# What's the consensus on aspartame?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 4, 2017, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990 "2017-10-04T23:55:40Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)
#### Post date: [October 4, 2017, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990/1 "2017-10-04T23:55:40Z")
Is there a general consensus on aspartame’s health effects? Does it cause the body to increase insulin?
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### Author:  [@lifespill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lifespill)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2017, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990/2 "2017-10-05T02:59:42Z")
Other than a kind of intolerance that some people have,there is no direct link to any harmfull health effect.It doesn’t increase blood sugar and that’s why-except its much sweetier than sugar-its ingriedient to many diabetic foods.
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### Author:  [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2017, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990/3 "2017-10-05T12:14:34Z")
[Here’s](http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/artificial-sweeteners/art-20046936) the Mayo Clinic on sweeteners. No problem for most people for aspartame. Another [page](https://www.healthline.com/health/aspartame-side-effects#approvals3) of mostly positive info.
As to the infamous “fact” that artificial sweeteners cause the insulin reaction as sugar, the whole topic was poisoned years ago when the first “study” to “prove” this turned out to be basically made up. So that issue is mired in controversy.
But if you read info like the ones given above, they definitely indicate artificial sweeteners are fine for people with diabetes.
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### Author:  [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2017, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990/4 "2017-10-05T15:58:04Z")
> [@ftg](#):
>
> As to the infamous “fact” that artificial sweeteners cause the insulin reaction as sugar, the whole topic was poisoned years ago when the first “study” to “prove” this turned out to be basically made up.
Do you have a reference for that? I had heard about that study when it was new, but haven’t heard any follow-up.
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### Author:  [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2017, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990/5 "2017-10-05T16:41:45Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#):
>
> Does it cause the body to increase insulin?
No.
> **[Examine.com](https://examine.com/articles/do-artificial-sweeteners-spike-insulin/)**
>
> Examine simplifies nutrition and supplementation — through meticulous analysis of the latest scientific research — to help answer your questions on how to be healthier.
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### Author:  [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2017, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990/6 "2017-10-05T16:50:00Z")
There was a recent well-publicized and alarming on the face of it study that [linked diet soda use with dementia and strokes](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/apr/20/stroke-and-dementia-risk-linked-to-low-sugar-drinks-study-finds). I was concerned about it, but puzzled as it didn’t show the mechanism involved and didn’t differentiate between the various non-caloric sweeteners. It seemed unlikely that all of the artificial sweeteners would show the same effect.
Later analysis showed that the original study had neglected confounders like diabetes and that when these were taken into account the link all but[disappeared](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/behindtheheadlines/news/2017-04-21-reported-link-between-diet-drinks-and-dementia-and-stroke-is-weak/).
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### Author:  [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2017, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990/7 "2017-10-05T16:59:38Z")
I see in Surreal’s link that protein can cause a spike in insulin. Is that a major concern? I’ve not heard of people developing diabetes because they had a diet that relied too much on protein.
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### Author:  [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2017, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990/8 "2017-10-05T17:13:05Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#):
>
> I see in Surreal’s link that protein can cause a spike in insulin. Is that a major concern? I’ve not heard of people developing diabetes because they had a diet that relied too much on protein.
Protein undergoes [gluconeogenesis](https://themedicalbiochemistrypage.org/gluconeogenesis.php) which means there is a metabolic pathway by which a portion of dietary protein can be converted to sugar. It’s not a large portion, maybe 100 grams of protein can become 30 grams of sugar, and 100 grams of protein is a lot. We’re talking about a dozen eggs to generate the same amount of glucose found in around 8 ounces of Coke-Cola. I think long before the sugar formed caused a problem the protein would become an issue.
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### Author:  [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2017, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990/9 "2017-10-05T17:15:23Z")
But [_sodium_ aspartame](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=389841). . . that’s a completely different subject. . . eh. . . assuming it actually existed.
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### Author:  [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)
#### Post date: [October 5, 2017, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990/10 "2017-10-05T17:30:34Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#):
>
> I see in Surreal’s link that protein can cause a spike in insulin. Is that a major concern?
This mainly happens with protein from dairy sources, specifically whey protein:
[http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/80/5/1246.full](http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/80/5/1246.full)
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### Author:  [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2017, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990/11 "2017-10-10T01:58:13Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#):
>
> Is there a general consensus on aspartame’s health effects?
