Aspartame proven to help reduce weight

Carefully conducted human studies, including long-term trials, demonstrate that choosing foods and drinks sweetened with the low calorie sweetener aspartame results in a significant reduction in both calorie intake and body weight.

Claims that low calorie sweeteners lead to weight gain are not supported by the substantial body of scientific evidence which demonstrates the benefit of using products with aspartame for weight control and weight maintenance.

Repeated efforts by scientists at Purdue University in the United States to show that food sweetened with saccharin is more appealing to rats than food with glucose do nothing more than demonstrate that the rats like their low fat yoghurt chow sweetened with saccharin.

While research in this area has been based on human studies for more than twenty years, the work by Swithers et al at Purdue is based on small samples of rats, and is a step backwards for science. In fact, evidence obtained from a broad range of human studies points to the role and benefit of low calorie sweeteners, specifically aspartame, in weight management.

Research conducted by F. Bellisle and A. Drewnowski² published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2007 evaluated a variety of laboratory, clinical and epidemiological studies and provides further evidence of the beneficial impact of reducing caloric intake and the energy density of the diet, citing low calorie sweeteners as a vehicle to achieve this aim.

A meta-analysis of 16 human studies conducted by A de la Hunty et al¹, published in 2006, concluded that "Using foods and drinks sweetened with aspartame instead of sucrose results in a significant reduction in both energy intakes (calories) and bodyweight".

¹A review of the effectiveness of aspartame in helping with weight control, A. de la Hunty, S. Gibson and M. Ashwell, Nutrition Bulletin, 31, 115-128 (2006)
²Intense sweeteners, energy intake and the control of body weight, F Bellisle and A Drewnowski, European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 10, 1038 (2007)

Click here to visit the AminoSweet Information Service for the benefits of aspartame-sweetened foods and drinks.

January 2010

• Ajinomoto Aspartame and ASDA
• American Dietetic Association evidence-based analysis puts questions to rest
• EFSA dismisses Ramazzini claims once again