T
7
A new Web site
was recently
launched,
aspartame.org,
in an effort to
help disseminate
sound scientific
information
about this
sweetener.
The site contains
the latest infor-
mation about
aspartame,
an Aspartame
Brochure and
Q&A, as well as
links to scientific
expert organiza-
tions and more.
his year (2003) marks the 20-year anniversary
of the approval of aspartame for use in car-
bonated beverages. (A general use approval
for aspartame in all foods and beverages
was granted in 1996.) And, there's been
even more good news for aspartame lately.
The Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) of
the European Union reconfirmed aspar-
tame's clean bill of health following a com-
prehensive review of the sweetener's safety.
The SCF is a body of independent scientific
experts which advises the European Union
on matters of food safety; its aspartame
report was issued on December 10, 2002.
The SCF initially evaluated aspartame's
safety in 1984, when it first concluded that
the low-calorie sweetener was safe.
However, in light of some anecdotal reports
and allegations, the SCF decided to conduct a
thorough review of aspartame's safety and the
Sweet Anniversary for Aspartame
latest research findings. The
latest SCF report is the result of
an exhaustive evaluation of
hundreds of articles related to
aspartame's safety that have
been published in the scientific
literature since 1988. After SCF
published its comprehensive review of aspartame's safety, the United
Kingdom's Food Standards Agency (FSA) announced their support of the
SCF's conclusions. The French Food Safety Agency (AFSSA) and Health
Canada have also recently confirmed the safety of aspartame.
Based on the good news, a new Web site was recently launched,
www.aspartame.org, in an effort to help disseminate sound scien-
tific information about this sweetener. The site contains the latest
information about aspartame, an Aspartame Brochure and Q&A, as
well as links to scientific expert organizations and more. One of the
most popular features is the "Calorie Savings Calculator." Visitors
to the site can type in various foods and determine how many calo-
ries can be saved by using the aspartame-sweetened version of the
product.
C
onsumers using low-fat foods most likely have a
lower fat intake and better diet than those
who do not use such products. A recent
study by Dr. Madeleine Sigman-Grant enti-
tled, "Select lower-fat foods positively impact
nutrient quality in diets of free-living
Americans" was published in the
Journal of the American Dietetic
Association. The survey used data
from the Continuing Survey of Food
Intake by Individuals (CSFII) and
researchers compared the nutrient
profiles of those who reported regu-
lar use of low-fat foods versus those
who did not report intake of these
foods, as well as those who used
both high-fat and low-fat foods.
Researchers studied the intakes of
both children and adults. They
found that subjects who reported the
use of lower-fat foods had a signifi-
Low-Fat Foods Help Lower Fat Intake and Increase Diet Quality
cantly lower fat intake than those who were "high-fat users" (those who
exclusively used high-fat versions of foods). The researchers noted,
"Three major findings are apparent from this study. First, use of
selected lower-fat foods contributed to significantly lower intakes of total
and saturated fat than levels seen in those consuming only high-fat
versions. Secondly, in general, of those consuming the selected foods,
respondents who selected a combina-
tion of lower and high-fat products
(mixed users) had significantly higher
micronutrient intakes than those con-
suming only high-fat versions of these
foods. Finally, Food Guide Pyramid pat-
terning reflects the relationships of
macronutrients and micronutrients to
mean intakes (expressed either as
reported or as nutrient density)."
References:
Sigman-Grant, Madeleine., PhD., Warland, Rex,
PhD., Hsieh, Gloria, PhD. Select Lower Fat Foods
Positively Impact Nutrient Quality in Diets of Free-
Living Americans. Journal of the American Dietetic
Association. May 2003. Vol. 103. No. 5. 570-576.