FDA:
> [@](#):
>
> The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for protecting the public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, and medical devices; and by ensuring the safety of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.
>
> After initial approval in 1981 for a limited number of food categories, aspartame was authorized as a general-purpose sweetener for foods and beverages in 1996. The FDA states, “Aspartame is one of the most exhaustively studied substances in the human food supply, with more than 100 studies supporting its safety. FDA scientists have reviewed scientific data regarding the safety of aspartame in food and concluded that it is safe for the general population under certain conditions. However, people with a rare hereditary disease known as phenylketonuria (PKU) have a difficult time metabolizing phenylalanine, a component of aspartame, and should control their intake of phenylalanine from all sources, including aspartame.”
European Food Safety Authority:
> [@](#):
>
> EFSA completes full risk assessment on aspartame and concludes it is safe at current levels of exposure
>
> Aspartame and its breakdown products are safe for human consumption at current levels of exposure, EFSA concludes in its first full risk assessment of this sweetener. To carry out its risk assessment, EFSA has undertaken a rigorous review of all available scientific research on aspartame and its breakdown products, including both animal and human studies.
> **[EFSA completes full risk assessment on aspartame and concludes it is safe at...](https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/131210)**
>
> Aspartame and its breakdown products are safe for human consumption at current levels of exposure, EFSA concludes in its first full risk assessment of this sweetener. To carry out its risk assessment, EFSA has undertaken a rigorous review of all...
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics:
> [@](#):
>
> Consumers can safely enjoy a range of nutritive sweeteners and nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS) when consumed within an eating plan that is guided by current federal nutrition recommendations, such as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Dietary Reference Intakes, as well as individual health goals and personal preference.” In reference to any adverse effects aspartame related to aspartame consumption the paper concludes, “Aspartame consumption is not associated with adverse effects in the general population.
[http://www.eatrightpro.org/resource/practice/position-and-practice-papers/position-papers/use-of-nutritive-and-nonnutritive-sweeteners](http://www.eatrightpro.org/resource/practice/position-and-practice-papers/position-papers/use-of-nutritive-and-nonnutritive-sweeteners)
> [@](#):
>
> Does it cause the body to increase insulin?
> [@](#):
>
> Because large doses of phenylalanine stimulate prolactin secretion in man, we studied the acute effects of oral doses of aspartame (0.534 g, equivalent to the amount of aspartame in approximately 1 L beverage), aspartic acid (0.242 g), and phenylalanine (0.3 and 1.0 g) on serum prolactin and other hormones in normal humans. Prolactin was not stimulated by any of the aspartame meals, aspartic acid, or 0.3 g phenylalanine; a small rise in serum prolactin, similar to that produced by a high-protein mixed meal, followed ingestion of 1.0 g phenylalanine. Serum growth hormone showed no statistically significant changes in response to any of the experimental meals whereas cortisol and insulin fell slightly and glucose rose slightly during each of the meals. We conclude that these doses of aspartame do not alter secretion of prolactin, cortisol, growth hormone, or insulin in normal individuals.
> **[Aspartame and its constituent amino acids: effects on prolactin, cortisol,...](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2923074/)**
>
> Because large doses of phenylalanine stimulate prolactin secretion in man, we studied the acute effects of oral doses of aspartame (0.534 g, equivalent to the amount of aspartame in approximately 1 L beverage), aspartic acid (0.242 g), and...
> [@](#):
>
> I see in Surreal’s link that protein can cause a spike in insulin. Is that a major concern?
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*MYTH: Insulin Spikes are “Bad”
>
> FACT: Insulin Spikes Serve a Normal & Important Physiological Function \*\*
>
> In my previous article, I discussed how dietary protein can cause insulin spikes just like dietary carbohydrate, and these spikes are not related to gluconeogenesis from the protein (i.e., the protein being converted to sugar). I also showed how these spikes are partly responsible for the suppression of appetite that is caused by dietary protein (due to insulin’s effects on your brain to inhibit appetite).
