Archives: Aspartame

An Introduction

How Did It Happen?

The Dangers of Aspartame

Aspartame Poisoning:
An Introduction

by Dawn Brunke

A version of the following article by Betty Martini regarding the dangers of aspartame was sent to Alaska Wellness from several individuals. The article (which has been rewritten for clarity and accuracy) led me to investigate some of the author's claims and do further research. It soon became obvious to me that not only is aspartame poisoning a very serious health threat, but especially dangerous since it is often not identified as a problem until it's too late.

What is aspartame? It is a synthesized compound composed of 50% phenylalanine (an amino acid), 40% aspartic acid (also an amino acid) and 10% methanol (basically, wood alcohol.) In aspartame, methanol is the bond that holds phenylalanine and aspartic acid together. Methanol is highly toxic, especially as it breaks down into formaldehyde (embalming fluid) and formic acid (ant sting venom). Another breakdown product of aspartame is diketopiperazine (DKP), which has been implicated in the occurence of brain tumors in test animals.

The toxic effects of aspartame are most often cumulative, though immediate reactions can also occur. Aspartame poisoning has been cited as the cause of many health issues. This list is very long, but includes such things as headaches, memory loss, confusion, insomnia, depression and irritability as well as grand mal seizures and even death. As several researchers have shown, a major problem with diagnosis is that aspartame not only causes individual symptoms but can both trigger and mimic entire syndromes and diseases, from Lyme disease and systemic lupus to multiple sclerosis and brain tumors. As Mary Nash Stoddard, founder of the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network, states, "Aspartame is a prescription for disaster."

Aspartame is currently found in over 5,000 products worldwide, in everything from diet sodas and "sugar free" snacks to tabletop sweeteners, chewing gum and children's vitamins. How did such a potentially toxic ingredient make its way into so many products? Why is it still being sold? And why are we still consuming it? Read on.

How Did It Happen?
by Dawn Brunke

In an endeavor to learn more about this topic, I entered "aspartame" into a search engine on the Internet. I was surprised to find over 2,000 entries. While there are several sites which claim aspartame poisoning is nothing more than an urban legend, all too many are posts of personal case histories, medical reports, consumer awareness articles and research documents that reveal aspartame to be a very dangerous substance. How did this happen, I wondered. How did aspartame ever become available for public use in the first place? Here is a shortened overview of the history of aspartame, from its discovery to initial introduction for public consumption:

In 1965, a chemist at the G. D. Searle Company accidentally discovered aspartame, a substance which is 180 times sweeter than sugar with no calories. It seemed to have great potential.

Searle began safety tests in 1967 in an attempt to get FDA approval for aspartame as a food additive. Conducting tests for Searle, a biochemist at the University of Wisconsin fed milk mixed with aspartame to seven infant monkeys. One died and five had grand mal seizures.

In 1971, Dr. John Olney, a neuroscientist whose work with MSG (monosodium glutamate) was responsible for having it removed from baby foods, informed Searle that aspartic acid (one of the ingredients in aspartame) caused holes in the brains of infant mice. Searle's own researchers confirmed this in a similar study.

In early 1973, after spending tens of millions of dollars in safety tests, Searle applied for FDA approval of aspartame. One FDA scientist, upon review of the data, stated that further clinical tests were needed. Nonetheless, in 1974, the FDA granted aspartame approval for restricted use in dry foods.

Objections from consumer advocates and Dr. John Olney triggered a 1976 FDA investigation, which found the Searle testing procedures to be "shoddy." In 1977, the FDA requested Grand Jury proceedings against Searle for "concealing material facts and making false statements" in aspartame safety tests.

In 1977, the law firm representing Searle began job negotiations with the U.S. Attorney in charge of the investigation, Samuel Skinner. Several months later, Skinner left the government to take a job with Searle's law firm. This stalled the investigation for so long that the statute of limitations on the aspartame charges ran out and the investigation was dropped.

In 1980, a Board of Inquiry concluded that NutraSweet (aspartame) should not be approved due to possibly causing brain tumors in animals. In 1981, the CEO of Searle became part of Ronald Reagan's transition team. He handpicked the new FDA Commissioner, Dr. Arthur Hayes, Jr. Though three FDA scientists advised against approval of NutraSweet, Hayes overruled this and approved its use for dry products.

In 1983, the National Soft Drink Association urged the FDA to delay approval of aspartame for beverages since it was known to be very unstable in liquid form. When stored in temperatures above 85 degrees F., aspartame was found to break down into DKP and formaldehyde, two known toxins. Other suits were also filed with the FDA objecting to aspartame approval. When FDA Commissioner Hayes resigned in 1983 under controversy (for taking unauthorized rides on a General Foods jet - General Foods being a major customer of NutraSweet), Searle's public relations firm promptly hired Hayes as a consultant.

