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Aspartame confusion..Who's to believe?

Aspartame Warning
Netlore Archive
Part 1: The 'Nancy Markle' Email
By David Emery

This specimen of email scarelore, in wide circulation since mid-December 1998,
warns that the artificial sweetener aspartame (a.k.a. 'NutraSweet' and 'Equal') is
toxic to humans in a hundred different ways. It even coins a new medical term for
these effects: 'aspartame disease.'
Most of the allegations contradict the bulk of medical evidence (Part 2), but
its author offers a convenient explanation: collusion between aspartame's
manufacturers, the medical establishment, and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
Far be it from me to insist that the FDA is infallible and incorruptible, but I would
point out that the agency has common sense and years of accumulated research on
its side when it maintains that the sweetener is safe for most people. As to
aspartame's critics, it doesn't help their cause that the information presented in the
email is disorganized, hysterical and poorly substantiated:


Subject: FW: Health information on ASPARTAME
WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE
and the
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS FOUNDATION
F.D.A. ISSUING FOR COLLUSION WITH MONSANTO
Article written by Nancy Markle (1120197)
I have spent several days lecturing at the WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE on
'ASPARTAME marketed as 'NutraSweet', 'Equal', and 'Spoonful''. In the keynote
address by the EPA, they announced that there was an epidemic of multiple
sclerosis and systemic lupus, and they did not understand what toxin was causing
this to be rampant across the United States.
I explained that I was there to lecture on exactly that subject. 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). The methanol
toxicity mimics multiple sclerosis; thus people were being diagnosed with having
multiple sclerosis in error. The multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, where
methanol toxicity is.
In the case of systemic lupus, we are finding it has become almost as rampant as
multiple sclerosis, especially Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers. Also, with methanol
toxicity, the victims usually drink three to four 12 oz. Cans of them per day, some
even more. In the cases of systemic lupus, which is triggered by ASPARTAME, the
victim usually does not know that the aspartame is the culprit The victim continues
its use aggravating the lupus to such a degree, that sometimes it becomes life
threatening.
When we get people off the aspartame, those with systemic lupus usually become
asymptomatic. Unfortunately, we can not reverse this disease. On the other hand,
in the case of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, (when in reality, the disease
is methanol toxicity), most of the symptoms disappear. We have seen cases where
their vision has returned and even their hearing has returned. This also applies to
cases of tinnitus. During a lecture I said 'If you are using ASPARTAME (NutraSweet,
Equal, Spoonful, etc.) and you 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!' People were jumping up during the lecture
saying, 'I've got this, is it reversible?'
It is rampant. Some of the speakers at my lecture even were suffering from these
symptoms. In one lecture attended by the Ambassador of Uganda, he told us that
their sugar industry is adding aspartame! He continued by saying that one of the
industry leader's son could no longer walk - due in part by product usage!
We have a very serious problem. Even a stranger came up to Dr. Espisto (one of my
speakers) and myself and said, 'Could you tell me why so many people seem to be
coming down with MS?' During a visit to a hospice, a nurse said that six of her
friends, who were heavy Diet Coke addicts, had all been diagnosed with MS. This is
beyond coincidence.
Here is the problem. There were Congressional Hearings when aspartame was
included in 100 different products. Since this initial hearing, there have been two
subsequent hearings, but to no avail. Nothing as been done. The drug and chemical
lobbies have very deep pockets. Now there are over 5,000 products containing this
chemical, and the PATENT HAS EXPIRED!!!!! At the time of this first hearing, people
were going blind. The methanol in the aspartame converts to formaldehyde in the
retina of the eye. Formaldehyde is grouped in the same class of dmgs as cyanide
and arsenic- DEADLY POISONS!!! Unfortunately, it just takes longer to quietly kill,
but it is killing people and causing all kinds of neurological problems.> Aspartame
changes the brain's chemistry. It is the reason for severe seizures. This drug
changes the dopamine level in the brain. Imagine what this drug does to patients
suffering from Parkinson's Disease. This drug also causes Birth Defects.
There is absolutely no reason to take this product. It is NOT A DIET PRODUCT!!! The
Congressional record said, 'It makes you crave carbohydrates and will make you
FAT'. Dr. Roberts stated that when he got patients off aspartame, their average
weight loss was 19 pounds per person. The formaldehyde stores in the fat cells,
particularly in the hips and thighs.
Aspartame is especially deadly for diabetics. All physicians know what wood alcohol
will do to a diabetic. We find that physicians believe that they have patients with
retinopathy, when in fact, it is caused by the aspartame. The aspartame keeps the
blood sugar level out of control, causing many patients to go into a coma.
Unfortunately, many have died. People were telling us at the Conference of the
American College of Physicians, that they had relatives that switched from saccharin
