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rx
sensitivities
aspartame
nutrition

definition

Aspartame (NutraSweet®)

Aspartame is a low-calorie sweetener used in foods and beverages and as a tabletop sweetener. It is sold under the name NutraSweet® and is about 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is made by joining two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine and a small amount of methanol.
Aspartame is sold to food processors for use in numerous products such as cold cereals, drink mixes, gelatine, puddings, dairy products, and toppings. It loses its sweetness during long periods of storage and is not suitable for baking since heat causes the loss of sweetness.
Many physicians do not recommend the use the use of this product. While there have been numerous studies which argue its safety, many patients have experienced some very uncomfortable reactions from its use. As with all your dietary choices, whole foods are recommended, not foods which have been "manufactured" by companies.
It must not be used by patients with phenylketonuria because of the release of phenylalanine during its metabolism.
There are now more than 4000 products which contain this substance. It is used in more than 150 major brands of beverages, foods and other products in the following categories:

• tabletop sweetener
• powdered soft drinks
• cocoa mix
• puddings & pie fillings
• topping mix
• fruit juice drinks
• yogurt-type products
• instant coffee & tea mixes
• shake mix
• refrigerated tea
• cereal
• ready-to-eat gelatin
• gelatin mix
• chewing gum
• instant breakfast mix
• frozen desserts
• frozen novelties
• refrigerated flavored milk beverages
• milk flavor additives
• wine coolers
• breath mints
• chewable multivitamins
• over-the-counter pharmaceuticals
• carbonated soft drinks
• fruit syrups
• fruit spreads & toppings


You may want to read, ASPARTAME (NUTRASWEET): IS IT SAFE? by H. J. Roberts, M. D. Charles Press, Philadelphia, 1990, $19.95. This book will alert you to the potential hazard of this sweetener. The book reports that aspartame may produce a wide variety of physical and mental symptoms. These may include convulsions, headaches, behavioral disorders and gastrointestinal problems. Many patients have reported similar reactions.

(adapted from Thom, p. 125-126)


footnotes