by Katerina Nikolas

Created on: April 08, 2010

When the artificial sugar substitute saccharine was found to be dangerous, it was replaced by a new chemical sweetener, aspartame, created by the company Monsanto. If you aren’t sure if this questionable chemical is part of your regular diet then check your food labels for its chemical name of E951.

It is also available under certain brand names such as Nutrasweet, Splenda, Equal and Spoonful. The chances are if you purchase something which is labelled sugar free, you are buying yourself a portion of one of the most controversial food additives on the market today, and arguably the object of more safety studies than any other.

Currently the chemical, which has been challenged over safety, and then been labelled as safe by the FDA, is found in more than 6000 products, many diet related. The fact that it has been tested 26 times shows how seriously the critics of aspartame take it. It comes as a handy sweetener for tea and coffee for those who crave the sugary taste, and it is 180 times sweeter than sugar. 

Most often aspartame is associated as being the chemical addition to diet sodas, and although regular soda with actual sugar in is bad for you, those with aspartame may well prove to be worse. Then again you could choose a soda laden with high fructose corn syrup which is also proving controversial.

Aspartame is found in a myriad of common foods such as many juices, jams and jellies. It is added to meal replacements, sweetened cereals, protein drinks, iced tea, and nutritional snack bars. If you think you are choosing healthy options with no sugar added pies, sugar free yogurt and sugar free ice-cream, then think again, as they contain aspartame. It’s in hard candies and chewing gum too. It is found in many processed baked goods. The only way to be certain if a product contains it is to read the label.

Monsanto funds three agencies which are meant to look out for the consumer’s interest. When studies are launched into aspartame then the industry which relies on it will sponsor studies to show its benefits. It’s not exactly an impartial business. Despite safety claims by the FDA and other such organisations worldwide the critics are never satisfied as are convinced that aspartame is a toxic chemical no better than a pesticide, and the public is being duped into believing it is safe. It has been linked to 98 adverse effect findings including lupus, multiple sclerosis and the escalation of Alzheimer’s.

Many leading food producers in the UK have taken consumers concerns seriously enough to stop using aspartame in their products. There is a whole body of scientists who believe that aspartame poisoning is genuine. Whatever findings are made are dismissed by those who have an interest in promoting its use, even though it is agreed that some of the general symptoms from aspartame are headaches, dizziness, vomiting, fatigue and diarrhoea.

There are many people who are concerned that a possible cover up is going on within the industry and that future findings will indeed reveal that aspartame is a dangerous chemical to ingest and that their concerns were well founded. If you are concerned then quell your sweet tooth and purchase products which don’t contain aspartame. The craving for chemical induced sweetness is one which is man made and is unnecessary in a healthy diet.

Source: Aspartame info.center.

              British food standards agency.

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