I know I have touched on aspartame before but I thought I would start address some common Health Myths
out there in detail. Previously I address the
dreaded “Pink Slime” and some of the misnomers that went along with it. Today I will tackle another evil villain of
the malicious food industry: Aspartame.
Aspartame was first discovered in 1965 by James M.
Schlatter. It was then the focus of
multiple studies throughout the 1970 and was found to be safe. In 1980 the FDA approved it for food use and
it has since become one of the most widely used food additives on the
market. Everyone from the Japanese to
the European Union has studied its effects on the human body and have found it
to be 100% safe up to many times the normal person’s consumption.
In 1996 after over 20 years of study and a decade and a
half in the food circulation the FDA removed all restriction from aspartame and
now allows it to be used in all our foods. Similarly the EU approved it in 1994
and has reaffirmed its approval in both 2002 and 2006.
As of today aspartame has been found safe for human
consumption in more than 90 countries and has the distinction of being one of
the most widely studied and thoroughly tested food additives ever. Thanks to these studies we know that aspartame
breaks down rapidly in the small intestines and due do this complete breakdown
no aspartame has ever been found in the blood stream even at high doses. Studies have even shown no adverse effect on
lactating women.
The only health problem that aspartame causes is with
people who have a genetic disorder called Phenylketonuria which decreases a
person’s ability to metabolize phenylalanine.
That sounds scary, what does phenylalanine do anyway? It is an amino acid that the body uses to
make proteins and chemicals in the brain like dopamine, thyroid hormones, and
adrenaline. Like the ammonia it is found
naturally in foods we eat like meat, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, and nuts. In some instances it is found naturally in
much higher volumes than what you would get from a diet soft drink or food containing
aspartame.
Why are people so afraid of aspartame then? Since the mid 1990’s there have been internet
rumors surrounding aspartame and it’s consumption. It continues to be linked to everything from
multiple sclerosis to cancer to Alzheimer’s by individuals that have no
documented scientific proof or medical experience. Due to the severity of these rumors governments
and the scientific community at large including Health Canada, Scientific
Committee on Food of the European Commission, The UK Food Standards Agency and
the French Food Safety Agency investigated these allegations and found them to
be false.
Even the American Cancer Society admits that even though
they continue to try to find a link between aspartame and cancer that “studies
done so far have not found such a link.” That is after over 30 years of research.
The truth is that aspartame is made from two amino acids,
aspartic acid and phenylalanine, which are found in foods we eat every day and
is digested naturally just like all other proteins we ingest. Now don’t you feel better?
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Matt: 30 Minutes Treadmill
Kelly : 30 Minutes Treadmill
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