Jadxia Laird

Adam Padgett
Eng102
10-18-2016
Safety of Consumption of Aspartame: Annotated Bibliography
Inquiry: Does the consumption of aspartame have adverse effects on the human body?
Proposed Thesis: Aspartame doesnt seems to have drastically adverse affects on the human
body if consumed in moderation. It seems like it still may be better than consuming an
abundance sugar.
Intro:
Aspartame is two hundred times sweeter than sugar and has been used in food products
as a non-nutritive substitute to sugar for the last many. People have been questioning its safety
since 1981 when it was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Humphries, P., E. Pretorius, and H. Naud. "Direct And Indirect Cellular Effects Of Aspartame On The
Brain." European Journal Of Clinical Nutrition 62.4 (2008): 451-462. Consumer Health Complete. Web. 27
Oct. 2016.

The study conducted of the Direct and indirect cellular effect of aspartame on the brain
is a research study that aims to study the effects of aspartame and chemical it breaks down into
on the brain. The adverse effects of aspartame may be due to the changes in regional brain
concentrations of catecholamines (Humphries P., E. Pretorius, and H. Naude 1) due to the
consumption of aspartame. Hearing about food changing chemicals in the brain seems alarming.
Catecholamines affect physiology by increasing or decreasing heart rate, breathing rate, etc. The
goal of the study is to test the cellular effects and see if aspartame is involved in the
pathogenesis of certain mental disorder. (Humphries, 1) If aspartame is in fact responsible for

certain mental disorders than maybe these disorders can be prevented if we stop or decrease or
consumption of aspartame. No evidence that suggested that aspartame is cytotoxic but it has
been 20 years since the FDA approved aspartame and research is still being conducted which
makes me wary of the product if scientists still believe it may cause adverse effects to humans.
P. Humphries states that most research previously conducted has been conducted on a
macroscopic level and their research is conducted on a microscopic level which may yield
alternate results. So maybe we need to be looking at the affects of aspartame in a different way.
Phenylalanine can take two different pathways in the body, one that binds to amino acid
transmitter and may block the pathway for other important molecules may results in decreased
production of dopamine. Aspartame can also affect many bodily processes such as amino acid
metabolism, protein structure, metabolism, neural function, endocrine balance
and...concentrations of catecholamines (Humphries, 9). It was also seen to change nerve
function and energy systems become compromised. According to this study it would appear that
aspartame and its products adversely affect the human body in an abundance of ways. Im still
curious as to the long term affects of aspartame and also interested in the extent at which all of
these cellular changes affect the body over all.

"Scientific Panel Declares Aspartame Safe; Some Doubts Linger." Environmental Nutrition 31.1
(2008): 3. Consumer Health Complete. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.
Scientific Panel Declares Aspartame Safe; Some Doubts Linger states that a panel of scientists
have concluded that aspartame is safe for human consumption after reviewing over 500 reports
and studies on artificial sweeteners. Also the scientists, all but dismissing earlier worries that it
might cause cancer, neurological damage or other health problems which contradicts with the
study of aspartame on a cellular level. Apparently, as stated by the Center for Science in the

Public Interest (CSPI), a consumer advocacy group in Washington, this study is sponsored by
Ajinomoto a manufacturer of aspartame so the conclusions are biased. The sponsorship was not
announced until after the information was made available to the public. The CSPI still considers
aspartame an ingredient to avoid. The article also states that the majority of people do not
consume more aspartame than the experts recommend for safety and that a glass of fruit juice
contains ten times as much methanol than the same amount of diet soda. The article concludes
that small amounts of aspartame do not seem to have overly adverse effect but large amounts of
aspartame do. According to this source, as long as you consume in moderate amounts you will
be fine. But the article does point out that some people may be triggered by small amounts that
cause headaches. After reading this article, I still want to consume aspartame less frequently but
I am less worried about the effects that one diet soda may have on my body.
Murphy, Dan. American Chiropractor.Jul2015, Vol. 37 Issue 7, p36-38. 2p.
The long-term affects of aspartame were recorded by Dan Murphy in the article called
Consumption of Artificial Sweetener-and-Sugar containing Soda and Risk of Lymphoma and
Leukemia in Men and Woman (Murphy, Dan, 1) This was an observational study conducted on
the analysis of data from the Nurses Health Study (NHS) and Health Professionals Follow up
Study. The study recorded the amount of diet soda consumed by the men and woman and the
occurrence of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma(NHS), myeloma, and leukemia in the men and woman.
Murphy says, a total of 47,810 men contributed 784,461 person years to this analysis, 77,218
women contributed 1,493,935 person-years to this analysis, 55% of men were consumers of diet
sodas, averaging six 12 oz. servings per week, 62% of women were consumers of diet soda,
(Murphy, 2) more than half of all participants were consumers of diet soda. Men who consumed
one or more diet sodas per day were 31% more likely to develop NHL than men who did not

