Aspartame
Aspartame, we’ve all heard of it by now. From diet sodas, Equal packets, chewing gum, gelatin, and even gummy vitamins, aspartame seems to be present in most sweet low or no calorie foods.
Aspartame is a substance that tastes sweet but doesn't contain natural sugars or any calories if used in small amounts, which it usually is, as aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is made of two building blocks of proteins (essential amino acids) used in producing neurotransmitters tyrosine, dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine: aspartic acid and phenylalanine. Therefore, it is considered a “safe sweetener” by the FDA, in small quantities.
On paper, aspartame looks like a good low calorie, low sugar alternative to sucrose, which interests many who are calorie counting or attempting to lose weight. But if consumed in large amounts or regularly, it could pose major risks to your health.
It has been said that aspartame can boost your metabolism, offering results towards weight loss. However, some studies have found that consuming aspartame can slow down your metabolism, thus leading to weight gain even if fewer calories were consumed. This seesaw of information had been swaying until a study, conducted by Yale in 2020, found that consuming a low-calorie sweetener was not, by itself, responsible for slowing metabolism. However, when combined with other carbohydrates, or fats, the consumption of the non-sucrose sweetener did lead to a significant drop in metabolic rate.
Your own brain could also be tricking you into choosing aspartame as a “healthy” option. Harvard Health Publishing theorizes that use of artificial sweeteners may make you feel as though you can indulge in other treats since you're saving calories elsewhere, leading to overconsumption of calories. Additionally, artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, provide sweetness without providing the body with energy, which stimulates appetite. Sweet tastes typically signal to the body that food is entering. The body then expects to receive calories and signals when eating should stop by making a person feel full or satiated. A person experiences the same sweet taste when they consume sweeteners, but the body receives fewer calories than it might otherwise expect. If this happens regularly, according to the theory, the body unlearns the association between sweet tastes and calories. This reversal means that high calorie foods will no longer trigger feelings of fullness leading to frequent binging and overeating.
So as a weight loss quick fix, aspartame will probably not provide desired results. Along with weight loss myths, Aspartame has been linked to multiple health issues.
A group of Italian researchers studied aspartame’s effect on rats, which suggested it might increase the risk of some blood-related cancers like leukemias and lymphomas. However, the results of these group studies of possible links between aspartame and cancer have not been consistent, sometimes confirming or denying the link between cancer and aspartame. As of right now, the FDA and EFSA agree that studies done so far have not found such a link for the majority of people. But, there are always exceptions, especially if the consumption of aspartame is consistent and frequent.
As mentioned before, aspartame is made of amino acids, one being phenylalanine, which plays an integral role in the structure and function of proteins and enzymes and the production of other amino acids. However, it can also cause anxiety, restlessness, and hyperactivity, especially in children. Although phenylalanine is mostly well-tolerated, it can also cause nausea, headaches, and heartburn in high doses.
Using aspartame as a meal replacement or even consistently could have extremely negative impacts on your body and health. Now, you don’t have to cut it out completely, we all enjoy a good diet coke with our burger, or some ice creams that contain it, but in most cases you are better opting for sugar or a different low calorie sweetener like stevia rather than aspartame.