Why does the the FDA allow aspartame to be used in products?

Question

I have had serious health problems that I discovered to be from aspartame, and chemically it digests into several very harmfull chemicals that cause dozens of health problems. Now I find myself tossing out food/beverages left and right when I see it on the fine print when it's not even boldly listed on the front of the product.

There have been thousands of reports of visions and blindness issues and the chemical side of things shows that this chemical obviously causes more harm than good. Why does the FDA allow this stuff in our food supply?

I knew a man who worked in an aspartame plant and they stored the raw chemical in a guarded safe, mostly due to it's extreme risk and carcinogenic dangers, so how is it OK to water it down with fillers and put it in every diet product known to man?

In response to bildy, if you knew something turned into the main ingredient in imbalming fluid (something they don't inform you of) and you still used it, I would have to say that is a really poor choice on the consumer part, so obviously most people don't know the seriousness of the risk.

Answer 1

Some people can handle it, some can't. It all depends on how sensitive your liver is to toxins. You can't go drinking a lot of diet soda every day (for some people even 1 a day is too much). I had problems with it too because I was drinking 3 or more diet sodas a day, because the aspartame made me cranky and hungry, so I'd drink more soda to fill me up and for the caffeine high. I stopped drinking and eating anything with artificial sweeteners too (except if I go out to eat or something) and I feel better. Some people don't experience these effects however, so the companies go to say that there's "no proof." I believe that the chemical is indeed toxic, and the chemical make up is carcinogenic. The FDA hasn't determined that it's bad enough to ban, but most products do have it in bold that it contains sweetener, because some people have a reaction. They seem to see it as something like a "trace amount," so they believe that it's ok to market it as "healthy" because it has no calories/carbohydrates.

Answer 2

FDA investigates the impact of drugs/ingredients on the VAST MAJORITY of people. Anecdotal stories of individuals who have difficulty with a substance do not constitute statistical reason to ban the substance altogether. The FDA's position on aspartame is as follows:

After reviewing scientific studies, FDA determined in 1981 that aspartame was safe for use in foods. In 1987, the General Accounting Office investigated the process surrounding FDA's approval of aspartame and confirmed the agency had acted properly. However, FDA has continued to review complaints alleging adverse reactions to products containing aspartame. To date, FDA has not determined any consistent pattern of symptoms that can be attributed to the use of aspartame, nor is the agency aware of any recent studies that clearly show safety problems.

Carefully controlled clinical studies show that aspartame is not an allergen. However, certain people with the genetic disease phenylketonuria (PKU), and pregnant women with hyperphenylalanine (high levels of phenylalanine in blood) have a problem with aspartame because they do not effectively metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine, one of aspartame's components. High levels of this amino acid in body fluids can cause brain damage. Therefore, FDA has ruled that all products containing aspartame must include a warning to phenylketonurics that the sweetener contains phenylalanine.

Answer 3

Because it IS safe. If it wasn't then they wouldn't be allowed to sell it. The "dangers" are outlined in this article from the American Cancer Society. This is a very reputable body, and it explains the risks and why they allow it in food. It also talk about the studies that the rumors of its danger sprang from. Animal studies in the 1970s found that rats could eat 4 grams of aspartame per kilogram of body weight without showing health problems. To be safe, the JECFA divided this dose by 100, and set the Acceptable Daily Intake of aspartame for humans at 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. The FDA, now has stated that the acceptable daily intake of aspartame for humans is 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. This is equivalent to 3500 milligrams per day for a typical 70-kilogram (about 150 pounds) adult, far more than most adults take in daily. For comparison, a can of diet soft drink contains about 180 milligrams of aspartame . So a typical adult could drink 19 cans of diet soft drink each day before going over the recommended level. A 30-kilogram (66 pounds) child would have to drink more than 8 cans of diet soda daily to reach the ADI for aspartame. Does Aspartame Cause Cancer? Soon after aspartame was introduced to the market, its safety was questioned. Its role in cancer risk has been widely debated over the last few decades. Concerns still exist today and studies continue to look at the safety of aspartame and other artificial sweeteners. As recently as April 2007, the FDA released this statement: "Considering results from the large number of studies on aspartame's safety, including five previously conducted negative chronic carcinogenicity studies, a recently reported large epidemiology study with negative associations between the use of aspartame and the occurrence of tumors, and negative findings from a series of three transgenic mouse assays, FDA finds no reason to alter its previous conclusion that aspartame is safe as a general purpose sweetener in food." What Do the Experts Say? Aspartame has been approved for use as a sweetener by the FDA and by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, and the World Health Organization. They have concluded that aspartame does not cause cancer or other adverse health effects in the general population. Though research into a possible link between aspartame and cancer continues, no study to date has had results that change this conclusion. Does Aspartame Cause Any Other Health Problems? Phenylketonuria (PKU) People born with a rare genetic disorder called phenylketonuria or PKU cannot break down (metabolize) the amino acid phenylalanine. This amino acid occurs naturally and is found in aspartame. PKU is usually detected in babies by a routine blood test at birth. People with the disorder are placed on a phenylalanine-restricted diet and must avoid aspartame. Other Complaints The FDA received hundreds of complaints of various symptoms after aspartame was introduced. The most common symptoms were headache, dizziness, stomach (gastrointestinal) symptoms, and change in mood. Less often, seizures were reported. The symptoms did not follow any particular pattern and most were minor. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that "although it may be that certain individuals have an unusual sensitivity to the product, these data do not provide evidence for the existence of serious, widespread, adverse health consequences attendant to the use of aspartame." Claims are still made that aspartame is related to numerous health effects including: Alzheimer disease, birth defects, cancer, diabetes, Gulf War syndrome, attention deficit disorders, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and seizures. However, there is very little scientific evidence to support these claims. Human exposure studies done to date, in which volunteers eat known quantities of aspartame, have not shown any evidence of harm. Methanol, one of the breakdown products of aspartame, is toxic to humans when large doses are eaten and could possibly cause blindness and even death. However, the amount of methanol produced when aspartame is broken down is minimal and well below the level that is a risk to human health.

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Answer 4

It is a free choice market. I use aspartimane and like it. I know it can cause healt problems but so does everything else. As with tobacco and red meat it must be a choice that you make and I like having the choice. I dont want the FDA telling me I cant have something. I would rather be given the facts and make my own choices.

Answer 5

To allow diabetic to enjoy sweet taste and indirectly certify a new product for marketing.

Answer 6

They are trying to poison Americans. Either that or they are so half-assed that they f*ck up everything.