Aspartame, Should It Be Allowed In Food and Drink Products?

I've come to realize that not all of our food is safe and this makes me mad. What I'm referring to is aspartame. Look around and you'll see people downing diet drinks on a daily basis. Watch people in the grocery stores loading their carts with diet food products. Watch TV and see all the commercials pushing aspartame laced products. The majority of people don't have a clue as to the dangers associated with the consumption of aspartame. I hope that this article will enlighten some otherwise unsuspecting consumers as to the dangers of aspartame.

So what is Aspartame? Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that was approved by the FDA in 1981 for dry goods and in 1983 for carbonated drinks.  It is composed of the amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine as well as methanol or wood alcohol. Aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is pushed by the food industry as a low calorie alternative and is found in weight control products. The truth is that aspartame actually causes weight gain. Are we being misled? Is there a conspiracy? Is our health being put at risk for the mighty dollar?

 There are many health risks associated with aspartame consumption. In fact, the FDA lists over 90 symptoms associated with aspartame consumption. Over 75% of reactions to food additive complaints filed with the FDA are aspartame related. Some of the many symptoms associated with aspartame include:

·         Weight gain

·         Headaches

·         Memory loss

·         Anxiety attacks

·         Heart palpitations

·         Tinnitus

·         Vertigo

·         Seizures

·         Depression

·         Hyperactivity

·         Irritability

·         Aggression

·         Concentration problems

·         Brain tumors

Aspartame is added to thousands of food products including diet drinks, diet food products, table top sweeteners, frozen desserts, juices, chewing gum and breath mints, desert mixes, prescription and over the counter medications, multivitamins and children's vitamins, to name a few.

There are some safe natural alternatives to aspartame. They may be found in your local food market or in health food store and include honey, maple syrup, molasses, and the herb Stevia.

I have learned to read product labels as to insure that I know what I am consuming and I encourage you to do the same. If aspartame is in a product it should be on the label. Be aware that sometimes a product label will only state that it contains phenylalanine and this indicates that aspartame is in the product.  I encourage you to read product labels and learn to recognize the ingredients that are in the food that we consume.  

The controversy over aspartame continues to grow as more people become aware of the dangers associated with its consumption. I feel the FDA should take a closer look at aspartame and it is my opinion that aspartame should be removed from food and drink products.