Aspartame, the unsavoury truth surrounding this artificial sweetener.
Why are we still being force-fed aspartame in the UK while the same low calorie products have had it removed in the US? Consumer pressure in the United States caused Pepsi to replace aspartame sweetener in their diet drinks, however no such change was made for the UK market! Once digested aspartame quickly breaks down into phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol. What we know for sure is that people with the rare condition phenylketonuria (PKU) cannot break down phenylalanine and will accumulate it in the body, most likely in the brain. Around 68 babies born each year in the UK test positive for this condition which is checked in the 5-day old heel prick blood spot test. These individuals must avoid as far as possible the intake of phenylalanine and for this reason it's presence is required to be indicated on products. This does not mean that the rest of the population are necessarily free of any dangers as aspartame is linked to numerous medical conditions . But is aspart...