Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola<\/p>\n\n\n\n The artificial sweetener aspartame is primarily made up of aspartic acid and phenylalanine. The phenylalanine has been synthetically modified to carry a methyl group, which provides most of the sweetness. That phenylalanine methyl bond, called a methyl ester, is very weak, which allows the methyl group on the phenylalanine to easily break off and form methanol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may have heard the claim that aspartame is harmless because methanol is also found in fruits and vegetables. However, in fruits and vegetables, the methanol is firmly bonded to pectin, allowing it to be safely passed through your digestive tract. Not so with the methanol created by aspartame; it\u2019s not bonded to anything that can help eliminate it from your body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Symptoms of methanol poisoning include headaches, ear buzzing, dizziness, nausea, vision problems (including retinal damage and blindness), gastrointestinal disturbances, weakness, vertigo, chills, memory lapses, numbness, shooting pains in the extremities, behavioral disturbances and neuritis. Many of these are also experienced after aspartame consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Methanol acts as a Trojan horse; it’s carried into susceptible tissues in your body, like your brain and bone marrow, where the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzyme converts it into formaldehyde, which wreaks havoc with sensitive proteins and DNA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All animals \u2014 except humans \u2014 have a protective mechanism that allows methanol to be broken down into harmless formic acid. This is why toxicology testing on animals is a flawed model. It doesn’t fully apply to people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both animals and humans have small structures called peroxisomes in each cell that help detoxify a variety of chemicals. Peroxisome contains catalase, which help detoxify methanol specifically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other chemicals in the peroxisome convert the formaldehyde to formic acid, which is harmless, but this last step only occurs in animals. While humans have the same number of peroxisomes in comparable cells as animals, human peroxisomes cannot convert the toxic formaldehyde into harmless formic acid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, in humans, methanol is allowed to be transported in your body to susceptible tissues where this enzyme, ADH, then converts it to formaldehyde \u2014 a known carcinogen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Considering formaldehyde is a recognized carcinogen, it makes sense that aspartame might be carcinogenic as well, and that\u2019s precisely what the World Health Organization\u2019s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Based on the available evidence, the IARC classified aspartame as \u201cpossibly carcinogenic to humans\u201d (Group 2B) in the summer of 2023.1,<\/sup>2,<\/sup>3<\/sup> As reported by the WHO:4<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAfter reviewing the available scientific literature, both evaluations noted limitations in the available evidence for cancer (and other health effects).<\/p>\n\n\n\n IARC classified aspartame as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B) on the basis of limited evidence for cancer in humans (specifically, for hepatocellular carcinoma, which is a type of liver cancer). There was also limited evidence for cancer in experimental animals and limited evidence related to the possible mechanisms for causing cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n However, despite the risk, they didn\u2019t recommend avoiding aspartame-containing products altogether. Based on research by the Food and Agricultural Organization\u2019s Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), the IARC set the \u201csafe\u201d limit for aspartame at 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That means a person weighing 154 pounds (70 kilos) would have to drink more than 14 cans of diet soda to exceed the daily safety limit \u2014 assuming that\u2019s the sole source of aspartame in their diet. I don\u2019t know about you, but that hardly seems prudent considering all the other carcinogenic compounds people are exposed to and consume daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026 statistically significant increases were reported for some cancers, such as hepatocellular, breast and hematological (non-Hodgkin lymphoma and multiple myeloma) cancers, in some cohort studies \u2026\u201d ~ IARC<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s also important to recognize that while the IARC and JECFA claim the evidence for carcinogenicity is \u201climited,\u201d that doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019ve proven that it\u2019s safe \u2014 at any level. As stated in the IARC\u2019s report:5<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Committee noted that statistically significant increases were reported for some cancers, such as hepatocellular, breast and hematological (non-Hodgkin lymphoma and multiple myeloma) cancers, in some cohort studies conducted with aspartame or beverages containing aspartame \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, a consistent association between aspartame consumption and a specific cancer type could not be demonstrated. All the studies had limitations in how they estimate exposure, especially the ones that used non sugar sweeteners exposure as proxy for aspartame exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reverse causality, chance, bias and confounding by socioeconomic or lifestyle factors, or consumption of other dietary components, could not be completely ruled out.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Note the IARC says they couldn\u2019t find a consistent association between aspartame consumption and \u201ca specific cancer type.\u201d They did, however, find \u201cstatistically significant increases\u201d in several different types of cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, three large-scale studies that reviewed the link between aspartame and liver cancer specifically ALL found it raised the risk. The IARC downplayed this trend, however, because \u201cbias or confounding could not be ruled out as an explanation for the positive findings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three animal studies also found \u201can increased incidence of malignant neoplasms or a combination of benign and malignant neoplasms in two species (mouse and rat),\u201d but these were downplayed as well due to \u201cconcerns over the study design.