Aspartame: Insights from a Specialist Dietitian
Aspartame what is all the fuss about? As a dietitian with over two and a half decades of experience, I have always prioritized the well-being of my clients and promoted a balanced, healthy diet for each individuals needs, health, likes and dislikes etc. Throughout my career, I have encountered numerous questions about artificial sweeteners, particularly aspartame. In this blog, I would like to share my perspective on aspartame and explain why I prefer to steer clear of artificial sweeteners. What is Aspartame? Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that has been widely used as a sugar substitute in various food and beverage products. It is found in many sugar-free or “diet” options, such as soft drinks, chewing gum, and desserts. Aspartame is a synthetic substance that combines two ingredients: 1. Aspartic acid. This is a nonessential amino acid that occurs naturally in the human body and in food. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein in the body. The body uses aspartic acid to create hormones and to support normal function of the nervous system. Dietary sources include meat, fish, eggs, soybeans, and peanuts. 2. Phenylalanine. This is an essential amino acid that’s naturally present in most protein sources, but the body doesn’t produce it naturally. Humans have to get it from food. The body uses it to make proteins, brain chemicals, and hormones. Sources include lean meats, dairy products, nuts, and seeds. Combining these two ingredients creates a product that is about 200 times as sweet as regular sugar. A small amount can make food taste very sweet. It also provides very few calories. While aspartame is approved for use by regulatory authorities in many countries, its safety and health effects have been a topic of debate and scrutiny. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently issued a new guideline regarding non-sugar sweeteners (NSS). According to this guideline, the use of NSS is not recommended for weight management or as a means to lower the risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Based on a thorough review of the available evidence, it has been found that (NSS) do not offer any long-term benefits when it comes to reducing body fat in both adults and children. The review’s findings indicate that prolonged use of NSS may have unintended consequences, including a higher likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and increased mortality rates among adults. Replacing free sugars with non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) may not be effective in achieving long-term weight control. According to Francesco Branca, WHO Director for Nutrition and Food Safety, it is important for individuals to explore alternative methods of reducing their consumption of free sugars. This can include opting for food options that naturally contain sugars, such as fruits, or choosing unsweetened food and beverages. Non-nutritive sweeteners (NSS) are not considered necessary for a balanced diet and do not contribute any significant nutritional value. It is recommended that individuals reduce their overall intake of sweeteners from an early age in order to enhance their overall health and well-being. (WHO 2023) Why I suggest avoidance of Aspartame and others Conclusion: After practicing as a dietitian for 26 years, I have witnessed time and time again patents coming to me with the highest intakes of artificial sweeteners struggling the most with their diet, weight, physical and mental health. Once they start to follow one of my programmes these problems are quickly resolved. (if interested do check out my google and facebook reviews) I am glad I have not wavered when others have challenged me and I have stood by my decision to not recommend artificial sweeteners, including aspartame. While aspartame may be deemed safe for consumption within approved limits, why risk it. We need more ‘high’-quality research to further assess these relationships. I will continue to educate people to prioritize a whole-food, nutrient-dense approach to healthy eating. By choosing natural alternatives and educating clients about the importance of mindful eating and moderation, I believe we can foster a healthier relationship with food that supports long-term well-being. So, what to do next or for anything else.. If you are needing help with your diet and health or anything else… we can assist you with this. Maybe you wish to change your eating habits, stop tracking or need help optimising the foods you eat to assist your mental health or your gut symptoms and are not sure what programme to select, please do contact us. We would love to help you or your family and friends with any nutrition-related queries big or small. If you want to book your programme TODAY we would love to help you. You can book a 121 Dietitian Programme today by clicking on the link below If you have enjoyed this blog we would love you to share this with your family and friends on your social media channels. Do visit our YouTube Channel for more on keeping your health optimal. If you are interested in how I overcame my Thyroid Autoimmune Condition do check out the About section below Before you go please check out our 121 Dietitian Shop created specifically for optimising your health. Gillian x
Sugar what you need to know …