>
> I want to expand on the importance of rapid insulin spikes due to feeding, and how they are important in blood sugar regulation. To do this, we need to discuss the phases of insulin secretion. Insulin secretion from your pancreas comes in two phases. The first phase happens very quickly; your pancreas senses rising glucose, and insulin is released within 1-2 minutes of this rise in blood sugar. This rapid-phase response is the result of your pancreas releasing stored insulin. It is typically over within 10 minutes. This rapid-phase response has been found to be impaired in people _with impaired glucose tolerance_ (people who have higher blood sugar responses to meals than normal, and higher fasting levels of blood sugar, but who are not diabetic). This rapid-phase response is completely absent in people with type 2 diabetes.
>
> There is a second phase that continues as long as glucose is elevated. This release of insulin is achieved by the release of stored insulin, as well as the creation of new insulin (insulin is created from a precursor called proinsulin). When you infuse glucose into the blood of healthy people and type 2 diabetics, you get insulin responses that look like this:
>
> …
>
> You can see that the diabetics completely lack the rapid phase response that is present in the healthy individuals.
>
> There is a drug called exenatide (Byetta), which has been found to restore this rapid phase insulin response in diabetics:
>
> …
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> This restoration of the rapid phase insulin response improves blood sugar regulation in diabetics:
>
> …
>
> You can see in the above chart that blood sugar remained consistent in response to a meal in the subjects on exenatide, but it increased over time in the subjects on the placebo.
>
> Many people like to blame obesity and weight gain on insulin, but exenatide, which restores insulin spikes in type 2 diabetics, causes weight loss:
>
> …
>
> Part of this weight loss is due to an improvement in satiety. Exenatide is a drug that mimics the effects of a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). GLP-1 is an intestinal insulin-stimulating hormone (known as an incretin). GLP-1 potentiates insulin secretion, enhances the synthesis of insulin, upregulates insulin gene expression, and inhibits glucagon (insulin’s opposing hormone) secretion. Yet Exenatide, which mimics GLP-1 and helps stimulate insulin secretion, causes weight loss.
>
> The fact is that rapid insulin spikes in and of themselves are not a bad thing. Protein causes rapid insulin spikes, yet protein reduces appetite and helps with weight loss. GLP-1 and drugs like exenatide contribute to insulin spikes, yet they reduce appetite and cause weight loss. The problem is that people confuse insulin spikes and blood glucose spikes. It is well established that rapid rises and falls in blood glucose can contribute to hunger. Because rapid rises in blood glucose also cause rapid rises in insulin, people end up blaming insulin (and the effects of high glycemic carbohydrates on insulin) for the problem.
> **[Insulin: An Undeserved Bad Reputation, Part 2](https://weightology.net/insulin-an-undeserved-bad-reputation-part-2/)**
>
> In a previous issue of Weightology Weekly, I wrote about insulin and how it's been unfairly demonized by many in the nutrition field. This demonization has been based on a number of misconceptions regarding insulin, its biological effects, and...
> [@](#):
>
> I’ve not heard of people developing diabetes because they had a diet that relied too much on protein.
Insulin spikes do not cause diabetes.
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### Author:  [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2017, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990/12 "2017-10-10T02:07:34Z")
Thanks for the info.
I thought that increasing one’s insulin too much and often would result in insufficient insulin production or insulin insensitivity which could then result in diabetes.
I was mainly asking about aspartame with the goal of going into ketosis by replacing nearly all sweets with aspartame-containing soda.
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### Author:  [@allotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/allotrope)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2017, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990/13 "2017-10-10T02:30:27Z")
Aspartame can contribute to low-level inflammation of your GI tract which can [indirectly lead to gaining weight](https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23231022-400-why-diet-drinks-with-aspartame-may-actually-help-make-you-fatter/)
> [@](#):
>
> Aspartame is widely used and many reviews have found it safe to consume. But Richard Hodin at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and his team found that it may disrupt processes in the body that prevent inflammation.
> When the team fed mice a high-fat diet for 18 weeks, those also given aspartame put on more weight than those that weren’t. Mice on healthy diets given it had higher blood sugar levels between meals – a warning sign of diabetes.
> This may be because of the chemical’s influence on intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP), an enzyme that neutralises gut-irritating toxins. When aspartame was injected into segments of mouse intestine, IAP levels fell by 50 per cent (_Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism_, [doi.org/btr8](http://doi.org/btr8)). This effect may lead to low-level inflammation, which can cause chronic diseases.
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### Author:  [@Postariti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Postariti)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2017, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990/14 "2017-10-10T07:23:12Z")
Aspartame and MSG are [migraine triggers](http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/migraine-headache/symptoms-causes/syc-20360201).
