Sweetener Raises Lifelong Concerns

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[vitalchoice.com]

 

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Artificial Sweetener Raises Lifelong Concerns

 

Long-term use of aspartame-sweetened sodas and candy may risk brain

function/development and accelerate aging

 

by Craig Weatherby

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For 20 years and more, doubts about aspartame - sold as Equal or

NutraSweet - have lingered despite repeated affirmations of its safety

by U.S. and EU health authorities.

In 1995, FDA Epidemiology Branch Chief Thomas Wilcox reported that

aspartame complaints represented 75 percent of all reports of adverse

reactions to substances in the food supply from 1981 to 1995.

But last year, scientists published another review of the evidence

pertaining to aspartame, and found no indications that the artificial

sweetener harms brain function or promotes cancer.

Key Points

- New review of cell-level evidence casts doubt on long-term safety of

aspartame (Equal, Nutrasweet).

- Artificial sweetener was approved without adequate research into

chronic effects.

- Chemical's troubling effects are not outweighed by any well-proven

weight control benefits.

However, the review (Magnuson BA et al. 2007) was funded by a major

producer of aspartame - Ajinomoto of Japan - and conducted by

researchers-for-hire with glaring conflicts of interest.

The Ajinomoto-funded review was full of omissions that would mislead any

expert reader who failed to read all of the studies cited, and failed to

find the many damaging studies excluded from the analysis. (HM 2008)

This conflict of interest fits a disturbing pattern revealed by

Professor Ralph G. Walton, Chairman of Psychiatry at Northeastern Ohio

Universities College of Medicine.

Dr. Walton surveyed 166 studies of aspartame in peer reviewed medical

literature. Of the total, 74 studies had aspartame-industry-related

funding and 92 were independently funded. All of the industry funded

research attested to aspartame's safety, whereas 92 percent of the

independently funded research identified a problem of some kind. (Walton

RG

2008)

New findings from South Africa suggest that scientists should definitely

keep studying aspartame ... and may prompt you to educate yourself on

the subject.

Aspartame is most commonly used to sweeten uncooked consumables such as

sugar-free sodas and chewing gums. (Because heat degrades its sweetening

properties and taste, aspartame is rarely used in edibles that are

normally cooked or baked.)

What is aspartame?

In the body, this synthetic chemical compound breaks down into methanol

(10 percent), aspartate (40 percent), and phenylalanine (50 percent).

Aspartate and phenylalanine alike act as neurotransmitters and as

precursors to other neurotransmitters. Consumption of aspartame can

cause big spikes in aspartate levels, which are known to damage brain

cells.

Phenylalanine can cross the blood-brain barrier and cause large changes

in the production of key neurotransmitters.

Methanol breaks down into formate, which is lethal to cells, is linked

to a broad range of toxic effects, and also turns into toxic

formaldehyde.

Previous studies have found that aspartame can induce neurological and

behavioral disturbances in some people, with symptoms that include

headaches, insomnia and seizures.

These effects appear related to changes in brain concentrations of amino

acids, neurotransmitters, and hormones such as norepinephrine,

epinephrine and dopamine.

And the new findings suggest that aspartame could be responsible for

more subtle, long-term problems with brain function.

Safety studies seen as misleading

The effects of aspartame have been studied extensively in humans, rats,

mice and rabbits.

In safety studies, the aspartame doses given to animals were very high,

and far in excess of anything humans would ever consume, which is

standard and sensible in chemical safety tests.

Defenders of aspartame point to the results of animal studies, which

often - but not always - show harm only at enormous doses.That's true

only with some substantial exceptions.

And as the South Africans noted, " ... the animals tested for

phenylalanine toxicity are approximately 60 times less sensitive than

human beings. Humans are 10-20 times more sensitive to methanol

poisoning ... Test animals being used are 8-10 times less sensitive than

humans to the effects of aspartic acid and glutamates. " (Humphries P et

al. 2008)

Problem is, the ill effects of " normal " aspartame intake accumulate over

time, they may only appear in the fairly intangible form of accelerated

aging, and it'd be very hard to link the damage to the sweet synthetic.

