Does anyone know if diet coke uses the sweetner aspartame and if not what artificial sweetner do they use?

Question

just curious because of some of the allegations thrown against this product.

Answer 1

Regular diet coke uses aspartame.  So does Coke Zero.  They also have one with Splenda (Diet Coke with Splenda), but I don't see it very often.

Answer 2

It is sweetened with Splenda.

Answer 3

In Australia, aspartame is listed under the number 951. I don't know what kind of labeling they have overseas. The best consumer information I have found on the net is from the American Cancer Society. This outlines the source of the misinformation, which is really handy when evaluating other sources of information. Mist of the misinformation on aspartame comes from the original study in 1972, which is often misquoted by other sources.

Animal studies in the 1970s found that rats could eat 4 grams of aspartame per kilogram of body weight without showing health problems. To be safe, the JECFA divided this dose by 100, and set the Acceptable Daily Intake of aspartame for humans at 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.

The FDA, now has stated that the acceptable daily intake of aspartame for humans is 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.

This is equivalent to 3500 milligrams per day for a typical 70-kilogram (about 150 pounds) adult, far more than most adults take in daily. For comparison, a can of diet soft drink contains about 180 milligrams of aspartame . So a typical adult could drink 19 cans of diet soft drink each day before going over the recommended level. A 30-kilogram (66 pounds) child would have to drink more than 8 cans of diet soda daily to reach the ADI for aspartame.

Does Aspartame Cause Cancer?

Soon after aspartame was introduced to the market, its safety was questioned. Its role in cancer risk has been widely debated over the last few decades. Concerns still exist today and studies continue to look at the safety of aspartame and other artificial sweeteners.

As recently as April 2007, the FDA released this statement: "Considering results from the large number of studies on aspartame's safety, including five previously conducted negative chronic carcinogenicity studies, a recently reported large epidemiology study with negative associations between the use of aspartame and the occurrence of tumors, and negative findings from a series of three transgenic mouse assays, FDA finds no reason to alter its previous conclusion that aspartame is safe as a general purpose sweetener in food."

What Do the Experts Say?

Aspartame has been approved for use as a sweetener by the FDA and by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, and the World Health Organization. They have concluded that aspartame does not cause cancer or other adverse health effects in the general population. Though research into a possible link between aspartame and cancer continues, no study to date has had results that change this conclusion.

Does Aspartame Cause Any Other Health Problems?

Phenylketonuria (PKU)

People born with a rare genetic disorder called phenylketonuria or PKU cannot break down (metabolize) the amino acid phenylalanine. This amino acid occurs naturally and is found in aspartame. PKU is usually detected in babies by a routine blood test at birth. People with the disorder are placed on a phenylalanine-restricted diet and must avoid aspartame.

Other Complaints

The FDA received hundreds of complaints of various symptoms after aspartame was introduced. The most common symptoms were headache, dizziness, stomach (gastrointestinal) symptoms, and change in mood. Less often, seizures were reported. The symptoms did not follow any particular pattern and most were minor. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that "although it may be that certain individuals have an unusual sensitivity to the product, these data do not provide evidence for the existence of serious, widespread, adverse health consequences attendant to the use of aspartame."

Claims are still made that aspartame is related to numerous health effects including: Alzheimer disease, birth defects, cancer, diabetes, Gulf War syndrome, attention deficit disorders, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and seizures. However, there is very little scientific evidence to support these claims. Human exposure studies done to date, in which volunteers eat known quantities of aspartame, have not shown any evidence of harm.

Methanol, one of the breakdown products of aspartame, is toxic to humans when large doses are eaten and could possibly cause blindness and even death. However, the amount of methanol produced when aspartame is broken down is minimal and well below the level that is a risk to human health.

Answer 4

It depends on where you live.  In the US, it contains aspartame.  In other countries they use different formulas with other artifical sweeteners, including ace-K, and saccharin.

Answer 5

its aspartame, i drink diet crush which contains splenda.

Answer 6

Unless it says on the can sweetened with splenda it uses aspartame

Answer 7

It depends on the country the Diet Coke is sold and if it's from the can or fountain. In the U.S. Diet Coke in cans are made with aspartame. It wasn't always the case however. When Diet Coke was first introduced, it was made with a blend of aspartame and saccharine. Diet Coke did switch to a 100% aspartame formula to compete with Diet Rite which was advertise to be made with 100% aspartame (Coca Cola was also facing pressure from NutraSweet). Diet Coke served from the fountain still uses a blend of aspartame and saccharine - ostensibly to prolong shelf life. In countries where cyclamates are not banned, Diet Coke may be made with a blend of cyclamates, aspartame, and acesulfame potassium.

In the U.S. there is also a version of Diet Coke made with Splenda which is made with a blend of sucralose and acesulfame potassium rather than aspartame. But it has met with limited success.

Answer 8

Look at the bottle.  The ingredients are listed.

Answer 9

Aspartame is a low-calorie sweetener made primarily of two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine.

Amino acids, including the two amino acids in aspartame, are the building blocks for proteins and are widely found in nature in both plants and animals.

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Is aspartame safe?

Yes, the safety of all ingredients used in the products of The Coca-Cola Company including aspartame has been established, and the use of these ingredients complies with relevant regulations in all countries where our products are sold.

More than 90 nations worldwide have approved aspartame for use. It is widely used in countries such as the U.S., the European Union, Canada and Japan. Aspartame has been reviewed by health authorities around the world and found to be safe.

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Why is the U.S. fountain version of Diet Coke sweetened with aspartame and saccharin?

Because aspartame by itself is heat and pH-sensitive (meaning it loses sweetness over time), the concentrated found syrup causes aspartame to lose it sweetness faster than it would in a finished beverage. Fountain diet drinks, therefore, are sweetened with a blend of aspartame and saccharin to assure maximum product quality.

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Why is the statement “contains phenylalanine” on the label?

Some individuals with a rare hereditary disease known as phenylketonuria (PKU) are unable to metabolize phenylalanine adequately and need to control their intake of this amino acid from all food sources.

Products formulated with aspartame carry a statement on the label that phenylalanine is present.

Answer 10

Some drinks tell you It usually says used with splenda on the can/box/bottle.

Answer 11

yes it is apartame

Answer 12

unless it says splenda on it .it probley does any it on the back of the can too.