Aspartame: Is the Sweetener Unhealthy?

The sweetener aspartame as a substitute for sugar has long been suspected of being unhealthy. Diabetics in particular use the sweetener to sweeten tea or coffee. We explain to you about the sweetener and its effect.

Aspartame: unhealthy sugar substitute

Aspartame consists of the three substances methanol, phenylalanine, and aspartic acid. Scientific studies have shown that the sweetener is harmless to health as long as it is not supplied to the human body in excessive quantities, reports the EU food safety authority Efsa.

• 40 mg of aspartame per kilogram of body weight is harmless. However, this amount should not be exceeded.
• Sugar and aspartame have the same calorie content. However, because aspartame tastes sweeter than sugar, a smaller amount is needed to achieve the same level of sweetness.
• However, critics point out that aspartame can be responsible for a number of dangerous diseases when taken regularly, but these facts have not been scientifically proven. The Federal Office for Risk Assessment (BfR), the German Society for Nutrition (DGE), and the US National Cancer Institute assume that aspartame is not carcinogenic, despite all the concerns and health risks.
• Possible diseases include depression, blindness, cancer, anxiety, diabetes, circulatory disorders, dizziness, osteoarthritis, obesity, and migraines. However, these clinical pictures have not been scientifically proven.

That’s why aspartame is unhealthy

The claim that aspartame causes serious diseases is based on the chemical composition of the sweetener.

• The components of aspartame are responsible for the fact that nerve toxins are released during processing in the body. Antje Gahl from the German Society for Nutrition e.V. (DGE) explains that this is also the case with other foods. Aspartame is therefore no more dangerous than other foods.
• The components that release the toxins include methanol, L-phenylalanine at 50 percent, and L-aspartic acid at 40 percent.
• L-aspartic acid in particular can cross the blood-brain barrier and thus destroy brain cells.
• Aspartame use is dangerous for people suffering from the metabolic disease PKU (phenylketonuria).
• People with metabolic disease cannot break down phenylalanine. This accumulates in the brain and destroys brain cells.