Aspartame - Beenish Faheem

Aspartame is a high-intensity, low-calorie artificial sweetener found in soft drinks, desserts and chewing gum, etc (2).  Couple of its brand names are NutraSweet and Equal.

(8) LHcheM (2012). Wikimedia. Available from: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aspartame_sample.jpg 

Aspartame breaks down in your body to aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol (1).  Aspartic acid makes up 40%, phenylalanine makes up 50%, and methanol makes up 10% of the total aspartame molecule.  The amino acid metabolites follow the normal routes of digestion as they would if generated from other food sources in our body.  Our body cannot synthesize phenylalanine and has to be obtained from foods for normal growth to be maintained (1).  However, if consumed in excessive amounts it can pose a hazard to individuals suffering from phenylketonuria, an inherited metabolic disorder, and so all food items containing aspartame have to indicate the presence of phenylalanine.    Methanol breaks down into Formaldehyde and to formic acid and then eliminates from the body and is a potentially harmful metabolite.  However, various studies have shown even at abuse levels methanol levels in aspartame consumption are insignificant and do not pose any health risks (1). 

The Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for aspartame is 40 mg/kg of body weight (bw)/day (established by Food Directorate of Health Canada) or 50 mg/kg of bw/day (set by FDA) (6).  Since one 12-ounce can of diet soda contains 180 mg of aspartame, this is 3,750 mg (21 cans of diet soda) for an adult weighing 75 kg (165 lb) (6).  Studies have indicated that aspartame does not have a cancer risk (3, 4). Current evidence suggests that consumption of aspartame does not cause brain damage or seizures and FDA has found no association of aspartame intake and epilepsy (5). In a recent publication, it was stated that after 5 well-conducted studies adding aspartame to a diabetic’s diet in single doses or had no affect on their blood sugar levels hence it can be used safely by diabetics (2).  Individuals with a history of migraines and headaches should avoid aspartame but in healthy individuals no direct association between aspartame and headaches has been found (7).

(9)  Oneness91 (2008). Flickr. Available from: http://fr.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-2501448021