These days, there have been talks and controversies regarding aspartame. This is an artificial, non-saccharide sweetener that is commonly found in soft drinks or sodas. Statistically, there are about 200 million people on earth that consumed aspartame in about 6,000 products in soft drinks, chewing gun, gelatin, desert mixes, yogurt, and even pharmaceutical products like vitamins and sugar-free cough medications. But due to its controversy, many believed that aspartame side effects can potentially harm the health.
Aspartame or L-alpha-aspartyl-L-pjenylalanine methyl ester when taken into the body is broken down into 3 components which are the aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol. Then, these will be absorbed into the blood stream and used in for body processes. It is about 200 times sweeter than ordinary sugar but it has a lower calorie sweetener. Even that, there are many benefits of taking aspartame.
For one, aspartame helps improve the flavors. When using aspartame in orange juice and the like, the taste is enhanced and tasting the orangey flavor is extended in the mouth. Since it is a sweetener, it tastes like sugar and can be mistaken for sugar. Many people believe that using aspartame helps in people with diabetes. Aspartame helps them allocating the carbohydrate intake and since aspartame is low in calorie, it won’t affect the blood sugar. Thus, it helps them comply with their meal plan and keep up with their blood sugar.
For those who want to lose weight, there are studies made that using aspartame as part of the meal plan and regular exercise in obese or overweight patients, they have significantly lost weight. Furthermore, as a positive effect for taking aspartame, it does not promote tooth decay and it can even be a part of a healthy diet since it replaces sugar and lowers calorie.
But despite its benefits, there are arguments and intrigues that aspartame side effect can harm the body and can lead to death. Researchers found out that aspartame have a systemic side effect to the body from head to foot. In the facial area, it can cause blindness, tunnel vision or decreased night vision, bulging eyes, and pain. it can cause tinnitus to the ear and intolerance of noise is felt.
Another aspartame side effect affects the neurologic function and it can cause epileptic seizures, headaches, dizziness, confusion, numbness of the limbs ,slurring of speech, facial pain, tremors and even memory loss. It also causes severe depression, irritability, anxiety, insomnia, and even personality changes.
Aspartame side effects also affect the gastrointestinal area wherein it causes nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain and even swelling. Tachycardia, palpitations, shortness of breath and hypertension can be a side effect of aspartame. Skin allergies like itching, lip and mouth reactions and even hives can happen to a person who frequently takes aspartame as part of their diet. Although experts believe that it can be a solution for diabetes, loss of control in diabetes and it can cause menstrual changes in women. If diet is not watched out, it can lead to weight gain.
As a consequence of taking too much aspartame, it may trigger diseases like grave’s disease, lyme disease, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, Lupus, Non-Hodgkins’s lymphoma and many other serious conditions.
These problems are not realized until recently because people believe that in the diet industry, the main reason for inhibiting the dissemination of these consequences, they will lose millions of money with their investment containing aspartame products. These people believed that aspartame is a dangerous chemical added to food. These foods are then thought to be good for diet and losing weight.
Due to the overwhelming news that came out recently, experts also conducted researches and even the FDA made an investigation and found out that there is no reasonable evidence that aspartame can harm the public despite the allegations pointed towards the it. The symptoms from aspartame side effects are show no pattern and concrete evidence that it can cause problems. As of today, the American Dietetic Association found out and gave a Grade 1 evaluation, which is also the highest evaluation stating that aspartame side effects does not generally harm the public. Furthermore, taking foods with aspartame is not linked to high or increased plasma phenylalanine in patients with diabetes.
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