Stevia is a zero-calorie sweetener that many people use to reduce their calorie intake. It is used around the world and generally considered safe in…. The food additive aspartame is a sweetener used in many foods and drinks. It is controversial and has a range of purported side effects, although many…. Splenda is a brand name for an artificial sweetener that is used in a wide range of foods.
It is times sweeter than table sugar and contains few…. Monk fruit and stevia are natural, plant-based sweeteners. The products tend to contain few, if any, calories, carbohydrates, and sugars, and people…. Has safety commission misled the public about aspartame? Written by Maria Cohut, Ph. In contrast, use of a GRAS substance does not require premarket approval. Rather, the basis for a GRAS determination based on scientific procedures is that experts qualified by scientific training and experience to evaluate its safety conclude, based on publically available information, that the substance is safe under the conditions of its intended use.
Regardless of whether a substance is approved for use as a food additive or its use is determined to be GRAS, scientists must determine that it meets the safety standard of reasonable certainty of no harm under the intended conditions of its use.
Six high-intensity sweeteners are FDA-approved as food additives in the United States: saccharin , aspartame , acesulfame potassium Ace-K , sucralose , neotame , and advantame. GRAS notices have been submitted to FDA for two types of high-intensity sweeteners certain steviol glycosides obtained from the leaves of the stevia plant Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni Bertoni and extracts obtained from Siraitia grosvenorii Swingle fruit, also known as Luo Han Guo or monk fruit.
High-intensity sweeteners are widely used in foods and beverages marketed as "sugar-free" or "diet," including baked goods, soft drinks, powdered drink mixes, candy, puddings, canned foods, jams and jellies, dairy products, and scores of other foods and beverages. How do I know if high-intensity sweeteners are used in a particular food product? Consumers can identify the presence of high-intensity sweeteners by name in the ingredient list on food product labels.
Based on the available scientific evidence, the agency has concluded that the high-intensity sweeteners approved by FDA are safe for the general population under certain conditions of use. Consumers with phenylketonuria PKU , a rare genetic disorder, have a difficult time metabolizing phenylalanine, a component of aspartame, and should avoid or restrict aspartame consumption.
Searle responded to the findings by claiming that more naturally occurring methanol is released from fruits and vegetables than from aspartame. Monte retorted by explaining the methanol released naturally from fruits and vegetables is also accompanied by a release of ethanol, which counteracts the methanol in the body, making the consumption far less dangerous. Aspartame decomposition contains no ethanol to counteract the methanol. Even so, his research and conclusions were widely noticed, encouraging the government to once again investigate the safety of aspartame.
Even today, Monte is still conducting research and publishing books and articles to inform the general public of the potential health risks of aspartame. Ohio Senator Howard Metzenbaum proposed the Aspartame Safety Act of , which required a disclosure of the quantity of aspartame present in any product.
He thought warning consumers of the amount of aspartame found in food products could help educate the public without banning the substance altogether. With the existence of several lawsuits against G. Searle, along with hundreds of complaints filed to the Centers for Disease Control and the potential for brain damage found after consuming large amounts of aspartame, Metzenbaum strongly emphasized the need for adequate labeling.
Unfortunately, after being sent to the Senate floor, the bill failed by a vote. When questioned about the backlash and complaints from users of aspartame, G. Searle responded that they actually expected more complaints than they received. Out of 70 million users, only six hundred consumers formally filed complaints. In all interviews referencing the harmful side effects caused by aspartame, G. In , Dr. Sturtevant of G. Even without support from the FDA, skeptics of aspartame have continued to research its undesirable effects throughout the last few decades.
In an article in the Star Tribune, the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences revealed that their scientists had requested grants to further investigate aspartame without the influence of the NutraSweet Company. These requests were filed between and , but the FDA denied all four proposals because officials insisted the product was already proven safe and unless new scientific evidence was brought forward extra tests would be redundant.
Rall and many other scientists agreed that updated testing on such a popular product was absolutely necessary to ensure safety.
John Olney also continued his research and in published his results in the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology. Olney was convinced of the link between the two. Although a great deal of controversy continues to surround aspartame, health concerns have failed to hinder the success of G.
Indeed, NutraSweet has become an international billion-dollar company. Their tactics have been wildly successful. In America, approximately 17,, pounds of aspartame were consumed in , and a majority of that intake was in the form of diet carbonated beverages.
This contract guaranteed that NutraSweet would maintain their monopoly on aspartame production even after their patent expired. According to Richard Nelson, a spokesperson for NutraSweet, by soft drinks were responsible for seventy-five percent of the aspartame consumed in the United States. A contract with the two largest soft drink companies solidified the prolonged success of NutraSweet. Although little legal action has been taken against aspartame recently, the growing popularity of the internet over the past twenty years has enabled consumers to become more aware of its possible harmful side effects.
In , an internet hoax was created to warn consumers of the dangers of aspartame. The website and emails were highly inaccurate and biased, but the email sparked conversation about possible symptoms related to the consumption of the substance.
If the reader can successfully navigate between the facts and embellishment, these websites can be useful resources.
Janet Starr Hall, writer of Sweet Poison, has dedicated her life to warning the public about aspartame through her book and website. While her website is obviously anti-aspartame, she strives to utilize facts to validate her claims. Technology has exposed American society to an infinite number of daily dietary choices. With the plethora of opportunities and options, consumers must make educated decisions about what they put into their bodies. This paper illustrates that although the government and the FDA is charged with keeping unsafe products off the market, some still slip through the cracks.
No system is perfect and big business will continue to influence government decisions if citizens remain uninvolved and choose to look the other way. Unfortunately, just because a product is legal does not necessarily mean it is safe, especially in large quantities. By being aware of and educated about the food they eat, hopefully people can successfully eat healthier and limit the amount of unsafe chemicals in food.
As Michael F. She is majoring in history with a minor in psychology. Brody, Jane E. Burros, Marian. Chapman, Stephen. Cloninger, Marion R. Cockburn, Andrew. New York: Simon and Schuster, Federal Drug Administration. Recall Aspartame as a Neurotoxic Drug. By Mark D. FDA Docket 02P, Freeman, Martha M. Gordon, Greg. Government Accountability Office.
By David P. Washington, DC: U. Report to the Honorable Howard M. By Martin J. Washington DC: U. Hoffman, Eva and Margot Slade. A Competitor For Saccharin. Hollie, Pamela G. Hull, Janet S. Posted in: Public Health and Safety. Connect With Us. Sign Up.
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