Aspartame and its effects on health

Editor—Lean and Hankey's editorial on the effects of aspartame and health gives this artificial sweetener a clean bill of health.¹ However, it seems they have ignored or dismissed a wealth of evidence, which shows that aspartame can provoke a wide range of symptoms including depression² and headaches.³,⁴ Other studies (a total of 91) that attest to aspartame's potential for harm can be found in an online review of peer reviewed literature.⁵

This review is particularly worrying as it shows that, although 100% of industry funded (either whole or in part) studies conclude that aspartame is safe, 92% of independently funded studies have found that aspartame has the potential for adverse effects.

Figure 1.

Molecular structure of aspartame

Credit: www.lefinnosis.net

Also, while Lean and Hankey speculate on the potential of aspartame to bring about weight loss, their assessment is largely theoretical (based on the potential for the replacement of sugar with aspartame to bring about caloric deficit). Despite two decades of use in the human diet, not one single, double blind, placebo controlled study that supports aspartame's supposed weight loss effects has been published.

Lean and Hankey endorse the use of aspartame in the diet, but the facts are that this synthetic chemical's “benefits” are unproved, and a considerable body of evidence exists that shows it has very real potential for harm. The glaring disparity in results from industry funded and independently funded research is clearly of considerable concern. Lean and Hankey say that the public needs protection from “misleading” websites warning of the hazards of aspartame. It seems that what the members of the public (and the medical profession) really need protecting from is editorials lacking in balance and objectivity.