The artificial sweetener aspartame (including brands Nutrasweet ® and Equal ®) would seem to be an answer to major contemporary sugar-related conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. This food additive is two hundred times sweeter than refined sugar (weight for weight) and is therefore used in such small amounts that it carries negligible calorific values. Do not be fooled – there is a very dark side to this chemical sweetener including a number of potentially serious side effects of aspartame.
We will highlight the problems with aspartame – so YOU can make an informed decision as to whether you consider the risks of consuming aspartame are counterbalanced by the benefits or not.
Aspartame was not developed primarily as a sweetener
If you thought that aspartame was created by a well meaning nutritionally qualified food scientist with your health and well-being at the forefront of his (or her) mind – think again.
Originally it was created by the pharmaceutical company G.D. Searle in 1965 as part of ongoing research into anti-ulcer drugs. It was accidentally discovered to be particularly sweet – to cut a long story short it was patented as Nutrasweet ®. The rights to manufacture passed to the appalling environmentally polluting agro-chemical company Monsanto in 1985 and in turn to the private equity company J.W. Childs Equity Partners in 2000.
So, the chain of manufacture was as follows:
G.D. Searle (pharmaceutical)→Monsanto (agro-chemical)→J.W. Childs (equity)
Not a food manufacturer in sight – the end game here is PROFIT.
This product is particularly CHEAP – this being shown by the global proliferation of aspartame manufacturers since the European and U.S. patents expired in 1987 and 1992 respectively.
The aspartame market globally has been valued by a report at $375.5 million in 2021, and is projected to reach $561.7 million by 2031, which is a CAGR of 3.9% from 2022 to 2031.
Why are side effects of aspartame inevitable?
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener – this means that this chemical structure is manufactured and doesn’t exist naturally. Although it is constructed from two naturally occurring amino acids – aspartic acid and phenylalanine – the phenylalanine has been chemically modified to enhance the sweetness.
Herein lies the problem – this chemical modification has created an alien chemical and in the same way as pharmaceutical products create side effects so will this food additive.
Put simply – although this is an artificial food additive, it has the same potential as a pharmaceutical product to create more problems than it solves.
The potential side effects of aspartame
Given the escalation in the use of aspartame in foods and soft beverages, the consumption of the sweetener is accordingly increasing and enhancing the likelihood of experiencing the following unpleasant potential side effects of aspartame:
• The development of certain types of cancer – notably neurological tumours, leukaemia, lymphoma and tumours of the urinary tract.
• Type 2 diabetes – this is particularly ironic for an artificial sweetener that replaces the dreaded refined sugars!
• Kidney disease
• Liver disease
• Salivary gland disease
• Development of irritating contact dermatitis
• Depression and mood swings
In conclusion, this toxic synthetic sweetener was not even originally designed for this purpose, is continued to be manufactured solely for motives of large profit and carries a host of unpleasant side effects.
Whether or not you choose to take a huge risk and continue to consume this insidiously toxic chemical is your call.
You have been warned!
Do look out for our forthcoming article on natural sweetener alternatives to refined sugars and artificial sweeteners.
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“TO BE TRULY FREE – BE PHARMA FREE”