Safety Authority.

The Truth About Aspartame And Its Safety.

The annoying response to every inquiry is, “It depends.” And here, the answer varies depending on whom you consult. On the one hand, if you play Dr. Google, you will find terrifying personal account after terrifying personal account attributing various health tragedies to aspartame. On the other hand, Aspartame’s advertising presents a different picture, suggesting that it promotes a healthy lifestyle and can help with weight and glucose control.

Aspartame has been the subject of heated debate among scientists since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it for use in 1981 with the aid of Donald Rumsfeld. The company behind its creation, Monsanto, is also responsible for the widespread distribution of genetically modified plants and foods.

Aspartame is considered safe at dosages below 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day (mg/kg/day) by the World Health Organization and regulatory food authorities in Canada and Europe. Meanwhile, the FDA sets the ADI limit at 50 mg/kg daily.

An individual weighing 68 kilograms (roughly 150 pounds) would have an ADI of 2,720 and 3,400 milligrams of aspartame. The University of Alabama at Birmingham reports that there are 37 mg of aspartame in a single packet of Equal, but there are 200 mg in a 12-ounce can of Diet Coke.

It would help if you had no cause for concern unless you use more than 90 Equal packets per day or consume more than 200 ounces of diet Coke daily. Do not jump to conclusions. There are times when the safety data is essential (when applying for a patent), but other times when it is not.

For instance, we learn nothing about rodent studies’ functional impact or practical significance (often the basis for safety data investigations).

Hospitals endorse pseudo-sugar daily for patients with diabetes, so much for health care.

Ways To Avoid The Side-Effects Of Aspartame

Studies show counterintuitive links between non-caloric artificial sweeteners and the same ailments of the metabolic syndrome they are meant to prevent, including weight gain, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and more.

The rationale for aspartame and other non-nutritive artificial sweeteners makes enormous sense. Increased sugar absorption, a breakdown in the ability of sweet taste to transmit caloric consequences, an increase in appetite, impaired glycemic or insulin responses, and alterations to the gut microbiota are only some of the physiological explanations.

What this means is that the benefits of aspartame are greatly exaggerated. Even worse, solid and compelling evidence suggests that it may be dangerous, particularly when ingested in large quantities over extended periods.

As a sugar alternative, it would make sense for someone whose diet already includes a lot of extra sugar and calories, but this would be a temporary solution. Even yet, there are safer and superior alternatives.

Having said all that, and while I would want to adopt a more agnostic stance, I do not see any upside to using this artificial sweetener on a consistent, long-term basis, especially considering the risks associated with aspartame.

• Sodas are the most recognizable suspect; aspartame is found in a wide variety of products:
  • Diet soda
  • Sugar-free gum
  • Sugar-free mints
  • Sugar-free candy
  • Sugar-free condiments (e.g., ketchup, syrup)
  • Cereals
  • Coffee syrups
  • Sugar-free ice cream and toppings
  • Diet drinks (e.g., iced tea)
  • Sugar-free fruit drinks
  • Meal replacement shakes/snacks
  • Nutrition/protein bars
  • Sugar-free sports drinks
  • Yogurt
  • Fiber supplements
  • Most obvious: The blue packets sweeten coffee, tea, etc.

This list is some of the crap to steer clear from. By the way, your health is valuable; try to remember that. The FDA ratifies food that is banned in other countries. This speaks volumes, and the truth about aspartame is coming out.

via GIPHY

Some Side-Effects Of The Truth About Aspartame

A) Negative Gut Bacteria

Aspartame may have deleterious effects on gut microbes and its possible impacts on metabolism, hunger, weight control, cognitive function, and mood. Some of the additional side effects of aspartame (such as glucose intolerance) may also be attributable to changes in the gut bacteria.

Despite the positive health claims for sugar-free artificial sweeteners like aspartame, new research suggests that gut flora can break them down.

Due to its fast breakdown in the small intestine, the precise effects of aspartame on the gut flora are challenging to pin down. However, there is strong evidence that aspartame is used and affects gut flora even after being digested in the upper intestine (possibly via the byproducts of its metabolism or perhaps through other, as-yet-unknown processes).

