What is Aspartame?

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Aspartame is a sugar substitute frequently used in products like diet soda. Unlike sugar, aspartame is a non-carbohydrate based product, so it contains virtually no calories. It is also used in very small amounts because aspartame is approximately 180 times sweeter than sugar. The product is the result of an accidental discovery in 1965 by James Schlatter, who was working on a drug to prevent ulcers. When he made aspartame from aspartic acid and phenylalanine, he noticed its sweet taste.

Unlike sugar, aspartame tends to break down when it is heated, so it does not make a good sugar substitute in baked products. At room temperature, little packets of the product used for sweetening coffee or tea have a shelf life slightly under a year. Aspartame also breaks down under high pH values in foods or liquids. In sodas, the pH is low enough to allow aspartame to stabilize for up to a month. This is one reason soda companies now frequently put an expiration date on their sodas.

Many find the taste of aspartame not equal to that of sugar. It tends to last longer in the mouth, and is sometimes called a “long sweetener.” Others enjoy the taste as evidenced by the number of diet sodas, and dietetic foods containing aspartame that are purchased by the public. Since aspartame is so sweet, only a small amount is required in recipes, which means adjusting recipes according. This is why diet drinks may have a different flavor spectrum from a non-diet drink. In addition to the substitution of aspartame, other aspects of the recipe must be adjusted to make up for the amount of sugar used.

Since the FDA approved aspartame in the 1980s, it has been controversial. Many suggest that aspartame may be indicated in increasing the risk the development of several cancers, citing studies on rats in the 1970s. However, the medical communities of Europe and America have dismissed these studies, and as recently as 2005, testing supports the safety of aspartame.

Aspartame is dangerous, however, for anyone with phenylketonuria (PKU), a disease that makes the body produce too much tyrosine when phenylalanines are ingested. Those with PKU should avoid any products that contain the sugar substitute, as they pose a significant health threat. As well, too much aspartame may cause mild stomach upset and diarrhea, so although it is almost calorie free, one should still not consume a great deal of it, since greater amounts tend to cause stomach upset.

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New: Discuss this Article

Posted by: anon14789
Very interesting.. best thing is to avoid it all together. Whether it harms or not it certainly doesn't do any benefit to a healthy human. I have read in some places that aspartame is in milk? however, the ingredients on the skim milk only say "reduced fat milk and milk solids" is there really aspartame in skim milk? seems silly haha i don't wanna stop drinking milk as well XD
Posted by: Dayton
I guess the easiest answer to that question is: maybe. Flavored waters, sweetened waters and the like *may* be sweetened with aspartame, but they'll say so on the package. On the other hand, I wouldn't assume that aspartame is in sparkling, but not sweetened, water. Reading the ingredients will give you the information you seek!
Posted by: anon1722
Does plain sparkling water contain aspartame?
Posted by: anon1687
Hey folks, you say this in the article:

"However, the medical communities of Europe and America have dismissed these studies, and as recently as 2005, testing supports the safety of aspartame."

Could you post a link to these "studies" because I can't find them?

Funny that you don't mentioned that the FDA refused to approve the drug all throughout the 1970's.

As for the "facts" on aspartame, you can read the latest EC-SCF studies.

Aspartame breaks down into methanol at 86 degrees Fahrenheit, which further breaks down into Formaldehyde. Constant, habitual, daily intakes will lead to deposits of formaldehyde in the brain, kidneys, and liver. Drinking diet soft drinks everyday is not a good idea.

The history of how this drug got approved is intriguing:

"For over eight years the FDA refused to approve it because of the seizures and brain tumors this drug produced in lab animals. The FDA continued to refuse to approve it until President Reagan took office (a friend of Searle) and fired the FDA Commissioner who wouldn't approve it. Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes was appointed as commissioner. Even then there was so much opposition to approval that a Board of Inquiry was set up. The Board said: "Do not approve aspartame". Dr. Hayes OVERRULED his own Board of Inquiry"

Posted by: Dayton
Hm. After a bit of research, the easiest explanation is that aspartame isn't "made of" anything, but is a compound unto itself. It has it's own chemical formula, and was synthesized in a lab.

To put it another way, if table salt is made of sodium and chlorine (NaCl), then aspartame is made of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen.

Posted by: willinger
What is aspertame made of please?
Posted by: anon1399
Well,

I really don't think that if you drink a little bit of, let's say sparkling water, that this will make you get a disease otherwise all what you already consume will be like that. Of course, you must not exagerate, this what I do think. Personally, I do take a small amount of it(dietatician told to take a bit).

Regards

Posted by: rachelh
Hi, is aspartame okay in drinks to drink if pregnant or trying to become pregnant?

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