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). …show more content…
Aspartame will increase the levels of phenylalanine on the foetal side of the placenta. Increased levels of phenylalanine can interfere with the growth of the foetal brain. As the foetus absorbs the nutrients from the food and drinks which the mother consumes, diet drinks are not recommended during pregnancy. When aspartame is metabolized, it breaks down into methanol, which is dangerous for pregnant women (Elsas; 1987). Although it could be said that this information is not relevant due to the information being published in 1987, the source is credible as the information was posted under the Doctors name and at the Emroy University. The source has also been published and therefore can be considered to have been peer
I experienced, “Water by the spoonful” at the Rio Grande campus. The purpose of the play was to show the life of an Iraq war veteran struggling to find his world in the place; it paired the idea of the four individuals who connect on an online chatroom, dedicated to recovering drug addicts trying to find their place in the world.
The first days and weeks after conception are critical for the baby. The health during the entire fetal period affects the brain, and behavioral teratogens affect the fetus at any time. Some teratogens that cause preterm birth or low birthweight are harmful in the second half of pregnancy. A study found that even though smoking cigarettes during prenatal development can harm the fetus, mothers who quit smokers early in pregnancy had no higher risks of birth complications than did women who never smoked. Another study found that binge drinking in the last trimester of pregnancy was more harmful to the brain than during any other period during pregnancy. It is recommended that women avoid drugs, have a diet of extra folic acid and iron, update their immunizations and gain or lose weight before
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggestion that a pregnant woman should not drink alcohol during pregnancy (Advisory on alcohol use in pregnancy 2005) has been widely criticized as being unnecessarily paternalistic, but the CDC goes further into explaining that, “Alcohol consumed during pregnancy increases the risk of alcohol related birth defects, including growth deficiencies, facial abnormalities, central nervous system impairment, behavioral disorders, and impaired intellectual development” (Advisory on alcohol use in pregnancy
Reinke, Beth Bence. "How Sweet It Is: Sorting Out Sweeteners." CBN. The Christian Broadcasting Network, 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
Also caffeine can cause complications in the pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Caffeine consumption during pregnancy is harmful to the developing the baby’s brain. Doctors suggest that careful studies should be performed to evaluate the efforts of caffeine consumption by pregnant women. The maternal height and weight maybe in danger also due to too much caffeine.
Childbirth is nothing short of a miracle. The placenta—the organ connecting a developing fetus to the uterine wall and allowing for waste elimination, nutrient uptake and gas exchange via the mother's blood supply—filters most harmful substances that threaten an embryo, though some may still pass on to the fetus. These harmful substances, called “teratogens,” range from environmental chemicals to the passing of maternal diseases, and can negatively impact the normal developmental cycle of a fetus. The title “teratogen,” however, effectually refers to any substance or chemical exposure with the potential to cause birth defects in prenatal development. Exposure to teratogens can result in a broad spectrum of physiological and psychological issues in later life, including malformations of the body. (Malformations resulting from exposure to one of the most common teratogens—alcohol—can be observed notoriously in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, or FAS, where patterns of mental and physical defects develop in association with high levels of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.) Though the toxicity of these teratogens is particularly damaging during the fourth through tenth weeks of gestation, teratogens can harm throughout the span of development in the womb.
Manufacturing: Aspartame manufacturing required a high initial capital expenditure (plan construction costs $100M), and long lead production time (2-3 years to bring aspartame production to speed). The facility needed to be run at or near design capacity and experienced MES of 2,000 tones annually. Also, as the first mover, NutraSweet had the advantage of increasing their manufacturing efficiencies (manufacturing costs cut by 70% over the years).
... excluded potential risk factors for preterm birth including previous pregnancies and multiple births. Thus, these results should only be applied to the risk of alcohol consumption for primiparous mothers with singleton pregnancies. However, despite the lack of risks identified in this study, alcohol use during pregnancy has been linked to disabilities. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP, 2011), its adverse effects include fetal alcohol syndrome, learning disabilities, social ineptness, depression, and anxiety. The AACAP strongly recommends against pregnant women consuming any form of alcohol at any level. Despite the data presented by Dale et al. (2016), the question of the other risks of alcohol consumption on the fetus was not explored and thus alcohol use during pregnancy should not be condoned solely based on this study.
Weng, X., Odouli, R., & Li, D.-K. (2008, March). Maternal caffeine consumption during pregnancy and the risk of miscarriage: a prospective cohort study. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 279e1 - 279.e8. Retrieved January 25, 2012, from http://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(07)02025-X/fulltext
“For the first time in the history of the world, every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the moment of conception until death.” Why do people consciously consume unhealthy, processed foods which big corporations in America distribute? These foods can lead to potentially harmful affects on the human body. So why are these risky products sold and consumed? The main reasons are because processed foods taste great and companies make large profits from these unwholesome products. General Mills is the 6th largest food company in the world, and uses genetically modified ingredients, preservatives, and artificial flavors in their products. The product that will be analyzed will be the tasty, mouthwatering breakfast favorite, Reese’s Puffs.
American Cancer Society. “Aspartame. What is Aspartame?” Learn About Cancer, Carcinogens. N.P. 17 February 2011
In 2006, 49% of all pregnancies in the United States were reported unintended on a national survey.1 The highest rate of preventable birth defects and mental retardation is due to alcohol use.2 In this paper, I will further discuss FAS, the potential effects of binge drinking during the embryonic stage of gestation, and what actions need to be taken in order to reduce the incidences of alcohol-related birth defects. Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy Alcohol is an ethanol containing substance that is a common beverage in many social and private settings. Alcohol is also a teratogen, therefore alcohol consumption and binge drinking potentially pose a substantial risk to the embryo or fetus. In 2013, the Centers for Disease Control conducted a telephone survey of women in the age range of 18-44 years regarding alcohol use.3
When it comes to eating right, it is important that the diet of a pregnant woman has food energy, protein, with many vitamins and minerals, as this is essential for the pregnancy to support the metabolic demands of pregnancy and the baby's growth. It is then, that knowing the fact that the diet of a pregnant woman should be well controlled it is ide...
The purpose of this experiment was to study the reactions of amino acids and aspartame. Several solutions were prepared and used in TLC analysis. A permanganate test and a ceric nitrate test were also performed. The summary of the results is shown below.