Health controversies of Sugar Substitutes

Today most of the manufacturers use sugar substitutes in their products. It cause the many health problems so many people raises the controversies on this issue. In that main controversy is Aspartame controversy. Now I am explain on that issue.

Aspartame controversy: Aspartame was discovered by James M. Schlatter at the G.D. Searle Company in 1965. He discovered it accidentally it was an odorless, white crystalline powder that is derived from the two amino acids aspartic acid and phenylalanine. It is about 200 times as sweet as sugar and can be used as a tabletop sweetener or in frozen desserts, gelatins, beverages, and chewing gum. Its chemical name is L-alpha-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester and its chemical formula is C14H18N2O5. Though it has no bitter aftertaste as do saccharin, its disadvantage is that it might not taste exactly like sugar because it reacts with other food flavors. When eaten, aspartame is metabolized into its original amino acids and has comparatively low food energy. Preliminary safety testing suggested that aspartame caused brain tumors in rats; as a result, the additive was held up in the United States for many years in the FDA’s endorsement process. In 1980, the FDA convened a Public Board of Inquiry (PBOI) consisting of independent advisors charged with examining the purported relationship between aspartame and brain cancer. The PBOI’s conclusions were unclear as to whether aspartame causes brain damage, and recommended against approving aspartame at that time, citing unanswered questions about cancer in laboratory rats. In 1981, Arthur Hull Hayes commissioner of FDA approved aspartame as a food additive. After the FDA approved aspartame for consumption some researchers said that brain tumor rates are raised in US. Some research says the company has failed to find any link between aspartame and cancer or other health problems.