In the fall of 1983, the first carbonated beverages containing aspartame were sold for public consumption.

As the NutraSweet Company's patent on aspartame ended in 1992, there are now many companies that use aspartame in their products. Monsanto Inc., a billion-dollar multinational company now owns the NutraSweet Company. Monsanto is also the maker of genetically engineered soybeans, many industrial and agricultural chemicals, as well as bovine growth hormone (known as BGH, a genetically engineered hormone used to increase milk production in cows). As with aspartame, there have been many objections to the use of BGH as it has been shown to cause a wide variety of health problems in cows. Many believe that by ingesting milk, humans are also susceptible to these problems. But that is another story.

As J. A Barua and A. B. Bal, an associate opthalmologist and surgeon, noted in a 1995 Indian medical journal, "Scientific reasoning and a large body of evidence indicate that this product should not be in the market. However, paradoxically, use of aspartame containing products are on the rise." The authors suggest that there are many reasons for this. First, aspartame tastes better than Saccharin and is thus preferable as a sugar substitute by both the diabetic population and diet-conscious population. There is also a strong desire to become or remain slim, and thus diet products are highly valued. There is a lack of awareness of the adverse effects of aspartame, both by the general public and the medical community. This, in turn, leads to consumer confidence in the product's safety. Finally, aspartame is well protected by the strong clout of the billion-dollar drug and chemical companies which manufacture and sell it, as well as by those companies who use it as an ingredient in their products.

The authors conclude, "It must be kept in mind that aspartame is not an essential life-saving drug but a food additive meant to pamper our sweet tooth." It is for this reason that some refer to aspartame as the "Sweet Poison."

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

http://www.dorway.com - Includes many articles and research documents regarding aspartame poisoning, and links to diabetic alternatives to aspartame and support groups.

http://www.swankin-turner.com/aspartame/library.html - For a more complete look at the history of aspartame.

http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/ -- Links to case histories and documents on aspartame toxicity as well as recent news articles.

http://www.aim4health.com/nutrasweet.htm - Features article by Mary Nash Stoddard, founder of Aspartame Consumer Safety Network Inc. For more info, write: P.O. Box 780634 Dallas, TX 75378 or call 214-352-4268.

http://www.nutrasweet.com -- For another view, here's the Company Line regarding Aspartame.

The Dangers of Aspartame:
A Disease and World Epidemic
by Betty Martini

Dr. H. J. Roberts, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.C.C.P., internationally known medical consultant, researcher and world expert on aspartame, has declared aspartame disease to be a world epidemic. Dr. Roberts, who has authored many books on the subject, presented his findings at the First International Conference on Emerging Diseases (held in March l998 in Atlanta, Georgia), which was attended by doctors and scientists from 91 countries of the world.

I have lectured on the toxic effects of aspartame (marketed in this country as "NutraSweet," "Equal," and "Spoonful") for several years. In 1995, at the World Environmental Conference, I began to address the relationship of aspartame poisoning to individuals who have been misdiagnosed as having multiple sclerosis (MS). I presented case histories of individuals who were diagnosed as having MS though, upon abstaining from aspartame, found that their symptoms disappeared. How is this possible? First, it important to realize that when the temperature of aspartame exceeds 86 degrees F., the wood alcohol in aspartame coverts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. (Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants). As methanol toxicity mimics multiple sclerosis, some people have been diagnosed with having multiple sclerosis in error. Though multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, methanol toxicity is. (This has been found to be especially prevalent among Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers, especially in those who drink three or more 12 oz. cans per day.)

It has also been found that aspartame can trigger cases of systemic lupus. Just as with misdiagnosed MS, the individual usually does not know that aspartame is the culprit. With continued use of aspartame, the lupus may be aggravated to such a degree that it becomes life threatening. While aspartame-triggered lupus does not reverse, many individuals have found that, upon elimination of aspartame, they become asymptomatic.

Aspartame can destroy the brain, optic nerve and central nervous system, as well as wreak havoc on other organs of the body. At lectures, I often identify some of the 92 documented symptoms from the FDA report on aspartame. As I sometimes say, "If you are using aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc.) and suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss - you probably have Aspartame Disease!"

In one such lecture, the Ambassador of Uganda was in attendance. He told me that Uganda's sugar industry is adding aspartame to sugar. He also said that one of the industry leader's sons could no longer walk - due, in part, to product usage. (Another effect of aspartame poisoning is the hardening of the synovial fluids.) We have a very serious problem.

