Extension Exchange

Press Release Week of Sept. 23, 2002
Sue Fagerholt, Walsh County Extension Agent

ASPARTAME SCARE

Some of you may have received e-mails recently with a scary sounding article about the dangers of consuming aspartame, an artificial sweetener found in many diet soft drinks and some processed foods.

According to this article by Nancy Markle, aspartame has been linked to a multitude of health problems including multiple sclerosis, memory loss, seizures, brain tumors, birth defects, and even Gulf War syndrome. She claims the cause in some cases is said to be the methonol toxicity that results when aspartame is metabolized in the body.

There is no evidence to support these claims. Methanol is a byproduct of aspartame digestion, but you get more methanol when you drink fruit or tomato juice. In fact, a glass of tomato juice provides 6 times as much methanol as a similar amount of diet soda!

There have been numerous scientific studies done on aspartame which have shown that the methanol derived from aspartame does not accumulate in the body and thus cannot reach harmful levels.

The American Dietetics Association has taken a position on aspartame and other non-nutritive sweeteners. They state that “consumers can safely enjoy a range of non-nutritive sweeteners (including aspartame) in moderation and within the context of a diet consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.”

What is important to understand is that we need to be cautious of the source of some e-mails or articles found on the Internet. They are avenues which can quickly spread misinformation that create a public scare such as this one on aspartame.

If you would like further information on aspartame or other non-nutritive sweeteners, the American Dietetic Association has a page at http://www.eatright.org/adapt0598.html.

Until next week - Sue

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