This was our third assignment for this unit of the Preparing for Success Program. I no longer have the exact task information, or the mark received for this assignment, however I received an overall Distinction for this unit. For this report if I recall correctly we were to research a topic along the lines of “does aspartame cause dementia?”.
Please note my writings are published for educational purposes only, all of my works have been submitted to Turnitin so please do not copy and paste or you will be flagged for plagiarism. My reference list is included at the bottom.
Abstract
Dementia is broadly defined as loss of memory and decreased mental abilities affecting daily living. Alzheimer’s is one of the more commonly recognised sub disorders of dementia. Since the FDA approved aspartame use in 1981, concerns have been expressed over its safety and many studies have investigated the potential relationship between aspartame use and adverse effects such as dementia. Methanol is one of the components that aspartame metabolises into when it is ingested into the human body, toxic levels of methanol have been linked to symptoms of dementia. Studies investigating the links between aspartame consumption and detrimental effects have found little evidence supporting the claims that aspartame causes dementia, with the FDA recently affirming its safety if consumed within the recommended levels.
Table of contents
Abstract
Table of contents
1. Introduction
2. Analysis
2.1 What are the sub disorders and associated causes of dementia?
2.2 Discussion of studies researching the effects of aspartame use.
2.3 Aspartame metabolisation and methanol effects on the body.
2.4 Does aspartame cause dementia?
3. Conclusion
References
Appendix
1. Introduction
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that contains little or no calories. It is 200 times sweeter than sugar and was discovered in 1965; and was introduced to the market in the 80’s (Green Facts, 2004). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved aspartame for some use under specific conditions in 1981 and then as a “general purpose sweetener” in 1996 (FDA, 2015). Aspartame is used extensively in packaged products, particularly diet products (The Healthline Editorial Team, 2017). The FDA reports that over 100 studies have supported the safeness of aspartame, making it one of the most extensively studied substances in the human food supply (FDA, 2015). There are some claims that aspartame use may be linked to several disorders, including cancer, depression, ADHD, birth defects, lupus, Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis, however the evidence supporting these claims is not yet sufficient to establish an association between aspartame use and these diseases (The Healthline Editorial Team, 2017). This report will focus on dementia and investigate the claims that aspartame causes dementia. The World Health Organisation defines dementia as a chronic or progressive syndrome that affects the brain with a deterioration of cognitive function outside the boundaries of what is considered normal aging. Areas affected include comprehension, thinking, memory, orientation, judgement, learning capacity, calculation and language, though not consciousness (WHO, 2017).
2. Analysis
2.1 What are the sub disorders and associated causes of dementia?
Memory loss and the decrease of mental abilities to the point of affecting day to day life is a generalised description of dementia. Types of dementia include Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies to name just a few of the more well-known sub disorders (Alzheimer’s Association, 2017). Dementia comprises nerve cell damage in the brain; people are affected differently depending on the area in the brain that is damaged (Mayo Clinic, 2017). Progressive brain cell death that occurs with the passage of time, also known as neurodegenerative disease, relates to many dementias (MacGill, 2017). Whether the dementia causes brain cell death or brain cell death is the cause of dementia is unknown. Some causes of dementia include traumatic injury to the brain, stroke, brain tumours, diseases and infections, and other causes that may be reversed such as medication, lack of vitamins or thyroid issues (MacGill, 2017). An increase in brain tumours was linked to aspartame consumption in a 1996 study, however according to the NHS the study had only a slight scientific basis (Bosely, 2017).