\u201d The take-home message is that you rely on the IARC\/JECFA \u201csafe\u201d limit at your own risk, because both rodent and human studies indicate aspartame has carcinogenic potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In response to the IARC\u2019s report and classification of aspartame as a possible carcinogen, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a rebuttal stating it does not agree with the findings and will not update its recommendations. Here\u2019s an excerpt of the FDA\u2019s response, published the same day the IARC\u2019s report was issued:6<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAspartame being labeled by IARC as \u2018possibly carcinogenic to humans\u2019 does not mean that aspartame is actually linked to cancer \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n FDA scientists reviewed the scientific information included in IARC\u2019s review in 2021 when it was first made available and identified significant shortcomings in the studies on which IARC relied \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aspartame is one of the most studied food additives in the human food supply. FDA scientists do not have safety concerns when aspartame is used under the approved conditions \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Cancer isn\u2019t the only, or perhaps even primary, health concern of aspartame though. Studies have also linked aspartame and other artificial sweeteners to a range of other health problems, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to the conditions listed above, adverse events related to aspartame consumption reported to the FDA\u2019s Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS) also include:23<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n Aspartame also elevates cortisol, which can have adverse health consequences. As noted in one 2017 paper:24<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAspartame acts as a chemical stressor by elevating plasma cortisol levels and causing the production of excess free radicals. High cortisol levels and excess free radicals may increase the brains vulnerability to oxidative stress which may have adverse effects on neurobehavioral health.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n In addition to chronic inflammation and neurobehavioral health consequences, cortisol can also lead to muscle breakdown and impaired immune function when chronically elevated. Cortisol is also the primary aging hormone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If it is chronically elevated, you simply will die prematurely as it is highly catabolic, meaning it breaks down tissues. To stay healthy as you age you need to be anabolic and build healthy tissues like muscle and mitochondria, and high cortisol will seriously impair those efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Importantly, cortisol can behave differently in various parts of the body due to different feedback mechanisms.25<\/sup> There\u2019s a central mechanism in your brain that usually tells your body to slow down cortisol production when there’s enough (negative feedback).<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, outside the brain, in other parts of the body (peripheral feedback), the mechanism actually works the opposite way (positive feedback). This means that in these areas, elevated cortisol can lead to even more cortisol being produced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s also a difference between the cortisol level in your blood versus that in your tissues. Even if blood tests show normal or low levels of cortisol, it’s possible to have high levels of cortisol in your tissues. This can happen because of an enzyme called 11\u03b2-HSD1, which helps make cortisol and is found in most parts of the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s the rate-limiting step in synthesizing cortisol and evidence suggests the activity of the 11\u03b2-HSD1 enzyme in the tissues (not just the cortisol level in the blood) is a good indicator of whether someone might develop Type 2 diabetes,26<\/sup> and again, Type 2 diabetes is another side effect that has been linked to aspartame consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, aspartame toxicity is not well-recognized by physicians, despite its frequency. Diagnosis is also hampered by the fact that it mimics several other common health conditions. It\u2019s quite possible that you could be having a reaction to artificial sweeteners and not even know it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To determine if you’re having a reaction to aspartame or other artificial sweeteners, take the following steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/image-16.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nStory at-a-glance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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How Aspartame Wrecks Your Health<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Aspartame Ruled \u2018Possible\u2019 Cause of Cancer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\u2018Safe\u2019 Limit Is Unlikely To Be Safe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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FDA Issues Empty Assurances<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Other Health Impacts of Aspartame<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Digestive issues<\/strong> such as bloating, gas and diarrhea, and microbiome disruptions that contribute to poor gut health7<\/sup><\/td><\/tr> Weight gain \u2014<\/strong> Even the WHO warns against the use of artificial sweeteners for weight control, as the evidence shows they promote rather than inhibit weight gain8<\/sup><\/td><\/tr> Metabolic disorders<\/strong> such as insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes9<\/sup><\/td><\/tr> Headaches<\/strong>10<\/sup> and migraines11<\/sup><\/td><\/tr> Neurological symptoms<\/strong>, including seizures12<\/sup> and memory and learning problems13<\/sup><\/td><\/tr> Mood disorders<\/strong> such as irritability, agitation, anxiety, and depression14,<\/sup>15<\/sup> \u2014 A 1993 study16<\/sup> found that individuals with preexisting mood disorders are particularly sensitive to aspartame, suggesting its use in this population should be discouraged. The study was halted by the Institutional Review Board after 13 individuals had completed the trial because of the severity of reactions within the group of patients with a history of depression. Similarly, in 2008, researchers asserted that excessive aspartame ingestion might be involved in the pathogenesis of certain mental disorders, and may compromise learning and emotional functioning17<\/sup><\/td><\/tr> Behavioral problems<\/strong>18<\/sup><\/td><\/tr> Infertility<\/strong>, likely due to its effect on hormones and inflammation19<\/sup><\/td><\/tr> Insomnia<\/strong>20<\/sup><\/td><\/tr> Dizziness<\/strong>21<\/sup><\/td><\/tr> Fatigue<\/strong>22<\/sup><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Immune system disorders<\/td> Nervous system disorders<\/td><\/tr> Respiratory disorders<\/td> Eye disorders<\/td><\/tr> Renal and urinary disorders<\/td> Cardiac disorders<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Aspartame Elevates Cortisol<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Is Aspartame Causing Your Health Problems?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Report Side Effects to the FDA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n