I’ve known people who were “allergic” to aspartame or MSG. I realize, remembering what they described, they were probably having migraines.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2017, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990/15 "2017-10-10T12:14:57Z")
> [@allotrope](#):
>
> Aspartame can contribute to low-level inflammation of your GI tract which can [indirectly lead to gaining weight](https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23231022-400-why-diet-drinks-with-aspartame-may-actually-help-make-you-fatter/)
Can? :dubious:
The study was done in mice, and the title you cite says “may”. It’s inflammation that “can” contribute to GI disease, and aspartame “may” cause this effect in mice.
Me, I think it’s quite the leap to generalize that to humans as causing weight gain.
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2017, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990/16 "2017-10-10T12:22:08Z")
> [@allotrope](#):
>
> Aspartame can contribute to low-level inflammation of your GI tract which can [indirectly lead to gaining weight](https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23231022-400-why-diet-drinks-with-aspartame-may-actually-help-make-you-fatter/)
As **Qadgop** indicated, it’s quite a leap from a preliminary mouse study to saying that “your GI tract” will be affected.
That hasn’t stopped a lot of the Usual Suspects (Mercola, Rense etc.) from jumping on this publication as support for their anti-aspartame crusade.
We would first need to see human intestinal tract biopsies and/or associated serum markers of inflammation demonstrate this alleged inflammation (this is hard to establish from biopsies, which normally contain a complement of inflammatory cells which vary considerably in amount and type in healthy people; this is one of the ways Wakefield et al got into trouble while attempting to show inflammation in the small bowel secondary to measles vaccination). Then you’d have to correlate any inflammation with obesity and the array of chronic diseases which the anti-aspartame crowd claim are caused by the sweetener (or other sweeteners).
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### Author:  [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2017, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990/17 "2017-10-10T13:24:48Z")
From a meta-analysis on low-calorie sweeteners (LCSs) and their affect on body weight and composition:
> [@](#):
>
> **CONCLUSIONS:**
> The current meta-analysis provides a rigorous evaluation of the scientific evidence on LCSs and body weight and composition. Findings from observational studies showed no association between LCS intake and body weight or fat mass and a small positive association with BMI; however, data from RCTs, which provide the highest quality of evidence for examining the potentially causal effects of LCS intake, indicate that substituting LCS options for their regular-calorie versions results in a modest weight loss and may be a useful dietary tool to improve compliance with weight loss or weight maintenance plans.
> **[Low-calorie sweeteners and body weight and composition: a meta-analysis of...](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24944060/)**
>
> The current meta-analysis provides a rigorous evaluation of the scientific evidence on LCSs and body weight and composition. Findings from observational studies showed no association between LCS intake and body weight or fat mass and a small positive...
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### Author:  [@allotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/allotrope)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2017, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990/18 "2017-10-10T16:37:15Z")
There’s no need to use aspartame when you can use sucralose so it really becomes a moot issue. And since that’s just biologically inert sucrose, it should pose fewer potential issues. Also the amount you need is so small, that should make it even more innocuous.
Even soda manufacturers are gradually coming around to this idea. Whereas now they mainly use aspartame and acesulfame k, some like coke have introduced sucralose varieties. They can be hard to find but they’re out there. The coke version is available on Amazon. And soda stream has a whole line of sucralose diet beverages.
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### Author:  [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990/19 "2017-10-10T16:53:50Z")
> [@allotrope](#):
>
> There’s no need to use aspartame when you can use sucralose so it really becomes a moot issue.
The OP is interested in consuming beverages that already contain aspartame, so his question and the resulting answers are not moot.
One can find “data” on the web regarding sucralose having the same effects you attributed to aspartame:
> **[Artificial sweeteners affect metabolism and insulin levels](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/261179)**
>
> According to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine sweeteners are capable of changing the way the body produces insulin.
> [@](#):
>
> Also the amount you need is so small, that should make it even more innocuous.
A mountain of research has concluded the same for aspartame.
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### Author:  [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2017, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-consensus-on-aspartame/797990/20 "2017-10-10T17:12:10Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#):
>
> One can find “data” on the web regarding sucralose having the same effects you attributed to aspartame:
Change “the same” to “similar.”
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