Disturbing Article about Aspartame

[SlimWithin26]

Thought I would share this article I found. Very eye opening for me.
Aspartame... the BAD news
Article courtesy of: Mark Gold
(researcher for twenty years on such subjects)
Equal, Nutrasweet, Equal Measure, Spoonful, Canderal (E951)
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 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

Aspartame Disease Mimics Symptoms or Worsens the Following Diseases:

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

How it happens:
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.

[dmyoung805]

The opinion sounds like it originated a little left of center, but never the less.....I'M SCREWED!!!

[lisabinil]

Check out this thread.

Sweet Misery

[dmyoung805]

Looks like either way I'm going to die prematurely....at least I'll be a thin corpse!!!

[fawn]

Originally Posted by dmyoung805

Looks like either way I'm going to die prematurely....at least I'll be a thin corpse!!!

I wish for you and your family a long healthy life. We are more in control of that than we would care to ackowledge.

[DarleenMB]

disturbing doesn't begin to cover it. did you bother to research this guy?

Hi!

Here is my bio for the warmup Visiting Expert presentation. :-) - Mark

Mark's Bio

I got involved in looking at Holistic Medicine techniques in about 1974 or 1975 (when I was ~14 years old). I was looking for healing techniques that would help treat my severe immune system problems - severe allergies to everything (what would be termed MCS now), asthma (mostly exercised induced at that time), intermittent weakness (that eventually developed into chronic fatigue), depression, and a variety of other health problems. Years of prescription and OTC drugs didn't help me at all.

There were many years of searching, hitchhiking around to Centers, failures, some successes, frustration, fun, pain, etc. Back in the 1970's and early 1980's Holistic Medicine treatments were not easily available and the some of the more powerful technniques available today were not even known about in North America at that time. Anyway, I learned quite a bit about Holistic Medicine in the last 25 or so years that has helped me reverse the chronic fatigue.

I sometimes work with people to help them put together Holistic Healing programs and do have some skills in the healing field. But I'm not a "licensed guru", just an "average Joe". :-) My main focus and love right now is to provide resources related to Holistic Medicine. I also do some part-time consulting in the computer field to supplement my income. Starting in the middle of next year, I hope to spend more time working with individuals using varous hands-on and transformational healing techniques.

Best Wishes,

Mark Gold
Holistic Medicine Resource Center
mgold@HolisticMed.Com
Holistic Medicine Web Page

I, for one, am NOT impressed with his 'credentials."

[fawn]

Originally Posted by DarleenMB

disturbing doesn't begin to cover it. did you bother to research this guy?



I, for one, am NOT impressed with his 'credentials."

He didn't just come up with this article on his own. You can find these exact statements about aspartame right on the Sweet Misery documentary.

This is actually all repeated information that his lack of credentials have nothing to do with.
just an observation.

It's still poison IMHO.

[kristinaInWa2003]

snopes.com: Aspartame -- Sweet Poison?

I know this isn't the same article, I don't think....but...interesting never-the-less. I don't trust Nutra Sweet though even if the "jury is still out" on this...

[fawn]

I personally don't fully trust snopes
Somewhere here, it has been proven in-accurate on some things.

It's a neurotoxin....that's enough for me.

[Melle]

Originally Posted by dmyoung805

Looks like either way I'm going to die prematurely....at least I'll be a thin corpse!!!

That may be true...we're all going to die of something, someday. But, don't you want to feel good, while being thin? Wouldn't you like a higher quality of life? Personally, I don't want to have sore joints, vision problems, and neurological disturbances...all due to "aspartame", when there are other available alternatives.

A dear friend of mine said the exact same thing, about 6-months ago. She drinks Crystal Light like it's going out of style. Now, she's scared to death, because all of a sudden she is having spells of "partial blindness/blurriness" and is having headaches. With the heat we've been having, I think she's probably drinking gallons of it. Now, I don't hear her say "I'm going to die of something". She is scared, now.