2.2 Discussion of studies researching the effects of aspartame use.
A study conducted by Olney, Farber, Spitznagel, & Robins in 1996 investigated the high incidence of brain tumour rates in the twenty years prior and sought to find a correlation with the use of artificial sweeteners. The study analysed a specific selection of data from the SEER program (see Appendix A) to investigate the rise in different types of brain tumours, with the view to uncover an increase in specific tumour types that the authors hypothesised may be connected to aspartame use. The results did not conclusively prove a link between aspartame consumption and brain tumours, however indicated that more research needed to be conducted as the potential for aspartame use to cause an increase in brain tumours was shown within that study to be high. Many other studies have since been conducted with the outcomes varying from aspartame being safe to use unconditionally to no amount being a safe amount to consume (Tandel, 2011). A study examining almost 500,000 adults between the ages of 50 and 71 who were surveyed regarding their aspartame consumption in the previous year concluded that consuming aspartame on a daily basis did not increase the risk of developing brain tumours (Lim et al., 2006).
2.3 Aspartame metabolisation and methanol effects on the body.
Aspartame metabolises in the body into three components, aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol (Walters, 2001). For each molecule of aspartame consumed, one molecule of methanol is released into the bloodstream (Monte, 1984). Monte claimed that consuming diet sodas and soft drinks containing aspartame in large amounts may well exceed the daily recommended intake of methanol by up to 32 times. Once absorbed into the body, methanol transforms into formaldehyde and formic acid; accumulation of formic acid causes damage to the central nervous system with symptoms including confusion, seizures, breathing difficulty, lethargy and coma (ShareCare, 2017). Those who have been subjected to a high level of methanol toxicity may exhibit symptoms of mild dementia (American Academy of Clinical Toxicology Ad Hoc Committee on the treatment Guidelines for methanol Poisoning, Barceloux, Randall Bond, Krenzelok, Cooper, & Allister, 2002). However, several studies of aspartame consumption in sub populations including healthy individuals, overweight people and diabetics have shown that in 90% of those surveyed, the maximal aspartame ingestion made up only 5-10% of the recommended daily intake, concluding it was impossible to consume enough aspartame to create adverse effects (Butchko, 2002). The Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) or maximum amount of aspartame was set by the FDA to 50mg per kilo of body weight per day (FDA, 2015), meaning that an adult weighing approximately 150 pounds (68kg) would have to ingest over 17 cans (12 ounces or 350ml) of a drink containing aspartame before risking adverse effects (EatRight, 2015).
2.4 Does aspartame cause dementia?
Since its release in 1981, aspartame has been reported to cause a wide variety of symptoms from headaches and nausea to memory loss and depression, with some professionals claiming such chronic illnesses as brain tumours, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s along with several others could be aggravated by consuming aspartame (Barua & Bal, 1995). An ongoing cohort study (see Appendix B) in the United States examined over 5000 people of varied ages and lifestyles to determine if a link existed between the consumption of artificial sweeteners and increased risk of dementia (Pase et al., 2017). The study concluded that while the consumption of large amounts of soft drinks sweetened with artificial sweeteners was connected to a higher risk of dementia, clinical trials were needed to establish a causal relation of consuming artificial sweeteners to the incidence of dementia. Also of note is that the cohort study focused on artificial sweeteners as a whole, not specifically aspartame. The FDA released a report in 2014 stating that after reviewing study data presented to them by the European Ramazzini Foundation undertaken to research carcinogenic effects of aspartame, there was no evidence to suggest aspartame was not safe to use within the recommended ADI (FDA, 2017).
3. Conclusion
Though there have been many hundreds of articles in main stream media over the last twenty years proclaiming the dangers of consuming artificial sweeteners, the scientific evidence presented from the considerable research conducted into the effects does not support these claims, instead suggesting artificial sweeteners are safe to use within the acceptable daily limits set down by the regulatory agencies. The evidence researched for this report does not support the claims that aspartame causes dementia when consumed according to the ADI.
References
Alzheimer’s Association. (2017). Types of dementia. Retrieved from http://www.alz.org/dementia/types-of-dementia.asp
American Academy of Clinical Toxicology Ad Hoc Committee on the treatment Guidelines for methanol Poisoning, Barceloux, D. G., Randall Bond, G., Krenzelok, E. P., Cooper, H., & Allister Vale, J. (2002). American Academy of Clinical Toxicology practice guidelines on the treatment of methanol poisoning. Journal of Toxicology: Clinical Toxicology, 40(4), 415-446.
