Aspartame, a sugar substitute or a poison in disguise?

Many colas are sweetened by sugar substitutes, one of which is aspartame. Other sugar substitutes include sucralose and saccharin, which have each had a rise and subsequent fall in food popularity. Although most chemical substitutes stir up some kind of health controversy, aspartame is one of the most debated substances.

Before I delve into the science of this particular chemical, let me relate to you my first experience with a sugar substitute.

I was seven years old sometime in the 80’s (I see you doing the math) when I picked up a packet of Sweet N Low. Now age six/seven is that time when you are voraciously reading everything. After reading the packet, I pointed out to my grandmother that her favorite sweetener said right on it that it “causes cancer in lab rats.” In the 80’s, Sweet N Low used the sugar substitute saccharine.


Fast forward to my first pregnancy, and my first contact with the substitute Aspartame. I was advice by the obstetric nurse to avoid diet colas flavored with the substance, as it may cause harm to the baby! Now, I like my daughter, but at that point I was thinking “what about me?”

So what is this stuff that we ingest just to avoid a few calories (45 in a scoop of sugar) Aspartame is a basically a chemical made of aspartic acid and phenylalanine. It is not a saccharine. It is currently used in the sugar substitutes Equal, Nutrasweet and Candarel. It is not used in Splenda, which instead uses sucralose.

Other than calorie issues, some people turn to these sweeteners due to issues with sugar, such as diabetes. Others are not happy with the amount of processing and bleaching that occurs to natural sugar from cane. Meanwhile, some people consume tons of aspartame without realising it, as they consume copious amounts of diet drinks without realising the ingredients.

Aspartame is indicated and believed by many to cause lymphoma and brain cancer. There is quite a vociferous delegation in the media and internet that publicises reported cases. Unfortunately, scientific research is unfinished, conflicting and inconclusive. A 2005 study in Italy showed a rise in tumors and lymphomas in 1,800 lab rats. However, a 2007 piece in the Annals of Oncology held that there was insufficient evidence of a connection.

Those hoping to live a healthy lifestyle should focus on nutrition and whole foods. One should attempt to eat items that are as close to their natural state as possible (i.e. unprocessed foods). However, this does not necessarily include using white cane or beet sugar as a sweetener, as it is highly processed. Raw sugars, or brown/yellow varieties are subject to much less processing, but health seekers should consider more natural tastes such as lemon juice or honey.

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