Aspartame - May be safe after all

[dannov]

Aspartame for those that are unaware of it, was a sweetener frequently used in supplements and snacks and all sorts of things that we consume. There were then a few rat studies that demonstrated that it has carcinogenic potential, so people started panicking and manufacturers stopped using it by and large. There is now reason to believe that the "Aspartame scare" may be just that--a scare.

It is also important to note that the levels of Aspartame used in the rat studies would equal roughly the human equivalent of a person drinking five 20 oz bottles of diet soda every day of every year for 54 years. Not condoning the use of Aspartame as there are plenty more proven-to-be safe sweeteners out there, but just some interesting info. that I came across.

Crit Rev Toxicol. 2007 Sep;37(8):629-727.

Aspartame: a safety evaluation based on current use levels, regulations, and toxicological and epidemiological studies.
Magnuson BA, Burdock GA, Doull J, Kroes RM, Marsh GM, Pariza MW, Spencer PS, Waddell WJ, Walker R, Williams GM.

Burdock Group, Washington, DC, USA.

Aspartame is a methyl ester of a dipeptide used as a synthetic nonnutritive sweetener in over 90 countries worldwide in over 6000 products. The purpose of this investigation was to review the scientific literature on the absorption and metabolism, the current consumption levels worldwide, the toxicology, and recent epidemiological studies on aspartame. Current use levels of aspartame, even by high users in special subgroups, remains well below the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European Food Safety Authority established acceptable daily intake levels of 50 and 40 mg/kg bw/day, respectively. Consumption of large doses of aspartame in a single bolus dose will have an effect on some biochemical parameters, including plasma amino acid levels and brain neurotransmitter levels. The rise in plasma levels of phenylalanine and aspartic acid following administration of aspartame at doses less than or equal to 50 mg/kg bw do not exceed those observed postprandially. Acute, subacute and chronic toxicity studies with aspartame, and its decomposition products, conducted in mice, rats, hamsters and dogs have consistently found no adverse effect of aspartame with doses up to at least 4000 mg/kg bw/day. Critical review of all carcinogenicity studies conducted on aspartame found no credible evidence that aspartame is carcinogenic. The data from the extensive investigations into the possibility of neurotoxic effects of aspartame, in general, do not support the hypothesis that aspartame in the human diet will affect nervous system function, learning or behavior. Epidemiological studies on aspartame include several case-control studies and one well-conducted prospective epidemiological study with a large cohort, in which the consumption of aspartame was measured. The studies provide no evidence to support an association between aspartame and cancer in any tissue. The weight of existing evidence is that aspartame is safe at current levels of consumption as a nonnutritive sweetener.

PMID: 17828671 [PubMed - in process]

And another study:

Ann Oncol. 2007 Jan;18(1):40-4. Epub 2006 Oct 16.Click here to read Links
Artificial sweeteners and cancer risk in a network of case-control studies.
Gallus S, Scotti L, Negri E, Talamini R, Franceschi S, Montella M, Giacosa A, Dal Maso L, La Vecchia C.

Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Via Eritrea 62, 20157 Milan, Italy. gallus@marionegri.it

BACKGROUND: The role of sweeteners on cancer risk has been widely debated over the last few decades. To provide additional information on saccharin and other sweeteners (mainly aspartame), we considered data from a large network of case-control studies. METHODS: An integrated network of case-control studies has been conducted between 1991 and 2004 in Italy. Cases were 598 patients with incident, histologically confirmed cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx, 304 of the oeso****us, 1225 of the colon, 728 of the rectum, 460 of the larynx, 2569 of the breast, 1031 of the ovary, 1294 of the prostate and 767 of the kidney (renal cell carcinoma). Controls were 7028 patients (3301 men and 3727 women) admitted to the same hospitals as cases for acute, non-neoplastic disorders. Odds ratios (ORs), and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were derived by unconditional logistic regression models. RESULTS: The ORs for consumption of saccharin were 0.83 (95% CI 0.30-2.29) for cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx, 1.58 (95% CI 0.59-4.25) for oeso****eal, 0.95 (95% CI 0.67-1.35) for colon, 0.93 (95% CI 0.60-1.45) for rectal, 1.55 (95% CI 0.76-3.16) for laryngeal, 1.01 (95% CI 0.77-1.33) for breast, 0.46 (95% CI 0.29-0.74) for ovarian, 0.91 (95% CI 0.59-1.40) for prostate and 0.79 (95% CI 0.49-1.28) for kidney cancer. The ORs for consumption of other sweeteners, mainly aspartame, were 0.77 (95% CI 0.39-1.53) for cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx, 0.77 (95% CI 0.34-1.75) for oeso****eal, 0.90 (95% CI 0.70-1.16) for colon, 0.71 (95% CI 0.50-1.02) for rectal, 1.62 (95% CI 0.84-3.14) for laryngeal, 0.80 (95% CI 0.65-0.97) for breast, 0.75 (95% CI 0.56-1.00) for ovarian, 1.23 (95% CI 0.86-1.76) for prostate and 1.03 (95% CI 0.73-1.46) for kidney cancer. A significant inverse trend in risk for increasing categories of total sweeteners was found for breast and ovarian cancer, and a direct one for laryngeal cancer. [b]CONCLUSION: The present work indicates a lack of association between saccharin, aspartame and other sweeteners and the risk of several common neoplasms.

