Aspartame is an artificial sweetener favoured by the food industry because of its sweet taste and non-calorific value. This makes it a popular choice for diet drinks and other sugar-free products. However, the bad publicity surrounding the adulteration of our food supply by aspartame grows as more people are made aware of its possibly damaging effects. In particular aspartame is thought to cause changes to brain neurochemistry because its breakdown product phenylalanine can inhibit brain uptake of tryptophan, the precursor amino acid for serotonin synthesis. Another aspartame breakdown product, methanol, is converted in the body to formaldehyde, which explains the association between aspartame consumption and cancer in humans, as well as results from animal experiments showing a direct carcinogenic effect. Aspartame is designated the European Union code E951, and as such is not always obviously visible on labels. Aspartame is also sometimes referred to as NutraSweet or Aminosweet on food labels. Caveat emptor, and do your research.
RdB