to an aspartame product and how that relative had eventually gone into a coma.
Their physicians could not get the blood sugar levels under control. Thus, the
patients suffered acute memory loss and eventually coma and death.
Memory loss is due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are neurotoxic
without the other amino acids found in protein. Thus it goes past the blood brain
barrier and deteriorates the neurons of the brain. Dr. Russell Blaylock, neurosurgeon,
said, 'The ingredients stimulates the neurons of the brain to death, causing brain
damage of varying degrees. Dr. Blaylock has written a book entitled
'EXCITOTOXINS: THE TASTE THAT KILLS' (Health Press 1-800-643-2665). Dr. H.J.
Roberts, diabetic specialist and world expert on aspartame poisoning, has also
written a book entitled 'DEFENSE AGAINST ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE'
(1-800-814-9800). Dr. Roberts tells how aspartame poisoning is escalating
Alzheimer's Disease, and indeed it is. As the hospice nurse told me, women are being
admitted at 30 years of age with Alzheimer's Disease. Dr. Blaylock and Dr. Roberts
will be writing a position paper with some case histories and will post it on the
Internet. According to the Conference of the American College of Physicians, 'We
are talking about a plague of neurological diseases caused by this deadly poison'.
Dr. Roberts realized what was happening when aspartame was first marketed. He
said 'his diabetic patients presented memory loss, confusion, and severe vision loss'.
At the Conference of the American College of Physicians, doctors admitted that they
did not know. They had wondered why seizures were rampant (the phenylalanine in
aspartame breaks down the seizure threshold and depletes serotonin, which causes
manic depression, panic attacks, rage and violence).
Just before the Conference, I received a FAX from Norway, asking for a possible
antidote for this poison because they are experiencing so many problems in their
country. This 'poison' is now available in 90 PLUS countries worldwide. Fortunately,
we had speakers and ambassadors at the Conference from different nations who
have pledged their help. We ask that you help too.
Print this article out and warn everyone you know. Take anything that contains
aspartame black to the store. Take the 'NO ASPARTAME TEST' and send us your
case history.
I assure you that MONSANTO, the creator of aspartame, knows how deadly it is.
They fund the American Diabetes Association, American Dietetic Association,
Congress, and the Conference of the American College of Physicians. The New York
Times, on November 15, 1996, ran an article on how the American Dietetic
Association takes money from the food industry to endorse their products.
Therefore, they can not criticize any additives or tell about their link to MONSANTO.
How bad is this? We told a mother who had a child on NutraSweet to get off the
product. The child was having grand mal seizures every day. The mother called her
physician, who called the ADA, who told the doctor not to take the child off the
NutraSweet. We are still trying to convince the mother that the aspartame is
causing the seizures. Every time we get someone off of aspartame, the seizures
stop. If the baby dies, you know whose fault it is, and what we are up against.
There are 92 documented symptoms of aspartame, from coma to death. The
majority of them are all neurological, because the aspartame destroys the nervous
system.
Aspartame Disease is partially the cause to what is behind some of the mystery of
the Dessert Storm health problems. The burning tongue and other problems
discussed in over 60 cases can be directly related to the consumption of an
aspartame product. Several thousand pallets of diet drinks were shipped to the
Dessert Storm troops. (Remember heat can liberate the methanol from the
aspartame at 86 degrees F). Diet drinks sat in the 120 degree F. Arabian sun for
weeks at a time on pallets. The service men and women drank them all day long. All
of their symptoms are identical to aspartame poisoning. Dr. Roberts says 'consuming
aspartame at the time of conception can cause birth defects'. The phenylalanine
concentrates in the placenta, causing mental retardation, according to Dr. Louis
Elsas, Pediatrician Professor - Genetics, at Emory University in his testimony before
Congress.
In the original lab tests, animals developed brain tumors (phenylalanine breaks down
into DXP, a brain tumor agent). When Dr. Espisto was lecturing on aspartame me,
one physician in the audience, a neurosurgeon, said, 'when they remove brain
tumors, they have found high levels of aspartame in them'.
Stevia, a sweet food, NOT AN ADDITIVE, which helps in the metabolism of sugar,
which would be ideal for diabetics, has now been approved as a dietary supplement
by the F.D.A. For years, the F.D.A. has outlawed this sweet food because of their
loyalty to MONSANTO.
If it says 'SUGAR FREE' on the label-DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!!!!!l! Senator
Howard Hetzenbaum wrote a bill that would have wamed all infants, pregnant
mothers and children of the dangers of aspartame. The bill would have also
instituted independent studies on the problems existing in the population (seizures,
changes in brain chemistry, changes in neurological and behavioral symptoms). It
was killed by the powerful drug and chemical lobbies, letting loose the hounds of
disease and death on an unsuspecting public. Since the Conference of the American
College of Physicians, we hope to have the help of some world leaders. Again, please
help us too.
There are a lot of people out there who must be warned, *please* let them know
this information.





