The use of artificial sweeteners has now become an ideal choice for people who are conscious about their health. One of the most popular products is Aspartame. This is an artificial sweetener that is around two hundred times as sweet as sucrose or table sugar. In fact, these are used in most types of consumer goods such as food and beverages around the world.
These are used to this effect as replacement for sucrose. Nevertheless, Aspartame remains to have negative and positive comments worldwide. To shed more light into the situation, perhaps it is better to provide several pros and cons about this very controversial product to date.
Pros of Using Aspartame
1. Use of Tiny Quantities.
Unlike other popular sweeteners, the use of aspartame does produce calories when it is metabolized. But you need not require a huge amount to sweeten your food or drink. Just a tiny amount will do in which the caloric contribution is insignificant.
2. Lingering Taste.
Compared to sucrose or table sugar, the sweetness of aspartame lingers even after consumption. Therefore, those who consume products with this type of sweetener always have the taste of aspartame in their taste buds, which means they are able to minimize their intake while getting positive results.
3. Carbohydrate-Free.
The use of aspartame has given its consumers positive results every time because of its nature to contain zero carbohydrates. In this case, it does not have an impact on the blood glucose levels that should affect those with diabetes.
Cons of Using Aspartame
1. Phenylketonuria.
People with problems with metabolism or those with phenylketonuria are advised not to take aspartame. This is because the consumption of this product allows the body to metabolize it. This process will not be excreted in the form as it was ingested, so those with difficulty metabolizing their food should not take food or drinks with aspartame.
2. Health Dangers.
Aside from people who advise the use of aspartame, there are those who recommend otherwise. Medical experts have raise serious concerns that this product is being linked to health conditions like convulsions, diabetes mellitus, headaches, hypertension, and psychiatric stress to name a few.
3. Topic of Controversy.
There had been controversies that involve aspartame in the medical and political field. This has been due to the claims from articles, books, and the Internet, that this product posed some risks. The approval of aspartame has always been subject for controversy, including the promotion of Internet hoax and email scares.
Despite the pros and cons related to the consumption of aspartame, there are a number of approval that come from over a hundred countries. More than five hundred safety studies have also been conducted by the European Scientific Committee on Food.
The medical review conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration also concluded that the use of this type of sweetener has been proven safe at the current level of consumption. It is indicated that the product is a non-intrusive sweetener and that it is safe for use.
Crystal Lombardo is a contributing editor for Vision Launch. Crystal is a seasoned writer and researcher with over 10 years of experience. She has been an editor of three popular blogs that each have had over 500,000 monthly readers.
