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Aspartame

How does WHO evaluate its potential toxicology?

From the toxicological point of view, aspartame was evaluated as a harmless sweetener for health by the JECFA/FAO/WHO. This commission stated the accepted daily dosage relatively high, 40 mg for 1kg of the human body weight. It means that the person with 80 kg can securely consume 3200 mg of aspartame daily. This amount conforms to 640 g of sugar. It is practically impossible to consummate such amount of sweets and soft drinks daily.

What about the aspartame composition?

In many articles, there is stated a misleading information that makes a feeling that the aspartame is composed from three individual components – aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol. In the fact, it is a methyl ester of aspartic acid and of phenylalanine which chemical name is N-L-aspartyl-L-fenylalanin-1-methylester. The properties of this chemical is fully different from the properties of an individual component aspartic acid or phenylalanine or methanol.

Is there a methanol in the aspartame molecule?

The statement that methanol is a structural part of aspartame, is a pure nonsense. The man, who alleges this, has doubtful knowledge about chemistry. Or this allegation shall purposely invoke a feeling about a danger of aspartame. But the true is that the part of aspartame is methyl ester what is from the chemistry point of view something completely different.

Can methanol arise from aspartame?

In certain circumstances it can. Aspartame doesn´t melt as other chemicals during the warming-up but at the temperature 196 ˚C and more aspartame breaks down into the chemicals diketopiperazine and methanol. Accepted daily dosage of this side cyclic dipeptid derivate of aspartame diketopiperazine is according to FDA 7,5 mg/kg/day. Also, there can come to the breaking down of aspartame into the aspartylfenylalanin and methanol in certain combination of the food moisture, acidity and temperature. Diketopiperazine and aspartylfenylalanin can be further hydrolyzed into the individual amino acids – aspartic acid and phenylalanine. Neither from stated compounds that are formatted by the aspartame decomposition shows sweet taste. So if it doesn´t come to the decrease of sweet taste or even to its fully loss by storage, it doesn´t come to the more significant decomposition of aspartame and so methanol doesn´t arise.

Can this process arise in the human body after the consummation of food or drink with aspartame?

At first, it is necessary to confirm that aspartame is liable to the metabolic transformation and so it is not excreted without any changes from the human body. There was the tendency to make out potential components of the decomposition of aspartame in body fluids or tissues. Because aspartic acid and phenylalanine are contained in all protein of food in much more amount than it can be formatted from the sweetener the attention was focused on making out of methanol. Based on the gained knowledge it can be said that the content of the released methanol is lower than 10 % of the possible content. The rest is coming through other metabolic processes. Relatively big amount of aspartame is decomposed by bacteria they are presented in the human alimentary tract. The decomposed components are used as a nutrient by these bacteria.

It is known about bacteria that they can decompose nutrients outside of their own cell. Is it possible that methanol can arise and get through the intestinal wall to the human blood?

It is true that the main intestinal bacteria Escherichia Coli release enzymes that can decompose aspartame without taking them into bacteria´s body. But it only comes to the decomposition into the asparagus acid and methyl ester phenylalanine. To be able to create methanol from this methyl ester, it has to get into the bacteria cell at first. There methanol really arises but the cell transforms it further and only a little amount is released outside its cell. Another situation is in yeasts. They release methanol outside their cell as their main product of decomposition. There are a few yeasts in the bowels. If there are yeasts in an increased rate, it is not normal state and it is sign of some intestinal disorder.

How much of methanol can arise from aspartame?

For clearness, the data are related to the content of aspartame in 1 tablet of current table sweetener that is approximately 20 mg of aspartame. From 20 mg of aspartame can theoretically arise 2,1 mg of methanol. Then there will be created 0,2 mg of free methanol in the human body.

Readers get an impress that there arise a lot of methanol and then it does harm to our health.

Even if we presume the stated maximal daily consumption of 3200 mg of aspartame for person with 80 kg (such amount of sweets is impossible to consume per day), it can be theoretically released about 168 mg of methanol. This information goes out from the presumption that the decomposition in the human body runs the same way like for example in chemical laboratory. Of course, this is impossible. If we presume consumption of 3 cups of tea or coffee daily, to this some sweet drink, it can be assumed consumption of about 300 mg of aspartame daily. From this amount about 15 mg of methanol may arise theoretically. In reality, there is released much less methanol in the body. Only for imagination, there currently arises 300 to 600 mg of methanol daily in our body according to the kind of consumed food. From 1 kg of apples can arise as many of 1400 mg of methanol and by consummation of 1 ripened apricot, peach or 3 plums, there arises so much methanol in our body as after consummation of 12 tablets of table sweetener with aspartame. Methanol is also contained in wide range of food and drinks, for example in 1 litre of black currant it is about 230 mg of methanol, in tomato juice 214 mg, in red currant juice 127 mg of methanol and 1 kg of banana contains 180 mg of methanol.

