Introduction/Background: Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used in many foods and beverages throughout the United States. James M. Schlatter accidentally discovered aspartame in 1965 while working on an-anti ulcer drug known as Gastrin (Sofritti et al, 2010). Mr. Schlatter licked his finger to pick up a piece of paper after combining phenylalanine and aspartic acid and discovered that the mixture had a sweet taste (Sofritti et al, 2010). Soon, the artificial sweetener, better known as NutraSweet®, was born. The question of whether or not aspartame is safe to consume has become a controversial topic since its discovery almost 40 years ago. Many myths and accusations circulate through the Internet regarding side effects of aspartame, yet lack scientific evidence to support such claims. Current reports on the side effects and consequences of aspartame consumption provide mixed results. Of these reports, aspartame’s effects on the liver and brain and its association to lymphomas, multiple myelomas, and leukemia have proven to be the strongest. FDA Approval Process for Aspartame: Upon discovery of aspartame, Mr. Schlattler sought to find a company that would mass produce aspartame and petition its approval from the FDA as a food additive.The pharmaceutical company G.D. Searle & Co. agreed to manufacture aspartame and filed a food additive petition (FAP) for the compound in 1973 (Rycerz & Jaworska-Adamu, 2013). The FAP submitted was required to prove that aspartame was safe for consumption by humans and accomplished its intended use (Government Accountability Office (GAO)). The FAP also addressed identity and composition of the additive, intended use, labeling, intended effects, analytical methods, safety evaluations, proposed ... ... middle of paper ... ...nks (Magnuson et al, 2007). In the U.S., one 12 fluid ounce can of diet soda contains 180 mg of aspartame, which would implicate that a 165 lb adult would need to consume approximately 21 cans of diet soda to surpass the FDA’s ADI (NCI). Conclusion: Although the safety of aspartame remains in question, current scientific reports provide an array of results. Several studies have confirmed carcinogenic and neurological effects of the chemical, while others have observed no association. However, the approval of aspartame as a food additive is relatively young. Therefore, it may take years before all side effects of the drug are confirmed as hazardous or safe. Furthermore, it is clear that the chemical does have potentially serious implications on human health and should therefore be strictly regulated by the FDA to ensure the chemical’s safety as a food additive.
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.). Sweeteners: Issues and Uncertainties. Washington, D.C.: National Academy of Sciences, 1975.
Aspartame, or more commonly known as NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful and Equal Measure; was discovered purely by chance in 1965 by a chemist named James M. Schlatter, who was testing an antacid drug (Prantini; 2014). The commercial industry believed that “a wonder product” had been discovered, which stood to revolutionise the food industry as an artificial sweetener. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener which is found in many of our foods and beverages universally. Aspartame is two-hundred times sweeter than sugar and is commonly used as a tabletop sweetener, a sweetener in prepared foods, diet foods or drinks, flavored waters, chewing gum, condiments and is even found in flavoring of medicines. It is found in majority of our food products marketed for weight control (Prantini; 2014). Aspartame has a sweeter taste in comparison to sugar, and therefore less of the sweetener can be used in food products in order to achieve the same level of sweetness as if sugar was used; which results in an individual consuming fewer calories and less sugar (American Cancer Society; 2014).
Consuming energy drinks such as Red Bull, Monster and the 5- Hour Energy Shot, which contains caffeine and other additives, is dangerous to an individual’s health and in some cases fatal. Manufacturers of energy drinks claim consumption of their products will improve athletic performance, concentration and reaction time, as well increase basal metabolism. However, manufacturers’ of energy drinks add additional energy-enhancing ingredients such as glucose, taurine, guarana and ginseng. Each of those ingredients has numerous adverse side effects, see table 1 on page 8. Yet, energy drink manufacturers are not required to list the amount or type of additive used in their products. According to the Food and Drug administration (FDA), approval of the FDA is required in order to use additives in conventional foods. Dietary supplements, is considered by the FDA as generally recognizes safe by qualified experts therefore not considered a food additive. Unfortunately, the FDA need not approve adding them to conventional foods such as drinks. Consequently, manufacturers of energy drinks are taking advantages of this by labeling their products as “dietary supplements. “ Therefore, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should be in a position to regulate the ingredients added to energy drinks. In addition, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), which regulates both dietary supplements and conventional foods does not require manufacturers of conventional foods to report serious adverse events (FDA, 2012).
Perusing warning letters in FDA’s Electronic Reading Room yields a plethora of violations regarding adulterated, misbranded or falsely claimed benefits of drugs and supplements. These three issues, consequently, constitute stumbling blocks in drug development or approval and additionally, perhaps also indicate a wanton disregard of compliance in manufacturing and marketing. Do the responsible companies prioritize compliant procedures and documentation? Through investigating three of the most commonly cited reasons for FDA 483 letters, applying them to the above violations, and exploring a culture of compliance, some rationale for causes in this case may be determined.
P-Cresidine, also known as Red No. 40 Food coloring, is everywhere and in almost everything, yet people do not realize the risks that come along with today's tastefully colored foods. Red No. 40 food dye is the most commonly used of all the other artificial dyes. The dye is used in countless everyday foods and drinks. Unfortunately, like all good things have a bad side, all food dyes have certain risks linked to their intake. When mixed, food dyes can become very risky to the health of the individual. Mixing food dyes is very common and used in many occasions to produce the correct colors. Despite the fact that Red No. 40 is banned in many places for reasons regarding health, the United States still produces and uses the substance religiously. Most people know what artificial food coloring is and enjoy its use for creating delightfully colored, appetizing foods, however, only few know what artificial food dyes actually have the capability of doing. Aside from creating candy colored foods, artificial food dyes, p-cresidine in specific, is capable of causing all kinds of problems from hyperactivity, to genotoxicity, to even various types of cancers; yet people don’t know and even worse the majority of the people out there don't care.