In l986, the Community Nutrition Institute petitioned the FDA to ban aspartame as a number of aspartame-users were going blind. How? The methanol in the aspartame converts to formaldehyde and then formic acid in the retina of the eye, leading to optic nerve damage and/or destruction. Unfortunately, the FDA ignored this petition. Our group continually receives case histories of individuals who have serious eye problems, retinal detachments and blindness from aspartame. The late Morgan Raiford, M.D., ophthalmologist and specialist in methanol toxicity, reported that if it was still in the "wet stage," vision could return. Indeed, some have regained their sight upon elimination of aspartame.

Physician and author, Dr. H.J. Roberts, realized what was happening when aspartame was first marketed as he found that his patients (particularly those with diabetes) increasingly presented with memory loss and confusion. He linked it to the breakdown of aspartame in the body. Dr. Roberts realized that the amino acids in aspartame (aspartic acid and phenylalanine) are neurotoxic as isolates (unaccompanied by other amino acids normally present in our foods) as they penetrate the blood brain barrier, attack and destroy neurons, and produce multifold neuropsychiatric complications, including depression, brain tumors, Alzheimer's disease, seizures, and a long list of other disabilities. Dr. Russell Blaylock, a neurosurgeon, likewise found that the ingredients of aspartame "stimulate the neurons of the brain to death, causing brain damage of varying degrees." Dr. Roberts has been investigating this problem for nearly two decades, and has published several books and clinical reports on the subject.

Aspartame Disease is partially the cause of what is behind some of the mystery of the Desert Storm health problems. On the television program "60 Minutes," it was reported that the military could not understand the "burning tongue" sensation that many service men and women experienced. Because of lack of water, several thousand pallets of sodas (including diet sodas) were shipped to the Desert Storm troops. The diet drinks sat in the 120-degree F. Arabian sun for weeks at a time on pallets. As noted, when aspartame reaches a temperature of above 86 degrees F., it breaks down. The methanol coverts to formaldehyde and formic acid, which feels like a burning sensation on the tongue. The burning tongue sensation is another symptom of aspartame poisoning.

Aspartame has also been linked to birth defects. Dr. Roberts found that consuming aspartame (by either the man or woman) at the time of conception can cause birth defects. Dr. Louis Elsas, Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University, also testified to Congress that aspartame is both a neurotoxin and teratogen (triggers birth defects).

There have been three Congressional Hearings on aspartame. Many individuals have testified of their personal horrors of aspartame poisoning. Physicians, such as Dr. Elsas and others, have testified. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has over 10,000 complaints against aspartame, more than against any other food additive. Nothing has been done, however. The drug and chemical lobbies have very deep pockets. There are now over 5,000 products containing this chemical.

There is absolutely no reason to take this product. It is not a diet product. In fact, Australian author, Dr. Sandra Cabot, M.D., wrote that the use of aspartame does not lead to weight loss, but (paradoxically) weight gain, "as it causes unstable blood sugar levels which increase the appetite and cravings for sweets/sugar." It should be noted that the formaldehyde breakdown of aspartame is often stored in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs.

Stevia, a sweet food, not an additive, which helps in the metabolism of sugar and would be ideal for diabetics, has now been approved as a dietary supplement by the FDA. For years, the FDA has outlawed this sweet food because of their loyalty to Monsanto. Clearly, Monsanto (the company that now owns the NutraSweet Company) is aware of the neurotoxic effects of aspartame and knows how deadly it is. They help to fund several trade organizations such as the American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association. Monsanto also gives funds to the American Medical Association.

If it says "Sugar Free" on the label, don't even think about it! Senator Howard Hetzenbaum wrote a bill that would have warned of the dangers of aspartame consumption, especially to infants, pregnant mothers and children. The bill would have also instituted independent studies on the problems existing in the population (such as seizures, changes in brain chemistry, changes in neurological and behavioral symptoms). The powerful drug and chemical lobbies killed the bill.

Please pass on this information to those you know, including your physician. What else can you do? Here's a beginning:

1. Write a detailed complaint to:
   The Food and Drug Administration
   5600 Fishers Lane
   Rockville, MD 20807
   (Please send a copy to Mission Possible, address below, for our files.)
   
2. Take all aspartame-laced products back to the retailer and ask for a full refund.
   
3. Write the food manufacturers to request they delete aspartame from their products.

Betty Martini is the founder of Mission Possible International, a worldwide volunteer force that warns consumers of the dangers of aspartame. Phone (770)242-2599, e-mail: bettym19@mindspring.com, website http://www.dorway.com/possible.html

For their warning flyer, e-mail: flyer@dorway.com or send a large self-addressed stamped (6 stamps) envelope to: Mission Possible, 9270 River Club Parkway, Duluth, GA 30097

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

"Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills" by Dr. Russell Blaylock (Health Press Publishers, 1-800-643-2665)

Is Aspartame (NutraSweet) Safe? A Medical, Public Health and Legal Overview" by Dr. H. J. Roberts (Sunshine Press, 1-800-814-9800)