Is Aspartame safe? An unbiased review of Aspartame Information
Is Aspartame safe for you? Can Aspartame cause cancer? Or brain damage? Can Aspartame cause blindness? Is it poisonous? Or are all the above nonsense and Aspartame is actually very safe?
Which research should I believe?
These sort of questions are asked by consumers of the NutraSweet product every day. I am a great fan of Diet Coke, which is sweetened by Aspartame, and I often wonder: is it bad for me? Am I foolish to drink it? Or should I ignore the scaremongering. After all we consume so many different chemicals and ‘E numbers’. Perhaps Aspartame is just another one of those (E951, to be precise).
So I turned to the web in search of answers, and what I found was quite disturbing.
Put broadly, most of the information you find about Aspartame online is clearly propaganda, both for and against it. In fact, the battle of words, research papers, credit-and-discredit is so prevalent, the only clear conclusion is that you cannot draw a clear conclusion.
The Pro Aspartame camp - what is worrying about the "pro-Aspartame camp" is that it is clearly waging an organised, well funded, propaganda war, where nothing is sacred. There are several prominent websites that appear to be un-affiliated to anyone, until you dig deeper and discover that under the non-partisan exterior is a site funded by the Aspartame and sweetener industry. For example the Aspartame Information Centre says on its site that it is published by The Calorie Control Council, which " seeks to provide an objective channel of scientific-based communications about low-calorie foods and beverages, to assure that scientific and consumer research and information is made available to all interested parties." If you follow the trail long enough, you realise that The Calorie Control Council actually "represents 60 manufacturers and suppliers of low-calorie, low-fat and light foods and beverages, including the manufacturers and suppliers of more than a dozen different dietary sweeteners, fat replacers and other low-calorie ingredients."
This is plain deception and makes you wonder why, if the industry believed it has nothing to hide, it is using these devious marketing tactics.
You could of course argue, and indeed you would if you were an Aspartame manufacturer, that the marketing campaigns of the anti-Aspartame camp are not playing by any rules either, and sweetener manufacturers need to protect their business. If it was found in 30 year's time that Aspartame was indeed safe all along, then they would be vindicated for protecting their business against what they consider a vicious campaign. But bear with me...
The Anti Aspartame Camp - There are many sites that promote research to back the risks of Aspartame, for example the Aspartame Toxicity Info Center. There is also a lot of anecdotal evidence out there, about the health risks of Aspartame. The problem with the story of the woman who went blind when she drank Aspartame-sweetened cocoa was that the cause of her symptoms could have been any of a number of other reasons, and the same applies when it comes to other anecdotes: they are simply not science, not even in great numbers. Then there is research that did find that Aspartame is risky, and judging by the material on the Net, there's plenty of it.
The anti-Aspartame campaign and the public it vows to represent are still reeling from the (now admitted) deception around the safety of Tobacco. A good example is the oft quoted Tobacco Institute memorandum from Fred Panzer (VP) to TI President Horace R. Kornegay in 1972. Panzer describes the industry's strategy for defending itself in litigation, politics, and public opinion as "brilliantly conceived and executed over the years" in order to "cast doubt about the health charge" by using "variations on the theme that, `the case is not proved.'" The public certainly had cause for suspicion back then, that big business was muscling in on decision makers, politicians and government agencies. If you view the sweeteners industry in that light, it doesn't help its case that a significant number of research papers on the safety of Aspartame is funded by the industry.
So you see my problem? Between the Aspartame industry’s claims and the many anti-Aspartame claims, I can't really judge what is true and what isn't.
In fact, my issue with both camps is that I simply don't know if the line I am fed is true. They are both campaigning, and although my gut instinct tells me not to trust big corporations, my media experience teaches me that conspiracy theories are the lifeblood of ideological campaigns. I simply don't know who to trust. Supposed unaffiliated experts appear left-right and centre, and you never know if you should believe that they are non-partisan.
So where does this leave us? squarely with the FDA in the US, The FSA in the UK, the European Food Safety Authority and similar agencies worldwide. They are here to protect us against harmful foods - and, at the moment, public opinion does not trust them when it comes to Aspartame.
It seems plain to me that these agencies need to gain our trust on this one, and appear whiter than white, and completely trustworthy. Judging by the war waged on the Net they are not even close. If Aspartame is dangerous, than it needs to come off the shelves, and fast. If it is safe, then we need to know that this is the case, and we need to be convinced of it. Completely. In the age of information, you cannot patronise the people. You have to win their trust.
Until then the jury's out.
June 25th, 2008 - 07:44
[This message was edited to remove excessive linking - see the author's Yahoo Group for citations]
re “A Few too Many”, Joan Acocella, The New Yorker, long review of hangover
research 2008.05.26 — same levels of formaldehyde and formic acid in FEMA
trailers and other sources (aspartame, dark wines and liquors, tobacco
smoke): Murray 2008.06.05
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Author’s Yahoo Group: message 1541
formaldehyde and formic acid in FEMA trailers and other sources (aspartame,
dark wines and liquors, tobacco smoke): Murray 2008.01.30
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Author’s Yahoo Group: message 1508
The FEMA trailers give about the same amount of formaldehyde and formic acid
daily as from a quart of dark wine or liquor, or two quarts (6 12-oz cans)
of aspartame diet soda, from their over 1 tenth gram methanol impurity (one
part in 10,000), which the body quickly makes into formaldehyde and then
formic acid — enough to be the major cause of “morning after” alcohol
hangovers.
