Benefits Study
Scientific Studies Show Aspartame is Beneficial in Weight Control
Using a different study method, Mattes (1990) evaluated the effects of sucrose and aspartame on hunger and food intake by keeping the calories and rated pleasantness of a test meal constant.
- The study’s 24 normal-weight subjects consumed equicaloric breakfasts of either unsweetened cereal (control) or cereal sweetened with sucrose or aspartame. Half the subjects were aware of the cereal composition, half were uninformed.
- There were no significant differences in hunger ratings up to three hours following the meal and no significant difference in food intake throughout the day. The authors concluded. “The present data indicate that the use of aspartame in foods does not stimulate energy intake . . ..”
A study of Leon et al. (1989) investigated the effects of aspartame in 108 adults who received either 75 mg/kg of encapsulated aspartame (equivalent to approximately 10 liters of aspartame-sweetened beverage) or a placebo daily for 24 weeks.
- The study revealed no significant change in body weight of participants consuming aspartame. Citing numerous studies which failed to show any correlation between low-calorie sweetener intake and hunger or weight gain, the researchers refuted Blundell and Hill’s claim that aspartame may increase appetite and concluded, “Taken together, these studies argue against a ‘paradoxical’ effect of aspartame on appetite.”
The effects of low-calorie sweeteners consumed in beverages on hunger and calorie intake were investigated in two studies. In a study by Dr. Black et al. (1991), the aspartame-sweetened preload was given three hours after a standard breakfast. The researchers noted the importance of controlling food intake prior to a test load as this may mask the effects of a low-calorie sweetener on subsequent food intake. The 20 normal-weight subjects consumed either 12-ounces or 24-ounces of an aspartame-sweetened soft drink, or water, one hour before a test lunch.
- Consumption of the 24-ounce preload significantly reduced hunger in the one-hour period following the preload, compared with mineral water and the 12-ounce preloads. None of the preloads had any effect on calorie intake.
- The researchers concluded, “(these) results add support to the growing body of evidence indicating that the consumption of foods and beverages containing nonnutritive sweeteners do not increase hunger and food intake.”
In a similar study by Canty and Chan (1991), the effects of saccharin as well as aspartame were evaluated. Twenty normal-weight subjects consumed approximately seven ounces of water or soft drink sweetened with saccharin, aspartame or sucrose, or water three hours following a standard breakfast and one hour before ad libitum consumption of a standard lunch.
- Overall, consumption of saccharin and aspartame did not increase hunger or food consumption compared with water. In fact, hunger ratings in the hour between preload consumption and lunch were generally highest for water, followed by aspartame, saccharin and sucrose.
- The researchers also found no significant differences in calorie intake associated with any of the preloads.
Aspartame use does not lead to calorie increase
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The lowdown on the breakdown
Low-calorie sweeteners provide consumers with many benefits, both psychological and physiological. Health professionals and consumers believe low-calorie sweeteners are effective for the following purposes: weight maintenance, weight reduction, management of diabetes, reduction of dental caries, and reduction in the risks associated with obesity. Get the facts about Aspartame, it's uses, and benefits.