[hullcrush]

I don't really see how it couldn't be safe based on its chemistry.

That being said, those reports are BS backed by the industry for PR.

[kcb5150]

Safe or not it tastes pretty inferior to splenda, stevia, and even saccharin imo.

[stracin]

I know it's not safe from experience. I used to chug down the crystals lights like crazy and found myself getting very scatter-brained with headaches before I even decided to look into what was causing it. Low and behold, many others just like me, though a long shot from EVERYONE, experienced the same symptoms as I did when ingesting aspartame. Ok for most, not safe for few. I'm not a phenylketonuric either.

[GeneGnomeX]

Two correlation studies/reviews does not mean it is safe.

[FlyingV]

I don't really see how it couldn't be safe based on its chemistry.

That's understandable if you have a grasp of amino acids and some basic biochemistry. Of course most people don't, so it's just as understandable that so many people are needlessly freaked out by scare websites and such.

Among all the concerns people have abt aspartame I think the most 'legitimate' one relates to the alcohol part of the molecule, and how that's metabolized into other toxins like formaldehyde IIRC. But even that's a hard case to make given the very small amounts involved. As always, the dose makes the poison.

Other people will freak out about phenylalanine, often misconstruing the PKU warnings, and assuming phenylalanine is bad for them because it's associated with some disease called PKU. Or they will read about 'excitotoxins' and assume aspartic acid and phenylalanine are dangerous excitotoxins. They could be under certain circumstances I suppose, but certainly not from a few packets of Equal in your iced tea or whatever.

I'm not suggesting it's good for you, or that there aren't better alternatives - I think there are. But aside from anecdotes from people like "All I know is my headaches went away when I stopped drinking Diet Coke".......I haven't ever seen a persuasive reason to be really worried about it.

They did similar studies with rats and saccharin, I think they are (or were) known as accelerated hazard studies - where they attempt to assess the risks of long term low dose use by administering the test compound in very high doses for the short term. That's how and why they are able to sell saccaharin with the cancer warnings, in a similar way, the dose that produced cancer in this case was far beyond anything any reasonable person would consume.

[Jules Verne]

T
Other people will freak out about phenylalanine, often misconstruing the PKU warnings, and assuming phenylalanine is bad for them because it's associated with some disease called PKU. Or they will read about 'excitotoxins' and assume aspartic acid and phenylalanine are dangerous excitotoxins. They could be under certain circumstances I suppose, but certainly not from a few packets of Equal in your iced tea or whatever.

I find it ironic that the one amino acid breakdown product from aspartame that you could possibly overdose on (i.e. you could reach toxic levels) is in fact an essential amino acid. I think I worked out once that you should consume less than 20-30 diet sodas/day to be safe.

[Random907]

I know it's not safe from experience. I used to chug down the crystals lights like crazy and found myself getting very scatter-brained with headaches before I even decided to look into what was causing it. Low and behold, many others just like me, though a long shot from EVERYONE, experienced the same symptoms as I did when ingesting aspartame. Ok for most, not safe for few. I'm not a phenylketonuric either.

x2

I felt this as well. Unable to concentrate and headaches.

[Jules Verne]

For those people who think they have a problem with aspartame - you should also consider reducing your protein (particularly meat) intake.

If you are particularly sensitive to phenylalanine then you could be getting a lot though your diet and reducing that might also help.

I guess consuming anything 'like crazy' could result in various health issues though. I mean I don't see eating 5 cans or tuna/day as any more of a good idea then 3lb of chicken or 3lb beef or a '****load' or sugar or artificial sweeteners or overdoing antioxidants etc..

[InfiniteREPS]

I know it's not safe from experience. I used to chug down the crystals lights like crazy and found myself getting very scatter-brained with headaches before I even decided to look into what was causing it. Low and behold, many others just like me, though a long shot from EVERYONE, experienced the same symptoms as I did when ingesting aspartame. Ok for most, not safe for few. I'm not a phenylketonuric either.

