Aspartame: how bad can it be?

In the realm of food additives, few have stirred as much controversy and debate as aspartame. With its widespread use as a sugar substitute in over 6,000 products, from diet sodas to chewing gum, aspartame has long been a subject of scrutiny and concern.

Just a few days ago, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) declared it “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” While this news captivated the public’s attention, and received significant press coverage, it’s worth noting that the potential cancer risk represents just a fraction of the health issues associated with aspartame.

Delving beyond the headlines, let’s explore the full story, so you can make informed decisions about how to safely sweeten your food and drinks. We’ll also share sweet solutions you can safely enjoy, without negatively impacting your health.

Establishing Trust or Creating Confusion?

The IARC’s classifications are based on evaluations of scientific research, including epidemiological studies, animal experiments, and mechanistic data. However, they don’t convey the level of risk, they simply focus on establishing the potential for causing cancer. Their evaluations also incorporate studies with limited sample size, conflicting results, and low-quality methodologies.

The lack of trust in their findings leads to varying interpretations by different scientific bodies, and (industry-funded) public debates that create public confusion. News coverage of IARC’s pronouncements includes ‘clickbait’ headlines which exclude important details (like the relevance of meat quality in their 2015 conclusion that meat and cancer were associated).

“Similar warnings from the IARC placed on red meat, working overnight, and using mobile phones have faced criticism for sparking alarm over hard to avoid substances or situations. Cancer Research UK explicitly states that artificial sweeteners such as aspartame don’t cause cancer.”

ITVⁱⁱⁱ

So, what’s going on? Is aspartame dangerous or not?

Vague Advice and Information Overload

The IARC classifications use vague terms like “possibly carcinogenic” and “probably carcinogenic” or “probably not carcinogenic”. These non-committal definitions avoid legal ramifications, but don’t effectively guide the public towards making healthier decisions.

Overloaded with information, and a growing list of what ‘can’ impact health, it’s increasingly difficult for people to evaluate what to avoid, and what to focus on. The lack of ‘scale’ makes it impossible to take action and there is no guidance on which carcinogens are worse. There is no official ‘Top 10 Carcinogens you can avoid’ that could help guide healthier shopping lists!

The result of this controversy and confusion is inaction. We can’t effectively evaluate how dangerous it is, so we mentally move onto the next problem. Our ability to ignore issues we can’t understand is harnessed by industries with vested interest in the status quo.  Tainted news coverage adds to the overwhelm and we can’t fathom who to trust, or understand the risks involved.

“Public health authorities should be deeply concerned that this leaked opinion contradicts decades of high-quality scientific evidence and could needlessly mislead consumers into consuming more sugar rather than choosing safe no- and low sugar options – all on the basis of low-quality studies.”

 

Forbes.^iv

So, what’s the answer? How can you make informed decisions about your health? The answer is simple, take a look at the bigger picture. Forbes doesn’t mention that there are many other safe sugar alternatives, it’s not black and white ‘aspartame or nothing’.

Let’s take a look at the evidence against aspartame, then delve into some tasty alternatives that you can trust.

What is Aspartame, and Who Funds the Research?

Aspartame was discovered accidently in the 1960s, by chemist James Schlatter while working on an anti-ulcer medication, it was approved as a food additive in the 1980s. Chemically, aspartame is two amino acids (L-phenylalanine and L-aspartic acid) plus a methyl ester group, which provides the sweetness. 

Aspartame’s commercial success is due to its intense sweetness (about 200 times sweeter than table sugar) and its low-calorie content. Following growing sugar awareness, aspartame became an attractive option for manufacturers to reduce sugar content, and the global aspartame market is now worth about $400 million per year.^v

It took Searle, the manufacturer, 16 years to get aspartame approved as a food additive in the United States, and they were under investigation for performing fraudulent studies. Aspartame was suddenly approved in 1981 when Donald Rumsfeld, former CEO of Searle and new member of President Ronald Reagan’s transition team, appointed a new FDA commissioner.^vi Currently, the State of New Mexico is attempting to ban aspartame, it’s banned in Japan and discouraged in China. ^vii

Most of the research into the effects of aspartame is paid for by the food industry itself, which introduces obvious bias, as reported by the peer-reviewed open access journal published by the Public Library of Science (PLOS):

“100% of the industry-sponsored studies concluded that aspartame was safe, and 92% of the independently funded studies identified adverse effects of aspartame consumption”.^viii

