whatever they are,
use with caution, never overuse than ADI !
use with caution, never overuse than ADI !
Artificial sweeteners the low-calorie sweeteners control the blood glucose of diabetic persons, an excellent and acceptable sugar alternative for diabetics or those wishing to decrease their use of sucrose., artificial sweetener also prevent dental caries (do not promote tooth decay), stimulate the appetite, and may assist in weight management, but the bulk of evidence does not support this hypothesis, research demonstrates that artificial sweeteners have no effect on carbohydrate metabolism, short or long term blood glucose control, or insulin secretion.
Artificial sweeteners taste sweet like cane sugar without added the calories. artificial sweeteners, and their metabolic by-products and components, are not considered harmful to human beings at the levels normally used, not exit the acceptable daily intake (ADI), when used in the context of a healthful diet, artificial sweeteners are generally safe for consumption. There have been a number of health concerns related with these products, though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process for artificial sweeteners involves a comprehensive analysis of scientific data to satisfy safety requirements. All "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) sweeteners have undergone extensive safety testing and have been carefully reviewed by the FDA.
What does "GRAS" mean?
"GRAS" is an acronym for the phrase Generally Recognized As Safe. Under sections 201(s) and 409 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act), any substance that is intentionally added to food is a food additive, that is subject to pre-market review and approval by FDA, unless the substance is generally recognized, among qualified experts, as having been adequately shown to be safe under the conditions of its intended use, or unless the use of the substance is otherwise excluded from the definition of a food additive. For example, substances whose use meets the definition of a pesticide, a dietary ingredient of a dietary supplement, a color additive, a new animal drug, or a substance approved for such use prior to September 6, 1958, are excluded from the definition of food additive. Sections 201(s) and 409 were enacted in 1958 as part of the Food Additives Amendment to the Act. While it is impracticable to list all ingredients whose use is generally recognized as safe, FDA published a partial list of food ingredients whose use is generally recognized as safe to aid the industry's understanding of what did not require approval.
Aspartame
N-L-α-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine-1-methyl-ester
Non-nutritive sweetener / low calorie sweetener.
Aspartame was originally approved for dry goods (dry powder form) on July 26, 1974, but objections by neuroscience researcher in August 1974 caused the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 5, 1974 hold the approval until it was approved for dry goods in 1981 and for carbonated beverages in 1983. The FDA and other international regulatory bodies and numerous expert scientific groups have concluded that aspartame is safe for the general public, including diabetics, pregnant and nursing women, and children, persons with a rare hereditary disease known as phenylketonuria (PKU) must control their phenylalanine intake from all sources, including aspartame, these persons are diagnosed at birth by a blood test performed on all babies. Products sweetened with aspartame carry a statement on the label that they “This product contains phenylalanine“. Phenylalanine found in proteins, phenylalanine is an essential amino acid that we absorb from the protein we eat, humans require phenylalanine for protein metabolism and children also require it for growth, phenylalanine is converted into tyrosine in the body. tyrosine is involved in the synthesis of neurotransmitters.
Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI value):
ADI is an estimate amount of a substance in foods or drinks that can be consumed daily over a lifetime without causing health risk to the consumer on the basis of all the known facts at the time of the evaluation, ADI is generally based on the results from animal toxicology studies, it is usually expressed in mg (milligrams) of the chemical per kilogram of body weight. ADIs are used for substances that have a reason to be found in food and the likes, include food additives, pesticide residues and veterinary drugs in foods, the FDA has set the ADI for aspartame is 50 mg/kg of body weight per day. acceptable daily intake of aspartame remained entirely safe-except for people with phenylketonuria / PKU.*)
Aspartame is synthesized from three chemicals: aspartic acid, phenylalanine (two essential amino acids), and methanol. Persons with the rare hereditary metabolic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU), an inborn error of metabolism, must control their intake of phenylalanine from all sources, including aspartame, and therefore all U.S. products containing aspartame are labeled "This product contains phenylalanine."
