Is Aspartame (NutraSweet®) safe?
Aspartame is a nutritive sweetener approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1982. Its brand names include NutraSweet®, Crystal Light®, and Equal®. This compound consists of two amino acids (L-phenylalanine and L-aspartic acid) and methyl alcohol. It is currently being consumed by an estimated 100 million persons in the United States. The public and the medical profession have been assured by the Council on Scientific Affairs of the American Medical Association, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and a host of other organizations and regulatory bodies that aspartame is “completely safe.” The CDC regards most consumer complaints as an “unusual sensitivity to the product.” The manufacturer offers a bibliography of more than 100 published studies as evidence of safety. Evolving doubts – I challenged the alleged safety of aspartame on the basis of my personal observations, a nationwide study of detailed data on 496 aspartame reactors, and considerable ongoing research by ot
