I knew there was something wrong with aspartame (ASP, Nutrasweet TM, Equal TM), but I could not put my finger on it. Yes, the ingredients are chemicals found naturally in foods, but it is a little different when it is ingested as a sweetener with little or no "food" around it.
According to a book compiled by the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network (ACSN, PO Box 780634, Dallas, TX 75378), "The Deadly Deception", 85% of all complaints registered with the Food and Drug Administration concerns aspartame's adverse reactions. It is reported that 5 deaths and 70 different symptoms have resulted from its use. The list includes neurological, dermatological, cardiac, respiratory and more.
Aspartame is 160 times as sweet as sugar with virtually no calories. It breaks down in the body to 1) Phenylalanine (50%) which can be neurotoxic and in some susceptible people cause seizures. 2) Aspartic acid (40%) which can cause brain damage in the developing brain. 3) Methanol (10%) which turns into formaldehyde. These all have adverse effects, but not everyone is affected equally. This is why the scientific community has trouble evaluating these reports.
This chemical changes the ratio of the amino acids in the blood stream. Other side effects associated with aspartame ingestion include an increase in violence and suicides, insomnia, depression, PMS, headaches, hostility, anxiety, nausea, tinnitus, blurred vision, memory loss, disturbed thyroid function as well as other symptoms.
Research has also shown that most people who are sensitive to aspartame will notice an increase in hunger and a fall in blood sugar. Aspartame may trigger or mimic the following illnesses: CFS, EBV, Lyme's disease, Alzheimer's, Meniere's, Epilepsy, MS, and Hypothyroidism.
There have been multiple studies done showing the dangers of this food additive. (Note that it is classified as a "food additive" and therefore exempt from continued safety monitoring).
Some highlights of these studies done are as follows: In 1969 Dr. Waisman fed aspartame (ASP) to monkeys. One died after 300 days and five others had grand mal seizures. Searle (the manufacturer) deleted this study when the company submitted safety evidence to the FDA
In 1971: Dr. Olney, a research psychiatrist, told Searle that aspartic acid (one of the breakdown products of ASP) caused "holes in the brains of mice". Searle told the FDA about these findings after approval was granted.
In 1975: Many of the animals fed ASP developed tumors. These were not reported to the FDA.
Between 1977 and 1983 there have been many complaints about ASP and some efforts by scientists and doctors to ban ASP. These all failed due to whitewash. Dr. Hays, FDA commissioner in 1981-1983 approved the use of ASP just two months before he quit his job as the FDA Chief. He then obtained a job with a public relations firm who represents Nutrasweet.
1987: The ACSN is founded by Mary Nash Stoddard and James Turner. They believe that ASP should be recalled and re-tested as a drug. Chances are, aspartame is responsible for a lot of sickness and possibly crime. It is certainly not a food intended for us to eat.
Aspartame... the BAD news!!
Aspartame was not approved until 1981, in dry foods. For over eight years the FDA refused to approve it because of the seizures and brain tumors this drug produced in lab animals. The FDA continued to refuse to approve it until President Reagan took office (a friend of Searle) and fired the FDA Commissioner who wouldn't approve it. Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes was appointed as commissioner. Even then there was so much opposition to approval that a Board of Inquiry was set up. The Board said: "Do not approve aspartame". Dr. Hayes OVERRULED his own Board of Inquiry.
Shortly after Commissioner Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr., approved the use of aspartame in carbonated beverages, he left for a position with G.D. Searle's Public Relations firm.
Long-Term Damage. It appears to cause slow, silent damage in those unfortunate enough to not have immediate reactions and a reason to avoid it. It may take one year, five years, 10 years, or 40 years, but it seems to cause some reversible and some irreversible changes in health over long-term use.
METHANOL (AKA WOOD ALCOHOL/POISON) (10% OF ASPARTAME) Methanol/wood alcohol is a deadly poison. People may recall that methanol was the poison that has caused some "skid row" alcoholics to end up blind or dead. Methanol is gradually released in the small intestine when the methyl group of aspartame encounter the enzyme chymotrypsin.
The absorption of methanol into the body is sped up considerably when free methanol is ingested. Free methanol is created from aspartame when it is heated to above 86 Fahrenheit (30 Centigrade). This would occur when aspartame-containing product is improperly stored or when it is heated (e.g., as part of a "food" product such as Jello).
Methanol breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde in the body. Formaldehyde is a deadly neurotoxin. An EPA assessment of methanol states that methanol "is considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed. In the body, methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde and formic acid; both of these metabolites are toxic." The recommend a limit of consumption of 7.8 mg/day. A one-liter (approx. 1 quart) aspartame-sweetened beverage contains about 56 mg of methanol. Heavy users of aspartame-containing products consume as much as 250 mg of methanol daily or 32 times the EPA limit.