[maizenbluebabe]

I'm not particularly impressed with Mark Gold, either.

What I AM impressed with, however, is my own experience with Aspartame. When it first came out 30 years ago or so (following the incredibly stupid and corrupt banning of Cyclamates) I was delighted to find a sweetener other than saccherine. So I used a couple little blue envelopes on my daily (healthy!) oatmeal. Tasted fine. And of course, I used it now and then in a couple of other things, too.

Moving ahead a year or two, I began to develop very peculiar headaches. A visit to a neurologist at the University of MIchigan revealed no signs of anything which could be causing those headaches. They were so excruciating that I called them my "Brain Tumor" headaches. And I would get them every day. After several months of hell, I came across an article mentioning that some scientists suspected Aspartame of causing brain lesions. Now, I may be crazy, but I am not stupid! I cut out the Aspartame immediately. The headaches faded and were gone completely after a few days and I promised myself never to put that crap into my mouth again.

And I didnt! Until. A few years ago, I had lunch at a friend's house and her dessert was a delicious chocolate mousse. I loved it and had a second helping when it was offered. After a nice visit, I got in my car and began the drive of 90 miles to where we were living at the time.

About half way home, I developed a headache so severe that I had to pull off the road and gulp some ibuprofen and wait about half an hour before I could bear to try to drive again. Gee, that's funny, I thought--this feels like those Brain Tumor Headahces I used to have. Hmmmm.

So that night I called my friend and told her the dessert was so delicious, please could she tell me what it was. "Oh, a WONDERFUL sugar free chocolate mousse mix that you COOK." Since then, I have managed to avoid that poisonous stuff and am sorry when I see others using it.

Now it may be perfectly harmless to many people, but this was my experience with it and that is enough for me!

PS The Sugar lobby got Cyclamates banned a bit before they brought Aspartame on the scene. The "scientists" doing the research here in the US claimed that it could cause kidney cancer in rats. You betcha! Especially if you feed them a daily dose of it that is thousands of times more than any human being could ingest in years, even if they ate nothing but Cyclamates.

But those "dumb" Canadians--they didnt ban Cyclamates. So I stood there sucking my thumb , staring to the northeast, waiting for years to hear that those poor devils across the border were dying like flies from kidney cancer .. Funny though, reports of this expected gigantic number of tragic deaths never came so I just figured that they were brilliant at hiding the facts of their stupendous kidnesy cancer death rate.

And every time I went over the border, I smuggled some Cyclamates back. And if I still lived in a border state I'd do it again. Oh, the FDA is determined to help us, isnt it. Help us "what?" is the next question. Scuse the cynicism follks but I am old enough to know that corruption can be found in a lot of places we have been told are "looking out for our best interests." Well, of course, sometimes this is ESPECIALLY true if you are trying to sell a product and have the money to pay for a "scientific study" even if you have to do it behind the scenes.. You can bet someone will be looking out for your best interests then.

[wannabeslim4life]

I read somewhere (forget where because I have read SO much in the past fews days) Airplane pilots are not allowed to consume foods or drinks with Aspartame because it impairs there judgement.

[Prozak]

Originally Posted by maizenbluebabe

I'm not particularly impressed with Mark Gold, either.

What I AM impressed with,............

What a great post, you are good with the written word

Now, cyclamates: I have never heard of this until recently, so I looked them up. You mean Sugar Twin?

I avoided that because I thought it was aspartame, and never thought to read the label.

I can get Sugar Twin Brown sugar and would love to use it in some recipes.. so is this the same thing you are talking about?

[ItsNot2L8]

Originally Posted by Prozak

What a great post, you are good with the written word

Now, cyclamates: I have never heard of this until recently, so I looked them up. You mean Sugar Twin?

I avoided that because I thought it was aspartame, and never thought to read the label.

I can get Sugar Twin Brown sugar and would love to use it in some recipes.. so is this the same thing you are talking about?

sugartwin dot com slash pi_ing dot cfm

Canadian product contains sodium cyclamate, US product contains sodium Saccharin.

