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Effect of Aspartame Loading on Plasma and Erythrocyte Free Amino Acid Concentrations in One-Year-Old Infants¹

Departments of Pediatrics and Biochemistry, The University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242

Aspartame is a new dipeptide sweetener. It has been suggested that infants metabolize its constituent amino acids (aspartate and phenylalanine) less well than adults. To test this hypothesis, 24 1-year-old infants were administered 34, 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight aspartame in cherry-flavored beverage mix. Plasma amino acid concentrations and the areas under the plasma concentration-time curves (AUC) were determined and were compared with values in adults administered equivalent doses. The doses studied include the 99th percentile of projected ingestion for adults (34 mg/kg), a very high use dose (50 mg/kg body weight), and a potentially abusive dose (100 mg/kg body weight). Plasma aspartate concentrations did not change > 0.05) at aspartame doses of 34 and 50 mg/kg body weight, but did increase significantly at the 100 mg/kg body weight dose. The change over base line was similar in infants and adults. Aspartame dosing significantly increased both the mean peak plasma phenylalanine concentration and the plasma phenylalanine AUC value in proportion to dose. Mean (±SD) peak plasma phenylalanine concentrations in infants were 9.87 ± 1.44, 11.6 ± 4.44 and 22.3 ±11.5 µmol/100 ml at aspartame doses of 34, 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight, respectively. Values in infants were similar to those noted in adults. The data do not support the suggestion that infants metabolize the amino acids of aspartame less well than adults.

KEY WORDS: • aspartame • aspartate • phenylalanine

¹ Supported in part by a grant-in-aid from the General Foods Corporation, White Plains, New York.

² Correspondence and reprint requests to: Dr. Lewis D. Stegink, Department of Pediatrics, S-385 Hospital School, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242.

Manuscript received 27 January 1983.