Can pregnant women consume aspartame?

Aspartame is safe for pregnant women and their developing babies, according to the Council on Scientific Affairs of the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition and the American Dietetic Association.

Pregnancy is a time in a woman’s life when good nutrition is especially important. While sufficient calories are important during pregnancy, these calories should come from foods that contribute to nutrient needs rather than foods low in nutrients. The variety of foods and beverages sweetened with aspartame can help satisfy a pregnant woman’s taste for "sweets" without the extra calories, leaving room for more nutritious foods.

Another concern relates to fetal exposure to aspartic acid, phenylalanine or menthol. The components in aspartame are also contained in many of the foods that are eaten daily by pregnant and breast-feeding women. The body uses the components from aspartame in the same way it uses these components in everyday foods. Scientific studies reviewed by the American Dietetic Association confirm this finding. In animals, consumption of aspartame does not change fetal exposure to aspartic acid. When given 34 mg/kg of aspartame, both normal subjects and phenylketonuric subjects produced peak plasma levels of phenylalanine below the level that would cause neurological problems in the fetus. Plasma response of methanol and formate were not significant after consumption of aspartame. Thus, if placental transport of these compounds occurs, the amount is not clinically harmful.