What is the aspertame sweetener?

Aspertame is a non caloric sweetener used in many diet soft drinks and food preparations. Because it degrades when heated and looses its sweeteness, aspertame can not be used for cooking and in sterilizing foods. Several national and international organizations have assessed the safety of the aspertame sweetener and checked for its side effects. An Acceptable Daily Intake value of 40 mg/kg body weight per day was established. However, some allegations of health risks have launched a debate on the safety of aspertame. More on the aspertame sweetener...

The consumption of aspertame in Europe is estimated to be between 2.8 and 10.1 mg/kg body weight per day. This aspertame consumption is estimated to be well below the Acceptable Daily Intake (40 mg/kg body weight per day) set by the experts of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), even for children and high consumers of artificial sweeteners such as diabetics. More...

Questions on the aspertame sweetener

1. What is the aspertame sweetener?
   
   
   • What is the history of the aspertame sweetener?
   • What are the uses and properties of the aspertame sweetener?
   • Why are there concerns about the aspertame sweetener?
2. How much aspertame sweetener do people consume?
3. What happens to the aspertame sweetener once it is ingested?
4. Does aspertame provoque side effects on human health?
   
   
   • Can the aspertame sweetener cause cancer or induce genetic damage?
   • Does aspertame provoque effects on reproduction and development?
   • Can the aspertame sweetener produce nervous disorders?
   • Does aspertame provoque side effects on behavior, cognition or mood?
   • Does the aspertame sweetener cause headaches?
   • Does the aspertame sweetener trigger epileptic seizures?
   • Can the aspertame sweetener cause other side effects?
5. Conclusion
6. Other views on the aspertame sweetener effects

Note that the proper spelling for Aspertame is Aspartame.