Is Aspartame Bad for you?

First off, Aspartame was founded by accident when chemist James Schlatter was trying to formulate an anti-ulcer drug. The short story is that he spilled a compound on his hand and it was SUPER SWEET. This ended up being a 0 calorie sweetener which was later named Aspartame. But when did it get found out that it caused cancer?

Aspartame is most famous for the sweetener in Diet Coke and several other diet beverages. They may even use this sweetener in your supplements to keep them 0 calories and taste delicious. Okay, I (kinda) lied...Aspartame is really not a 0 calorie sweetener but in fact 4g of carbs per gram. The amount that we consume or is used in a diet beverage is not even close to 1g so its “basically” 0 calories.

Okay, but where did the “cancer” connection come from? Fast forward to the year 2005, where there was a study exclusively on rats claiming that over time, the rats developed more lymphoma and leukemia after being fed HIGH dosages of Aspartame. Well, that's it, this stuff gives you cancer - I knew it….HOLD ON!

These rats were given the Aspartame equivalent of 10 diet cokes a day. Correlating this amount to human weight, that would mean we would have to consume 2000+ cans of Diet Coke a day. Yeah, that's definitely possible and fair to make that connection, NOT!

Let's ask the FDA or Food Drug Administration what they think: "{we} think it is safe for one to have around 50mg/kg of their body weight"...that would be up to 21 Diet Cokes a day. Hmmmmm - I know a lot of people consuming that much Aspartame. I am no scientist but I am pretty sure having 1/21 of that amount is still okay and safe. 

Okay but what about the human trials with those exact numbers….crickets. Why? Because it's physically impossible or completely irrational to have that much Aspartame daily.

The media covers and brings up all the time, the 2005 study we just spoke about but what about the cancer research done just a year later? This study was covering over 500,000 older adults and the link between Aspartame and Cancer. The results show 0 correlation to Aspartame and increased Lymphoma/Leukemia. C'mon, how could the media miss that?!

Okay fine, maybe you have a point...but it does make you gain weight, I definitely heard that.

HOW in the world does something that has 0 calories cause you to gain weight? In every controlled clinical trial, the artificial sweetener group taking Aspartame lost body weight and body mass compared to the real sugar group. 

As Marshall Erikson would say, LAWYERED! However, there is something called the Health Halo Effect associated with Aspartame that does make you gain weight.

The Health Halo Effect is basically thinking that since you are taking calories away in a diet substitute (such as replacing full calorie coca cola with Diet Coke), you can eat more calories in other aspects of your diet. That is the ONLY connection to weight gain but at no point is it a correlation.

Myths are false information that travels through time and across so many groups of people. When it comes to Aspartame and Cancer, it's like playing a game of Telephone and it's my pleasure to let you know….Aspartame will not kill you (unless you drink 2000 Diet Cokes a day).

About the Author: I have been in the fitness industry for close to 10 years mastering and understanding supplements. What began as an obsession turned into a full-time life fulfilling job helping people LOOK BETTER NAKED. I find myself focusing strictly on how particular ingredients create a cause and effect relationship in the body through supplementation. Ever since his passion was born for fitness and supplements, it has been his desire to educate and spread his knowledge. If you have any questions, please comment below.