ANTILIPOLYTIC EFFECT OF AN ASPARTAME DIET ON ISOLATED RAT EPIDIDYMAL ADIPOCYTES

Aspartame is used as a non-sugar sweetner in food and beverages, and a s a non-calorific additive in diabetes and obesity diets. Although the re have been many studies on the long-term effects on the nervous syst em, few have considered the effects of aspartame on the metabolism of other tissues and there have been no investigations on the metabolism of rat fat cells. In rat adipose tissue, lipolysis is mediated by cycl ic AMP accumulation under hormonal stimulation of the adenylyl cyclase complex. We have examined the effects: of an aspartame diet over 14 d ays on rat fat cells in terms of cyclic AMP production and lipolysis. Such treatment did not significantly affect either body weight on the fat pad weight.