Information on NutraSweet ^®

NutraSweet is The NutraSweet Company's brand name for the sweetening ingredient aspartame. Aspartame is made of the two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine (as the methyl ester). People consume these same components in much larger amounts from other food sources, such as milk, meat, fruits and vegetables. The body handles these components the same regardless of their source.

Prior to its approval for use in food and beverage products, NutraSweet was subjected to one of the most comprehensive testing programs ever undertaken for a food additive. Since 1967, more than 200 scientific studies have been conducted with laboratory animals and a cross-section of men, women and children. Based on these extensive studies, NutraSweet has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Canada's Health Protection Branch (HPB), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the regulatory agencies of more than 100 other nations. The Council on Scientific Affairs of the American Medical Association, after reviewing all safety issues, has also confirmed that eating products sweetened with aspartame is no different than eating other foods, thus demonstrating that aspartame is not associated with adverse health effects. Tell me more!

Consumption by Children.

You can be extremely confident when your child consumes NutraSweet brand sweetener because NutraSweet is made of the same components found in the foods we eat everyday such as meat, milk, fruits and vegetables.

The American Medical Association has agreed with the FDA and many other regulatory agencies around the world that NutraSweet is safe for consumption by people of all ages, including children and pregnant women.

When NutraSweet was evaluated as safe, studies in young children verified that they metabolize NutraSweet the same way as adults.

Parents should supervise their children's consumption of all foods, whether or not they contain NutraSweet to avoid dietary excesses or nutritional deficiencies. Children need calories to achieve proper growth and development.

ADI (Acceptable Daily Intake)

It is not possible to consume too much NutraSweet brand sweetener. To your body, what's in NutraSweet is the same as what's in peaches, milk and most other foods you eat everyday.

No limit is needed. To your body, eating aspartame is like eating anything else that contains these same amino acids. But, it might make you more comfortable to know that the government asked the same question. It calculated that a 132 lb. adult could consumer 3,000 mg of aspartame (i.e. 85 packets of Equal or 18 cans of diet soda) every day of her life and it wouldn't make a bit of difference. Of course, it would be unlikely anyone would do that for a lifetime. But that shows you the level of comfort you can have with NutraSweet.

The government actually keeps track of how much of different food ingredients people actually eat. Ongoing market research shows that since 1984, aspartame consumption patterns for the general population and various subgroups are well within the ADI.

DEFINITION: An ADI is a shortened term for "acceptable daily intake." ADI's are established by the FDA based on comprehensive animal and human studies. They integrate individual variation based on a person's weight and size. An ADI is a value that is commonly established for many food additives that undergo FDA approval in the United States.

Dental

NutraSweet itself does not contribute to dental caries. Since it is composed of two amino acids (parts of protein), it is not used as a substrate in the development of caries. Numerous studies have supported the non-cariogenic properties of NutraSweet. Products with NutraSweet may contain other ingredients that could contribute to tooth decay. Labels should be checked.