Health risks of Aspartame Essays

Health risks of Aspartame Essays Health risks of Aspartame Paper Health risks of Aspartame Paper Aspartame is a sweetening agent (that is utilized in several food products) and contains very low amount of calories.   It has been utilized in a variety of foods, beverages and products available in the market.   It could also be utilized in the market as an agent during cooking, baking and on the table. Aspartame is commercially available for more than 25 years (ADA, 2006).   The degree of sweetness provided by aspartame is 180 to 220 times greater than that provided by sugar (MgGee, 2005) Rather than being composed of carbohydrates, aspartame is composed of two amino acids, namely, aspartic acid and phenylalanine (which form the building blocks of proteins). These amino acids are present in several proteineous foods such as meats, dairy products.   When an individual consumes aspartame, it is broken down into aspartic acid, phenylalanine and small amounts of methanol (which is a hazardous form of alcohol).   These components rather than accumulating in the body are absorbed into the blood and are utilized during metabolism to maintain several functions of the body. They may be utilized by the body for several reasons including those for which aspartic acid and phenylalanine is naturally obtained from the diet (such as meats, fruits, milk, etc).   Some food may produce larger amounts of aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol compared to aspartame.   For example, low-fat milk will produce greater amount of phenylalanine and aspartic acid compared to aspartame.   Methanol on the other hand is 6 times higher when tomato juice is consumed, compared to aspartame (AIC, 2006). Some of the food in which aspartame is utilized routinely include sodas, gelatins, puddings, desserts, cocoa drinks, breath fresheners, gum, etc.   Most of the products that contain aspartame have it mentioned on the ingredient label (ADA, 2006). Nowadays, the use of aspartame in food products has become a trend due to the fact that people are becoming more health conscious.   The increased incidence of diabetes mellitus in the population has also prompted for a rise in the usage of aspartame.   Many consumers are utilizing aspartame to replace sugars and carbohydrates in normal diet.   Health professionals are also advising aspartame in pregnant women to help them eat their favorite food without putting on extra weight. However, this may not be right, because babies present in the womb require the right quantity of calories and other nutrients for proper growth and development.   Even during breastfeeding, the nursing mother should ensure that she receives the exact amount of calories and other nutrients by consuming natural sweeteners, rather than the artificial ones (ADA, 2006). Some people may have a rare genetic disorder known as ‘phenylketonuria’ in which they are unable to breakdown and utilize phenylalanine present in the diet.   Such individuals may have to modify the diet by consuming lower amounts of products containing phenylalanine.   Such individuals should also avoid aspartame, as it may be injurious to their health (ADA, 2006). These individuals do not have an enzyme that transform phenylalanine into tyrosine.   Hence, in such individuals, the levels of phenylalanine would accumulate in the CNS, causing a variety of neurological and psychiatric symptoms. Usually, the parents of phenylketonurics are carriers of the disease (may not actually suffer from the disease, but can genetically carry the defective gene which could express the disease in their offsprings).   The number of carriers of phyenylketouric is about 4 to 20 million.   These individuals are also at a high risk of suffering from the toxic effects of the sweetener (Schachter, 1996). Recent and earlier studies have demonstrated that aspartame may be very harmful to certain patients as they may induce seizures.   Studies that had been performed in 1987 have demonstrated that certain individuals after consuming aspartame developed seizures (especially the grand-mal type).   The seizures tend to reduce once the individual stopped consumption of the sweetening agents.   However, only some individuals may be at a risk of developing seizures following aspartame consumption. Another incident regarding aspartame occurred when a nursing mother who consumed an aspartame containing gum, had her baby develop grand mal seizures (Veracity, 2005).   Researchers feel that a link between aspartame and the development of seizures has been identified.   Once aspartame is consumed by the body, it is broken down into phenylalanine and aspartic acid. These amino acids would then cross the blood-brain barrier and would directly affects the functioning of the CNS (Brain).   Although, phenylalanine is present in a natural diet, it may not be present in combination with aspartic acid.   Researchers feel that the combination of both these amino acids can potentially cause a lot of health hazards.   The exact mechanism of how the component/s of aspartame induce seizures is not identified. Some scientists feel that phenylalanine works by reducing the threshold for convulsions to develop, whereas others feel that the combination of phenylalanine and aspartic acid works by inducing seizures (Veracity, 2005).   Many people feel that aspartame works like a neurotoxin in the brain, by over-stimulating the cells present in the brain (Veracity, 2005).   In naturally occurring foods, phenylalanine and aspartic acid are present as amino acids in long-chains, associated with other amino acids. These chains may take long time to be broken down by the body and be utilized for several metabolic processes.   Hence, they do not readily enter the CNS (compared to when aspartame is consumed).   They may take longer than 12 hours to be digested (321 Recipes, 1996).

