Chances are good that you have various foods or beverages in your pantry and refrigerator that contain the sweetener aspartame. Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1981, aspartame can be found in approximately 6,000 foods as an artificial sweetener. Unfortunately, a lot of controversy surrounds the additive, leaving many medical professionals and health food experts alike claiming that aspartame allergy or aspartame toxicity really does exist.
Most of the controversy surrounds the chemicals that aspartame breaks down into when digested, which includes methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid, aspartic acid, and phenylalanine. Methanol breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde and is a carcinogen with some claiming it is "neurotoxic". Aspartic acid has been shown in some studies to cause hormonal disturbances, headaches, nausea, and anxiety disorders. Those who have PKU, or phenylketonuria, cannot metabolize phenylalanine, which can lead to toxic levels in the body.
Many who believe in an aspartame allergy claim that the additive should never have been approved by the FDA, and have claimed that conflicts of interest interfered with a process that should have been based on science and not profit. FDA officials, after completing an internal investigation, state that the process was handled correctly and that there are currently no conclusive scientific studies showing that aspartame is dangerous to humans.
Although the FDA defends the safety of aspartame, in 1995, Thomas Wilcox, Chief of the FDA Epidemiology Division issued a report that 75% of reported reactions to ingredients in food were due to aspartame from 1981 to 1995. In 1992, the US Air Force recommended that its pilots not drink beverages containing aspartame before flying.
To date, there are 92 reported symptoms of allergy to aspartame, from a variety of sources. While many of these claims are anecdotal, many doctors and health professionals have seen cases of aspartame allergy that have resolved after eliminating it from the diet.
The difficult aspect of aspartame allergy is that it is not universally accepted by the medical community as if it really exists. Combine this with the fact that aspartame allergy sufferers can have dramatically different symptoms, diagnosing sensitivity can be nearly impossible and more of an elimination process than anything else.
The following are common symptoms of allergy to aspartame:
- Headaches and migraines
- Dizziness
- Menstrual disorders
- Nausea
- Sterility
- Weight gain
- Anxiety attacks
The following are conditions that are often mimicked or triggered by aspartame allergy:
- Epstein-Barr
- Multiple sclerosis
- Lyme's desease
- Epilepsy
- Lupus
- grave's disease
- restless leg syndrome
- Bladder cancer
- Parkinson's disease
It is not known if aspartame allergy is caused by long-term use, or can cause reactions with short-term use. A person's sensitivity to aspartame is difficult to determine and can vary from person to person. Even if you suspect that any medical symptoms you have are related to an allergy to aspartame, you should see a doctor to rule out illnesses caused by other diseases or factors.