I agree I get those brain fog headaches everytime I ingest it.

[Random907]

For those people who think they have a problem with aspartame - you should also consider reducing your protein (particularly meat) intake.

If you are particularly sensitive to phenylalanine then you could be getting a lot though your diet and reducing that might also help.

I guess consuming anything 'like crazy' could result in various health issues though. I mean I don't see eating 5 cans or tuna/day as any more of a good idea then 3lb of chicken or 3lb beef or a '****load' or sugar or artificial sweeteners or overdoing antioxidants etc..

I'm fine with protein, I'm actually on keto right now.

The best diet for me.

[Docta J]

All artificial sweeteners have their disadvantages. To be honest, I'm not too fond of using artificial sweeteners at all, but its ideal for my goals so I use it

[kcb5150]

I get the aspartame migranes too. I think the big problem is the stuff does not like heat much and most delivery trucks are not heated and this stuff just bakes on the road.

[dannov]

I'm not a big fan of sweeteners, in fact, I just drink my 25g of BCAAs and 10g of L-Glutamine and Endurolytes (just a bulk electrolyte powder mix) plain during my workout, and like the raw taste. I'm a firm believer in keeping the diet as raw and natural as possible. I just wanted to share some info. that I came across on Aspartame though, as it probably has a bit too bad of a wrap that I feel is unwarranted.

[wild1poet2]

FYI: here's an opposing perspective;

http://www.newstarget.com/022032.html

Excerpt; "What we have here is a case of yet more pro-aspartame propaganga being paraded around as legitimate science. It's really more of a junk science fraud fest designed to prop up the aspartame industry a little longer even as new science keeps coming out showing the chemical sweetener to be potentially quite dangerous to health."

[deke]

You gotta be kidding me. If anyone would read about the history of how aspartame made it through the regulatory process, you would not go anywhere near it.

Aspartame got slammed down the regulatory process by bribery, lies and manipulation.

They had to bring in Donald rumsfeld as CEO and other political cronies to get the deed done.

Read the history. It is all there. I could go on for days.

Here are some cuts.


***LIES AND MANIPULATION***
"[The manufacturer] lied and they didn't submit the real nature of their observations because had they done that it is more than likely that a great number of these studies would have been rejected simply for adequacy. What Searle did, they took great pains to camouflage these shortcomings of the study. As I say filter and just present to the FDA what they wished the FDA to know and they did other terrible things for instance animals would develop tumors while they were under study. Well they would remove these tumors from the animals."

- FDA Toxicologist and Task Force member, Dr. Andrian Gross (Wilson 1985)


***BRIBERY***
The FDA scientific panel was against approving it, but was overruled by the FDA commissioner who later took a job with G.D. Searle.

[NO HYPE]

You gotta be kidding me. If anyone would read about the history of how aspartame made it through the regulatory process, you would not go anywhere near it.

Aspartame got slammed down the regulatory process by bribery, lies and manipulation.

They had to bring in Donald rumsfeld as CEO and other political cronies to get the deed done.

Read the history. It is all there. I could go on for days.

Here are some cuts.


***LIES AND MANIPULATION***
"[The manufacturer] lied and they didn't submit the real nature of their observations because had they done that it is more than likely that a great number of these studies would have been rejected simply for adequacy. What Searle did, they took great pains to camouflage these shortcomings of the study. As I say filter and just present to the FDA what they wished the FDA to know and they did other terrible things for instance animals would develop tumors while they were under study. Well they would remove these tumors from the animals."

- FDA Toxicologist and Task Force member, Dr. Andrian Gross (Wilson 1985)


***BRIBERY***
The FDA scientific panel was against approving it, but was overruled by the FDA commissioner who later took a job with G.D. Searle.

Here is a dose of the TRUTH....



Aspartame is metabolized rapidly in the gut wall to aspartate, phenylalanine and methanol [3], the latter being undetectable in peripheral blood or even in portal blood [4]. Phenylalanine is converted in the liver to tyrosine which is eventually oxidized to carbon dioxide. Both phenylalanine and tyrosine are normal constituents of human plasma. It has been shown that the 1-methyl group is removed from aspartame as a result of presystemic metabolism and that the stomach takes no part in the absorption or metabolism of aspartame [5]. Aspartame is completely metabolized by the action of pancreatic alpha-chymotrypsin, an esterase, to yield methanol and L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine [6]. Within the gut wall, L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine is cleared by an amidase to yield free phenylalanine which is actively transported through the gut wall into the portal circulation. Further studies support the observation that aspartame is completely hydrolysed in the gut and that little or no aspartame is absorbed intact into the systemic circulation [7, 8]. In children with phenylketonuria, elevated plasma phenylalanine levels are associated with mental retardation. In such children, plasma phenylalanine levels vary between 1800 and 3000/jmol/l [9]. There are no data relating to these processes in elderly people. The reduction in liver volume associated with ageing [10] would be expected to result in reduced clearance of the metabolites and hence higher serum concentrations. This study was therefore designed to test this hypothesis. http://ageing.oxfordjournals.org/cgi...t/25/3/217.pdf

[deke]

Yeah, great.

