Aspartame

Aspartame is a sweetener that is low calorie which is used for sweet food items such as diet sodas
such as coca cola zero, sugar free chewing gum and breath mints for people with sugar or calorie
related disease. It is also marketed as a multiple use sweetener under brands such as NutraSweet
and Equal. For example a cheese cake that weighs about 1 kg of cake would contain about 150g of
sugar if made with sugar to achieve a suitable amount of sweetness and would cause the intake of:

100 gramof sugar=1620 kilocalories

150
×1620 kilocalories=2430 kilocalories
100

So the amount of sugar is needed for a cheesecake would result in the intake of 2430 kilocalories.
But if the same cheesecake should be done with pure aspartame the intake would be (it usually isn’t
made with pure aspartame. It is usually mixed with Acesulfame potassium because pure aspartame
is said to have a slower onset and a longer aftertaste as in its effect is not as immediate and its taste
remains in the mouth of the person for a longer time in comparison with sugar. This is just to show
the effectiveness of aspartame)

1 gram of aspartame=4 kilocalories

150× 4 kilocalories
=3 kilocalories
200

This shows the magnitude of how effective aspartame is at bringing the same amount of sweetness
to the food without reducing the calorie intake in comparison to normal house sugar, sucrose (in this
case 810 times).

But on the hand there have been documented report of people contracting various diseases such as
headaches seizures, cancer, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis,
diabetes, ADHD and many others from consuming Aspartame. Although the only proven provocable
condition from the consumption of Aspartame which is the inability to metabolize Phenylalanine
which is the type of amino acid that composes Aspartame. In fact since the 1980s there have been
almost 10,000 complaints about Aspartame consumption related diseases. Although the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) has deemed it ‘safe’ at current human aspartame consumption
levels, but there have been studies by established researchers such as Dr. John Olney who fed infant
mice aspartame which then caused the mice severe brain damage that has been reported in human
cases of Aspartame consumption. This was the first piece of evidence that Aspartame was toxic.

C14H18N2O5 also known as Aspartame is the methyl ester of aspartic acid dipeptide, which is a
protein. It is 200 times sweeter than sucrose and has a caloric value of 4000 calories per gram, but
the amount of the needed to produce the necessary amount of sweetness is so small that the calorie
intake is negligible. Like other peptides Aspartame will break down in high ph or temperature
conditions. This can be improved by encasing it with lipids, but doing so will defeat its purpose of
being a low calorie. Furthermore Aspartame has a noticeably short half-life (radioactive decay),
there for making it a poor choice for items that require a long shelf life. This can also be improved by
mixing it with other saccharides, but then the purpose would be mostly defeated once again.
Despite having several flaws as you can see, Aspartame is still used widely use as a sweetener due to
its low calorie characteristics.

Fig 1. Stick and ball structure of aspartame Fig 2. Aspartame as seen in the market

Aspartame was discovered by James M. Schlatter in 1965. He had synthesized Aspartame in the
process of producing a anti-ulcer drug candidate and unknowingly discovered it when he licked his
finger.

The concern about Aspartame began when Dr. John Olney of Washington State University fed
infant mice Aspartame and found that Aspartame had caused brain damage among the mice. These
findings were then brought forward to the FDA where numerous panels of established experts were
appointed by Dr. Gere Goyan who was the FDA commissioner at that time to review the safety
issues regarding the consumption of Aspartame. But before the results were tabulated the newly
elected president Ronald Regan forced Dr. Gere Goyan to step down and chose a new commissioner
for the FDA. This new commissioner then approved the use of Aspartame in dry foods. 2 years later
he approved the use of Aspartame in carbonated drinks. So, many comment that the approval of
Aspartame itself was not based on scientific evidence and more on the politics and therefore not

Fig 3. Laboratory mice developed huge tumours as indicated after consuming Aspartame

reliable. Also they comment that the approval of Aspartame was could have been done based on
monetary benefits.

Currently the FDA deems Aspartame ‘safe’ by current human consumption levels and therefore
approved. Nevertheless complaints of Aspartame related diseases and findings from independent
researchers have not ceased. But no one knows where the future of Aspartame is going and where it
will end.
 References

1) Hull, J (2002). Side Effects of Aspartame. Retrieved August 9, 2009, from Aspartame Detox
Program Web site: http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-side-effects.html
2) Unknown, (2006). The Benefits. Retrieved August 9, 2009, from Aspartame Information
Centre Web site: http://www.aspartame.org/aspartame_benefits.html
3) Unknown, (2008). Aspartame. Retrieved August 9, 2009, from Wikipedia Web site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame
4) Unknown, (2007). Aspartame the Savage Beast. Retrieved August 9, 2009, from
BreakTheChain.org Web site: http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/aspartame.html