Haber Conjugation in Spanish, Translation, Examples

Haber Conjugation in Spanish, Translation, Examples The verb haber has two different uses and meanings, as well as two different conjugation patterns. Haber is used as an impersonal verb to mean there is or there are, and it is also used as an auxiliary verb. This article includes haber conjugations as an impersonal verb in the indicative mood (present, past, conditional, and future), the subjunctive mood (present and past), the imperative mood, and other verb forms. You can also find the conjugations in which haber is used an auxiliary verb. Haber as an Impersonal Verb Haber can be used as an impersonal verb that is translated to English as there is or there are. The fact that it is an impersonal verb means that there is no subject, and it is thus only conjugated in the third person singular form. For example, Hay un estudiante en la clase (There is a student in the class) or Hay muchos estudiantes en la clase (There are many students in the class). This form of haber can also mean to take place, Habr una reunià ³n maà ±ana (A meeting will take place tomorrow), or to occur, Ayer hubo un accidente (Yesterday an accident occurred). The verb haber is also used in several idioms, such as haber de and haber que, which are both followed by an infinitive verb and express the need to do something. The tables below show the conjugations of haber, and you will notice that since it is an impersonal verb, haber cannot be used in the imperative mood. Also, you can see that with this meaning of haber, in all the different verb tenses, only the third person singular form is used. Haber Present Indicative The form of haber in the present indicative tense is completely irregular. Hay there is/there are Hay una fiesta en mi casa.Hay muchas fiestas en mi casa. Haber Preterite Indicative This verb is also irregular in the preterite indicative tense. Hubo there was/there were Hubo una fiesta en mi casa.Hubo muchas fiestas en mi casa. Haber Imperfect Indicative The imperfect indicative conjugation of haber is regular. Habà ­a there was/there were Habà ­a una fiesta en mi casa.Habà ­a muchas fiestas en mi casa. Haber Future Indicative The future indicative of haber is irregular because instead of using the infinitive as the stem, haber, you need to use the stem habr-. Habr there will be Habr una fiesta en mi casa.Habr muchas fiestas en mi casa. Haber PeriphrasticFuture Indicative Remember to conjugate the periphrastic future with the present indicative conjugation of the verb ir (to go), followed by the preposition a and the infinitive of the verb. Va a haber there is going to be/there are going to be Va a haber una fiesta en mi casa.Va a haber muchas fiestas en mi casa. Haber Present Progressive/Gerund Form The gerund or present participle is formed with the ending -iendo (for -er verbs). It can be used to form the present progressive, although the verb haber is not very frequently used in this way. Present Progressive ofHaber est habiendo There is being/There are being Est habiendo una fiesta en mi casa.Est habiendo muchas fiestas en mi casa. Haber Past Participle The past participle of haber is formed with the ending -ido. Present Perfect of Haber ha habido There has been/There have been Ha habido una fiesta en mi casa.Ha habido muchas fiestas en mi casa. Haber Conditional Indicative Just like the future tense, the conjugation of the conditional is irregular, since it uses the stem habr-. Habrà ­a there would be Habrà ­a una fiesta en mi casa si no estuvieran mis padres.Habrà ­a muchas muchas fiestas en mi casa si no estuvieran mis padres. Haber Present Subjunctive The conjugation of haber is irregular (similar to the present indicative conjugation). Haya that there is/that there are Mis amigos quieren que haya una fiesta en mi casa.Mis amigos quieren que haya muchas fiestas en mi casa. Haber Imperfect Subjunctive Notice that there are two options for conjugating the imperfect subjunctive. Option 1 Hubiera that there was/that there were Mis amigos querà ­an que hubiera una fiesta en mi casa.Mis amigos querà ­an que hubiera muchas fiestas en mi casa. Option 2 Hubiese that there was/that there were Mis amigos querà ­an que hubiese una fiesta en mi casa.Mis amigos querà ­an que hubiese muchas fiestas en mi casa. Haber Conjugation as an Auxiliary Verb Haber is the most common of the auxiliary verbs in Spanish, as it is used to form the perfect tenses. It is the equivalent of the English have as an auxiliary verb- but it shouldnt be confused when using have with