werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) (07/21/85)
While taking a break from the net to do some real work, the following caught my eye, and I'd thought I'd pass it on: Aspartame: Review of Safety Issues Council on Scientific Affairs, American Medical Association Abstract: This report examines the safety issues realted to the nutritive sweetener aspartame, including possible toxic effects of aspartame's component amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine, and its major decomposition products, methanol and diketopiperazine, and the potential synergistic effect of aspartame and dietary carbohydrate on brain neuro- chemicals. AVAILABLE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT CONSUMPTION OF ASPARTAME BY NORMAL HUMANS IS SAFE AND IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH SERIOUS ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECTS. Individuals who need to control their phenylalanine intake should handle aspartame like any other source of phenylalanine. (JAMA, July 19, 1985, Vol. 254, pp. 400-402.) [Emphasis added by me] Note: the article did mention that a toxic level of phenylalanine in a normal person is 100 micromoles/dL, which is equivalent to a single dose (i.e., within minutes) of 600 tablets or 24 liters of soda. The 99th percentile of consumption (the level at which 99% of the population consumes less) would produce plasma levels 6 - 11% of that, too small to produce any damage. Personal Note: I have not, to my knowledge ever consumed any product sweetened with Aspartame (Nutraweet), I much prefer the taste of sugar, whose potential dangers have much been exagerated. -- Craig Werner !philabs!aecom!werner "The world is just a straight man for you sometimes"