Part 2: A Laundry List of Maladies
Comments: First off, despite the attribution at the top (absent in some versions of
the message), this text was not written by 'Nancy Markle' – whoever that may be.
Its real author was one Betty Martini (http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=ht..., who posted a host of similar messages to Usenet newsgroups in late 1995 and early 1996. The original email (http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=ht...) was penned in December 1995.
Ms. Martini, who is not a physician but says she has worked in the medical
profession, has waged a single-minded battle for years against what she calls 'the
propaganda put out by industry and the FDA' regarding aspartame. To that end, she
founded an organization called 'Mission Possible International,' represented on such
Websites as Dave Rietz's (http://www.dorway.com), which houses a vast archive of
anti-aspartame literature.
Even if we credit Martini with good intentions (and there's no reason not to), it's
difficult to take her email warning seriously. Among other things, it blithely implicates
aspartame as the cause of just about every malady known to humankind. To recap
the laundry list:
'The methanol toxicity mimics multiple sclerosis...'
'In the cases of systemic lupus, which is triggered by ASPARTAME, the victim
usually does not know that the aspartame is the culprit.'
'If you...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 lecture attended by the Ambassador of Uganda, he told us that their sugar
industry is adding aspartame! He continued by saying that one of the industry
leader's son could no longer walk - due in part by product usage!'
'At the time of this first hearing, people were going blind. The methanol in the
aspartame converts to formaldehyde in the retina of the eye.'
'Aspartame changes the brain's chemistry. It is the reason for severe seizures.'
'This drug also causes Birth Defects.'
'It makes you crave carbohydrates and will make you FAT.'
'The ingredients stimulates [sic] the neurons of the brain to death, causing brain
damage of varying degrees.'
'Aspartame is especially deadly for diabetics.'
'...aspartame poisoning is escalating Alzheimer's Disease...'
'...the phenylalanine in aspartame breaks down the seizure threshold and depletes
serotonin, which causes manic depression, panic attacks, rage and violence...'
'Aspartame Disease is partially the cause to what is behind some of the mystery of
the Dessert [sic] Storm health problems.'
'When they remove brain tumors, they have found high levels of aspartame in them.'
That's a dizzying array of charges – to which it's perfectly reasonable to respond: if
it's all provable, why isn't the entire medical establishment up in arms about it? Why
does the substance continue to have the FDA's approval? Why do reputable
scientists and doctors scoff?
Martini's answer, as I mentioned above, is pat and comes in the form of a conspiracy
theory: the NutraSweet Company has used its deep pockets to buy all but a very
few critics off. I.e., the only sources you can trust, including doctors and
scientists, are those approved by Martini.





