aspartam

[myron21]

Right my second question today.  Does anybody have the low down on Aspartam?  Its a sweetener that seems to be in almost every soft drink and a lot of sweets, I hear a lot of people consider it a carcenogen, but I cant get any conclusive info on the net, also does it have addictive qualites like msg?  Is it used in other food products e.g. by fast food chains?

regards

[dragonfly]

Found a small peice of info for you hope it helps

E951 Aspartame
Aspartame sugar substitutes cause worrying symptoms from memory loss to brain tumours. But despite US FDA approval as a �safe� additive, aspartame is one of the most dangerous substances ever to be foisted upon an unsuspecting public.
Aspartame is an intense sweetener, approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar. It has been used throughout the world in soft drinks and other low-cal or sugar free foods since 1974. It was first approved for use in the UK in 1982. It is known by the name NutraSweet, aspartame or E951.

[j2buttonsw]

Aspartame is derived from the amino acid phenylalanine and I think it is metabolised to phenylalanine in the body. Some people suffer from phenylketonuria (PKU) where phenylalanine ingestion is bad, so they should not ingest foods containing aspartame.

[myron21]

Thanks for the very informative answers folks, much appreciated.