Splenda is in the same category as well.
If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant avoid all artificial sweeteners, even thought the American Dietetic Association tells you otherwise. Aspartame is known to cause severe birth defects. Splenda's hydrongenated chlorocarbon nature can be damaging as well.
Direct and indirect cellular effects of aspartame on the brain
P Humphries1,2, E Pretorius1 and H Naude´1
1Department of Anatomy, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa and 2Department of Anatomy, University of the Limpopo, South Africa
The use of the artificial sweetener, aspartame, has long been contemplated and studied by various researchers, and people are concerned about its negative effects. Aspartame is composed of phenylalanine (50%), aspartic acid (40%) and methanol (10%).
Phenylalanine plays an important role in neurotransmitter regulation, whereas aspartic acid is also thought to play a role as an excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Glutamate, asparagines and glutamine are formed from their precursor, aspartic acid. Methanol, which forms 10% of the broken down product, is converted in the body to formate, which can either be excreted or can give rise to formaldehyde, diketopiperazine (a carcinogen) and a number of other highly toxic derivatives. Previously, it has been reported that consumption of aspartame could cause neurological and behavioural disturbances in sensitive individuals. Headaches, insomnia and seizures are also some of the neurological effects that have been encountered, and these may be accredited to changes in regional brain concentrations of catecholamines, which include norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine. The aim of this study was to discuss the direct and indirect cellular effects of aspartame on the brain, and we propose that excessive aspartame ingestion might be involved in the pathogenesis of certain mental disorders (DSM-IV-TR 2000) and also in compromised learning and emotional functioning.
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2008) 62, 451–462; doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602866; published online 8 August 2007
Request full article
No comments:
Post a Comment