Part 3: MS Foundation: 'Scandalously misinformative...'
Naturally, the NutraSweet Company insists – as it has ever since it began
manufacturing the product – that aspartame is safe for nearly everyone to use. In
answer to the Internet rumors charging that aspartame is deadly, NutraSweet has
posted rebuttals on its promotional Website
(http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=ht...)
Labeling Martini's allegations
'egregious,' the document states: 'None of the symptoms she and her 'sources'
have attributed to aspartame have been substantiated in any clinical scientific
study.'
Those who are inclined to think that's nothing but a corporate whitewash will
probably also reject the FDA's Statement on Aspartame
(http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=ht...) published in 1996.
The statement disputes charges that aspartame is associated with brain tumors. The FDA has also released its own rebuttal of the 'Nancy Markle' email dated January 27, 1999 (http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=ht....
Critics will note that it agrees on most points with the NutraSweet Company's position.
The U.K. Food Standards Agency (http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=ht...) also deems aspartame safe for most people and challenges the assertions of Internet rumormongers: 'Some critics claim that aspartame is linked to a wide range of serious disorders such as multiple sclerosis, lupus erythrematosis, Gulf War Syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, brain tumors and diabetes mellitus. However, most of the data to substantiate these claims is anecdotal and no reliable scientific evidence is available to show that aspartame might be responsible for these conditions,' the agency concluded.
A recent MIT study (http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=ht...) reaffirms that aspartame is harmless for most users, but again, skeptics will object that the research was funded by a grant from the NutraSweet Company and therefore cannot be trusted.
On Jan. 12, 1999 the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation posted its own rebuttal of the
aspartame rumors, characterizing them as 'rabidly inaccurate and scandalously
misinformative.' The article was researched and written by Dr. David Squillacote,
respected neurologist and Senior Medical Advisor for the foundation. This was
followed by an article (http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=ht...) published by the National MS Society which in part stated: 'Many Internet surfers came across an article warning that the food additive aspartame was responsible for an MS 'epidemic.' In fact, none of the claims in the article were supported by scientific evidence.' More from the MS Foundation: Examining the Safety of Aspartame (http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=ht...) by Ellen Guthrie, Pharm.D.

Simeon Margolis, M.D., Ph.D. and professor of medicine and biological chemistry at
Johns Hopkins University, agrees. In a 1999 feature for Intelihealth, he wrote: 'A
letter recently circulating on the Internet stated that aspartame can cause a
number of illnesses: multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), as
well as Alzheimer's disease. As far as I can ascertain, there is no reliable evidence to
support the claim that aspartame causes any of these disorders.' Responding to the
claims that breakdown byproducts of aspartame are dangerous, he added: 'While it
is true that high heat can break down aspartame, there is no evidence that the
breakdown products are toxic.' In another Intelihealth Q & A feature, gastroenterologist Lawrence J. Cheskin, also of Johns Hopkins, wrote: '...the evidence is overwhelming that there are no health risks to use of aspartame in the usual amounts (even 64 ounces) foreveryone except the one person in about 16,000 in the United States who has phenylketonuria and can't metabolize it.'

The American Diabetes Association weighed in with this Feb. 9, 1999 statement:
'The American Diabetes Association considers aspartame – as well as the other
FDA-approved nonnutritive sweeteners saccharin, acesulfame K, and sucralose –
acceptable sugar substitutes and a safe part of a diabetic meal plan.'
The 'aspartame scare' hit the mainsream media when the Associated Press moved a
Jan. 29, 1999 article debunking the rumor. It stated that 'MS and lupus have been
around a lot longer than aspartame has, and repeated scientific studies have found
no connection between the sweetener and such symptoms.' The article cited the
FDA and the ACSH (http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=ht..., an alphabet soup that won't be to everyone's liking.
So, for those who would rather not take anyone's word on this – Betty Martini's, the
FDA's, or the media's – I highly recommend taking the time to survey the last 20
years' worth of medical research on aspartame (courtesy of the MEDLINE database) (http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=ht....
I reviewed a good many of the journal abstracts on file there and, taking their
conclusions as a whole, it appears to this layman that the 'aspartame = death'
theorists have wandered far afield from the proven facts.
Lastly, aspartame use is acknowledged (though not without controversy) to produce
minor side effects in some people – most notably headaches (see Aspartame
Ingestion and Headaches, Neurology, 1994) (http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=ht....


