Aspartame

This page is a landing page for the articles I and others have written in response to claims that have been made about the artificial sweetener aspartame (NutraSweet).

There is naturally some overlap in these articles as they are often responding to some particular site, document, video that makes common claims. But over time I have come across additional information and so they are not completely the same even when covering the same small area (such as formaldehyde).

I also want to make it clear (I have been asked this specifically) that I have absolutely no association whatsoever with the Ajinomoto or the NutraSweet company (the makers of aspartame and products derived from it). Not only do I make no money from them, but I make no money (nor gifts, etc) whatsoever from this actions on this blog. If you are seeing an ad while reading any content, that is coming from WordPress and has nothing to do with me.

My Own Content

Aspartame and Formaldehyde – Discusses the specific topic of how aspartame breaks down into methanol and then to formaldehyde, and why you shouldn’t worry about it.

Extraordinary Claims about Aspartame in the Huffington Post – A response to a specific article written by Joe Mercola and published in the Huffington Post group blog.

Sweet Misery Fact Check:Part 1 – This is the first, of what will eventually be three, part of my response to all of the claims in the anti-aspartame documentary “Sweet Misery”.

Sweet Misery Fact Check:Part 2 – This is the second, of what will eventually be three, part of my response to all of the claims in the anti-aspartame documentary “Sweet Misery”. Mainly covers some claims about the approvals process. The waters get a bit murky here.

Over-interpretation of studies in the anti-aspartame movement – This is my response, on the Skeptoid.com group blog, to a study that recently came out associating aspartame with leukemia and lymphoma. It is mainly about pointing out that the authors themselves admit it is a weak study, but it is still being using by the anti-aspartame movement

Response to some anti-aspartame comments – Part I – This “article” is a direct response to comments that were placed on the “Aspartame and Formaldehyde” article by anti-aspartame folks. Because there were quite a few comments to deal with, this is only the first of who knows how many. Because of Betty Martini’s method of commenting, most of the responses are actually to links available on wnho.net, as that is where the bulk of the text comes from. So this series of posts will serve as a response to specific pages on that site related to aspartame.

“Finally, proof that aspartame will destroy your kidneys?” – This is another entry of mine on the Skeptoid.com group blog, this one discussing a study that seems to correlate moderately high consumption of diet drinks with kidney function decline. But it seems to really associate it with any soft drink consumption.

Other Content

There is no shortage of solid content on the Internet addressing inaccurate claims about aspartame. Much of that is written by actual doctors, nutritionists, biologists, etc. While I have tried to add my voice to generate some signal above the noise, many of these I would recommend over my own.

Science-Based Medicine — “Artificial Sweeteners: Is Aspartame Safe?” – Article by Dr. Harriet Hall, retired family physician. In addition to SBM, she writes for Skeptic magazine and Skeptical Inquirer.

Science-Based Medicine — “Aspartame — Truth vs Fiction” – Article by Dr. Steven Novella, clinical neurologist at Yale University School of Medicine. The lead host of the amazingly popular Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe podcast.

Skeptoid — The Truth about Aspartame – Brian Dunning’s “Skeptoid” podcast episode transcription on Aspartame. I highly recommend listening to Skeptoid. Each episode is approximately 12 minutes and so is completely void of any filler. Brian goes straight to the facts of the issue and explores all topics in a balanced and entertaining way.

The Aspartame Myth-information campaign – Article by Eric Troy of the “Ground Up Strength” strength training blog. Far as I can tell, it’s mainly an article similar to the ones I write in that it’s based on research done using mainstream and authoritative sites by a lay person. It’s nice to see someone who’s focus is on body management/nutrition who does not buy into the aspartame conspiracies. Good set of information.