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aspartame. However, some people are sensitive to aspartame and react oddly to it. You may be one of them.
At high temperatures aspartame decomposes completely, releasing methanol into the system. This is a different, poisonous alcohol from the ethanol in beverages, so there is no additive effect. The amount of methanol released by the average amount of Aspartame used to sweeten a cup of coffee or a soda is minimal, however, and easily detoxified by the liver. Aspartame decmoposes partially in hot liquids like coffee and tea, becoming less sweet but generally not making it all the way to methanol. That's why it's unsuccessful in cooking from Jello to cakes and pies: the heat pops off those little amines and you're left with a largely inert substance that doesn't taste like anything.
Personally, I think people are better off if they learn to drink unsweetened coffee and tea and use real sugar sparingly, but I'm the queen of diet sodas so I can't lecture anybody. I did notice a huge difference when I switched to one sweetened with Splenda, though, easily worth the slight increase in price.
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