What amount of methanol is harmful for man?

According to the toxicological data, methanol in the body is transformed 7 times slower than ethanol (spirit). Methanol by itself isn’t so much harmful. But there rises formaldehyde from methanol in the body and from formaldehyde further formic acid, whereas the intermediate product formaldehyde is highly toxic. An acute toxic dosage of methanol taking peroral is 24 000 mg which conforms to 30 ml of absolut methanol. Blindless can be evoked already by the dosage of 7-15 ml of methanol.

Can methanol arisen from aspartame damage health, then?

If we go out of the data 15 mg of arisen methanol from 300 mg aspartame, then in comparison with the amount that can possibly evoke any health complication (min 5600 mg of methanol), it is insignificant amount (almost 400 times less). Our body works with 20 times higher dosages of methanol totally naturally. So the amount of methanol arisen from aspartame is in comparison with how much methanol rises from other food inconsiderable. This comes of course from average consummation of current consumer. The part of methanol released from aspartame would be increased by the excessive consumption of aspartame, but practically it is impossible to get risk amount of the methanol amount.

What about aspartic acid and how does it influence the organism?

Aspartic acid is dicarboxyl 4 carbon non essential amino acid. It means that our body can produce this amino acid by itself in case of need. Aspartic acid increases immunity of organism. It is suitable against fatigue and it plays an important role in metabolism. The latest researches show that its further effect is removing psychical fatigue signs and increasing the immunity against this psychical fatigue. A low aspartic acid level can be cause for chronic fatigue because it leads to the decreasing of cell energy store. Aspartic acid helps to remove an excessive amount of ammoniac that is toxic for brain overall.

What is phenylalanine and how does it influence the body function?

Phenylalanine is essential aromatic amino acid. Our body cannot synthesize this amino acid by itself that’s why the food proteins are its source. Phenylalanine is very important compound which serves for formation of neurotransmitters (it allows to transmit of nervous impulse through nervous fibre), so for the nervous system function. It is concretely dopamine, adrenaline and noradrenaline. Phenylalanine improves memory, immunity against stress, mental and sexual efficiency. In addition to this, it releases hormones that decrease appetite.

How much aspartic acid and how much phenylalanine is in current food-stuffs and how much can be arisen from aspartame?

Aspartic acid and also phenylalanine are natural part of animal and plant proteins. By consumption of 100 g pork we ensure intake of 2 300 mg of aspartic acid and 1000 mg of phenylalanine, there is 315 mg of aspartic acid and 250 mg of phenylalanine in 100 g of white bread, 300 mg of aspartic acid and 160 mg of phenylalanine in 100 ml of milk, 60 mg of aspartic acid and 30 mg of phenylalanine in 0,5 l of beer. There will arise 8 mg of aspartic acid and 10 mg of phenylalanine from 1 tablet of sweetener with 20 mg of aspartame. The presumed daily intake 300 mg of aspartame in comparison to the intake with foods has insignificant amount 120 mg of aspartic acid and 150 mg of phenylalanine.

It is known about phenylalanine that it damages the brain.

There is a group of people they suffer from congenital defect in metabolism of phenylalanine, so-called phenylketonuria. This people have to watch over the amount of this amino acid in foods because of their disorder. There are missing the enzyme which ensures transformation of phenylalanine into the tyrosine and dopamine in their bodies. The lack of this enzyme results in an accumulation of phenylalanine in the body fluids which causes various degrees of mental deficiency. The amount of these persons is relatively low, about the hundreds. These people know about their disorder since their childhood. Phenylketonuria is already diagnosed in every new born baby. If the children would consume milk with current protein composition, it could really come to damage of their brain.

According to the food legislation, the statement about content of phenylalanine and the other one that it is not suitable for person with phenylketonuria have to be on the food label.

Is an anxiety about aspartame exaggerated?

Of course, it is. The safeness of aspartame and the products of its metabolic are monitored around the whole world all the time. It is monitored by international organization as e.g. SCF,FAO, WHO (JECFA, FDA, COT and finally also EFSA. In July 2005, EFSA has issued an official declaration that it doesn´t consider as necessary any changes or restriction in consummation of aspartame based on information that they keep at their disposal nowadays. If any suspicion of possible risk to human health related to consummation of aspartame would appear, EFSA would certainly issue warning and relevant restriction.

RNDr. Dagmar Daňková