Answer:
One of the controversies surrounding aspartame concerns the products into which aspartame is converted upon digestion.
The digestive products of aspartame are, aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol or wood alcohol.
The controversy in recent years is the claim about long-term repercussions of aspartame consumption in your body.
Because the broken down formaldehyde is carcinogen and neurotoxic, and of these products, phenylalanine is harmful because there are people who can not break it down.
Explanation:
Although aspartame is one of the most popular artificial sweeteners sold under the brand names NutraSweet and Equal and, also used widely in packaged “diet” foods, it has also faced controversy, as there are people with a genetic disorder called phenylketonuria (PKU) which is an enzyme deficiency that keeps their body from breaking down aspartame´s phenylalanine.
Aspartame´s ingredients, aspartic acid and phenylalanine, are naturally occurring amino acids produced by your body, and phenylalanine is an essential amino acid that you get from food and when your body processes aspartame, part of it is broken down into methanol, which is toxic in large quantities because it breaks down into formaldehyde, a known carcinogen and neurotoxin, in the body, and people who have a condition called phenylketonuria (PKU) shouldn’t use aspartame, neither do people who are taking schizophrenia medication.
