Aspartame Side Effects

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener made from a combination of phenylalanine and aspartic acid, which are two amino acids. It is many times sweeter than sugar, and is used in many sugar-free products. Some of the products are breath mints, sugar-free yogurts, juice drinks, non-carbonated soft drinks, ice tea powder, chewing gums, fruit spreads, etc. The chemical aspartame can dissolve in a solution, and thus travel to any body part and be deposited inside any tissue. Most people are unaware of the harmful chemical ingredients like preservatives, flavors and sweeteners in aspartame. Aspartame is among the many harmful chemicals used in food products.

Side Effects of Aspartame

Chest: One of the side effects of aspartame is that a person can get shortness of breath, when using aspartame containing products. Palpitations, sudden high blood pressure, and tachycardia are some more side effects of aspartame. A person might also get respiratory allergies like asthma due to aspartame.

Eyes: Aspartame can cause pain or blindness in one or both the eyes. It can cause blurred vision or eye problems like tunnel vision, decreased night vision, bulging eyes, bright flashes, etc. It can also reduce the amount of tears, and give a person trouble with contact lenses.

Ears: The side effects of aspartame which cause many ear problems include tinnitus where a person gets ringing or buzzing noise and severe intolerance to any sort of noise. Aspartame can also cause hearing impairment in a person.

Endocrinal and Metabolic: A person can lose control of diabetes, have menstrual changes, loss of hair, loss of weight or weight gain, or severe PMS by the intake of aspartame.

Neurologic: A person, by using aspartame products, can get headaches, confusion, memory loss, severe slurring of speech and severe tremors. A person can also get dizziness, severe drowsiness, unusual facial pain or epileptic seizures by consuming aspartame based products.

Psychological: The psychological side effects triggered by using aspartame are irritability, severe depression, aggressive nature, phobias, personality disorder and anxiety.

Gastrointestinal: Aspartame can lead to nausea, painful swallowing, stomach ache, diarrhea, sometimes accompanied by blood in stool.

Skin Allergies: A person can get itching without a rash. Other side effects are reactions on mouth and lips, and hives.

Others: A person might also experience swelling of leg, frequent urination, fluid retention and excessive thirst by usage of aspartame. Some critical symptoms by using aspartame are peptic ulcers, aggressive behavior, aspartame poisoning, aspartame addiction, hyperactivity in children, birth defects and mental retardation.

There are certain detox programs conducted for people who have been adversely affected due to intake of aspartame. So try to avoid all sugar-free products which contain aspartame as their ingredient. Try to drink plenty of water throughout the whole day, and try to drink a cup of green tea, as it greatly helps in natural detoxification. Eat natural and healthy foods, and include lots of salads and fruits in your diet. So, with these many aspartame side effects to lookout for, I am sure you will think twice before buying a pack of chewing gum, or using the products which contain aspartame in it. Sugar does not contain any nutrients but only calories, so try to use natural sugar sweeteners or eat foodstuffs which contain natural sugars like fruits, honey and maple syrup.