| Aspartame: Not Tame on the Brain? |
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| Written by Kiki Hubbard | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wednesday, 09 April 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First we told you that Splenda may not be great for the environment. Now, there's evidence that aspartame (trademark names Equal, Nutrasweet, and Canderel) may not be great for your brain. Aspartame is used as an artificial sweetener in about 6,000 foods and beverages around the world, especially low-calorie foods, like diet soda, chewing gum, and chewable vitamins. Controversy has surrounded the artificial sweetener ever since the US and EU approved it for use in food in the 1980s. A new study is sure to reignite debate about the safety of this artifical sweetener. Scientists recently published a study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition that indicates "high consumption of the sweetener may lead to neurodegeneration." That is, the substance may inhibit the ability of enzymes in the brain to function normally, leading to neurological and behavioral problems. Other studies have linked aspartame to headaches, insomnia, seizures, and even cancer in rats. If we followed the advice of Michael Pollan, aspartame would be left on grocery shelves, because one of his pieces of advice is to avoid food products containing ingredients that are "unfamiliar and unpronounceable." Given aspartame's chemical structure: phenylalanine, asparatic acid, and methanol, I'd say this fits his description pretty well. Source: Food Quality News
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It's true what our moms said...we are what we eat. In fact, it's truer than they thought. What I eat doesn't just affect me anymore, it affects all of us.
Unfortunately, the story of food can sometimes be complicated. But envirovores help each other out...which is why this blog will be bringing you news, tips, and information about food and the environment every step of the way.