They also found that 42% of reviews had authors that did not disclose conflicts of interest, and one-third failed to reveal any source of funding. Sadly, these deceptive tactics are not uncommon, the sugar lobby has a long track record of funding research that points the finger at everything but sugar, influencing public perceptions, and preventing health professionals from taking effective and accurate action.^ix

The Real Problems with Aspartame

Decades of independent research has linked aspartame to serious side effects and debilitating conditions:

Cancer: a 2022 French cohort study of 102,865 adults found that aspartame was associated with an increased cancer risk (specifically breast cancer). In 2012 Harvard researchers reported an association between aspartame intake and increased risk of cancer (non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma and leukaemia).^x

Heart Disease: A 2017 Canadian meta-analysis reported “increases in weight and waist circumference, and higher incidence of obesity, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular events.” A 2016 paper found “significantly increased weight gain, adiposity, incidence of obesity, cardiometabolic risk, and even total mortality among individuals with chronic, daily exposure to low-calorie sweeteners – and these results are troubling.”^xi

Neurological Issues: Consuming diet sodas leads to a three-fold increase in risk for stroke and dementia. Blood vessels in the brain become blocked also increasing the risk of Alzheimer’s. The methyl group in Aspartame metabolises to formaldehyde (which is linked to Alzheimer’s and shown to cause memory loss in animal studies). Higher doses of aspartame are also associated with seizures in humans and animals. ^xii

Mental Health: Aspartame has been linked to irritability, depression, insomnia, and anxiety while inhibiting our ability to learn (in both human and animal models). In animal studies higher doses of aspartame causes major neurochemical changes and low doses exhibit neurotoxic effects.^xiii

Kidney Function: Drinking more than two drinks per day containing aspartame is associated with a decline in kidney function.^xiv

Metabolic Issues: Considering it is marketed as an alternative to sugar many people are shocked to find out that studies link aspartame to increased appetite, metabolic dysfunction, weight gain and diabetes. Aspartame appears to block intestinal enzymes, and kill specific gut bacteria, thereby preventing weight loss. It also increases insulin resistance and reduces our ability to effectively process glucose.^xv

Hormones and Fertility: Aspartame has been shown to increase the risk of pre-term births and is associated with babies being born already overweight. It is associated with the early onset of menses (female puberty) and damage to sperm (in rats).^xvi

Liver Damage: Animal studies have shown an association with aspartame and injury to the liver, specifically reducing the naturally protective anti-oxidant glutathione. Aspartame elevates glucose in the liver, and is associated with degeneration, infiltration, necrosis, and fibrosis.^xvii

Based on this list of extensive issues from human and animal studies, the IARC classification of “possibly carcinogenic” seems irrelevant! Considering aspartame does not prevent the problems associated with classic sugars (namely obesity and diabetes) why take the risk when there are much safer alternatives?

Effectiveness and Genuine Alternatives

On May 15, 2023, the WHO released new guidelines advising people “not to use non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) for weight control.” ^xviii Their review points out that “consumption of non-sugar sweeteners is associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality, as well as increased body weight.” So, that pretty much seals the deal. It’s simply not worth the risk, and they don’t work!

Artificial and non-nutritive chemical sweeteners are not natural, they confuse the body and are poorly metabolised. The sweet taste without enzymes to process it causes metabolic chaos. We evolved our relationship with sweet foods over millions of years, it’s simply not possible to ask the body to deal with a foreign substance with no genetic history.

Fortunately there are safer sugars that the body does know how to process, but they have far fewer calories, don’t spike insulin, and provide sustained energy. Until relatively recently these ‘rare’ but sweet and safer alternatives were simply not known about or marketed. But the pioneering work of research scientist Dr. Johannes Coy has established a set of sweet options that you can trust!

Safer Sweet Options to Enjoy

Galactose: Used as a food source for thousands of years, this sugar plays a crucial role in brain development. It is found in breast milk and supports the growth of the brain’s memory centre. Galactose contains 25% fewer calories than table sugar and has a lower glycaemic index than glucose, making it a favourable option for maintaining stable energy levels throughout the day. Fermented dairy products like yogurt and kefir are good sources of galactose.

Tagatose: Derived from lactose it has a sweet taste similar to sugar. It is naturally present in dairy products and fruits and has a low glycaemic index, helping to prevent spikes in blood sugar levels. Tagatose is metabolized differently than other sugars, leading to its unique properties. It is broken down into glucose and fructose at a much slower rate, contributing to its lower glycaemic index and reduced caloric impact. Studies suggest that tagatose supports weight loss and blood sugar control with prebiotic effects that stimulate beneficial gut bacteria.

