Table of contents:
What is aspartame?
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener made from a combination of two amino acids, namely aspartic acid and phenylalanine. This substance is commonly used to replace the role of sugar in food and beverages. Aspartame has a sweet taste level of up to 200 times compared to regular sugar, but has the same number of calories.
Although much sweeter than sugar, both of them have a calorie content of four calories per gram. The sweetness that is far above the sugar makes us only need to consume it in small amounts. With the same calorie content as sugar, but with a small amount of use, automatically the number of calories that enter the body will be less.
Is this artificial sweetener safe?
When consuming aspartame, the body's metabolic processes will break it down into methanol. This process also occurs in your body when you consume fruit, juices, fermented drinks, and several other vegetables, so the aspartame metabolic process is not a new process for the body. Although it is an artificial sweetener, the use of this substance has been approved by the Food and Drug Association (FDA) of the United States as a safe sweetener for consumption since 1981.
In line with the FDA, the BPOM also allows the use of aspartame as an artificial sweetener as long as it takes into account the limitation of the amount of intake per day. Even though it is permissible and safe, it does not mean that its use does not bring controversy about the adverse effects that may accompany it.
According to the Diabetes Self-Management website, the use of aspartame carries several adverse health effects. Some of them are methanol poisoning. Methanol poisoning is characterized by symptoms of headache, vertigo, ringing in the ears, and weakness. Other bad effects that may arise are brain damage to cancer. However, there is no official claim that this artificial sweetener is harmful to the body.
So far, aspartame is the most tested substance. Based on test results, this substance can be consumed by almost everyone, except those born with a rare genetic disorder called phenylketonuria (PKU). The disorder makes the sufferer's body unable to break down phenylalanine, so the consumption of artificial sweeteners containing phenylalanine will certainly have a negative impact.
Aspartame for diabetes patients
Being a person with diabetes means that you have to pay attention to the intake of sugar that enters the body. Not only sugar, they also have to control the number of calories and carbohydrates from food and drink they consume.
With a sweetness level that reaches 200 times that of natural sweeteners, aspartame is often chosen by diabetics to give a sweet taste to food and drinks as a substitute for sugar. By using this artificial sweetener, diabetics can still enjoy the sweet taste without worrying about the number of calories intake.
Although it is safe for diabetics, its use cannot be given carelessly. You still have to pay attention to the contents that enter the body.
The BPOM states that the permissible intake of aspartame is as much as 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day. So, if you weigh 50 kilograms, the amount of sweetener you can consume per day is 2,000 milligrams per day.
Even so, in fact, the amount you consume on a daily basis is usually only 10 percent of the BPOM recommendation limit. This is because this artificial sweetener already has a very sweet taste, so you only need very little.
Some people may feel uncomfortable or hesitant to use aspartame because of its unnatural properties, even though some research has stated that it is safe. We recommend that diabetics continue to consult with their doctor regarding the safe use of aspartame and the recommended dosage per day. Especially if you are going to go on a diet and replace your natural sugar intake.
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