The website www.aspartame.org contains information about the infamous and controversial artificial sweetener aspartame, also recognized by the brand names NutraSweet, Equal, and CANDEREL. Owned and operated by the Calorie Control Council, a representative for the industry of low-fat and low-calorie beverages and foods, this website endeavors to separate fact from fiction. In a section marked “The Myths� an attempt is made to deconstruct broadly circulated urban legends about the dangers of aspartame. Included are links to several other websites to support its claim that aspartame is safe for human consumption.

One of the links directs you to an article on the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation website addressing the safety of aspartame, since one of the many accusations proclaimed throughout the internet and by word of mouth is that aspartame is linked to symptoms of MS. Another link to the American Council on Science and Health confronts and reprints a widely spread e-mail about the negative side effects of aspartame, which the council refers to as an internet health hoax.

In addition to “The Myths� section, the website is divided into five other categories: “The Latest,� “The Facts,� “The Benefits,� The Products,� and “The Experts.� “The Latest� area includes recent press releases and archives about aspartame studies as well as general health concerns related to topics such as lowering caloric intake. These include links to the European Food Safety Authority, the FDA, The French Food Safety Agency, the Canadian Diabetes Association, and many others. There are also documents from the Calorie Control Council itself.

In the section titled “The Facts� you find the scientific low-down on exactly what aspartame is and where it comes from, as well as additional references to the safety of aspartame. On “The Benefits� page there is a list of various claims as to how aspartame is beneficial, such as contributing to weight control and serving as a sugar substitute for diabetics. Under “The Products� headline are details about consumers and possible uses of aspartame as well as a list of some products which contain the sweetener.

In the final section, labeled “The Experts,� a small list categorizing aspartame experts appears. You can click on these links and be led to longer lists under each subheading. There you will find links to statements about aspartame made by many organizations such as the ones mentioned above as well as the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the National Parkinson Foundation, the International Food Information Council, various magazines, and various health organizations such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. There is a small calorie counter link on the website, which leads you to a short pull-down menu of aspartame flavored products. It then calculates the calories in the aspartame product compared to foods and beverages containing a higher calorie sweetener, like sugar.

I found this website while researching aspartame out of my concerns about the possible negative consequences of the use of artificial sweeteners. It appears to be a well organized website with references to many seemingly reliable outside sources. This doesn’t mean I’m going to suddenly start buying as many products as possible which contain aspartame, but it does relieve a bit of the panic about ingesting the product in moderate, if not small, amounts. For anyone concerned with artificial sweeteners and how they affect our health, this may prove to be a valuable source of information. Of course, you can also find similar claims of safety for many artificial sweeteners on websites such as www.saccharin.org, www.sucralose.org, and www.sweetone.com.