Aspartame: A Brief History

            People have been struggling with maintain their weight for years now, so it is no wonder that somewhere along the line we decided to create something that makes sugar obsolete in our meals. This no calorie sweetener has helped keep people on track with calories for decades now. Although there is controversy about its health factors many people prefer it over traditional sugar. This substitute has become a part of our daily life, but many forget how and when it came to be.

            A group of scientist had been working for a way to help stop the gastrin hormone which causes people to suffer from ulcers and other digestive illnesses. In 1965 one of the scientist accidentally spilled a few of the chemicals together. He licked his fingers and noticed that there was a pleasant sugary taste to the combination. The mixture was then studied and later utilized to help make sweeter food items taste a lot better with only a fraction of the calories.

            Since its discovery Aspartame has been the center of many major controversies. This artificial sweetener actually went through quite a bit of a struggle to even be accepted through the FDA. When this sweetener was originally proposed to the FDA it was actually denied eight times. In 1974 the sweetener was approved for use in dry foods, but before it was even able to make it onto the market many scientist rallied to have the sweetener banned until further research could be done.

            By 1983 the sweetener had passed through the FDA with only half of the scientist approving its use. Meanwhile, the government was still prosecuting the scientist that had manipulated his findings in order to have the sweetener passed through the FDA. The scientist was convicted of his crimes, but the sweetener remained on the market. By 1993, aspartame was cleared to be put in any type of food companies wanted to put it in.

            Aspartame can be found in most of the things we eat today because it helps cut down the calories. You have to be careful if you don't want to consume this artificial sweetener when you buy food products. Although it might seem unavoidable, a diet without this sweetener might help you live a healthier lifestyle.