Abstract
Aspartame, a widely used sweetener, was studied in 53 adults, 28 of whom were carriers for phenylketonuria (PKU). The study was divided into a loading test followed by chronic intake for a period of 12 weeks. Two doses of aspartame were used in the loading test, 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg. Blood levels of phenylalanine and tyrosine were measured hourly, and the aromatic acid metabolites of phenylalanine were determined in urine. During the chronic intake, blood phenylalanine and tyrosine and urinary phenylalanine metabolites were determined every two weeks. The level of blood phenylalanine rose 5-to 10-fold when carriers for PKU ingested the 100-mg/kg load, as opposed to 2.5-to 6-fold in the normal controls. With a dose of 50 mg/kg, blood phenylalanine was increased from 2 to 7 times in the carriers, and from 2 to 3.5 times in the control group (p < 0.02). Blood tyrosine levels did not rise sharply, unlike blood phenylalanine. The normal blood phenylalanine-to-tyrosine ratio is 1.0. The ratio reached as high as 20.9 in carriers and 5.8 in normals. During 12 weeks of aspartame intake, blood phenylalanine levels were greater than 10 mg/dl in 12% of carriers for PKU and in 5% of the normal controls. Among the controls, the range of blood phenylalanine was 0.3 to 11.1 mg/dl. These data are of concern since blood phenylalanine levels are elevated above physiological levels even among normal individuals who take aspartame.
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© 1988 Birkhäuser Boston
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Matalon, R., Michals, K., Sullivan, D., Wideroff, L., Levy, P. (1988). Aspartame Consumption in Normal Individuals and Carriers for Phenylketonuria. In: Wurtman, R.J., Ritter-Walker, E. (eds) Dietary Phenylalanine and Brain Function. Birkhäuser Boston. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-9821-3_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-9821-3_4
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