the meaning to possess, which is usually tener. The tables below show the compound tenses in which haber is used as an auxiliary verb. The examples use the past participle of the verb hablar (to talk) to demonstrate the auxiliary function of haber. Present Perfect Indicative Yo he hablado I have talked Yo he hablado con el jefe. Tà º hashablado You have talked Tà º has hablado todo el dà ­a. Usted/à ©l/ella hahablado You/he/she has talked Ella ha hablado italiano. Nosotros hemoshablado We have talked Nosotros hemos hablado por telà ©fono. Vosotros habà ©is hablado You have talked Vosotros habà ©is hablado conmigo. Ustedes/ellos/ellas hanhablado You/they have talked Ellos han hablado un rato. Pluperfect Indicative Yo habà ­a hablado I had talked Yo habà ­a hablado con el jefe. Tà º habà ­ashablado You hadtalked Tà º habà ­as hablado todo el dà ­a. Usted/à ©l/ella habà ­ahablado You/he/she had talked Ella habà ­ahablado italiano. Nosotros habà ­amoshablado We had talked Nosotros habà ­amos hablado por telà ©fono. Vosotros habà ­aishablado You had talked Vosotros habà ­ais hablado conmigo. Ustedes/ellos/ellas habà ­anhablado You/they had talked Ellos habà ­anhablado un rato. Future Perfect Indicative Yo habrà © hablado I will have talked Yo habrà © hablado con el jefe. Tà º habrshablado You will have talked Tà º habrs hablado todo el dà ­a. Usted/à ©l/ella habrhablado You/he/she will have talked Ella habrhablado italiano. Nosotros habremoshablado We will have talked Nosotros habremos hablado por telà ©fono. Vosotros habrà ©ishablado You will have talked Vosotros habrà ©is hablado conmigo. Ustedes/ellos/ellas habrnhablado You/they will have talked Ellos habrnhablado un rato. Conditional Perfect Indicative Yo habrà ­a hablado I would have talked Yo habrà ­a hablado con el jefe si hubiera tenido tiempo. Tà º habrà ­ashablado You would have talked Tà º habrà ­as hablado todo el dà ­a si te hubieran dejado. Usted/à ©l/ella habrà ­ahablado You/he/she would have talked Ella habrà ­ahablado italiano si hubiera aprendido bien. Nosotros habrà ­amoshablado We would have talked Nosotros habrà ­amos hablado por telà ©fono si no fuera tan tarde. Vosotros habrà ­aishablado You would have talked Vosotros habrà ­ais hablado conmigo si en realidad lo quisierais. Ustedes/ellos/ellas habrà ­an hablado You/they would have talked Ellos habrà ­anhablado un rato si no tuvieran que marcharse. Present Perfect Subjunctive Que yo haya hablado That I would have talked A Carlos le sorprende que yo haya hablado con el jefe. Que tà º hayashablado That you would have talked A mà ­ me molestà ³ que tà º hayas hablado todo el dà ­a. Que usted/à ©l/ella hayahablado That you/he/she would have talked A Marà ­a le gustà ³ que ella hayahablado italiano. Que nosotros hayamoshablado That we would have talked A Pedro le encantà ³ que nosotros hayamoshablado por telà ©fono. Que vosotros hayishablado That you would have talked A la maestra le gustà ³ que vosotros hayishablado conmigo. Que ustedes/ellos/ellas hayanhablado You/they would have talked A Juan le agradà ³ que ellos hayanhablado un rato. Pluperfect Subjunctive Option 1 Que yo hubiera hablado That I would have talked Carlos esperaba que yo hubiera hablado con el jefe. Que tà º hubierashablado That you would have talked A mà ­ no me parecà ­a que tà º hubieras hablado todo el dà ­a. Que usted/à ©l/ella hubierahablado That you/he/she would have talked Marà ­a no creà ­a que ella hubierahablado italiano. Que nosotros hubià ©ramoshablado That we would have talked A Pedro le hubiera gustado que nosotros hubià ©ramoshablado por telà ©fono. Que vosotros hubieraishablado That you would have talked A la maestra le sorprendà ­a que vosotros hubieraishablado conmigo. Que ustedes/ellos/ellas hubieranhablado You/they would have talked Juan preferà ­a que ellos hubieranhablado un rato. Option 2 Que yo hubiese hablado That I would have talked Carlos esperaba que yo hubiese hablado con el jefe. Que tà º hubieseshablado That you would have talked A mà ­ no me parecà ­a que tà º hubieses hablado todo el dà ­a. Que usted/à ©l/ella hubiesehablado That you/he/she would have talked Marà ­a no creà ­a que ella hubiesehablado italiano. Que nosotros hubià ©semoshablado That we would have talked A Pedro le hubiera gustado que nosotros hubià ©semoshablado por telà ©fono. Que vosotros hubieseishablado That you would have talked A la maestra le sorprendà ­a que vosotros hubieseishablado conmigo. Que ustedes/ellos/ellas hubiesenhablado You/they would have talked Juan preferà ­a que ellos hubiesenhablado un rato.