|
t_Articles
t_Articles
It seems like there's a new health scare nearly everyday. The latest electronic scare to circulate on the internet concerns the safety of the high intensity sweetener, aspartame. Let's look at the science. Aspartame is found in foods such as tabletop sweeteners, powdered fruit and tea drinks, low calorie soft drinks and desserts. Two hundred times sweeter than sugar, aspartame can be used in place of sugar and substantially reduces the caloric content of a variety of foods. Aspartame is one of the most thoroughly studied ingredients in the food supply. It was tested in more than 100 scientific studies before 1981 when it was approved for use by the United States Food and Drug Administration. It is now approved for use in more than 100 nations, including most Asian countries.
The facts about aspartame:
- Aspartame is made by joining two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine, both found naturally in protein-containing foods (such as meats. grains and dairy products) and a very small amount of methanol.
- Aspartame is digested just like any other protein, breaking down into its basic components. Neither aspartame nor its components accumulate in the body over time.
- Government agencies and health authorities around the world have concluded that aspartame is safe for the general public including diabetics, pregnant and nursing women and children. There is one exception to this. People with the rare hereditary disease phenylketonuria (PKU) cannot fully metabolise phenylalanine and therefore need to control their phenylalanine intake from all sources including aspartame and normal foods such as rice,dairy and meat products.
- Aspartame has not been proven to trigger headaches, affect vision, cause weight gain, seizures or allergic reactions.
- There is no evidence to link aspartame to the increase in brain cancer rates observed since 1973, nor is there any evidence to link aspartame consumption to Alzheimer's Disease, birth defects, lupus or multiple sclerosis.
Food Facts Asia recommends the following websites for science-based information on aspartame: www.fda.gov (for the position of the US Food and Drug Administration on aspartame) and www.msfacts.org/aspartame.htm (for the position of The Multiple Sclerosis Foundation on aspartame).
|
