One of the most controversial food additives currently being used is the artificial sweetener aspartame. Due to the phobia associated with health related issues surrounding aspartame, there have been countless global studies on the sugar substitute on whether it is safe for human consumption or not. These include both animal and human studies. People who oppose the use of aspartame claim that its consumption could be toxic and lead to serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and even neurochemical imbalances. It is also though that aspartame can lead to increased appetite, overeating, and overall weight gain. Scientists who defend aspartame have used various tests to show that humans would have consume and equivalent of over twenty cans of
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Some food scientists would argue that sugar provides more functions to a food than just sweetness, and one cannot easily replace sugar with a substitute as you would lose those other functions such as proper mouthfeel and humectant ability. Others would claim that there are other additives that can mimic those functions and even work with the sweetener to provide desirable sensory characteristics. There has been fear surrounding the topics of health risks and weight management, as well as concern over product development when it comes to using aspartame, but overall it is useful for the food industry and at the levels consumed by humans pose no health risks and will not be a direct cause to weight …show more content…
Aspartame studies have shown to affect both memory and mood. Those fed a diet of aspartame experience depressive thoughts and memory lapses. When performing a study on the effects of aspartame on depression by feeding participants 30mg/kg of aspartame per day, the study had to be stopped because only thirteen participants completed the study due to the severity of the adverse reactions experienced by the participants who already had depression. Large doses of aspartames have also shown to cause headaches and migraines. Headaches can also be experienced in lower doses if one has an allergy to formaldehyde, a byproduct of aspartame. Aspartame consumption in rats has shown to promote the growth of malignant tumors, which should raise doubts on whether aspartame in truly safe for human consumption. Animals are good to use for aspartame studies because humans studies are affects by too many uncontrollable variables that could tamper with the results, such as their diet outside of the study. Another concern when it comes to aspartame is that there are certain people who lack the enzyme to break down phenylalanine, one of the metabolites in aspartame. The accumulation of phenylalanine, which eventually breaks down in phenylpyruvate, can cause serious damage in brain development. Those who are unaware of this allergy can face life-threatening damage to their body. Although the
Some food scientists would argue that sugar provides more functions to a food than just sweetness, and one cannot easily replace sugar with a substitute as you would lose those other functions such as proper mouthfeel and humectant ability. Others would claim that there are other additives that can mimic those functions and even work with the sweetener to provide desirable sensory characteristics. There has been fear surrounding the topics of health risks and weight management, as well as concern over product development when it comes to using aspartame, but overall it is useful for the food industry and at the levels consumed by humans pose no health risks and will not be a direct cause to weight …show more content…
Aspartame studies have shown to affect both memory and mood. Those fed a diet of aspartame experience depressive thoughts and memory lapses. When performing a study on the effects of aspartame on depression by feeding participants 30mg/kg of aspartame per day, the study had to be stopped because only thirteen participants completed the study due to the severity of the adverse reactions experienced by the participants who already had depression. Large doses of aspartames have also shown to cause headaches and migraines. Headaches can also be experienced in lower doses if one has an allergy to formaldehyde, a byproduct of aspartame. Aspartame consumption in rats has shown to promote the growth of malignant tumors, which should raise doubts on whether aspartame in truly safe for human consumption. Animals are good to use for aspartame studies because humans studies are affects by too many uncontrollable variables that could tamper with the results, such as their diet outside of the study. Another concern when it comes to aspartame is that there are certain people who lack the enzyme to break down phenylalanine, one of the metabolites in aspartame. The accumulation of phenylalanine, which eventually breaks down in phenylpyruvate, can cause serious damage in brain development. Those who are unaware of this allergy can face life-threatening damage to their body. Although the