Post by Rene on Feb 13, 2009 9:15:25 GMT -7
Aspartame: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You
www.mercola.com/article/aspartame
If a product is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and composed of natural ingredients, would you assume it is safe to consume?
If the same product is an artificial sweetener, would you assume it helps control your weight?
Millions of people use aspartame, the artificial sweetener known as NutraSweet™, with these assumptions in mind.
Aspartame can be found in thousands of products such as:
instant breakfasts breath mints cereals sugar-free chewing gum cocoa mixes coffee beverages frozen desserts gelatin desserts juice beverages laxatives multivitamins milk drinks pharmaceuticals and supplements, including over-the-counter medicines shake mixes soft drinks tabletop sweeteners tea beverages instant teas and coffees topping mixes wine coolers yogurt However, aspartame's tainted history of approval and potentially toxic ingredients cast serious doubt on the safety of this sugar substitute. Furthermore, aspartame may actually increase your appetite (Farber 52).
While the FDA approval may signal the green light for safe consumption, 85 percent of all complaints registered with the FDA are for adverse reactions to aspartame, including five reported deaths. A closer look at the unscientific studies, suspicious approval methods, and its harmful ingredients, reveal the hidden dangers of this artificial sweetener. In reality, aspartame poses a public health threat.
Ailments Resulting From Aspartame
The components of aspartame can lead to a wide variety of ailments. Some of these problems occur gradually while others are immediate, acute reactions.
A few of the many disorders associated with aspartame include the following:
Birth Defects
A study funded by Monsanto to study possible birth defects caused by consuming aspartame was cut off after preliminary data showed damaging information about aspartame. Additionally, in the book, While Waiting: A Prenatal Guidebook, it is stated that aspartame is suspected of causing brain damage in sensitive individuals. A fetus may be at risk for these effects. Some researchers have suggested that high doses of aspartame may be associated with problems ranging from dizziness and subtle brain changes to mental retardation.
Cancer (Brain Cancer)
In 1981, an FDA statistician stated that the brain tumor data on aspartame was so "worrisome" that he could not recommend approval of NutraSweet.(14)
In a two-year study conducted by the manufacturer of aspartame, twelve of 320 rats fed a normal diet and aspartame developed brain tumors while none of the control rats developed tumors, and five of the twelve tumors were in rats given a low dose of aspartame.(15)
The approval of aspartame was a violation of the Delaney Amendment, which was supposed to prevent cancer-causing substances such as methanol (formaldehye) and DKP from entering our food supply. A late FDA toxicologist testified before the U.S. Congress that aspartame was capable of producing brain tumors. This made it illegal for the FDA to set an allowable daily intake at any level. He stated in his testimony that Searle's studies were "to a large extent unreliable" and that "at least one of those studies has established beyond any reasonable doubt that aspartame is capable of inducing brain tumors in experimental animals ... " He concluded his testimony by asking, "What is the reason for the apparent refusal by the FDA to invoke for this food additive the so-called Delaney Amendment to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act? ... And if the FDA itself elects to violate the law, who is left to protect the health of the public?"(16)
Emotional Disorders
In a double blind study of the effects of aspartame on persons with mood disorders, findings showed a large increase in serious symptoms for persons taking aspartame. Since some of the symptoms were so serious, the Institutional Review Board had to stop the study. Three of the participants had said that they had been "poisoned" by aspartame. Researchers concluded that "individuals with mood disorders are particularly sensitive to this artificial sweetener; its use in this population should be discouraged."(18) One researcher stated about aspartame, "I know it causes seizures. I'm convinced also that it definitely causes behavioral changes. I'm very angry that this substance is on the market. I personally question the reliability and validity of any studies funded by the NutraSweet Company."(19)
Additionally, there are numerous reported cases of low brain serotonin levels, depression and other emotional disorders that have been linked to aspartame and often are relieved by stopping the intake of aspartame.
Aspartame -- Avoid It
The following symptoms are listed on the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network Fact Sheet:
headaches, nausea, vertigo, insomnia, numbness, blurred vision, blindness and other eye problems, memory loss, slurred speech, depression, personality changes, hyperactivity, stomach disorders, seizures, skin lesions, rashes, anxiety attacks, muscle cramping and joint pain, loss of energy, symptoms mimicking heart attacks, hearing loss and ear ringing, and loss or change of taste.
www.mercola.com/article/aspartame/tesla_conference.htm
Mary Nash Stoddard Reseach Findings on Dangers on Aspartame at Tesla Conference ~ {A search at Mercola.com will turn up a long 3 part article, including a timeline which might well be required reading for those who wish to be well informed~ Blue}
An other bit from a recent newsletter on the topic
Feb 12 2008:- A colleague sent a link to a rat experiment conducted outside the halls of ivy:
[http://www.myaspartameexperiment.com/index.php?page=1]
I have posted quite a bit on this reprehensible substance, but I wonder how many still consume it because it's lower in calories than something else?
Aspartame should be the subject of a mini-series like "Damages" (yes, and starring Glenn Close would make it as good as its namesake.) There has probably never been a profit-making drug with so much political protection as aspartame, but we pay for the revolving doors between industry and government ......... Warning: these pictures are probably going to upset a lot of people. Actually, if they are not upsetting, something is no doubt wrong, like aspartame on the brain.
I might contact the person who ran the study to see if she is open to devising a study to see what heals the poor creatures.
Many blessings,
Ingrid
[http://www.sacredmedicinesanctuary.com]