Tag: Phenylalanine

Aspartame Sweetener- On the Questions of Safety

With American societys penchant for low calorie foods, the market has been plagued by all kinds of sweeteners that promises low to almost non-existent calorie content. One of the many kinds of sweeteners that are already flooding the market is Aspartame sweetener.

Aspartame sweetener is a non-caloric sugar substitute. This means that there is no calorie content, which is real good news for people with sweet tooth who still wants to diet.

Aspartame has actually been discovered way back in 1965 and is already been available in the market since the 1980s. The safety of this sweetener has already been established by both local and international committees and agencies. However, there have still been doubts on its safety up until now.

Aspartame has a powderish consistency. It is odorless and is approximately 200 times sweeter than sucrose or ordinary table sugar. It has already been used in so many products in the market and have actually even been marketed in brand names like Canderel and NutraSweet. When ingested, it does not enter the bloodstream but rather goes straight to the intestines and breaks down into three components, aspartic acid, methanol and phenylalanine.

Although the sweetener is relatively stable when dry, it loses its sweetness when it is combined with liquids or in temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius.

Still, despite being in the market for so long, questions about its safety is still being raised. The long-standing debate on whether it is safe or not has actually not been resolved. Some claim that aspartame sweeteners can cause headaches, epilepsy and even brain tumors. There are however no major study that has yet to support this claim.

In fact no link has been found between aspartame and cancer or gene damage. Many scientists have also disclaimed the suggested link between the headaches/epilepsy with aspartame.

Consumption of aspartame does not affect human reproduction and does not prevent conception. It does not lead to any nervous system disorders or any allergic reactions. There is also no evidence that aspartame can affect a persons behavior, cognition and mood.

People, however, could not care less. They still use aspartame. Europe for instance consume about 2.8 to 10.1 kilograms per body weight aspartame every day. This however is still quite low and way below the accepted daily food intake that is set by international agencies like the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Artificial Sweeteners for Pregnant Woman

The health of a newborn child even before this comes out of the womb of the mother will really depend on the diet during the crucial 9 months. This has prompted mothers to reduce the amount of sugar taken into the body by relying on artificial sweeteners.

Are this safe for the pregnant mother? The answer is yes. This is because it offers zero calories and has the right amount of vitamins and minerals per serving. This should be taken in moderation since this could contribute also to excess weight gain especially for women who are diagnosed with diabetes should be more careful since

There are a variety of products that are available in the market and these may contain any of the following ingredient; honey, sucrose, dextrose, corn sugar, fructose or maltose.

Sugar alcohol can also be considered as an artificial sweetener most of these are sugar free. A few examples of these are sorbitol, hydrogenated starch, mannitol, xylitol and isomalt.

There are many artificial sweeteners to choose from. The first is Sunnet. This is made from Acesulfame Potassium which can be added to drinks, desserts and baked goods.

The next is Equal or NutraSweet which is made up of the ingredient called Aspartame. This can be taken in large amounts without worrying about any calories until the lactation period. This is also used by people who are diagnosed with diabetes.

The only time this is not safe for pregnant women is when the patient is diagnosed to have a rare liver disease or those who have high levels of phenylalanine in the blood. This will only hinder the metabolism of aspartame in the body.

Another artificial sweetener good for those who are pregnant is Splenda. The main ingredient is sucralose. This is used on a variety of products such as non-alcoholic drinks, juices, condiments, baked goods and coffee or tea products.

All of these products have been certified by the Food and Drugs Administration. Those who want to be sure this is safe can first consult a doctor before using any of these products. The professional can give the right amount that the body can consume on a given day.

The only time artificial sweeteners are unsafe is when the person buys products such as cyclamate, saccharin and stevia. The ingredients have been linked to cancers which are harmful to both the mother and the baby.

A Rundown on the Kinds of Artificial Sweeteners

Because of the sudden need of America to suddenly go dieting, a lot of low calorie artificial sweeteners have been flooding the market. There have been a lot of speculations as to how safe these artificial sweeteners are. All of those being sold legally in the market has of course been tested and approved by the US Food and Drugs Administration.

Despite this, there are still some doubts on the safety of the products and a lot of misconceptions on how these products can affect the body. For instance, pregnant women can use artificial sweeteners unless of course they are warned or asked by their doctor not to for some reasons; Yet a lot of expectant mothers still feel that they have to avoid taking in these kinds of artificial sweeteners for fear of harming their babies.

Below are some of the low-calorie artificial sweeteners in the market. Read on and find out something about each of them.

Aspartame
This artificial sweetener has been in the market for quite sometime, being sold in brand names like NutraSweet, Sugar Twin, Canderel and Equal. Aspartame was actually discovered way back in 1965 and has already been in the shelves since the 1980s. Aspartame is created when two amino acids, phenylalanine and aspartic acid, are combined. This sweetener is actually 200 times sweeter than ordinary table sugar without the calories that go with it. In fact, one small packet of this sweetener is equivalent to the taste of two teaspoons of sugar.

Although it has already been evaluated as safe by agencies, there has been a lot of talk of how aspartame is linked to headaches, epilepsy and even cancer. One indication though that people should remember is that people afflicted with phenylketonuria (PKU) should not use this because they are unable to metabolize phenylalanine.

Saccharin, another form of artificial sweetener under the brandnames SweetN Low, Sweet Twin, and Necta Sweet. It is a non-caloric sweetener that is not metabolized by the body. Produced from an organic compound, it is 375 times sweeter than table sugar. In fact, this can be used in moderation by diabetics because of the non-existent caloric content.

Acesulfame K, which is being sold under the product names, Sunett and Sweet One, Sweet and Safe is another sugar substitute that is not metabolized by the body and is actually excreted by the body through the kidneys. In addition to being used by diabetics, Acesulfame K is also used in cooking and baking.