Aspartame(E951)

Dr. Adrian Gross told Congress aspartame violated Delaney Amendment because it caused cancer in lab animals, especially brain tumors. 2008 Pretoria study said aspartame can disturb amino acid metabolism, protein structure and metabolism, integrity of genetic material, nerve function, hormone balance leading to nerve degeneration. Symptoms reported include headaches, insomnia, seizures. Lowers acidity of urine making urinary tract more susceptible to infection. [ultra-processed-people] Authors of a 2019 paper concluded the European Food Safety Authority applied 'lax and forgiving criteria' to studies showing harmful effects of aspartame. Shares the broader artificial-sweetener pathway: sweet taste in mouth without calories disrupts insulin/glycaemic control and may alter microbiome. Hummingbirds, repurposed evolutionarily to detect sugars via umami receptors, hate aspartame — an indirect clue that what binds the human sweet receptor isn't biologically equivalent to sugar. [metabolical] Non-nutritive sweetener that, in animal models, affects three of Lustig's eight subcellular pathologies (oxidative stress, membrane integrity, inflammation). Triggers cephalic insulin response (sweet taste pre-loads the pancreas), drives sugar craving, alters gut microbiome. Associated with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and dementia in correlative studies; toxicity of two diet sodas approximates one sugared soda.