Trehalose: This naturally occurring sugar is found in foods like mushrooms, yeast, and honey. It has a caloric content similar to table sugar but a slightly lower glycaemic index. It offers about 45% of the sweetness found in regular sugar. Trehalose displays potential health benefits, including protection against oxidative stress and improved immune function. It is also used in the food industry as a preservative and flavour enhancer.

Isomaltulose: Derived from beet sugar, and naturally found in honey and sugarcane it provides a slow and steady release of energy due to its low glycaemic index. Isomaltulose is digested and absorbed gradually, avoiding rapid spikes in blood sugar levels. It offers the same caloric value as table sugar but with a lower glycaemic index providing sustained energy with potential benefits for athletic endurance and cognitive performance.

Ribose: Found in every living cell and plays a crucial role in cellular energy production and the synthesis of DNA and RNA. It is naturally present in foods like meat, dairy products, and vegetables. Ribose fuels cells with energy and has a caloric value similar to table sugar but a less pronounced sweetness. Ribose is metabolized through a pathway that generates ATP, the primary energy currency of cells and has shown promising results in improving exercise performance and recovery.

Erythritol: Erythritol is a sugar alcohol found in select fruits and fermented foods. It is a low-calorie sweetener that provides approximately 70% of the sweetness of table sugar with only 6% of the calories. Erythritol is unique in that it is absorbed in the small intestine and excreted unchanged. It is considered safe for consumption and may possess antioxidant properties, but excessive consumption can lead to gastrointestinal discomfort.

Together these incredible sugars provide a practical and safe alternative to our current excess of glucose, sucrose and fructose. They have health benefits, not risks, and since they are completely natural the body knows what to do with them.

Increasing awareness of their incredible potential, and delicious, sweet taste, is growing. The European Food Standards Agency has officially recognized that Isomaltulose, Tagatose and Erythritol actively protect your teeth (contributing to the maintenance of tooth mineralization) and induce a lower blood glucose rise compared to sugar containing food and drinks.

Finally, it is possible to enjoy guilt-free sweet treats that provide sustained energy!

Are you ready for an Intelligent Sugar Strategy?

Citations

^[i] Bus JS. IARC use of oxidative stress as key mode of action characteristic for facilitating cancer classification: Glyphosate case example illustrating a lack of robustness in interpretative implementation. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2017;86:157-166.

^[ii] Infante PF, Melnick R, Vainio H, Huff J. Commentary: IARC Monographs Program and public health under siege by corpo
rate interests. Am J Ind Med. 2018;61(4):277-281.

^[iii] ITV News 29th June 2023. Aspartame: Artificial sweetener used in Diet Coke could be ‘possibly carcinogenic to humans’.

^[iv] Forbes Advocate Australia. Soft drink ingredient to be declared carcinogenic.

^[v] Research and Markets Ltd. Global aspartame market report size, trends & growth opportunity, by raw material, by distribution channel, by application, by end use and by region and forecast till 2030.

^[vi] Donald rumsfeld and the strange history of aspartame. HuffPost.

^[vii] Aspartame – history of getting fda approval -. Arizona Integrative Medical Center.

^[viii] Mandrioli D, Kearns CE, Bero LA. Relationship between research outcomes and risk of bias, study sponsorship, and author financial conflicts of interest in reviews of the effects of artificially sweetened beverages on weight outcomes: a systematic review of reviews. PLOS ONE. 2016;11(9):e0162198.

^[ix] Kearns CE, Schmidt LA, Glantz SA. Sugar industry and coronary heart disease research: a historical analysis of internal industry documents. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2016;176(11):1680-1685.

^[x]Charlotte Debras, et al.”Artificial sweeteners and cancer risk: Results from the NutriNet-Santé population-based cohort study.” PLOS Medicine. Published: March 24, 2022

Soffritti M, Belpoggi F, Degli Esposti D, Lambertini L, Tibaldi E, Rigano A. “First experimental demonstration of the multipotential carcinogenic effects of aspartame administered in the feed to Sprague-Dawley rats.” Environ Health Perspect. 2006 Mar

Soffritti M, Belpoggi F, Tibaldi E, Esposti DD, Lauriola M. “Life-span exposure to low doses of aspartame beginning during prenatal life increases cancer effects in rats.” Environ Health Perspect. 2007 Sep;115(9):1293-7.

