Answer
Aspartame, also known as "NutraSweet" is a non-caloric sweetener used in
many foods and diet sodas. It is made up of two amino acids (the building
blocks of protein). There are no studies that show aspartame is harmful to
pregnant women as long as it is taken in moderation (no more than one diet
soft drink per day).
Aspartame is broken down in the digestive track the same way any other
protein is during digestion.
I am sure you are thinking one diet soda per day is not going to cut it
for you. I think one soda is said to be the limit because doctors and
dietitians do not want pregnant women to avoid drinking juices, water
and milk which supply more nutrients and health benefits.
The major concern with aspartame is with the phenylalanine (a protein
that makes up part of aspartame). Women with a condition called
phenylketonuria (PKU - for which your baby will probably be screened
for at birth), a rare hereditary condition in which the amino acid
phenylalanine is not properly metabolized, are at risk because high
levels of phenylalanine can cause damage to the fetus.
In a healthy person fed sixty 12-oz cans of diet soda at one time,
blood phenylalanine levels peak well below the sustained concentration
level deemed harmful. So, I think it is unlikely that you will have any
problems unless you suffer from PKU.
Saccharin, however, another sweetener found in some soft drinks (and
the ingredient in Sweet 'N Low(r) sweetener - the pink packet on
coffeeshop tables across the US) has been found to have teratogenic
(means "causing abnormal fetal development and birth defects") effects
in rodents. It has also been shown to be carcinogenic (cancer causing)
in rats as well. So, in my opinion, that sweetener should be the one
avoided while pregnant.
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