Male rat with lymphoma following aspartame treatment.

Pushed globally as a beneficial to dieters since its approval in 1981, accumulating research indicates that aspartame may actually damage the brain and cause cancer, to name but a few of a wide range of adverse health effects consumers risk by using this 'no-calorie' sugar alternative.

Since its approval in 1981, aspartame has been promoted globally as a "diet-friendly" sugar substitute. However, accumulating research suggests it may harm the brain and increase cancer risk, among a range of other adverse health effects that consumers face when using this 'no-calorie' alternative.

A quick Google search for "aspartame" yields the website aspartame.org at the top of the results. Billing itself as an 'Aspartame Information Center,' the site opens with "The Benefits of Aspartame," extolling how this "low-calorie" sweetener supports weight control, diabetes management, and the prevention of tooth decay.

This website was created by an organization called the Calorie Control Council (CCC), a non-profit association founded in 1966. According to its mission, the CCC seeks "...to provide an objective channel of science-based communications about low-calorie foods and beverages, ensuring scientific and consumer research is accessible to interested parties."

Ironically, Aspartame.org contains virtually no primary scientific literature. Instead, it relies on an appeal to authority by listing various "Expert Opinions" on aspartame's safety. These include opinions from "Science Experts" (e.g., American Diabetes Association), "Consumer Experts" (e.g., Snopes.com), "Regulatory Experts" (e.g., FDA), and even the CCC itself, despite its mission to promote the low- and reduced-calorie food and beverage industry:

"The Council's mission is to foster industry growth and vitality by reinforcing and expanding the Calorie Control Council's role as a globally trusted authority on the safety and benefits of ingredients, foods, and beverages to facilitate the control of calories." emphasis added

Of course, Aspartame.org makes no mention of the dozens of adverse health effects linked to aspartame that are documented in peer-reviewed biomedical literature, much of which is accessible on GreenMedInfo.com, where the public can explore a non-industry-sponsored Aspartame Information Center.

Before we examine some of the research on aspartame's toxicity that the industry prefers to ignore, let's debunk a few of the main claims on the CCC's website regarding aspartame's supposed health benefits.

Is Aspartame a Boon for Diabetics and the Overweight?

According to the CCC, aspartame aids in weight management and satisfies the diabetic's sweet tooth "without affecting blood sugar." Yet, research on non-nutritive sweeteners shows that disconnecting caloric content from sweetness may disrupt ancient physiological pathways. Over millions of years, the human body evolved to anticipate glucose after tasting sweetness, which initiates the cephalic phase response--activating gastric secretions even before food reaches the stomach. This response accounts for about 20% of the gastric secretions related to eating.

Aspartame's intense sweetness triggers the release of neurochemicals like dopamine and pancreatic hormones like insulin, which prompt cells to take in glucose. When no glucose follows, this can lead to hypoglycemia and insulin spikes, both of which can increase appetite and stimulate fat storage. Similar effects may explain why the artificial sweetener Splenda (sucralose) was recently found to promote diabetes.¹

As such, non-nutritive sweeteners might actually disrupt endocrine function, potentially contributing to insulin resistance and over-eating. In fact, a 2012 study in Appetite found that saccharin and aspartame, compared to sucrose, caused greater weight gain in adult rats at similar caloric intake levels.²

Is Aspartame Good for Your Teeth?

Many consumers seek sugar alternatives due to the risk of cavities associated with sugar-sweetened products. While aspartame is less cariogenic than sugar, recent research in the Archives of Oral Biology suggests it can demineralize enamel by promoting acidity and bacterial biofilm formation.³ Thus, the CCC's claim that "Aspartame Does Not Promote Tooth Decay" lacks scientific backing.

Having addressed two common myths, let's turn to some of aspartame's documented harms.

Aspartame Is Carcinogenic

In 2006, the Cesare Maltoni Cancer Research Center at the European Ramazzini Foundation released a study showing aspartame induced various malignancies in rodents, including lymphoma and leukemia, at doses well below the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for humans in Europe (40 mg/kg bw) and the U.S. (50 mg/kg bw).⁴

A 2007 follow-up study confirmed aspartame's "multipotential carcinogenicity," finding that fetal exposure increased cancer risk later in life.⁵ More recently, a 2012 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition linked one or more daily servings of diet soda to a 31% increase in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and a 102% increase in multiple myeloma among men.⁶

In 2024, the Polish journal Folia Neuropathologica explored aspartame's overlooked carcinogenic potential, noting that its metabolite diketopiperazine contributes to tumors in the central nervous system, such as gliomas and meningiomas.⁷ Researchers have linked rising brain tumor rates in the U.S. to aspartame consumption since 1996.⁸

A fundamental toxicology principle underscores this evidence: 10% of aspartame metabolizes into methanol, which then converts into the carcinogenic formaldehyde. Oxidative stress from methanol breakdown may further enhance aspartame's carcinogenicity.

