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Frequently Asked Questions
about the Use of Aspartame in Low-Calorie Foods and Beverages
Click here for
PDF version of the Aspartame FAQs
 Can
aspartame affect vision?
 No. Although scientists know that huge amounts of methanol can affect vision, only small amounts of methanol are formed when aspartame and many fruits, vegetables and juices are digested. In fact, a glass of tomato juice provides about six times as much methanol as an equal amount of a beverage sweetened with aspartame. During the digestion of aspartame in the gastrointestinal tract, the released methanol is then easily further metabolized by normal body processes in the same way as when methanol is derived from other dietary sources. Numerous scientific studies have shown that the methanol from aspartame does not accumulate in the body and thus cannot reach harmful levels.
Is
it true that aspartame is an "excitotoxin?"
No. An "excitotoxin"
is a substance that reportedly over-stimulates brain and nerve cells.
Critics have falsely claimed that ingestion of aspartame may result
in high blood levels of aspartic acid, which would circulate to
the brain and kill nerve cells. However, extensive scientific research
has shown that it is not possible for a person ever to consume enough
aspartame in the diet – even over long periods of time - to
result in high blood levels of aspartic acid.
Is
there any truth to the negative information about aspartame on the
Internet or in the media?
No. Allegations spread via the Internet and the media by a few individuals
that aspartame may be associated with a myriad of ailments are not based on
science. These have come to be called “urban myths.” Here is what the
National Multiple Sclerosis Society had to say about such allegations:
“These stories claim that Aspartame is the cause of a variety of illnesses,
including MS, lupus, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson disease, birth defects,
Desert Storm syndrome, brain tumors, and seizures. However, please bear in
mind the following:
- The claims are not documented;
- There is no evidence for “epidemics” of multiple sclerosis, lupus,
and some of the other diseases as claimed in the articles;
- There is no evidence that authors of the claims have any
scientific, medical, or academic credentials; nor is there any
evidence that they have done any scientific research to support
their claims; and
- No published, peer-reviewed scientific research exists that
supports the claims being made in the articles.”
An October 2005 issue of the British Medical Journal (BMJ) carries an
editorial concluding that aspartame has been “demonised unfairly” in
sections of the press and on the Internet. The BMJ editorial states:
“Evidence does not support links between aspartame and cancer, hair loss,
depression, dementia, behavioural disturbances, or any of the other
conditions appearing in websites. Agencies such as the Food Standards
Agency, European Food Standards Authority, and the Food and Drug
Administration have a duty to monitor relations between foodstuffs and health and to commission research when reasonable doubt
emerges…The Food Standards Agency takes public
concerns very seriously and thus pressed the
European Scientific Committee on Food to conduct
a further review, encompassing over 500 reports, in
2002. It concluded from biochemical, clinical, and
behavioural research that the acceptable daily intake
of aspartame remained entirely safe-except for people
with phenylketonuria.”
The safety of aspartame has been proven again and again, backed by more
than three decades of research and over 200 scientific studies. Recently,
several governments and expert committees carefully evaluated the Internet
allegations and found them to be false, reconfirming the safety of aspartame.
In addition, leading health authorities, such as the American Medical
Association, the American Dietetic Association, and the American Diabetes
Association, agree that aspartame is safe.
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