The most well known problems from methanol poisoning are vision problems. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, causes retinal damage, interferes with DNA replication, and causes birth defects. Due to the lack of a couple of key enzymes, humans are many times more sensitive to the toxic effects of methanol than animals. Therefore, tests of aspartame or methanol on animals do not accurately reflect the danger for humans. As pointed out by Dr Woodrow C. Monte, Director of the Food Science and Nutrition Laboratory at Arizona State University, "There are no human or mammalian studies to evaluate the possible mutagenic, teratogenic, or carcinogenic effects of chronic administration of methyl alcohol."
It has been pointed out that fruit juices and alcoholic beverages contain small amounts of methanol. It is important to remember, that the methanol in natural products never appears alone. In every case, ethanol is present, usually in much higher amounts. Ethanol is an antidote for methanol toxicity in humans. The troops of Desert Storm were "treated" to large amounts of aspartame-sweetened beverages which had been heated to over 86 degrees F. in the Saudi Arabian sun. Many of them returned home with numerous disorders similar to what has been seen in persons who have been chemically poisoned by formaldehyde. The free methanol in the beverages may have been a contributing factor in these illnesses. Other breakdown products of aspartame such as DKP, may also have been a factor.
In a 1993 act that can only be described as "unconscionable", the FDA approved aspartame as an ingredient in numerous food items that would always be heated to above 86°degrees F (30°Degrees C).
Much worse, on 27 June 1996, without public notice, the FDA removed all restrictions from aspartame allowing it to be used in everything, including all heated and baked goods.
The truth about aspartame's toxicity is far different than what the NutraSweet Company would have you readers believe. In February of 1994, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the listing of adverse reactions reported to the FDA (DHHS 1994). Aspartame accounted for more than 75% of all adverse reactions reported to the FDA's Adverse Reaction Monitoring System (ARMS). By the FDA's own admission fewer then ONE PERCENT of those who have problems with something they consume ever report it to the FDA. This balloons the almost 10,000 complaints they once had to around a million. However, the FDA has a record keeping problem (they never did respond to the certified letter from the WEBMASTER of this site... a major victim!) and they tend to discourage or even misdirect complaints, at least on aspartame.
The fact
remains, though, that MOST victims don't have a clue that
aspartame may be the cause of their many problems! Many reactions
to aspartame were very serious including seizures and death.
Those
reactions included:
Abdominal Pain, Anxiety attacks, arthritis, asthma, Asthmatic Reactions, Bloating, Edema (Fluid Retention), Blood Sugar Control Problems (Hypoglycemia or Hyperglycemia), Brain Cancer (Pre-approval studies in animals), Breathing difficulties, burning eyes or throat, Burning Urination, can't think straight, Chest Pains, chronic cough, Chronic Fatigue, Confusion, Death, Depression, Diarrhea, Dizziness, Excessive Thirst or Hunger, fatigue, feel unreal, flushing of face, Hair Loss (Baldness) or Thinning of Hair, Headaches/Migraines dizziness, Hearing Loss, Heart palpitations, Hives (Urticaria), Hypertension (High Blood Pressure), Impotency and Sexual Problems, inability to concentrate, Infection Susceptibility, Insomnia, Irritability, Itching, Joint Pains, laryngitis, "like thinking in a fog", Marked Personality Changes, Memory loss, Menstrual Problems or Changes, Migraines and Severe Headaches (Trigger or Cause From Chronic Intake), Muscle spasms, Nausea or Vomiting, Numbness or Tingling of Extremities, Other Allergic-Like Reactions, Panic Attacks, Phobias, poor memory, Rapid Heart Beat, Rashes, Seizures and Convulsions, Slurring of Speech, Swallowing Pain, Tachycardia, Tremors, Tinnitus, Vertigo, Vision Loss, Weight gain
Fibromyalgia
Arthritis
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Parkinson's Disease
Lupus
Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS)
Diabetes and Diabetic Complications
Epilepsy
Alzheimer's Disease
Birth Defects
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Lymphoma
Lyme Disease
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
Panic Disorder
Depression and other Psychological Disorders
Methanol, from aspartame, is released in the small intestine when the methyl group of aspartame encounters the enzyme chymotrypsin (Stegink 1984, page 143). Free methanol begins to form in liquid aspartame-containing products at temperatures above 86 degrees F.. also within the human body.
The methanol is then converted to formaldehyde. The formaldehyde converts to formic acid, ant sting poison. Toxic formic acid is used as an activator to strip epoxy and urethane coatings. Imagine what it does to your tissues!
Phenylalanine and aspartic acid, 90% of aspartame, are amino acids normally used in synthesis of protoplasm when supplied by the foods we eat. But when unaccompanied by other amino acids we use [there are 20], they are neurotoxic.
