Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering HOW SAFE IS ASPARTAME?

Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

HOW SAFE IS ASPARTAME?


• History– James Schlatter (G.D. Searle Co. 1965)– 1974: originally approved for dry goods– 1981: officially approved for dry goods– 1983: approved for carbonated

beverages– FDA assures safety of aspartame 26

times over 23 years


• Aspartame– 180-200x sweeter than

sucrose– “Food additive”– 550mg in 1L diet soda – Decomposes at high

temps– NutraSweet ®– Equal ®– Spoonful ®– Equal-Measure ®


• Benefits– Sugar substitute with

almost no caloric value– Dentists– Diabetics– Obese– Food industry


• Expert Opinions

“Few compounds have withstood such detailed testing and repeated close scrutiny”

–FDA Commissioner


“I don’t know of any substance in recent years that has been looked at with the intensity of aspartame. No one has yet come up with the slightest evidence to show that we were wrong in approving it”

–Chief of FDA’s Bureau of Foods


So what’s the big deal???


Aspartame breaks down into:–Phenylalanine–Aspartic Acid–Methanol

– Breakdown is rapid and causes rise in amino acids in the bloodstream

– Concentrations higher in solution compared to capsule form.


• Phenylalanine– Amino acid found in the brain– 50 wt% in aspartame– Highest affinity for transport across blood-

brain barrier– Dr. Louis Elsas:

• Dangerous for infants and fetuses• Metabolized more efficiently in rats

– Drastic effects on those with phenylketonuria (PKU)

– Associated with kidney failure, iron deficiency, pregnancy, cirrhosis of the liver, obesity, leukemia, seizures


• Aspartic Acid– Metabolic processes– 40 wt% aspartame– Excitotoxins– Confusion and memory loss– Linked to Alzheimer’s disease


• Methanol– Poison!– 10 wt % aspartame– Tissue damage and blindness– Rapid absorption in small intestine– 1/5 breakdown rate of ethanol


• Highest Risk Groups– Mothers-to-be– Infants– Elderly– Liver dysfunction– Diabetes– Alcoholics– Phenylketonuria


• Common Symptoms– Decreased and/or blurry vision– Ringing in the ears– Headaches– Confusion– Memory loss– Drowsiness– Numbness


• Common Symptoms (cont)– Convulsions– Slurring of speech– Depression– Irritability– Anxiety attacks– Insomnia– Chest palpitations– Shortness of breath


• Common Symptoms (cont)– Nausea– Diarrhea– Itching– Hives– Diabetic problems– Menstrual changes– Thinning of hair– Excessive thirst


Someone should do something

about this!


• Some people have…– Numerous complaints to FDA– Congress– Doctors– The Community Nutrition Institute– The Aspartame Consumer Safety

Network– Internet websites


“Finally, we should learn a lesson from the NutraSweet experience. If a food additive has potential neurological or behavior effects, it should undergo human clinical testing, similar to the process a drug must undergo before it is put on the market . . . The food and beverage industry, and their various institutes, exert tremendous influence over scientific research and investigation. I want to make sure such work is genuinely independent”

-Senator Howard Metzenbaum



• What’s been going on?– 7 years of testing prior to final

approval– 1984: Arizona Dept. of Health tests

temperature effects– 1986: Supreme Court refused to

hear case involving approval process

– 1989: FDA received 4000 complaints

– 1991: NIH lists 167 symptoms and reasons associated with aspartame


• What’s been going on?– GAO investigation: 1987

• 50% scientists concerned with neurological reactions of aspartame in children

• 40% called for further research• 32% wanted new warnings• 15% wanted a full ban of the

product

– But, they confirmed the FDA acted properly in its investigation


• Link to UW-Madison– Pediatrics Dept: Dr. H.A. Waisman– 52 Week Oral Toxicity Study in the Infant

Monkey (1972)– Administer aspartame in milk to Rhesus

monkeys– Monkeys in medium and high dose groups

experienced grand mal seizures and one died– “Dietary administration of [aspartame] to

infant monkeys starting at birth and continuing for 30 consecutive weeks at approximately 1 g/kg/day, caused no biologically meaningful alterations in physical or behavioral findings or in clinical laboratory parameters “


“It is a general truth that we get what we pay for in medical research as elsewhere . . . The major drive will be towards the commercial project, and the emphasis on market-oriented research may be increased by the attitudes of universities themselves. Pressed for general funds, they demand high percentage overhead payments from commercially funded work”

-”Pharmaceutical Funds for Clinical Research: A Mixed Blessing” (January 31, 1978”


• Why is nothing happening?– NO PROOF?!?– Anecdotal evidence is not enough– Huge industry ($1.1 billion)– Difficulties in educating the public– Faulty lab tests– Caveat emptor– Biased opinions– Threat of litigation– What about Rumsfeld?


• What should be done about this?– Requests to FDA– Independent testing– Consider classifying it as a drug– Educate public– Stop purchasing products with

aspartame


• References

– “Aspartame Information Center,” www.aspartame.org

– “A Meeting with Donald Rumsfeld,” www.soundandfury.tv/pages/rumsfeld2.html

– Mercola, Dr. Joseph, “Articles on Aspartame,” www.mercola.com/article/aspartame/index.htm#

– Roberts, Dr. H.J., Aspartame (NutraSweet®): is it safe?. Philadelphia: The Charles Press, Publishers, Inc., 1990.

– “The NutraSweet Company,” www.nutrasweet.com

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Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering HOW SAFE IS ASPARTAME?