To begin, the Federal Food and Drug Administration does not have the power to regulate supplements like it does with drugs. Once a product is out on the market, the FDA has to prove that it is dangerous or has illegal additives before it can be removed. The FDA has targeted around seventy tainted weight loss products after learning that they had been mixed with undeclared stimulants, diuretics, and antidepressants (Trebilcock 2). The Federal Food, and Drug, Administration is responsible for ensuring that the manufacturers of foods provide safe ingredients and the correct amount of dosages for their products.
was designed to avoid mislabeled food and drug products and was the start of making sure every
Several people rely on caffeine to wake them up or give them a boost of energy when they feel down. Acting as a stimulant, caffeine not only improves concentration and focus, but also stops fatigue (Staff 1). Considered the most commonly used psychoactive drug in the world, approximately 90 percent of adults consume it daily (“MedicineNet.com” 1). But do caffeine buyers really stop to evaluate the possinle harmful effects on their body? Health scares similar to this are not recent. In fact, they have been going on for over 100 years. In 1911, the US Government sued the Coca-Cola company for making their drinks hazardous to other’s health (Lovett 2). Although the Coca-Cola company won, it proves that people worry about what they put into their bodies, even if it does help them stay up to finish their homework. Not everybody will experience the same effects from caffeine. Some people seem more sensitive to caffeine than others (Staff 1). While some will express unwanted effects after only one cup of coffee or tea, others will not notice these same effects until after maybe four or five cups. Although caffeine does include benefits, many downfalls exemplify the stimulant as well. Drinking even small amounts of caffeine daily develops harmful effects on most people’s body and health.
Customers/Consumers were worried about the changes in the market for food and drugs because they no longer had a single clue of what was in their products. Food production was moving from household prepared to general markets. As food markets became more refined due to the improvement of technology. The difficulty in discerning the quality of their product heightened. With new and quicker ways make food, fears of the ingredients that the foods consisted grew. Preservatives and chemicals also instilled a concern to consumers. Health officials, chemists, and other individuals tested and proved the dangers of these new additives.
Buyers locked up: The market was dominated by two major customers - Coca-Cola and Pepsi (accounted for ~50% of the aspartame usage). NutraSweet had entered into exclusive multi-year contracts with both of them. This would prevent potential entrants from establishing sales volume necessary to support the minimum efficiency production scale necessary to compete effectively in the aspartame market.
you are on the wrong path a 20 oz. serving of Coke contains 240 calories, compared with 200 calories in a 16oz. size; for people who drink a soda a day or a week, That can add up to 14,600 calories a year. So you can gain 4lbs of weight gain each year if you continue to drink 16oz. a day or even twice a week. There are companies that are mad about this because it can make their business bad and make others better because they can simply not sell 16oz. of soda to a individual but, they probably don’t even realize that each time they sell a product they are making them gain weight and making them unhealthy. These companies don’t care about your health they just care about making money and moving on while we are over here drinking and eating stuff that’s not good for
Due to the ever increasing use of aspartame, researchers have discovered that aspartame has been closely associated with the function of the brain. In the human brain, there is a blood-brain barrier that acts as a system of specialized capillary structures that are designed to prevent toxic substances from entering the brain. Prior to birth and during the first 12 months of life, the blood-brain barrier is incomplete. The protective enzymes in a baby’s brain are still immature, and therefore are unable to effectively detoxify the excitotoxins, toxins that bind to certain receptors and may cause neuronal cell death when they enter the brain. This would mean that in the case o...
Food additives have been around for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. They have been used for a wide variety of purposes: to preserve food to keep it from spoiling, to enhance flavor, or the simple purpose of making food look more presentable to whoever is going to consume it. But the most prominent food additive is what is called M.S.G. This food additive, whose name is short for Monosodium Glutamate, has been in the U.S. for over 60 years. This is a food additive that has been known to kill, which is why it should be removed from the market in the first place, or at least be heavily regulated by the FDA. One might not care about this topic because they think it is nothing to get worked up over, but MSG is not something to laugh about. Before anything too radical happens, one must follow the first rule of engaging the enemy; know more about the enemy, in this case, MSG. There are things that need to be known about MSG’s history and origin, the chemical composition, the risks of having it in the body, such as diseases linked to consuming it, people that want to keep it in the market (yes, there are people who want to keep this stuff), food that contains MSG, and a solution to the many problems it causes. With these key points in mind, let's explore the origins of MSG and the problems associated with it.
7. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2012, November 19). Questions and Answers on Monosodium glutamate (MSG). Retrieved March 17, 2014, from http://www.fda.gov/food/ingredientspackaginglabeling/foodadditivesingredients/ucm328728.htm
There is a clear link between the food consumption and human life span, with food manufacturers in the middle of that relationship. Food manufacturing is of great significance in a society because they produce majority of the food that individuals eat. Excess amount of consummation require food manufacturers to produce great amount of product in a short period of time which also makes food manufacturing quite lucrative. Considering the lack of regulation by authorities and other factors, food manufacturers are receding on the information about the amount of chemical used in food processing. Food manufacturers claim that the use of these excessive amounts of chemical such as antibiotics, steroid, and spray in food manufacturing process is for the benefit of the consumer’s health. Despite their claim this does not erase the fact that excessive use of chemicals in food processing is because of huge economical profit, to respond to high demand by consumers and poor control of food.