Barua, J., & Bal, A. (1995). Emerging facts about aspartame. Journal of the Diabetic Association of India, 35(4).
Bosely, S. (2017). Should link between dementia and artificial sweeteners be taken with a pinch of salt? Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/apr/21/link-dementia-stroke-diet-drinks-artificial-sweeteners-study
Butchko, H. H., Stargel, W. W., Comer, C. P., Mayhew, D. A., Benninger, C., Blackburn, G. L., … & Leon, A. S. (2002). Aspartame: review of safety. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 35(2), S1-S93.
EatRight. (2015). Sugar substitutes: How much is too much? Retrieved from http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/nutrition/dietary-guidelines-and-myplate/sugar-substitutes-how-much-is-too-much
FDA. (2015). Additional information about high-intensity sweeteners permitted for use in food in the united states. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/food/ingredientspackaginglabeling/foodadditivesingredients/ucm397725.htm
FDA. (2017). FDA statement on European aspartame study. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/food/ingredientspackaginglabeling/foodadditivesingredients/ucm208580.htm
Green Facts. (2004). Aspartame. Retrieved from https://www.greenfacts.org/en/aspartame/
Lim, U., Subar, A., Mouw, T., Hartge, P., Morton, L., Stolzenberg-Solomon, R., Campbell, D., Hollenbeck, A., & Schatzkin, A. (2006). Consumption of aspartame-containing beverages and incidence of hematopoietic and brain malignancies. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 15(9), 1654-1659. DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-06-0203
MacGill, M. (2017). Dementia: Symptoms, treatments, and causes. Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/142214.php
Mayo Clinic. (2017). Dementia: Symptoms and causes. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dementia/symptoms-causes/dxc-20198504
Monte, W. C. (1984). Aspartame: methanol and the public health. In Journal of Applied Nutrition, 36(1). doi: 10.1.1.500.1556
Olney, J. W., Farber, N. B., Spitznagel, E., & Robins, L. N. (1996). Increasing brain tumor rates: is there a link to aspartame? Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology, 55(11), 1115-1123.
Pase, M., Himali, J., Beiser, A., Aparicio, H., Satizabal, C., Vasan, R., Seshadri, S., & Jacques, P. (2017). Sugar- and artificially sweetened beverages and the risks of incident stroke and dementia. Stroke, 48(9), 1139-1146. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.116.016027
ShareCare. (2017). How does methanol poisoning effect the body? Retrieved from https://www.sharecare.com/health/methanol-poisoning/how-methanol-poisoning-affect-body
Tandel, K. R. (2011). Sugar substitutes: Health controversy over perceived benefits. Journal of Pharmacology & Pharmacotherapeutics, 2(4), 236–243. http://doi.org/10.4103/0976-500X.85936
The Healthline Editorial Team. (2017). The truth about aspartame side effects. Retrieved from http://www.healthline.com/health/aspartame-side-effects
Walters, E. (2001). Aspartame, a sweet tasting-dipeptide. Retrieved from http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/aspartame/aspartameh.html
WHO. (2017) Dementia. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs362/en/
Appendix
Appendix A
Definition of SEER Program: Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program from the National Cancer Institute. Data analysed included all types of cancer from nine different catchment areas across the United States, comprising 10% of the US population (Olney, Farber, Spitznagel, & Robins, 1996).
Appendix B
Definition of Cohort study: A cohort study establishes a group of people and examines them over a time span to see how their outcomes are effected by their exposures. A study of this type typically looks at the effects of theorised risk factors that cannot be controlled by experiments. In this report, the example is the effects of artificial sweeteners on brain tumours. Definition retrieved from http://www.nhs.uk/news/Pages/Newsglossary.aspx#Prospectiveobservationalstudy