That is why a warning for Phenylketonurics is found on EQUAL and other aspartame products. Phenylketenurics are 2% of the population with extreme sensitivity to this chemical unless it's present in food. It gets you too, causing brain disorders and birth defects! Finally, the phenyalanine breaks down into DKP, a brain tumor agent.
In other words: Aspartame converts to dangerous byproducts that have no natural countermeasures. A dieter's empty stomach accelerates these conversions and amplifies the damage. Components of aspartame go straight to the brain, damage that causes headaches, mental confusion, seizures and faulty balance. Lab rats and other test animals died of brain tumors.
1. Methanol from alcohol and juices does not get converted to formaldehyde to any significant extent. There is very strong evidence to confirm this fact for alcoholic beverages and fairly strong evidence for juices.
2. Formaldehyde obtained from methanol is very toxic in *very small* doses as seen by recent research.
3. Aspartame causes chronic toxicity reactions/damage due to the methanol to formaldehyde and other break down products despite what is claimed otherwise by the very short, industry-funded experiments using a test substance that is chemically different and absorbed differently than what is available to the general public. "Strangely enough", almost all independent studies show that aspartame can cause health problems.
4. A common ploy from Monsanto is to claim that aspartame is "safe" yet a few select people may have "allergic" reactions to it. This is typical Monsanto nonsense, of course. Their own research shows that it does not cause "allergic" reactions. It is there way of trying to minimize and hide the huge numbers of toxicity reactions and damage that people are experiencing from the long-term use of aspartame.
Given the following points, it is definitely premature for researchers to discount the role of methanol in aspartame side effects:
1. The amount of methanol ingested from aspartame is unprecedented in human history. Methanol from fruit juice ingestion does not even approach the quantity of methanol ingested from aspartame, especially in persons who ingest one to three liters (or more) of diet beverages every day. Unlike methanol from aspartame, methanol from natural products is probably not absorbed or converted to its toxic metabolites in significant amounts as discussed earlier.
2. Lack of laboratory-detectable changes in plasma formic acid and formaldehyde levels do not preclude damage being caused by these toxic metabolites. Laboratory-detectable changes in formate levels are often not found in short exposures to methanol.
3. Aspartame-containing products often provide little or no nutrients which may protect against chronic methanol poisoning and are often consumed in between meals. Persons who ingest aspartame-containing products are often dieting and more likely to have nutritional deficiencies than persons who take the time to make fresh juices.
4. Persons with certain health conditions or on certain drugs may be much more susceptible to chronic methanol poisoning.
5. Chronic diseases and side effects from slow poisons often build silently over a long period of time. Many chronic diseases which seem to appear suddenly have actually been building in the body over many years.
6. An increasing body of research is showing that many people are highly sensitive to low doses of formaldehyde in the environment. Environmental exposure to formaldehyde and ingestion of methanol (which converts to formaldehyde) from aspartame likely has a cumulative deleterious effect.
7. Formic acid has been shown to slowly accumulate in various parts of the body. Formic acid has been shown to inhibit oxygen metabolism.
8. The are a very large and growing number of persons are experiencing chronic health problems similar to the side effects of chronic methanol poisoning when ingesting aspartame-containing products for a significant length of time. This includes many cases of eye damage similar to the type of eye damage seen in methanol poisoning cases.
Toxicity Effects of Aspartame Use Selection of Health Effects from Short-term and/or Long-Term Use Note: It often takes at least sixty days without any aspartame NutraSweet to see a significant improvement. Check all labels very carefully (including vitamins and pharmaceuticals). Look for the word "aspartame" on the label and avoid it. (Also, it is a good idea to avoid "acesulfame-k" or "sunette.") Finally, avoid getting nutrition information from junk food industry PR organizations such as IFIC or organizations that accept large sums of money from the junk and chemical food industry such as the American Dietetic Association.
If you are a user of any products with aspartame, and you have physical, visual, mental problems... take the 60-day no aspartame test. If, after two months with no aspartame your symptoms are either gone, or are much less severe, please get involved to get this neurotoxin off the market. Write a letter to the FDA, with a copy to Betty Martini (for proof of how the FDA doesn't keep proper records). Write your congressmen. Return products containing aspartame to the point of purchase... for a FULL refund. Make a big stink if they WON'T give you a full refund! Tell all your friends and family... and if they stop using aspartame and also "wake up well"... get them involved in the same way.
