Do you love sweets? Most of us do, and as a result, the production of foods and beverages with a sweet taste has become a billion dollar industry. When people realized that refined sugar contributed to obesity and other health problems, the search was started for a substitute that literally allowed us to "have our cake and eat it, too". Unfortunately, using the sugar substitute aspartame has turned out to be more bitter than sweet for many people, as aspartame has been implicated in headaches, depression, slurred speech, loss of memory, fibromyalgia type symptoms, loss of sensation in lower legs or shooting pains, loss of equilibrium, vertigo, anxiety attacks, chronic fatigue, vision loss, floaters, retinal detachment, seizures, heart palpitations and multiple sclerosis type symptoms.

The FDA approved aspartame in 1981. By 1987, an estimated 17,100,000 pounds of aspartame were consumed in the U.S. (USDA 1988). (NutraSweet stopped providing consumption data to the USDA after 1987.) Aspartame is a component of many "diet" products and is available as a powder for adding to coffee and tea. Producers will tell you it was the most researched product in history, but is it really safe?

Aspartame is composed of two amino acids (building blocks of protein) aspartic acid and phenylalanine and the toxic substance methanol, also known as methyl alcohol or wood alcohol. Proponents and suppliers of aspartame claim that the methanol concentrations are very small and that certain foods contain more methanol than aspartame does. However, foods containing methanol also contain ethanol, which helps the body metabolize it. When formed as a by-product of aspartame, methanol is further broken down into formaldehyde and formic acid, both highly toxic substances.

Producers of aspartame also claim that the two amino acids phenylalanine and aspartic acid are naturally occurring in foods and therefore can have no ill effects when ingested as part of the sweetener. However, in 1990 sufficient evidence to the contrary had been accumulated for medical doctor H.J. Roberts to publish a well-documented book called "Aspartame (NutraSweet): Is it Safe?"(The Charles Press, 1990). His latest book: "Aspartame Disease, An Ignored Epidemic" was published in 2001…the title speaks for itself. One of the problems Roberts mentioned is that the amino acids aspartic acid and phenylalanine may have unforeseen side effects when taken in isolation from the full amino acid complex found in natural proteins.

Another problem with aspartame is it can actually promote weight gain. This is rather ironic, since most people started using it as an aid to losing weight and it is widely promoted in diet foods everywhere. Aspartame appears to fool the brain into thinking it is getting sugar. As a result, the hormone insulin is secreted make sure the blood sugar stays stable. When no sugar is forthcoming, the person feels hungry and is more likely to eat than if no aspartame had been consumed. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the percentage of overweight people has been increasing drastically since the 1980’s and roughly parallels the increased consumption of aspartame containing beverages and foods.

There are other choices available for sweetening food, besides sugar and aspartame. The best choice, in my opinion is the herb stevia. Extract of stevia is 300 times sweeter than sugar, yet it actually has beneficial properties. For example, studies have shown that stevia can regulate blood sugar in people with diabetes and hypoglycemia, and it actually reduces the cravings for sweets. To date, the FDA has not approved it as a sweetener, but it is available as a dietary supplement. Some people do find it has a slightly bitter aftertaste, and because it is so sweet, the amount used has to be controlled very carefully, but it certainly has potential for those who want a sweetener without calories or detrimental side effects.

Of course another option is to simply get used to eating foods and consuming drinks without sweeteners. The desire for sweets is like any other addiction…the more you ingest, the more you want. I have found that after eliminating all sweetened foods for a period of time, my tastes have changed and things that formerly tasted good to me now taste sickeningly sweet. Also, by eliminating the sweetened drinks from your diet, chances are you’ll be drinking more good, plain water. The health benefits of doing so could be the subject of a whole other article!

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