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Side Effects of Aspartame
Aspartame Basics
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener found
in most diet, sugar-free and diabetic products that would normally contain
sugar. Beverages, baked goods, ice cream, gelatins, candy, syrups, jams and
jellies are some of the foods that commonly contain aspartame. While the
sweetener was long touted as a wonderful substitute, allowing diabetics to
enjoy sugar-free sweets. The side effects are now known, though, and they
can be quite debilitating.
In 1965, a chemist was working on an
anti-ulcer drug. He licked his finger after accidentally contaminating it
with the drug and found it to be very sweet. This was the birth of
aspartame. Preliminary tests caused brain tumors in rats so it was not
approved by the FDA for many years. By 1983, it was approved for many foods
and by 1996, all restrictions had been lifted in the US.
The only warning aspartame carries is for
those born with phenylketonuria (also known as PKU.) One ingredient of
aspartame, phenylalanine, is dangerous for those with PKU and can cause
mental retardation. More recently, though, other health risks have been
associated with aspartame consumption, though the FDA has not yet taken any
action toward restricting it.
Aspartame is commonly marketed under the
name NutraSweet, Equal and Canderel. Saccharin and sucralose, the main
ingredient in other artificial sweeteners, do not pose the exact same risks
as aspartame, though they do each come with their own set of potential side
effects.
Side Effects
In 1995 it was reported, by the FDA, that
aspartame accounted for three quarters of all adverse reactions to food
substances reports from 1981 to 1995. Among the nearly 100 reported
symptoms reported, the mild ones include:
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Feeling flush in the face
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Itching
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Other allergy-like side effects
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Burning eyes and throat
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Excessive thirst or hunger
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Inability to concentrate
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Numbness or tingling of extremities
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Bloating
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Weight gain
More serious symptoms include:
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Asthmatic reactions
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Impotency and sexual problems
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Anxiety and panic attacks
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Menstrual problems or changes
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Higher susceptibility to infections
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Muscle spasms
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Phobias
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Noticeable personality changes
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Nausea or vomiting
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Diarrhea
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Depression
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Chronic fatigue
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Hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia
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Migraines
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Hair thinning or loss
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Hearing and vision loss
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Hypertension
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Chest pains and heart palpitations
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Seizures, convulsions and tremors
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Death
Aspartame has also been linked to lymphoma
and brain cancer in a few cases.
Research
The aspartame research is as controversial
as the reported side effects are. Scientists conducting human studies often
choose capsules, which are slow releasing, rather than a common form of
ingestion, like sugar-free beverages. Because the absorption is much slower
with the capsules, the results of the tests aren’t necessarily reliable.
What Makes Aspartame Dangerous
When you consume aspartame, about 10% of it
is broken down into methanol in the small intestine. Methanol is transformed
into formaldehyde, a potentially lethal substance that is known to cause
rapid, shallow breathing, hypothermia, and can cause comas.
A 1998 study in Spain found that
formaldehyde produced by methanol breakdown from aspartame consumption
collected in the brain, liver and kidneys in lab animals. Some scientists,
however, claim there is not enough methanol produced to cause toxicity.
Many users of aspartame treat it like a
blank check to eat all the sweets and sugary foods they desire. Because
most foods that contain aspartame are either free of nutrients and/or filled
with empty calories, like processed flour, it likely contributes to being
overweight or obese. While refined sugar consumption also contributes to
obesity, when used in moderation it usually carries few other long term
effects.
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