The biological properties of aspartame. V. Effects on a variety of physiological parameters related to inflammation and metabolism.

Aspartame (APM), L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester, is a low calorie sweetening agent 180 times sweeter than sucrose. As part of a series of studies designed to determine the potential effects of ingestion of excesses of APM on a wide spectrum of physiological processes, experiments were conducted in which high multiples (mg/kg basis) of the projected maximum daily human intake (20 mg/kg) were administered intragastrically to laboratory rats. Doses up to 16 times the maximum intake had no effect on inflammation parameters including carrageenin-induced paw edema, connective tissue formation and adjuvant arthritis. APM, likewise, showed no antihistamine activity in vitro. Even higher multiples (up to 103 times) of the maximum intake had no effect on various parameters of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. These results indicate that APM ingested in great excess would not be expected to significantly impair inflammatory processes nor influence carbohydrate and lipid metabolism.