London - It has been blamed for a host of health problems but aspartame does not cause any harm, a study by Britain’s food watchdog has found.
The artificial sweetener, used in fizzy drinks and diet products, has been at the centre of critical reports dating back decades linking it to everything from cancer and premature birth.
Despite this, it has been ruled a safe ingredient by food watchdogs in Britain, the EU, the US and around the world. These assurances have failed to convince many people, who continue to report adverse reactions, such as headaches and nausea, after consuming it.
As a result, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) commissioned experts from Hull York Medical School to carry out a trial. Aspartame is found in popular products such as Diet Coke, Pepsi Max, Lilt, Ribena Light, Muller Light strawberry yoghurt and Wrigley Extra spearmint chewing gum. It is also often used as an alternative to sugar in tea and coffee.
The study, which was published in the journal PLOS ONE, involved 48 people who said they were sensitive to aspartame, as well as 48 participants who said they have never had any problems. All were given two specially prepared cereal bars, one of which contained aspartame, in two sessions at least one week apart.
They were put through a range of biological and psychological tests, which included taking blood and urine samples.
The FSA said: ‘The study concluded that the participants who self-diagnosed as sensitive to aspartame showed no differences… after consuming a cereal bar, whether it contained aspartame or not.’
The researchers said the people in the group who said they were sensitive to aspartame tended to be more emotional generally, adding that they ‘felt under more stress and had more difficulty reporting their feelings’.
They added: ‘Sensitive participants tended to rate more symptoms after both aspartame and control bars. Additionally, sensitive participants tended to rate more symptoms during the first test session, whichever bar they had received.’
However, the team stressed that the study did not examine the effects of long-term usage of aspartame.
Aspartame critic Erik Millstone, professor of science policy at the University of Sussex, said there is good quality independent research which raises safety concerns.
He said of the Hull study: ‘Participants received only small doses of aspartame at least one week apart; it could not therefore have detected effects from cumulative consumption.’
Daily Mail