Scientific Facts on the Aspertame artificial sweetener

The consumption of aspertame in Europe is estimated to be between 2.8 and 10.1 mg/kg body weight per day.

Aspertame is a non-caloric artificial sweetener used in many diet drinks and foods. Although this artificial sweetener has been widely used for many years, some allegations still fuel a debate on possible side effects.

Does aspertame really pose health risks?

3. What happens to the aspertame sweetener once it is ingested?

Following ingestion, the aspertame sweetener itself does not enter the bloodstream, but instead breaks down in the intestine into three components: aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol. Following this, the blood concentration of phenylalanine may increase after high doses surpassing the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI), while those of aspartic acid and methanol do not. More on the the breakdown of aspartame...

Read the GreenFacts Digest on aspertame

Next question: Does aspertame provoque side effects on human health?

Questions on Aspertame

This study on the effects of the aspertame sweetener is a faithful summary of the leading scientific consensus report produced in 2002 by the EC-SCF (European Commission Scientific Committee on Food): "Update on the Safety of Aspartame". More...

Note that the proper spelling for Aspertame is Aspartame.