Advantame--an overview of the toxicity data

Advantame is an N-substituted (aspartic acid portion) derivative of aspartame that is similar in structure to neotame, another N-substituted aspartame. An extensive series of studies, were conducted on advantame to define the pharmacokinetics and metabolism in various species, subchronic and chronic toxicity in the rat and dog, carcinogenicity in the rat and mouse, genotoxicity, reproductive, and developmental toxicity, and human tolerability studies. The results of these studies, presented in overview in the present publication, and in greater detail in the accompanying publications, show that advantame is well tolerated by both animals and humans and does not possess systemic toxicity. The metabolic data demonstrate that the animal species used in the toxicity testing are relevant to the evaluation of human safety. The no-observed-adverse-effect levels (NOAELs) identified in the animal studies in which advantame was administered in the diet were generally the highest doses tested. Under the anticipated conditions of use, the predicted intakes of advantame are about 20,000- to 70,000-fold lower than the identified animal study NOAEL values. The results of the animal toxicology and human trial data support the safety of use of advantame in food.