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Aspartame Versus Sugar: Known Side Effects

What is Aspartame? Aspartame is a substitute for sugar and is often found in diet sodas. The main difference between sugar and aspartame is that sugar is considered a carbohydrate, while aspartame is not. Although aspartame has its benefits, it also has its shortcomings as well.

Aspartame is virtually free of calories, and although it is used as an alternative to sugar, it is much more potent than sugar. A little bit of aspartame goes a long way. This is because this substance is 180 times sweeter than regular sugar. Unlike sugar, aspartame is easily broken down when heat is applied; therefore, baking or cooking with this substance is not generally advised.

Since aspartame is used in many diet sodas and diet drinks, an expiration date can be seen on many dietary products that use this sugar substitute. This is because this substance can be stabilized for up to 30 days. Once these 30 days are up, the aspartame loses its freshness.

While the sweet taste of sugar is elusive, the even sweeter taste of aspartame is long lasting. Its flavor tends to linger in the mouth for a longer period of time and is often known for being the 'long sweetener'.

Although there has been a lot of controversy linked to the health risks associated with aspartame, many of these studies have only been performed on rats and thus have been dismissed by numerous medical committees.

So are there any factual studies that show if aspartame is indeed dangerous or an unhealthy substance for the human body? According to Medical Doctor H.G. Roberts, he believes there is. In the article, Artificial Sweeteners, accessed from MedicineNet.com, he found that aspartame does seem to have some ill side effects in humans, but the people who tend to be most affected by aspartame are people who already have some form of underlying health issues. Some of the side effects of Aspartame include headaches and depression.

In one study, headaches were more severe when aspartame was given to these participants. In people who experienced depression, these results were inconclusive because the study had to be cut short due to the magnitude of side effects in 13 of the 40 participants.

There is not a lot of supporting clinical research performed on the effects of aspartame on humans. The studies that do have findings are either inconclusive or very sparse; therefore, there is no hard evidence that supports aspartame as being dangerous to the overall health of humans.

Aspartame can help people enjoy many of the foods they may not be able to enjoy if they are cutting back on sugar and calories. In addition, although aspartame has little known side effects, it is always important to practice moderation. Enjoy a diet soda, but try to increase water intake as well. Always makes sure to check the expiration date on diet drinks and practice eating and drinking foods with plenty of nutritional value in them. Doing so helps keep the body healthy and the diet well balanced.

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