consume aspartame. Men and woman both were 41% more likely to develop leukemia with the
consumption of 1 or more diet sodas a day. The consumption of a large amount of diet soda
seemed to have increasingly adverse effects on mens health as men, in the highest quintile of
aspartame intake, relative increased risks were 64% for NHL, 236% for multiple myeloma, and
56% for leukemia (Murphy, 3). Since these percentages are so high, it seems alarming that
aspartame has that much of an effect on the development of cancer. It also causes me to The
author of the study thinks that the differences in incidences in men and women may be due to the
higher enzyme activity of ADH in the males body. The paper reviews the byproducts of the
breakdown of aspartame in the body and acknowledges the potential carcinogenicity of
aspartame is biologically plausible, (Murphy, 3) which seems to be a common thread
throughout the research I have found. The study concluded that aspartame does have a positive
association with lymphomas and leukemia, supporting earlier studies conducted on animals. I
have read studies on animals and the negative effects but was interested in seeing the effects on
humans specifically since our biological makeup is different than animals. I am surprised by the
large percentages that this observational study has come up with pointing in the direction that
aspartame and the consumption of diet soda specifically has an adverse effect as far as cancer
formation in the body.
"FDA Rejects Aspartame-Ban Petitions." Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter 33.1 (2015):
2. Consumer Health Complete. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
A short article from Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter, FDA Rejects
Aspartame-Ban Petitions states just that. The US Food and Drug Administration still has yet to
see any credible scientific evidence to change the agency's position that the zero-calorie
sweetener is safe for the general population. Possibly the studies did not contain enough people
or a large enough correlation for the FDAs standard as the article states, the agency noted it had

analyzed 195 reports of supposed aspartame-related side effects over a 10-year span and did not
identify any causal link between aspartame consumption and the reported adverse events or
an established mechanism that would explain how aspartame is associated with the reported
adverse events. A study found in the American Journal of Nutrition by the American Cancer
Society found no link between diet soda consumption and cancer. There seems to be a lot of
contradicting theories on what aspartame does to the body and for that reason it makes me want
to stay away from it just from lack of knowledge. It also makes me a little wary of the FDA and
I am interested in learning more about the guidelines they make decisions from.
The article also reports that aspartame has a bad name and many companies are taking it out of
their products for that reason. So Im curious if most companies are substituting for other
products in order to boost sells or because of the safety of consumption.
High-Intensity Sweeteners. High-Intensity Sweeteners,
http://www.fda.gov/food/ingredientspackaginglabeling/foodadditivesingredients/ucm397716.htm
.

What is the FDA guidelines for banning a product? After conducting my previous

research and continuing to see how contradicting the studies can be I decided that knowing the
FDA guidelines and how exactly they decide if food is safe or not will enhance my research and
possibly help me figure out where I stand on the subject. The article explains how the FDA
defines sweeteners, A high intensity sweetener is regulated as a food additive. . . The use of a
food additive must undergo premarket review and approval by FDA before it can be used in
food and says that scientists must determine if the food is safe. Scientists are required to find
out if meets the safety standard of reasonable certainty of no harm under the intended
conditions of its use. So if the product is used under their guidelines (serving sizes, etc.) it
should not harm and be safe for human consumption. The FDA does specify that the listed

approved sweeteners are safe under certain conditions of use. It causes me to consider whether
people are aware of this and think of the ADI (or the amount that is safe to eat each day over the
course of a lifetime) when consuming certain products, because according to the guidelines the
product is only safe when consumed within these parameters. In my previous research it seems
that it would take a relatively large amount of aspartame consumption to actually cause harm to
the body. It also does state that there are sweeteners that are banned from use in the US which
makes it seems like the FDA parameters are more reliable and not so loose that foods are being
approved even if they shouldnt. This article will be helpful in my research but I may need to
find something specifically about aspartame on the FDA site to get more information about why
aspartame is considered safe to the FDA.
Jacque Wilson, Elizabeth Landau and Jen Christensen. Real or Fake Sugar: Does It Matter?
CNN, Cable News Network,http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/15/health/artificial-sweeteners-soda/.
Overall the purpose of using aspartame is to be a more healthy or lower calorie substitute
for sugar. So one of the questions evaluating the safety of aspartame raises is if it really is
better for us to consume than sugar. The article Real or fake sugar: Does is matter?
addresses the issue of whether artificial sweeteners in general are better than sugar. Wilson sites
Mayo Clinic on how people think natural sugars are better for us even though they may go
through a lot of processing, which takes away nutritional content. The studies done on rats are
addressed that rats that had a higher rate of developing cancer were consuming the equivalent of
drinking 2,000 cans of diet soda a day and scientists do not believe the correlation would still
exist in lower doses. They address that the artificial sweeteners may make it difficult for your
body to understand what is receiving and may make weight loss tougher (Wilson, 1). So if
aspartame isnt beneficial in aiding in weight loss it maybe worth considering stopping the

consumption because it is not accomplishing the purpose in which you are using it. The article
concludes saying that as long as you consume in moderation you should be fine. So maybe
aspartame, as with many other dietary elements, is just fine to eat in moderation.