New questions have been raised about the potential effects of artificial sweetener after a New Zealand woman fell ill, blaming her daily consumption of four packs of sugar-free chewing gum.
Abigail Cormack, 25, of Wellington, went to her doctor complaining of crippling muscle cramps, anxiety attacks, depression and skin rashes, and was forced to take sick leave, the Dominion Post newspaper reported.
Cormack's doctor Penny Rowley told AAP it was a "strong possibility" her patient had been made ill by the artificial sweetener aspartame, which is used in NutraSweet and Equal, as well as thousands of other products.
Cormack's symptoms disappeared within 24 hours of her giving up the gum, which she had been chewing for a few years.
"She stopped having the gum and things resolved, so it looks like there was a cause and effect there," Rowley said.
Cormack admits her chewing gum consumption was "excessive", but says there were no warnings it could do her harm.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) says aspartame is safe for human consumption.
Pharmacologist Professor Carl Burgess, from the Wellington School of Medicine, said most people were not affected, but some people did react to artificial sweeteners.
"On a personal basis I have not seen it but it is certainly in the literature. Some people do react to these substances, particularly with headache and feeling tired, weary, that sort of stuff, and occasionally depression," he said.
"Anxiety and panic attacks are described with these sort of compounds," Burgess said.
Last year an Italian team which conducted a controversial seven-year study into the substance linked it to a range of cancers.
However the Italian team's findings were later disputed in a review by the European Food Safety Authority, prompting FSANZ not to change the acceptable daily intake of 40 mg/kg.
New Zealand's Green Party wants all fizzy drinks containing aspartame to be removed from schools in light of the Wellington case.
"Many consumers have no idea that aspartame is a controversial additive, or that it has been linked to a significant number of side-effects, especially if it is frequently consumed in large quantities," said Green MP Sue Kedgley.
A statement from Wrigley later said aspartame was the most tested food additive in history and more than 200 studies supported its safety.
"Wrigley Australia and New Zealand is committed to ensuring that all safety food standards are met for all of our confectionery products, including gum," the company said.
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