Aspartame is an "approved sweetener" because of a few greedy and dishonest people who place profits above human life and well-being. With the FDA and our Congress culpable, only an INFORMED and ACTIVE public will affects its reclassification from "food additive" to TOXIC DRUG, and removed from the human food chain.
http://www.dorway.com/reprtfrm.html
Addresses:
Commissioner Food and Drug Administration 5600 Fishers Lane Rockville, Maryland 20857
Mrs. Betty Martini Mission Possible International 9270 State Bridge Road Suite 215 Duluth, Georgia 30097 Internet E-mail: bettym19@mindspring.com
For additional information:
Front door to everything!
http://www.dorway.com
Mission Possible Files
http://www.dorway.com/possible.html
Links to more sites/source information
http://www.dorway.com/asprlink.html
More in-depth Information
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame
Aspartame More good articles
http://www.trufax.org/menu/chem.html
Books:
http://www.dorway.com/books.html
DORway Amazon Bookshelf
http://www.dorway.com/amazon.html
NOW... you are aware of the 92 FDA recognized symptoms (that required a Freedom Of Information Act request to pry from their reluctant hands, and HOW aspartame does its dirty work,
If you consider fructose a safe, natural sugar, think again. Fructose and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) have been aggressively promoted as natural sugars. After all, we've been taught since childhood that fructose is fruit sugar. It isn't. The truth is that fructose and HFCS, as commercial sweeteners, didn't exist 20 years ago. Now, they are almost as common as white sugar. HFCS is routinely added to processed foods and beverages.
Fructose as found as an added sweetener is not made from fruit. It is a commercial refined sugar usually made from corn. Medical studies don't paint a very sweet picture for fructose. High fructose consumption has been fingered as a causative factor in heart disease. It raises blood levels of cholesterol triglycerides. It makes blood cells more prone to clotting, and it may also accelerate the aging process.
Most fructose sneaks into the diet in the forms of sucrose and HFCS. Sucrose breaks down during digestion into equal parts of glucose and fructose. HFCS consists of 55 percent fructose blended with 45 percent glucose. A little fructose won't hurt you. The problem comes with the sheer quantity of hidden fructose being consumed through the HFCS and sucrose in processed foods. For example, conventional and some natural soft drinks almost universally contain 11 percent HFCS by weight. That is about 2.2 pounds of sugar per case.
The advantage of HFCS, from the standpoint of food manufacturing, is that it's much sweeter than sucrose, it's easier to handle during processing, it has a longer shelf life and it's cheaper than sucrose. Because refined sweeteners-and refined foods, in general-lack bulk, it's easy to consume large quantities of them. These days, our per capita intake of refined sugar is almost 150 pounds a year. HFCS accounts for 51.7 pounds of that, and sucrose for 64.5 pounds. That translates to about 60 pounds of fructose per person per year.
Sucrose increases blood levels of cholesterol, triglyceride, uric acid, insulin, and cortisol-all associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Sucrose also raised blood pressure and increased the fragility of blood platelet cells, making them more prone to clotting. The effects of eating sucrose in the quantities we eat are magnified with fructose. Fructose is the most dangerous part of sucrose. Remember that sucrose is made up of fructose and glucose.
Fructose has been touted for years as a safe sugar for diabetics because it doesn't trigger a rapid rise in blood sugar. That's true, but the cardiovascular consequences may outweigh the benefits for diabetics, who already face a higher than average risk of developing heart disease.
Many of the problems that fructose causes can be minimized by consuming fructose with other carbohydrates. I recommend using a blend of carbohydrates. Fructose may be the primary carbohydrate with glucose or more complex carbohydrates. All this should not dampen your taste for fresh fruit. The hazards associated with fructose appear to be dose dependent. If you eat predominantly natural foods, and avoid large quantities of processed foods, you have little to worry about.
Sucrolose
Acesulphane-k
Saccharine
Processed Sugars etc. such as sucrose, destrose
Stevia rebaudiana bertoni
PROPERTIES/ACTIONS: Natural sweetener, Hypoglycemic, Hypotensive, Antifungal
PHYTOCHEMICALS: Aluminum, Ascorbic-acid, Beta-carotene, Calcium, Chromium, Cobalt, Dulcosides, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Niacin, Phosphorus, Potassium, Protein, Rebaudiosides, Riboflavin, Selenium, Silicon, Sodium, Steviol, Stevioside, Thiamin, Zinc
The dried leaves of Stevia contain the natural compounds Stevioside and Rebaudioside, which are estimated to be between 200 to 400 times sweeter than sugar. But unlike sugar, Stevia sweetens without calories! It does not promote toothe decay. This is probably due to the high content of flouride and other minerals.
Stevia has been used by the native South Americans to treat diabetes, because of its ability to lower the blood sugar level. They also use it to treat high blood pressure.
This natural sweetener is used legally in South America, China and Japan, where it has undergone extensive safety testing. Found to be safe, without any health risk, Stevia is widely used as a food additive in candy, soft drinks and ice cream, rather than sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Stevia is currently available in the United States, only as a dietary supplement or skin care formula.
HERBAL DEFINITION: Hepatic: An herb which is used as a remedy for diseases of the liver.
Other Safe common sweeteners include, raw maple syrup, brown rice syrup, barley malt for most, sucanat, raw cane juice , fruit juice sweetened...If you know of any others please let me know ...