Also, the FDA warns that persons with certain medical conditions, including pregnant
women with hyperphenylalanine, should avoid aspartame:
Carefully controlled clinical studies show that aspartame is not an allergen. However,
certain people with the genetic disease phenylketonuria (PKU), those with advanced
liver disease, and pregnant women with hyperphenylalanine (high levels of
phenylalanine in blood) have a problem with aspartame because they do not
effectively metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine, one of aspartame's
components. High levels of this amino acid in body fluids can cause brain damage.

Therefore, FDA has ruled that all products containing aspartame must include a
warning to phenylketonurics that the sweetener contains phenylalanine.

– FDA: Food Allergies Rare But Risky, May 1994




On the other hand

Aspartame... the BAD news!

Article courtesy of: Mark Gold
(researcher for twenty years on such subjects)



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 than 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:

DORway documents now linked to SYMPTOM!

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.

Despite the claims of Monsanto and bedfellows:

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.

Summary

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 format 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. There is a very large and growing number of people that 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 affect its reclassification from 'food additive' to TOXIC DRUG, and removed from the human food chain.

Need to view some of the FDA original documentation? View it at:
http://www.presidiotex.com/aspartame/Facts/92_Symptoms/92_sy....

Addresses:

Commissioner
Food and Drug Administration
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, Maryland 20857

Mrs. Betty Martini
Mission Possible International
9270 River Club Parkway
Duluth, Georgia 30097

Links for additional information:

http://www.dorway.com Front door to everything!
http://www.dorway.com/possible.html Mission Possible Files
http://www.dorway.com/asprlink.html Links to more sites/source information
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame More in-depth Information
http://www.trufax.org/menu/chem.html#aspartame More good articles

Links for books:

http://www.dorway.com/books.html
http://www.dorway.com/amazon.html DORway Amazon Bookshelf

NOW... that 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, change to the Official Dogma page. On this page Mark Gold has taken the IFIC 'Official' aspartame safety myth and shot it full of holes using all of the smoking guns that were used
by the FDA to approve this poison as a food additive, along with information they either ignored or discounted. This excellent debunking of the official FDA/Monsanto/Searle/Nutrasweet/Nutrasweet Kelco/AMA/ADA/IFIC/??? chain of lies and half truths includes a long history of this 'product's' sordid trail to the marketplace and the sweet tooth.
 
  sammy1 on 2006-08-24
This is just a forum. Assume posts are not from medical professionals.
Sammy1-I am trying to figure out if your post was anti-aspartame or pro-aspartame. You seemed to give both sides. I have read all of the articles on the internet that you quoted as well as some of the books that have been written about aspartame.

The truth as I see it, after my 20 years of heavy aspartame use, is that since stopping just over a year ago, I feel so much better. I never got any of the diseases that are listed, but I did have problems with trigger things that I thought were hereditary such as my arthritis, memory problems, weight gain and a few more.

I have tried to discuss this issue with friends who drink diet colas and use sugar free everything and they laugh at me, telling me that they have no medical problems and they feel fine. Of course, 75% of them are overweight.

I just know in my heart that I have shortened my life span and probably will develop alzheimers (since dementia runs in the women in my family)all because of this one food additive.

I am hoping that I continue to feel as well as I have for the past year since giving aspartame up. One thing I know for sure is that I am working at putting healthier food in my body. Maybe I can undo some of the damage.

It would be wonderful if more people would look at this site and think seriously about the things they eat and drink.
 
catgranny last decade
I have been telling my mom about aspartame for years and she just get's sicker and sicker. i just called her and read this to her and now she believes me.

I had no idea about aspartame to this degree and I truly apprecite being so informed. I think this is one of the best sites i have ever found. Thank you all of you caring people, you're all wonderful!
 
lily white last decade

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Important
Information given in this forum is given by way of exchange of views only, and those views are not necessarily those of ABC Homeopathy. It is not to be treated as a medical diagnosis or prescription, and should not be used as a substitute for a consultation with a qualified homeopath or physician. It is possible that advice given here may be dangerous, and you should make your own checks that it is safe. If symptoms persist, seek professional medical attention. Bear in mind that even minor symptoms can be a sign of a more serious underlying condition, and a timely diagnosis by your doctor could save your life.