Aspartame Resources: Reports on Aspartame Safety from Reliable Sources

ASPARTAME AND A HEALTHFUL LIFESTYLE

Health experts agree that eating well and being physically active are keys to a healthful lifestyle. To help people achieve a more healthful lifestyle, the U.S. government provides “Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” which encourage consumers to “Choose beverages and foods to moderate your intake of sugars.” The World Health Organization also recommends a number of dietary guidelines to combat increases in chronic diseases such as obesity, high blood pressure, cancer, and diabetes. One recommendation is to limit sugars added to some foods and beverages. As a sweetener, aspartame can reduce or replace the calories from sugar in foods and beverages while maintaining great taste, offering one simple step to help people move closer to achieving a more healthful diet.

Further, studies have shown that foods and beverages sweetened with aspartame can be an effective "tool" as part of a weight management program. Aspartame, however, is not a drug and does not stimulate weight loss. It does help make possible good tasting low- or reduced-calorie foods and beverages for those who wish to control or decrease their caloric intake. Researchers at Harvard Medical School have concluded that aspartame "is a valuable adjunct to a comprehensive program of balanced diet, exercise and behavior modifications for losing weight."