You read on the Internet that aspartame is very bad for people with PKU. What is PKU, and should this affect your decision to use this sweetener?

Answer 1

Numerous careful scientific investigations carried out both before and after aspartame first appeared on the market have indicated that the product brings about adverse health effects in only a small group of people with a rare metabolic disorder known as phenylketonuria, or PKU. People born with PKU must carefully control their consumption of phenylalanine (one of the two amino acids that make up aspartame) to prevent health problems as severe as mental retardation. The American Medical Association's Council on Scientific Affairs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and numerous other health organizations all consider the sweetener safe for use except by people with PKU