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Aspartame
A very widely used artificial sweetener (trade name
NutraSweet) consisting of a synthetic dipeptide of aspartic acid and the
methyl ester of phenylalanine. Much controversy surrounds this product,
which has been blamed for a wide range of symptoms in heavy users of
foods and drinks to which it has been added (see table). These symptoms
have been passed off as 'unusual sensitivity' to aspartame, since
studies carried out on monkeys have shown no ill effects from the
consumption of 3 grams of aspartame per kilo of body weight per day.
However, food given to test animals is usually very nutrient-rich, not
high in sugar, fat and a variety of artificial food additives. It is
possible that humans and animals who do not consume such diets, rich in
antioxidants which help the body to metabolize xenobiotics (foreign
substances such as aspartame) may be more susceptible to developing
problems.
In the digestive tract, aspartame is split into its two component
amino acids and a methyl group. During metabolism, the methyl group is
converted to the toxin methyl alcohol and then to another toxin,
formaldehyde, which must be detoxified by the liver. Aspartame must not be used by individuals who have been diagnosed
with the condition known as phenylketonuria, since they must ensure that
their phenylalanine intake remains as low as possible.
The most
common symptoms reported to the US Food and Drug Administration by
aspartame users, which have resolved when aspartame use was ceased
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