Is the aspartame metabolite phenylalamine the same as L-phenylalamine?

[RichterBell]

I've read that aspartame has 3 components. Those three components are aspartic acid, phenylalamine, and methanol. I've also read that L-phenylalamine has benefits in treating things like, anxiety, depression, etc. Is the phenylalamine in aspartame the same as L-phenylalamine?? More specifically, do people receive the same benefits from consuming aspartame as they would if they took a L-phenylalamine supplement?? I can't find a clear answer online. It's confusing because I constantly hear bad things about aspartame yet I hear good things about L-phenylalamine supplementation.

[Paxiled]

First, artificial sweeteners are bad for you. Period.  Worse for your health than eating a moderate amount of good old natural sugar.  The word you're looking for is phenylalanine, with an n, not an m.  Aspartame is made mostly of two amino acids, they're not metabolites of it -- aspartic acid and phenylalanine.  The L- should be in front of amino acids most of the time, as it describes the form and is the proper name, but when we talk about them we usually leave off the L-.  There are other forms, such as the DL- form, as an example.  Phenylalanine is not used for anxiety -- it can cause it.  It's basically adrenaline.  If you use too much of it, it will be like taking speed.  It is used for depression sometimes, but usually in the DL- form to avoid causing anxiety.  You're probably thinking of the snri class of antidepressants, which target phenylalanine receptors along with serotonin receptors, but they don't contain the amino acid, they target receptor sites when it acts a neurotransmitter.  I don't know where you're seeing anyone saying supplementing with it is a great thing to do -- some athletes do it for more energy, but again, it can cause anxiety if you're susceptible to an anxiety problem.  The ordinary person wouldn't supplement with it.  

[RichterBell]

Thanks, Paxiled. I understand artificial sweetners are bad. That's was why I was surprised when I found out people use phenylalanine as a supplement. I would expect people to get the same effects from drinking aspartame as they would from taking phenylalanine as a supplememt, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Or maybe not to the degree that I would expect. Actually, phenylalanine IS a metabolite of aspartame. When metabolized, aspartame is broken down into aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. Source "http://www.sweetpoison.com/pdf/Tsakiris_Pharmaco_Res_Jan_2006.pdf"

[Paxiled]

That just means it gets broken back down into what it was made of in the first place.  Aspartame doesn't exist in nature -- it's made using aspartic acid and phenylalanine, which are found in nature.  Upon consuming it, it breaks apart again.  That's a bit different than something that naturally metabolizes in the body into something else as a natural bodily process.  Splitting hairs a bit.  The reason you wouldn't likely get any benefit from this as a supplement is that there isn't enough pheynylalanine in it for that.  Some very sensitive people might feel it, though, by getting hyper or feel some extra energy.  But remember, this is an amino acid, a component of protein, so you eat it every day in protein foods.  It's not rare.  But in those quantities, you don't feel it that much.  When the body consumes protein, it breaks it down into the individual amino acids and uses them if necessary or discards them if unnecessary.  

[Paxiled]

I guess I should give an example.  When you consume taurine, a pseudo-amino acid, it is metabolized into GABA in the presence of B6 and other co-factors.  This is a true example of the body making something out of other components.  It's a different thing than something being glued together in a lab and then coming apart again when you eat it.