Blood Methanol Concentrations in One-Year-Old Infants Administered Graded Doses of Aspartame

Abstract

Blood methanol concentrations were measured in 24 1-year-old infants administered aspartame, a dipeptide methyl ester sweetener. The doses studied included a dose projected to be the 99th percentile of daily ingestion for adults (34 mg/kg body weight), a very high use dose (50 mg/kg body weight) and a dose considered to be in the abuse range (100 mg/kg body weight). Blood methanol values in infants were compared to values observed previously in adults administered equivalent doses of aspartame. Methanol concentrations were below the level of detection (0.35 mg/dl) in the blood of 10 infants administered aspartame at 34 mg/kg body weight, but were significantly elevated (P ≤ 0.05) after ingestion of aspartame at 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight. At the latter doses, mean peak blood methanol concentrations and the area under the blood methanol concentration-time curve increased in proportion to dose. Mean (±SEM) peak blood methanol concentration was 0.30 ± 0.10 mg/100 ml at a 50 mg/kg body weight aspartame dose (n = 6) and 1.02 ± 0.28 mg/ml at the 100 mg/kg body weight dose (n = 8). Blood methanol values in infants were similar to those observed in normal adults.