*) What is phenylketonuria (PKU)
Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare inherited disease that prevents the essential amino acid phenylalanine from being properly metabolized, an essential amino acid is required for normal growth, development, and body functioning and must be obtained from the diet, as the body cannot make it, Because those with PKU cannot metabolize phenylalanine, it can accumulate in the body and cause health problems including mental retardation.
Controversial issues on Aspartame:
Shortly after the widespread marketing of aspartame, there were a number of anecdotal reports of health effects, which some consumers related to their consumption of aspartame-containing products (Hull, 1999). Most of the earlier complaints and reports of aspartame-related adverse reactions were analysed by experts at the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta on behalf of the FDA, who concluded that there was no symptom complex that could be assigned to the ingestion of aspartame (Janssen and Van der Heijden, 1988; Tollefson, 1988).
A number of complaints were of a neurological or behavioural type (Tollefson, 1988) and these received special consideration, in part because experiments in animals have shown that high doses (1000mg/kg bw and above in rats) can alter the concentrations of neurotransmitters and their precursors within the central nervous system (Lajtha et al., 1994).
“ The excessive ingestion of aspartame raises the level of aspartic acid in blood plasma, it significantly raises the level of aspartate, aspartate act as neurotransmitters in the brain, transferring information from neuron to neuron, too much aspartate in the brain kills certain neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells, this influx triggers excessive amounts of free radicals, which destroy and kill the neural cells (neurons), causing serious chronic neurological disorders (excitatory amino acid damage), therefore aspartame is a excitotoxins ”.
Is aspartame safe?
Aspartame has been tested for more than three decades, in more than 200 studies, with the same result: aspartame is safe. In fact, the FDA Commissioner, upon approving aspartame, noted, “Few compounds have withstood such detailed testing and repeated, close scrutiny, and the process through which aspartame has gone should provide the public with additional confidence of its safety.” In addition to FDA, aspartame has been reviewed and determined to be safe by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization / World Health Organization(WHO), the Scientific Committee on Food of the European Commission, and the regulatory bodies of over 100 countries. The American Medical Association’s Council on Scientific Affairs, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Dietetic Association (ADA) have reviewed research on aspartame and found it to be safe. In fact, the ADA’s 2004 updated position paper states, “a comprehensive review of the safety of aspartame has recently been published, the review covers previous publications as well as new information that support the safety of aspartame as a food additive and deny claims of its association with a range of health problems.
Is aspartame an "excitotoxin?
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, and over long periods of time - to result in high blood levels of aspartic acid”.
Can people with diabetes consume aspartame?
The American Diabetes Association states that aspartame is a safe and useful sweetener for people with diabetes. Aspartame makes food taste sweet and does not contribute calories or raise blood sugar levels. About 90 percent of people with diabetes use aspartame-sweetened products. Foods and beverages sweetened with aspartame offer people with diabetes a much wider variety of products from which to choose and greater flexibility in budgeting their total carbohydrate intake. Thus, it can help them follow nutrition recommendations and still enjoy good-tasting foods.
Does aspartame affect blood sugar control in people with diabetes?
No. Research shows that aspartame does not affect short-term or long-term blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. The American Diabetes Association states “Aspartame has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, a governmental agency that conducts thorough scientific review to determine foods that are safe for public consumption. (We) follow FDA recommendations and recognize there is no credible scientific evidence linking aspartame to any health-related problems for people with diabetes.”
Can women who are pregnant or breastfeeding consume aspartame?
The FDA and the Council on Scientific Affairs of the American Medical Association agree that women who are pregnant or breastfeeding can safely use aspartame. An American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition task force also has concluded that aspartame is safe for both the mother and developing baby. Aspartame is broken down in the body to the same components (phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol) eaten daily in common diets by pregnant and breast feeding women.
Other Artificial Sweeteners approved by FDA:
- Acesulfame K (Potassium)
- Saccharin
- Sucralose
- Neotame
- Sugar Alcohols (GRAS)
Other Artificial Sweeteners pending FDA approval:
- Cyclamate
- Stevioside (from Stevia reboudiana Bert, Familia Compositae)
- Alitame
References:
- FAQ about GRAS
- Artificial Sweetener
- Aspartame Infromation Center
- Scientific Facts on Aspartame
- Sweetpoison