It is Sugar awareness week 18th – 24th January 2021 so I thought I would take a look at this in more detail for you as it is one of the biggest concerns my patients have when I see them at my clinics. What is sugar? The term ‘sugar’ usually refers to what we know as table or granulated sugar – the type of sugar that we add to our tea or coffee. We also are familiar to the different variations which include caster sugar, icing sugar, brown sugar, demerara sugar, these are types mostly used in baking.These, you may already know, are not the only sugars around. Sugar occurs naturally in all foods that contain carbohydrates, such as fruits and vegetables, grains, and dairy.All ‘sugars’ are carbohydrates and along with starch they one of our body’s main source of energy. Carbohydrates are required for our brains, bodies and nervous system. In fact it has been part of our diets for thousands of years. Sugar is found naturally in most foods like fruits, vegetables and milk as well as being an ingredient used in a wide range of foods and drinks. Great, so what is all the fuss about? Consuming whole foods that contain natural sugar is acceptable as part of a healthy intake when you have a healthy metabolism. Plant foods have high amounts of fibre, essential minerals, and antioxidants alongside smaller amounts of carbs, and dairy foods contain protein, fats and calcium which are important for the body.Because of these extra components your body digests these foods slowly allowing the sugar in them to provide a steady supply of energy to your cells. A sufficient intake of fruits, vegetables, and fibre rich foods have been shown to reduce the risk of many chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. So what’s the problem? Increasing technology has brought many changes to our food production. More and more convenience foods are available that taste good, are very addictive and can be eaten 24/7.Problems occur when regularly eating these processed foods leads you to consume too much “added sugar”. The food manufacturers add this to enhance the flavour or extend shelf life and this can often be hidden in foods you would never imagine.In the modern diet, the top sources of sugar are soft drinks, fruit drinks, flavoured yogurts, cereals, biscuits, cakes, sweets and most processed foods. But added sugar is also present in items that you may not think of as sweetened, like soups, bread, processed meats, and condiments like ketchup. How much sugar are we allowed? Our recommended dietary intake of sugar per day: Adults should have no more than 30g of free sugars a day, (roughly equivalent to 7 tsps/sugar cubes). Children aged 7 to 10 should have no more than 24g of free sugars a day (6 tsps/sugar cubes). Children aged 4 to 6 should have no more than 19g of free sugars a day (5 tsps/sugar cubes). What sugar we consume Adults in the UK take in 3 times the recommended amount at an average of 22 teaspoons/cubes of added sugar per day, according to the NHS website.Four to 10-year-olds are eating more than twice as much sugar as they should per day, equivalent to 13 tsps/sugar cubes (PHE 2018). “Excess sugar’s impact on obesity, Blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, fatty liver and diabetes and this is well documented, but one area that may surprise many is how their taste for sugar can have a serious impact on their heart health and increase risk of stroke,” says Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Impact of sugar on your heart In a study published in 2014 in JAMA Internal Medicine, Dr. Hu and his colleagues found an association between a high-sugar diet and a greater risk of dying from heart disease. Over the course of the 15-year study, people who are 17% to 21% of their calories from added sugar had a 38% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with those who consumed 8% of their calories as added sugar. “Basically, the higher the intake of added sugar, the higher the risk for heart disease,” says Dr. Hu. Sugar has several indirect connections to affecting heart health: 1) high amounts of sugar overload the liver. “Your liver metabolizes sugar the same way as alcohol, and converts dietary carbohydrates to fat,” says Dr. Hu. Over time, this can lead to a greater accumulation of fat, which may turn into fatty liver disease, a contributor to diabetes, which raises your risk for heart disease.2) Consuming too much added sugar can raise blood pressure and increase chronic inflammation, both of which are pathological pathways to heart disease.3) Excess consumption of sugar, especially sugary drinks, also contributes to weight gain by tricking your body into turning off its appetite-control system because liquid calories are not as satisfying as calories from solid foods. This is why it is easier for people to add more calories to their regular diet when consuming sugary drinks. How you can reduce your sugar intake? Reading food labels is one of the best ways to monitor your intake of added sugar. Look for the following names for added sugar and try to either avoid, or cut back on the amount or frequency of the foods where they are found: • brown sugar• corn sweetener• corn syrup• fruit juice concentrates• high-fructose corn syrup• honey• invert sugar• malt sugar• molasses Also syrup sugar molecules ending in “ose” (dextrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose). Check the total sugar of the product, which includes added sugar, this is usually listed in grams.If it says 5 grams of sugar per serving, but the normal amount you would eat is three or four servings, you will easily consume 20 grams of sugar which is way too much.Also, watch the amount of sugar or syrups you add to your food or drinks. About half of added sugar comes from