SugarTwin® Granulated Brown

Maltodextrin, sodium Saccharin, calcium chloride, caramel color, artificial flavor.

Contains 3.53%. Saccharin. Each level teaspoon serving contains 14.1 mg of Saccharin.

Contains nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners.

[maizenbluebabe]

HI Prozak, I am sorry not to be more help, but am not familiar with the current sugar substitute scene in your lovely homeland just now and so dont feel qualified to know if SugarTwin is the brand name of Cyclamates in Canada. Probably you can pick up some good info on it by Googling those terms and also by checking the labels on the packages of the stuff. in the store They have Sugar Twin here in the states but I think it is a mixture of other "legal" sweeteners, and is not Aspartame although I could well be wrong.

I will shortly be coming to Michigan, thence to Windsor, and across to Buffalo and then on up to northern Maine so am hoping to pick up some Cyclamates myself .

Wow, Gang--I am glad to learn I am not the only one who cant use Aspartame because of serious health problems; sometimes I have felt like a hypochondriac when I have told people I cannot use it.

[maizenbluebabe]

thanks for explaining about the Sugar Twin, Shelly.

[maizenbluebabe]

warning: thread HI-Jack

Aha, Prozak, I just noticed where you live. Now THAT is a place with glorious scenery. (And great great hockey playing, too!)

[Nikouli]

But....what will I do with the whole 12 pk of diet sodas I just bought?
Jeez, this article def makes me want to stop putting that crap into my body right away! And on top of that, I have been keeping the cases of soda in the back seat of my car (IN FLORIDA!) and just refrigerating them one at a time whenever I want one (im on the go a lot, lol)...I didn't know that it becomes toxic when heated. ::bites nails::......eek.

[Nikouli]

Would the "heating effect" be the same for just having them in my really hot car all the time? I don't want to give them away to anyone, or drink them if they are going to be harmful....

[metqa]

Sweeteners

[maizenbluebabe]

Originally Posted by Nikouli

Would the "heating effect" be the same for just having them in my really hot car all the time? I don't want to give them away to anyone, or drink them if they are going to be harmful....

Our son-in-law, a teacher at the University of Michigan School of Public Health for many years, told me about 6 years ago, NEVER to let anything with Aspartame in it get the least bit hot or too warm as it converts the chems into formaldehyde. At that point (it was summertime) we had 2 cases of nice warm diet Coke on our back porch and I THREW THEM ALL AWAY! (And had a friend so the same thing with some she had been carrying around in her car for several days.)

[metqa]

Even if it is not heated it will turn into formaldehyde during the normal process of digetion. Then it will be turned to Formic acid. That's just the path it takes. Heat can cause it to happen pre-digestion.

[Lillianna]

I haven't had any of my beloved Diet Pepsi in months. At first I noticed that my joints felt better.....but the most wonderful thing is that the debilitating brain fog that I have dealt with for years is nearly gone. I came very close to losing my job over it. I was drinking diet Pepsi every day ( at least two 20 oz. bottles, and a two liter bottle on the weekends) and I literally couldn't think. I felt like I was half asleep all day long. Someone would ask me a question and, although I could hear them, I couldn't figure out what the words meant. It took my a few seconds to focus and figure out what they were asking me. My chronic insomnia is much better, too (and I usually didn't even drink soda after 2:00 pm). I will never use aspertame again.....

[metqa]

I think it is really cool that so many people are feeling so much better from just one change in their lives. So many of my freinds have gotten allergy therapy or restrictive diets to find out what is causing their problems, and all you've done is stop drinking soda! Amazing!

I wish that I could do the same, but I don't use aspertame all that much at all so it is not even a significant amount of my diet as a a couple of sodas a day. Only once every couple of months I might have SF pudding for a few days, that's it.

Truly cool though. I'm happy for all of you.