Soffritti M et al. “Aspartame administered in feed, beginning prenatally through life span, induces cancers of the liver and lung in male Swiss mice.” Am J Ind Med. 2010 Dec; 53(12):1197-206.

Schernhammer ES, Bertrand KA, Birmann BM, Sampson L, Willett WC, Feskanich D., “Consumption of artificial sweetener– and sugar-containing soda and risk of lymphoma and leukemia in men and women.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Dec;96(6):1419-28.

Soffritti M1, Padovani M, Tibaldi E, Falcioni L, Manservisi F, Belpoggi F., “The carcinogenic effects of aspartame: The urgent need for regulatory re-evaluation.” Am J Ind Med. 2014 Apr;57(4):383-97.

Olney JW, Farber NB, Spitznagel E, Robins LN. “Increasing brain tumor rates: is there a link to aspartame?” J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 1996 Nov;55(11):1115-23. PMID: 8939194.

^[1] Azad, Meghan B., et al.”Nonnutritive sweeteners and cardiometabolic health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies.”CMAJJuly 17, 2017vol. 189no. 28

Fowler SP. Low-calorie sweetener use and energy balance: Results from experimental studies in animals, and large-scale prospective studies in humans. Physiol Behav. 2016 Oct 1;164(Pt B):517-23.

Vyas A et al. “Diet Drink Consumption And The Risk of Cardiovascular Events: A Report from The Women’s Health Initiative.” J Gen Intern Med.2015 Apr;30(4):462-8. doi: 10.1007/s11606-014-3098-0.

^[xii] Matthew P. Pase, PhD; Jayandra J. Himali, PhD; Alexa S. Beiser, PhD; Hugo J. Aparicio, MD; Claudia L. Satizabal, PhD; Ramachandran S. Vasan, MD; Sudha Seshadri, MD; Paul F. Jacques, DSc. “Sugar and Artificially Sweetened Beverages and the Risks of Incident Stroke and Dementia. A Prospective Cohort Study.” Stroke. 2017 April;

Yang M et al. “Alzheimer’s Disease and Methanol Toxicity (Part 1): Chronic Methanol Feeding Led to Memory Impairments and Tau Hyperphosphorylation in Mice.” J Alzheimers Dis. 2014 Apr 30.

Yang M et al. “Alzheimer’s Disease and Methanol Toxicity (Part 2): Lessons from Four Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta) Chronically Fed Methanol.” J Alzheimers Dis. 2014 Apr 30.

Camfield PR, Camfield CS, Dooley JM, Gordon K, Jollymore S, Weaver DF. “Aspartame exacerbates EEG spike-wave discharge in children with generalized absence epilepsy: a double-blind controlled study.” Neurology. 1992 May;42(5):1000-3.

Maher TJ, Wurtman RJ. “Possible neurologic effects of aspartame, a widely used food additive.” Environ Health Perspect. 1987 Nov; 75:53-7.

Wurtman RJ. “Aspartame: possible effect on seizure susceptibility.” Lancet. 1985 Nov 9;2(8463):1060.

Choudhary AK, Lee YY. “Neurophysiological symptoms and aspartame: What is the connection?” Nutr Neurosci, 2017 Feb 15:1-11.

Onaolapo AY, Onaolapo OJ, Nwoha PU. “Aspartame and the hippocampus: Revealing a bi-directional, dose/time-dependent behavioural and morphological shift in mice.” Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2017 Mar;139:76-88.

Humphries P, Pretorius E, Naudé H. “Direct and indirect cellular effects of aspartame on the brain.” Eur J Clin Nutr. 2008 Apr;62(4):451-62.

Tsakiris S, Giannoulia-Karantana A, Simintzi I, Schulpis KH. “The effect of aspartame metabolites on human erythrocyte membrane acetylcholinesterase activity.” Pharmacol Res. 2006 Jan;53(1):1-5.

Park CH et al. “Glutamate and aspartate impair memory retention and damage hypothalamic neurons in adult mice.” Toxicol Lett. 2000 May 19;115(2):117-25.

^[xiii] Yokogoshi H, Roberts CH, Caballero B, Wurtman RJ. “Effects of aspartame and glucose administration on brain and plasma levels of large neutral amino acids and brain 5-hydroxyindoles.” Am J Clin Nutr. 1984 Jul;40(1):1-7.