Comments pertaining to footnotes 5 and 7 are studies on MONKEYS! LOL! Comments pertaining to footnote 9 acknowledge a sub group of the population that is negatively affected by aspartame.

I am sure if I looked into it further, I would further dismantle that gem of yours.

I wonder who sponsored/paid for the study.

I notice you did not dispute the actions/behavior of Searle during the approval process. Those are the actions of an honest corporation with a perfectly safe product, right? Then there is the whole Monsanto era of aspartame. They are another innocent corporation, right?

[NO HYPE]

Yeah, great.

Comments pertaining to footnotes 5 and 7 are studies on MONKEYS! LOL! Comments pertaining to footnote 9 acknowledge a sub group of the population that is negatively affected by aspartame.

Wether it be in monkeys or humans.... the proteolytic/esterolytic activities of the alpha-chymotrypsin enzyme both hydrolyze in the same fashion.



1: Metabolism. 1989 Apr;38(4):357-63. Related Articles, Links


Effect of repeated ingestion of aspartame-sweetened beverage on plasma amino acid, blood methanol, and blood formate concentrations in normal adults.

Aspartame (APM) is a widely used dipeptide sweetener (L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester). It has been suggested that excessive use of APM might elevate plasma aspartate, phenylalanine, and/or methanol concentrations to levels that are potentially harmful. Six normal young adults ingested eight successive servings of unsweetened and APM-sweetened beverage at one-hour intervals in a balanced crossover design. In one part, the beverage was not sweetened. In the other, each serving of beverage provided 600 mg APM, a dose equivalent to the amount provided by 36 oz of APM-sweetened diet beverage. Plasma aspartate concentration was not significantly increased after ingestion of unsweetened or APM-sweetened beverage. Similarly, ingestion of the unsweetened beverage had no significant effect on plasma phenylalanine concentration. However, ingestion of APM-sweetened beverage significantly increased plasma phenylalanine levels 1.41 to 2.35 mumol/dL above baseline 30 minutes after ingestion. Plasma phenylalanine values reached a steady state after administration of four to five servings and did not exceed normal postprandial values at any time. Blood methanol and formate concentrations remained within normal limits. The data indicate ready metabolism of APM when administered at levels that may be ingested by normal individuals who are heavy users of diet beverages. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/en...&dopt=Citation



1: Crit Rev Toxicol. 2007 Sep;37(8):629-727. Links


Aspartame: a safety evaluation based on current use levels, regulations, and toxicological and epidemiological studies.

Aspartame is a methyl ester of a dipeptide used as a synthetic nonnutritive sweetener in over 90 countries worldwide in over 6000 products. The purpose of this investigation was to review the scientific literature on the absorption and metabolism, the current consumption levels worldwide, the toxicology, and recent epidemiological studies on aspartame. Current use levels of aspartame, even by high users in special subgroups, remains well below the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European Food Safety Authority established acceptable daily intake levels of 50 and 40 mg/kg bw/day, respectively. Consumption of large doses of aspartame in a single bolus dose will have an effect on some biochemical parameters, including plasma amino acid levels and brain neurotransmitter levels. The rise in plasma levels of phenylalanine and aspartic acid following administration of aspartame at doses less than or equal to 50 mg/kg bw do not exceed those observed postprandially. Acute, subacute and chronic toxicity studies with aspartame, and its decomposition products, conducted in mice, rats, hamsters and dogs have consistently found no adverse effect of aspartame with doses up to at least 4000 mg/kg bw/day. Critical review of all carcinogenicity studies conducted on aspartame found no credible evidence that aspartame is carcinogenic. The data from the extensive investigations into the possibility of neurotoxic effects of aspartame, in general, do not support the hypothesis that aspartame in the human diet will affect nervous system function, learning or behavior. Epidemiological studies on aspartame include several case-control studies and one well-conducted prospective epidemiological study with a large cohort, in which the consumption of aspartame was measured. The studies provide no evidence to support an association between aspartame and cancer in any tissue. The weight of existing evidence is that aspartame is safe at current levels of consumption as a nonnutritive sweetener. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/en...ubmed_RVDocSum

[NO HYPE]

I am sure if I looked into it further, I would further dismantle that gem of yours.

