Review of artificial aspartame sweetener

Aspartame as a synthetic sweetener is a dipeptide composed of aspartic acid and phenylalanine. It is 180 -200 times more sweetener than sucrose, which is made by two enzymatic and non-enzymatic methods and was first discovered randomly in 1965. The high sweetening power and low calorie of aspartame was prompted food industry that it used as a good alternative compared to sugar in sweet foods such as all types of beverages and sweets for people with diseases that associated with glucose homeostasis. In several years ago, some studies have shown that aspartame has been considered as a reason for induction of oxidative stress, metabolic syndrome, nervous system diseases, modifier of gastrointestinal microflora, and complications that related to these and even cancer. While, in the other studies, aspartame is still considered as a safe compound and an alternative compared to sugar for prevention of diseases such as obesity, diabetes and weight loss. Despite of contradictory studies, food safety organizations such as the FDA, the FAO, and the EFSA, are still authorizing daily use of aspartame at an acceptable daily intake (DAI) for all individuals with the exception of people with phenylctonuria disease.