10 Facts you should know about Aspartame and other low calorie artificial sweeteners
Since America with the most obese adult population on earth is obsessed with dieting, the uses of aspartame and artificial sweeteners have increased drastically.You could find aspartame in many food products now a day’s including instant breakfasts, cereals, breath mints, sugar-free gums, cacao mixes, coffee beverages, gelatin desserts, frozen desserts, yogurt wine coolers, instant teas or coffees, tabletop sweeteners, soft drinks, shake mixes, no-prescription pharmaceutical drugs, multivitamins and milk drinks.
Recently the National Milk producers Federation (NMPF) and the International Dairy Food Association (IDFA) have been petitioning FDA to allow aspartame to be added to dairy products without proper labeling. Let’s find out why IDFA and NMPF have been petitioning FDA to approve using aspartame in dairy products without a label and have been claiming that low calorie sweetener like aspartame will promote healthy living especially among our kids in schools:
No #1: Aspartame consists of three compounds like methyl alcohol (wood alcohol), aspartic acid and phenylalanine. Consuming aspartame in sodas can cause flooding of amino acids in the blood stream that can lead to many health problems. Methanol in aspartame is broken down into two toxic substances called formaldehyde and formic acid. Formaldehyde is a toxic carcinogen that damages neurons and is related to birth defects and DNA replication.
No #2: people with phenylketonuria (PKU) lack enzymes that is need to convert phenylalanine to another amino acid enzyme called” tyrosine”. High concentration of phenylalanine can cause sever damages to the brain. Beside people with PKU, other people with kidney disease or iron deficiencies might also be prone to high levels of this amino acid.
No #3: Methanol, the other ingredient of aspartame is also poisonous even if it’s consumed in relatively modest amounts. Methanol toxicity can cause brain swelling, blindness and inflammation of heart muscles and pancreas.
No #4: Aspartame has also been making many people sick all of these years. According to Aspartame (NutraSweet): Is it Safe by H.J. Roberts, aspartame side effects can range from headaches, nausea, mood swings, changes in vision, diarrhea, confusion to memory loss, alzheimer’s and sleeping disorder. Aspartame could also be significantly dangerous for small children, sick people, elderly or those with low immune system.
No #5: A study by Yale University clearly shows how these artificial sweeteners including aspartame are linked to more craving for sugar, belly fat, obesity and type II diabetes.
Artificial sweeteners tied to obesity, Type 2 diabetes
Gain weight by “going diet?” Artificial sweeteners and the neurobiology of sugar cravings
No #6: Here is another study published by NCBI on how consuming artificial sweeteners increases the calorie intake, increases the body weight, increases adiposity and slows down metabolism.
A role for sweet taste: calorie predictive relations in energy regulation by rats.
No #7: A study by Harvard hospital is now apologizing for publishing a research that showed there are weak evidences that aspartame can cause cancer. They published a study in 2012 with the headline that “the truth isn’t sweet when it comes to artificial sweeteners” mentioning how there are enough evidence now that aspartame is linked to cancer.
Harvard hospital admits it promoted weak science on aspartame
Harvard hospital apologizes for promoting “weak” data on aspartame, cancer
Also based on the study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition aspartame can increase the chances of rare blood cancer.
No #8: Another study published on the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition also shows that consumption of artificial sweeteners can increase the chances lymphoma and leukemia.
No #9: Here is another study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showing how diet drinks and consuming aspartame can increase the chances of cardiovascular disease.
Soft drinks, aspartame, and the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease
No #10: According to Lendon Smith, M.D many people are suffering from hidden side effects of aspartame and they don’t know why no drugs, herbs or supplements can ease their pain and relieve the symptoms.
Some of these symptoms could be decreased vision, blindness in one or both eyes, severe intolerance of noise, headaches and migraines, dizziness, confusion, memory loss, typical facial pain, severe tremors, severe depression, irritability, aggression and anxiety, personality issues, insomnia, shortness of breath, gastrointestinal problems, nausea, diarrhea, allergies, itching without a rash, lip and mouth reactions, hives, severe PMS, leg swelling, and bloating, hyperactivity in children, severe depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, Alzheimer’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Lyme Disease and many more.
