Is there a maximum safety level for Aspartame intake and what is the acceptable daily intake (ADI)?
Virtually any food or food ingredient, if consumed in sufficiently large quantities, may produce potentially harmful effects. In assessing the safety of a food ingredient, it is necessary to take into account the probable consumption levels of the ingredient and to compare those levels to consumption levels which might be injurious to human health. This has been done with aspartame and its principal metabolites – phenylalanine, aspartate and methanol. The data demonstrates that there is a very substantial margin of safety for aspartame and its metabolites beyond any reasonable consumption level projected for a normal human being. The joint FAO/WHO Expert committee on Food Additives (JECFA) introduced the concept of an “Acceptable Daily Intake” (ADI) in 1961. The ADI is the dose, if consumed on a daily basis over a lifetime, would cause no adverse effects. The ADI is generally based on studies used to determine the no-observed-effect-level (NOEL) for the additive. The NOEL is usually di
