Mixed Messages About Sweeteners

Updated Academy Of Nutrition And Dietetics Position Paper Confirms Safety And Benefits Of Low-Calorie Sweeteners

According to a position paper by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association), "consumers can safely enjoy a range of sweeteners, both full-calorie and low-calorie ones, as part of a healthy diet guided by current nutrition recommendations." The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (the Academy) is the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals.

In the "Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Use of Nutritive and Nonnutritive Sweeteners," published in the May issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the Academy concludes: "It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that consumers can safely enjoy a range of nutritive sweeteners and nonnutritive sweeteners when consumed within an eating plan that is guided by current federal nutrition recommendations, such as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Dietary Reference Intakes, as well as individual health goals and personal preference."

According to the position paper, greater consumption of foods and beverages with added sugars is associated with higher calorie intake, yet lower diet quality. The Academy recommends limiting added sugar and states that nonnutritive (low-calorie) sweeteners are a safe way to restrict calories in the diet. The position paper details and supports the safety and benefits of acesulfame potassium, aspartame, monk fruit, neotame, polyols, saccharin, stevia and sucralose as sweeteners. On the topic of taste, the Academy offered that "liking of sweet taste is innate" and that "preference for sweet taste may be genetic," rather than due to the consumption of low-calorie sweeteners, as some have alleged.

The Academy offers suggestions for healthfully consuming nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners, including:

Enjoy the sweet taste of foods and beverages but keep your calorie count lower by choosing from the variety of low- and reduced-calorie sweeteners approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration.

As part of a healthful eating plan as outlined in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, safely enjoy the range of calorie-containing and low-calorie sweeteners in foods and beverages.

Aspartame?  Really?
Aspartame is a non-saccharine artificial sweetener currently used in over 6,000 diet and low calorie food products. Popular trademark brands of the sweetener in the United States include NutraSweet®, Equal®, and Tropicana Slim®, which are used to sweeten a number of sodas and chewing gums.

However, research done on aspartame has shown that it may not be completely safe for human consumption, and may cause a number of health complications if taken in large doses. Efforts to revoke FDA approval on aspartame have so far been unsuccessful, so it is advisable to simply avoid these products whenever possible.

Aspartame: What it can do to you

Aspartame is an NMDA receptor antagonist, which means that it inhibits the release of neurotransmitters that cause pain within the body. NMDA receptor antagonists are often used as a form of anesthesia for animals, but not on humans due to the fact that they often cause brain damage in rodents. The possible side effects of aspartame on humans include headaches, brain tumors, brain lesions, and lymphoma.

Why Was Aspartame Approved by the FDA?

You may be wondering why aspartame is approved by the Food and Drug Administration, even though it is suspected to cause brain damage over long periods of time.

There are some coincidental things that happened when aspartame gained FDA approval. The first is that it was owned by Donald Rumsfeld, who was at that time the CEO of the pharmaceutical company G.D. Searle & Company who marketed the product as NutraSweet. The second is that when medical research into the product confirmed the risk of brain tumors, another FDA board member was hired who overturned the ban that the current board had inflicted. 

Did you know?
Despite its apparent danger to animals and humans, aspartame has been approved by the FDA a total of 26 times over the last 23 years.

The Health Effects of Aspartame

Any further inquiries into aspartame’s health effects have therefore been relegated to independent studies, which often lack the funding to properly advertise their findings. However, the studies completed thus far show overwhelming evidence regarding the apparent dangers of aspartame.

An analysis done using MEDLINE showed that 92% of non-industry sponsored studies reported one or more problems with aspartame in terms of its effects on health. These studies reported a range of side effects including fibromyalgia, brain tumors, memory loss, lymphoma, leukemia, and peripheral nerve cancer. Headaches and migraine symptoms are one of the most common side effects of aspartame.

An article published in the July 2007 issue of Science magazine featured 12 prominent health experts who support a ban on aspartame. It also featured a letter to U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Andrew Von Eschenbach requesting approval of the sweetener to be revoked due to extensive evidence that it causes cancer. Approval status has not changed yet due to the influence of lobbyists on politicians, and ongoing conflicts between capitalism and environmentalism.

Aspartame can create a number of serious health conditions if ingested regularly. It has the potential to cause cancer, brain damage, and eventually death. It is wise to make healthy choices when purchasing food and beverages, and strive to buy whole, natural, organic products whenever possible. Aspartame with the help of public outcry, will hopefully be restricted by the FDA in the near future in order to minimize its effects on the population.

Brief List of Products Containing Aspartame

Sources:
www.eatright.org

www.newswise.com

http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/health-dangers-of-aspartame/