Is aspartame bad for you? #2

Aspartame is an additive found in many 'no added sugar' products.  It is an artificial sweetener completely metabolized in the gut and absorbed as aspartate, phenylalanine, and methanol.  The question is, is aspartame bad for you?

There is long standing controversy over the safety of aspartame consumption and it is very confusing for consumers who are using it to reduce their calorie intake and lose weight.  'Diet Coke' is naturally seen as a healthier alternative, but some suggest that the aspartame in it may do more damage than sugar in regular Coke.

Research has investigated the effect of aspartame on antioxidant levels in the brain and it was conclusive that it had a negative effect.  The results of this experiment indicate that long-term consumption of aspartame leads to an imbalance in the antioxidant/pro-oxidant status in the brain, mainly through the mechanism involving the glutathione-dependent system http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22385158.  This suggests that our ability to neutralise free radicals in our brain tissue is compromised when we consume aspartame in our diets. 

However, despite extensive research which has shown aspartame is a negative addition to diet foods, many studies exist which show that aspartame is safe.  From personal research so far, I have failed to find a study which has sufficient longevity and looks at how aspartame could effect people when they consume it for many years, with most studies looking at how a few weeks or days of aspartame affects performance.

Aspartame has been linked to many health issues including headache, dizziness, digestive symptoms, and changes in mood, as well as more serious health problems such as Alzheimer disease, birth defects, diabetes, attention deficit disorders, Parkinson disease, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and seizures. However, studies do not exist to prove that aspartame directly causes these health issues. 

The problems is that despite huge amounts of research there really is very little research to suggest that aspartame is bad for us.  However, my argument is that foods which contain aspartame are actually not good for us in other ways.  They are usually heavily processed, low is natural 'good' fats and they increase our desire for sugary flavours.

If we balance our blood sugar effectively with whole grains and good quality proteins then we should not need to supplement our diet with artificial sweeteners and could use natural sugars such as honey and fruit in small amounts instead. 

Our body works chemically and just because something is artificial rather than natural, doesn't mean that it has a negative effect on the body.  However, when we start adding large amounts of extracted or laboratory developed additives into our foods, you have to ask yourself if it is necessary?  Or healthy?

If you stick to balanced natural foods then there is no need to take this gamble with your health.

Choose natural and removed the risk.

Josie.


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