Methanol and formaldehyde and formic acid also result from many fruits and
vegetables, tobacco and wood smoke, heater and vehicle exhaust, household
chemicals and cleaners, cosmetics, and new cars, drapes, carpets, furniture,
particleboard, mobile homes, buildings, leather… so all these sources add
up and interact with many other toxic chemicals.
methanol impurity in alcohol drinks [ and aspartame ] is turned into
neurotoxic formic acid, prevented by folic acid, re Fetal Alcohol Syndrome,
BM Kapur, DC Lehotay, PL Carlen at U. Toronto, Alc Clin Exp Res 2007 Dec.
plain text: detailed biochemistry, CL Nie et al. 2007.07.18: Murray
2008.02.24
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Author’s Yahoo Group: message 1524
“Of course, everyone chooses, as a natural priority, to enjoy peace, joy,
and love by helping to find, quickly share, and positively act upon evidence
about healthy and safe food, drink, and environment.”
Annals Of Drinking
A Few Too Many
Is there any hope for the hung over?
by Joan Acocella May 26, 2008
“Wayne Jones, of the Swedish National Laboratory of Forensic Medicine”
Author’s Yahoo Group: message 1469
highly toxic formaldehyde, the cause of alcohol hangovers, is
made by the body from 100 mg doses of methanol from
dark wines and liquors, dimethyl dicarbonate, and aspartame:
Murray 2007.08.31 ]
Author’s Yahoo Group: message 1286
methanol products (formaldehyde and formic acid) are main cause
of alcohol hangover symptoms [same as from similar amounts of
methanol, the 11% part of aspartame]: YS Woo et al, 2005 Dec:
Murray 2006.01.20
Addict Biol. 2005 Dec;10(4): 351-5.
Concentration changes of methanol in blood samples during
an experimentally induced alcohol hangover state.
Woo YS, Yoon SJ, Lee HK, Lee CU, Chae JH, Lee CT, Kim DJ.
Chuncheon National Hospital, Department of Psychiatry,
The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
[ for more, use initial URL..... ]
June 14th, 2009 - 05:30
Finally, someone else who feels the same way. Its too hard to find an informed position. See, I am an IT Specialist and Computer Technician by degree and by occupation. When I hear someone stating that such and such a program is bad or contains a virus or does this or shouldn’t be installed… I know the truth myself about these things and can not worry about the hype… especially when people say new viruses are coming out and there is a general panic. This, on the other hand, without being an expert is so hard to understand what I believe. For now though… I think I will continue to drink diet drinks and such, because it doesn’t make me feel to bad in moderation… and hell, we’re all going to die one day… why wait around worrying about it.
On another note, thanks for the first educated, well-written, thoughtful article I’ve seen all night. It was a relief to find less idiotic people out there and someone not from either side as well.
June 15th, 2009 - 06:46
re huge reduction in preterm births: folic acid prevents harm from formaldehyde and formic acid made by body from methanol in alcohol drinks and aspartame, BM Kapur, DC Lehotay, PL Carlen at U. Toronto, Alc Clin Exp Res 2007 Dec: Rich Murray 2009.05.12
July 8th, 2009 - 13:51
I loved my diet soft drinks for the past 12 years. One or two soda’s a day, most days, but some days three or four. I heard a long time ago “that stuff can kill ya”, but ignored it like most people. I agree you don?t know what to believe and that “big money” will white wash anything to protect itself, not you. For most of the last 4 months I endured daily dizziness, headaches, and nausea. I lost a lot of my memory, couldn’t focus at work and couldn?t sleep at night. I felt all over bad, all day, with occasional disorientation, muscle twitches, tingling fingers and toes and hearing and vision issues. MRI?s, Ultrasounds, x-rays and blood work said I was fine, but something was seriously wrong. Well thanks to the Anti-Aspartame people’s advice, I am back to normal. I can live and enjoy my life. I cut out all Aspartame on a Wednesday and by Thursday all I had was a dull all day headache. By Friday, I didn?t have any of the symptoms I was experiencing for 3 1/2 months (except the memory loss). I’m sure “moderation” may have prevented the problems I had, but it is what it is, a poison that we don?t need, but unfortunately big money over rules peoples health. I filed a formal complaint with our beloved FDA, and all I got was a thank you for your submittal. Nothing else. My doctor won?t even acknowledge it! The symptoms just went away on their own I guess. It’s a miracle! Well I?ve been symptom free for the last four weeks and I?m convinced. I even lost 11 pounds to boot. Good luck to all of you who think it’s harmless, i pray you will not be affected like i was.
February 20th, 2010 - 11:06
I think the obvious rule here is, “When in doubt, don’t.”
Diet drinks and aspartame are two things you can live without.