For an in-depth analysis, see "Toxicology Expert Explains Why Aspartame is so Dangerous to Your Health" on Mercola.com.

Aspartame is Neurotoxic

Aspartame contains 40% aspartic acid, which, when ingested and released in its free form, can overstimulate neurons, leading to excitotoxicity (cell death). Research shows aspartame can cause brain damage and cognitive issues in animals,⁹ and preliminary human studies suggest that removing excitotoxins like aspartame may relieve fibromyalgia symptoms.¹⁰

Conclusion

Aspartame, like any chemical foreign to the human body, is an avoidable exposure that may contribute to common diseases in affluent societies that often turn to non-nutritive sweeteners over reducing actual sugar intake. For more on aspartame's health risks, visit our research page: Aspartame on GreenMedInfo.

For healthier dieting, consider naturally sweet foods like high-quality, organic fruits. Other natural options like honey, xylitol, and stevia provide alternatives without the health risks of artificial sweeteners. However, even low- or no-calorie natural sweeteners might trigger similar appetite responses.

Remember: No form of dieting is worth risking your health. By avoiding 'tricks' that mislead the body's expectations, we can reach our ideal weight with patience, discipline, and balance.

To learn more about the potential dangers of aspartame, visit the GreenMedInfo database on the subject here.

References

1. M Yanina Pepino, Courtney D Tiemann, Bruce W Patterson, Burton M Wice, Samuel Klein. Sucralose Affects Glycemic and Hormonal Responses to an Oral Glucose Load. Diabetes Care. 2013 Apr 30. Epub 2013 Apr 30. PMID: 23633524

2. Fernanda de Matos Feijó, Cíntia Reis Ballard, Kelly Carraro Foletto, Bruna Aparecida Melo Batista, Alice Magagnin Neves, Maria Flávia Marques Ribeiro, Marcello Casaccia Bertoluci. Saccharin and aspartame, compared with sucrose, induce greater weight gain in adult Wistar rats, at similar total caloric intake levels. Appetite. 2012 Oct 19. Epub 2012 Oct 19. PMID: 23088901

3. Rodrigo A Giacaman, Pía Campos, Cecilia Muñoz-Sandoval, Ramiro J Castro. Cariogenic potential of commercial sweeteners in an experimental biofilm caries model on enamel. Arch Oral Biol. 2013 Sep ;58(9):1116-22. Epub 2013 Apr 28. PMID: 23631998

4. Morando Soffritti, Fiorella Belpoggi, Davide Degli Esposti, Luca Lambertini, Eva Tibaldi, Anna Rigano.First experimental demonstration of the multipotential carcinogenic effects of aspartame administered in the feed to Sprague-Dawley rats. Environ Health Perspect. 2006 Mar;114(3):379-85. PMID: 16507461

5. Morando Soffritti, Fiorella Belpoggi, Eva Tibaldi, Davide Degli Esposti, Michelina Lauriola. Life-span exposure to low doses of aspartame beginning during prenatal life increases cancer effects in rats. Environ Health Perspect. 2007 Sep;115(9):1293-7. PMID: 17805418

6. Karol Rycerz, Jadwiga E Jaworska-Adamu. Effects of aspartame metabolites on astrocytes and neurons. Folia Neuropathol. 2013 ;51(1):10-7. PMID: 23553132

7. J W Olney, N B Farber, E Spitznagel, L N Robins. Increasing brain tumor rates: is there a link to aspartame? J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 1996 Nov;55(11):1115-23. PMID: 8939194

8. GreenMedInfo.com, Aspartame Excitotoxicity

9. J D Smith, C M Terpening, S O Schmidt, J G Gums. Relief of fibromyalgia symptoms following discontinuation of dietary excitotoxins. Ann Pharmacother. 2001 Jun;35(6):702-6. PMID: 11408989

10. Kathleen F Holton, Douglas L Taren, Cynthia A Thomson, Robert M Bennett, Kim D Jones. The effect of dietary glutamate on fibromyalgia and irritable bowel symptoms. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2012 Jul 4. Epub 2012 Jul 4. PMID: 22766026