Olney JW, Ho OL. “Brain Damage in Infant Mice Following Oral Intake of Glutamate, Aspartate or Cysteine.” Nature. 1970 Aug 8;227(5258):609-11. PMID: 5464249. (abstract) Blumenthal HJ, Vance DA. “Chewing gum headaches.” Headache. 1997 Nov-Dec; 37(10):665-6.

Van den Eeden SK, Koepsell TD, Longstreth WT Jr, van Belle G, Daling JR, McKnight B. “Aspartame ingestion and headaches: a randomized crossover trial.” Neurology. 1994 Oct;44(10):1787-93.

Lipton RB, Newman LC, Cohen JS, Solomon S. “Aspartame as a dietary trigger of headache.” Headache. 1989 Feb;29(2):90-2.

Koehler SM, Glaros A. “The effect of aspartame on migraine headache.” Headache. 1988 Feb;28(1):10-4.

^[xiv] Julie Lin and Gary C. Curhan. “Associations of Sugar and Artificially Sweetened Soda with Albuminuria and Kidney Function Decline in Women.” Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2011 Jan; 6(1): 160–166.

^[xv] Gul SS, Hamilton AR, Munoz AR, Phupitakphol T, Liu W, Hyoju SK, Economopoulos KP, Morrison S, Hu D, Zhang W, Gharedaghi MH, Huo H, Hamarneh SR, Hodin RA. “Inhibition of the gut enzyme intestinal alkaline phosphatase may explain how aspartame promotes glucose intolerance and obesity in mice.” Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2017 Jan;42(1):77-83.

Susan E. Swithers, “Artificial sweeteners produce the counterintuitive effect of inducing metabolic derangements.” Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2013 Sep; 24(9): 431–441.

Guy Fagherazzi, A Vilier, D Saes Sartorelli, M Lajous, B Balkau, F Clavel-Chapelon. “Consumption of artificially and sugar-sweetened beverages and incident type 2 diabetes in the Etude Epidémiologique auprès des femmes de la Mutuelle Générale de l’Education Nationale–European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2013, Jan 30

Weilan Wang et al., “A Metagenomics Investigation of Intergenerational Effects of Non-nutritive Sweeteners on Gut Microbiome.” Front. Nutr., 14 January 2022

Suez J et al. “Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota.” Nature. 2014 Oct 9;514(7521).

Kuk JL, Brown RE. “Aspartame intake is associated with greater glucose intolerance in individuals with obesity.” Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2016 Jul;41(7):795-8

Palmnäs MSA, Cowan TE, Bomhof MR, Su J, Reimer RA, Vogel HJ, et al. (2014) Low-Dose Aspartame Consumption Differentially Affects Gut Microbiota-Host Metabolic Interactions in the Diet-Induced Obese Rat. PLoS ONE 9(10)

^[xvi] Halldorsson TI, Strøm M, Petersen SB, Olsen SF. “Intake of artificially sweetened soft drinks and risk of preterm delivery: a prospective cohort study in 59,334 Danish pregnant women.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Sep;92(3):626-33.

Meghan B.Azad, PhD; Atul K.Sharma, MSc, MD; Russell J.de Souza, RD, ScD; et al. “Association Between Artificially Sweetened Beverage Consumption During Pregnancy and Infant Body Mass Index.” JAMA Pediatr. 2016;170(7):662-670.

Mueller NT, Jacobs DR Jr, MacLehose RF, Demerath EW, Kelly SP, Dreyfus JG, Pereira MA. “Consumption of caffeinated and artificially sweetened soft drinks is associated with risk of early menarche.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Sep;102(3):648-54.

Ashok I, Poornima PS, Wankhar D, Ravindran R, Sheeladevi R. “Oxidative stress evoked damages on rat sperm and attenuated antioxidant status on consumption of aspartame.” Int J Impot Res. 2017 Apr 27.

^[xvii] Finamor I, Pérez S, Bressan CA, Brenner CE, Rius-Pérez S, Brittes PC, Cheiran G, Rocha MI, da Veiga M, Sastre J, Pavanato MA., “Chronic aspartame intake causes changes in the trans-sulphuration pathway, glutathione depletion and liver damage in mice.” Redox Biol. 2017 Apr;11:701-707.

Lebda MA, Tohamy HG, El-Sayed YS. “Long-term soft drink and aspartame intake induces hepatic damage via dysregulation of adipocytokines and alteration of the lipid profile and antioxidant status.” Nutr Res. 2017 Apr 19. pii: S0271-5317(17)30096-9.

^[xviii] World Health Organization News. WHO advises not to use non-sugar sweeteners for weight control in newly released guideline.