paveleck@ihldt.UUCP (08/25/83)
"Nutra-Sweet", Searle's name for the artificial sweetener Aspartame, has been out for a while in soft drinks (Crystal Light, some Lipton Iced Tea mixes) and foods (such as Quaker's cereal "Halfsies" and the sugar substitute "Equal"). It has been a topic of controversy recently, as the Searle people have been trying to get it approved by the FDA and some studies have shown that Aspartame isn't the best thing for you. I don't think it has been tied in with cancer-causing agents, but the alleged adverse effects are pretty serious (phenylketonurics, for one example). Since it currently IS available in the forms mentioned above, it seems that most people can use it without side effects. Here's the non-medical scoop on "Nutra-Sweet": It's not fattening (only something like 5 calories per teaspoon) and, at least in my opinion, it tastes pretty good (I'm not dieting, but I know that saccharin tastes rotten to many people). It's also very potent; when you get a teaspoon- sized packet of "Equal", you can probably use about 1/4 of it and get the same sweetening effect. All in all, it's a pretty interesting product, in that it seems to have both good and bad press. I'm keeping my eyes open for any further developments on it, and I hope others also will. Bob Paveleck ihldt!paveleck