B) Type-2 Diabetes

Since aspartame has no calories and no sugar, it should not pose a threat to your blood sugar levels or your metabolism. That line of reasoning is sound. This is why many doctors prescribe it to people with type 2 diabetes. After the fact, it raises blood glucose levels barely at all while being 200 times sweeter than sugar.

However, studies reveal that aspartame’s negative consequences may include reduced glucose tolerance in type 2 diabetics and an increased risk of weight gain (rather than weight loss).

Researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital report a potential mechanism by which aspartame consumption contributes to metabolic syndrome, a cluster of symptoms that includes increased risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The study demonstrated that phenylalanine, a byproduct of aspartame metabolism, inhibits intestinal alkaline phosphatase, an enzyme that has a role in the regulation of body weight, glucose tolerance, and metabolic syndrome. Mice given aspartame-tainted water grew heavier and exhibited other indications of metabolic syndrome compared to mice given identical diets but without aspartame.

Additional research in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism links aspartame consumption to increased glucose intolerance in overweight people. Scientists at York University’s Faculty of Health have found that those who regularly use sugar substitutes, especially aspartame, may have poorer control of their blood sugar levels than those who do not.

C) Obesity

Aspartame, a sugar substitute with zero calories, would aid in reducing body fat. Since it is 200 times sweeter than sugar, replacing the typical annual sugar intake with the equivalent of 5 grams of aspartame would result in a theoretical weight loss of around 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds).

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics agrees that reducing non-nutritive sweeteners is one way to manage your weight and blood sugar levels.

Canadian researchers found that aspartame may cause long-term weight gain and an increased risk of obesity, as well as an elevated risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

There has been tremendous growth in the use of zero-calorie artificial sweeteners like aspartame as people become more informed about the adverse effects of sugar on their health. However, recent findings from the journal Experimental Biology suggest that aspartame and other sugar substitutes may contribute to metabolic alterations associated with diabetes and obesity.

According to this logic, making a change, like going from regular to Diet Coke, could be like going from “frying pan into the fire.” The truth about aspartame is utterly alarming.

D) Behavioral Issues

There are several possible downsides to aspartame consumption. The existing animal studies and limited human studies suggest aspartame and its metabolites, whether consumed in quantities significantly higher than the recommended safe dosage or within recommended safe levels, may disrupt the oxidant/antioxidant balance, induce oxidative stress, and damage cell membrane integrity, potentially affecting a variety of cells and tissues and causative factors.”

You have probably heard by now that persistent systemic inflammation is disastrous. It plays a role in the development of nearly every chronic degenerative illness. Although there are several potential causes of persistent inflammation, high levels of oxidative stress are often at the root of the problem.

Drug and Chemical Toxicology published a study showing that chronic aspartame consumption drastically decreased brain glutathione concentrations, the “master antioxidant” of the body.

Knowing the biology of aspartame is useful from a neurological perspective. Aspartame, once consumed, breaks down into aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. Aspartic acid is an “excitatory” neurotransmitter, and phenylalanine is essential in neurotransmitter modulation.

Neurobehavioral abnormalities may originate from problems with neurotransmitter modulation. Aspartame also affects neurotransmitter (such as dopamine) concentrations by increasing blood-brain barrier permeability.

Other symptoms include; irritability, delayed reaction times, depression, memory loss, and impaired performance.

The truth about aspartame may not resonate with you personally; however, anything artificial is not healthy for consumption, to put it bluntly.

In Summary

I think it is fair to say that most people may benefit from cutting back on the amount of sugary foods they consume. Sweet-tasting meals are highly reinforcing and contribute to forming a “sweet taste,” especially among children, due to the prevalence of added sugars and non-nutritive, high-intensity sweeteners in modern diets.

The cynical conclusion is that there is probably too much sweetness and never enough light, and the public probably needs protection against misleading websites,” Professor Michael Lean, Chair of Human Nutrition (Medicine) at the University of Glasgow, wrote in an editorial for the British Medical Journal, which is one of my favorite conclusions.

The bottom line, desist or use this product sparingly. Numerous studies challenge the narrative. Remain healthy, my friends.