Oooo.... I can't wait.

[Julian_H]

FYI: here's an opposing perspective;

http://www.newstarget.com/022032.html

Excerpt; "What we have here is a case of yet more pro-aspartame propaganga being paraded around as legitimate science. It's really more of a junk science fraud fest designed to prop up the aspartame industry a little longer even as new science keeps coming out showing the chemical sweetener to be potentially quite dangerous to health."

zero references to back it up. who is this random author?

[NO HYPE]

I notice you did not dispute the actions/behavior of Searle during the approval process. Those are the actions of an honest corporation with a perfectly safe product, right? Then there is the whole Monsanto era of aspartame. They are another innocent corporation, right?

Pharmacological data nullifies that nonsense.

So seeing that you have such a strong opinion on the negative aspects of aspartame.... do you have ANY conclusive pharmacokinetic studies that demonstrate your point of view?

[misstransformer]

This is a timely topic. I discovered last week, that for some people(I'm one), aspartame can cause "immediate" unwanted side effects. I made the mistake of drinking a diet caffeine and sugar free soda last week, and quickly noticed the difference. I didn't have seizures, or anything that serious, but I just did not feel like myself. Mind you...I only had ONE 6 oz glass of the soda on two different days. It may not have had calories, sugar, or caffeine, but the aspartame was problematic for me. I won't drink it again. Miss T

[Thinkingman85]

I was stupid one time and drank about 5 cups of diet pepsi at a restaurant. About an hour later, my brain went crazy in an unexplainable way. I lost track of reality, so to speak. Thank god that happened to me. Now I know not to drink that formaldehyde ish..

[ElMariachi]

Aspartame gives me some pretty bad, stabbing headaches. Within 30-60 minutes I get a sharp pain in the side of my head, followed by kind of a mental fog or haze for the next 4 or 5 hours. This was happening to me back since my early teens, before I even had a clue on what aspartame was. I never get these headaches unless I consume something with aspartame in it, which is why I stay the hell away from that stuff, period.

[Amanda76]

We used sweet-n-low to kill fire ants at the organic food store I used to work at. The ants that did survive could barely walk (kinda hobbling around in circles) and would let you stick your hand right into their ant hill without attacking (if you're not familiar with fireants, they're very aggressive). They didn't rebuild anywhere, so really, it worked better than pouring gasoline on their hill like I'd grown up doing...probably because a lot of them survive gasoline by running away, they couldn't run away from something they were drawn to consume once they consumed it.

That was when I finally decided that regardless of what anyone says, fake sugar probably isn't the best thing to put into your body on a regular basis...even if you are bigger than an ant.

[NO HYPE]

Aspartame gives me some pretty bad, stabbing headaches. Within 30-60 minutes I get a sharp pain in the side of my head, followed by kind of a mental fog or haze for the next 4 or 5 hours. This was happening to me back since my early teens, before I even had a clue on what aspartame was. I never get these headaches unless I consume something with aspartame in it, which is why I stay the hell away from that stuff, period.

Without casting doubt on anyone's negative reaction to products that contain aspartame, seeing how these reported effects are somewhat common, and understanding that aspartame is rapidly metabolized to aspartate, phenylalanine and methanol.... (with the exception of methanol) I am honestly curious as to why these same effects are not reported by the same people, when something like protein/BCAA supplements contain the identical substances, and in much larger amounts?

[coolworkout]

2 studies do not mean it is safe.

Even if the jury is still out, which by and large it isn't, it's pretty safe to say aspartame is NOT safe, I'm still going to take my chances with natural sweeteners like SUGAR.

[NO HYPE]

We used sweet-n-low to kill fire ants at the organic food store I used to work at. The ants that did survive could barely walk (kinda hobbling around in circles) and would let you stick your hand right into their ant hill without attacking (if you're not familiar with fireants, they're very aggressive). They didn't rebuild anywhere, so really, it worked better than pouring gasoline on their hill like I'd grown up doing...probably because a lot of them survive gasoline by running away, they couldn't run away from something they were drawn to consume once they consumed it.

That was when I finally decided that regardless of what anyone says, fake sugar probably isn't the best thing to put into your body on a regular basis...even if you are bigger than an ant.

Were you aware that NON-TOXIC talc powder, works even better?

[NO HYPE]

2 studies do not mean it is safe.

.... hence the reason I disagree with the title of the thread. Even water can be considered unsafe.

I would have titled it.... "Does anyone have any proof that aspartame is not safe?