The South African academics who authored the new review of cell-level

aspartame studies made a cogent criticism of the animal and human

( " macroscopic " ) research upon which approval of aspartame is based

(Humphries P et al. 2008): " Most studies described in the literature

have a macroscopic approach. If no adverse effects are visible after a

single large administered dose of aspartame, it is believed that

aspartame has no effect. "

" Thus [because of the very different responses of species and

individuals to aspartame], results obtained from different studies vary

from severe adverse effects to none observed. " " Further studies are not

carried out microscopically to demonstrate possible adverse effects on

the cellular basis. "

In other words, the usual animal and human studies ( " macroscopic "

research) are probably in adequate to the task of identifying long-term

problems with aspartame. Instead, we must pay attention to the red flags

raised by cell studies ( " microscopic " research).

Aspartame seems a dubious aid to weight and diabetes control given the

adverse effects seen in some animal studies, the big differences between

humans' and animals' reactions to aspartame, and what the new review

reveals about cell-level effects.

Let's take a closer look at the disturbing new review of cell-level

evidence concerning aspartame.

South African review cites aspartame's adverse impacts on brain function

The South African team, led by researchers at the University of

Pretoria, set out to examine the extant scientific evidence concerning

direct and indirect effects of aspartame on brain cells and metabolism.

The results make sobering reading, to say the least.

They found that prior research documents a number of direct and indirect

changes that occur in the brain as a result of high consumption levels

of aspartame, leading to degeneration of brain cells and functions.

Based on the results of prior studies, the African team concluded that

aspartame can disturb a series of key, interlocking factors in brain

health (Humphries P et al. 2008):

- Concentrations of key stress hormones, including norepinephrine,

epinephrine (adrenalin), and dopamine.

- Metabolism of amino acids.

- Structure and metabolism of proteins.

- Integrity of nucleic acids.

- Brain cell function.

And they cited evidence showing these negative effects of aspartame

(Humphries P et al. 2008):

- Breakdown of aspartame in the body causes nerve cells to fire

excessively.

- Aspartame consumption impairs the energy systems for certain required

enzyme reactions, which indirectly decreases the synthesis of key

neurotransmitters or their functioning.

- Aspartame's effects damage the brain cells' energy centers

(mitochondria): an effect that could kill cells and reduce the

efficiency of energy production.

Why aspartame's methanol content matters Aspartame's effects on brain

hormones, cells, and neurotransmitters are only the tip of the iceberg.

Methanol converts to toxic formate and formaldehyde in the body.

While common plant foods contain higher levels of methanol than a can of

soda - a misleading fact cited by aspartame defenders - these foods,

unlike aspartame, contain compounds that prevent methanol from

converting into formate and formaldehyde.

It's pretty chilling to read the South Africans' dry summary of the

impacts of ingesting the methanol as part of aspartame (Humphries P et

al. 2008):

- " ... the wood alcohol in aspartame is converted into formaldehyde and

then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. The

methanol toxicity is thought to mimic the symptoms of multiple sclerosis

.... symptoms of fibromyalgia, spasms, shooting pains, numbness in the

legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain,

depression, anxiety, slurred speech, blurred vision or memory loss have

been attributed to aspartame. "

- " The methanol in the body ... can also give rise to formaldehyde,

diketopiperazine (a carcinogen) and a number of other highly toxic

derivatives ... Methanol and formaldehyde are also known to be

carcinogenic and mutagenic. The damaged DNA could cause the cell to

function inadequately or have an unbalanced homoeostasis, thus

initiating disease states. "

- " ... we propose that excessive aspartame ingestion might be involved

in the pathogenesis [disease-promotion process] of certain mental

disorders ... and also in compromised learning and emotional

functioning. "

Obviously, the vast majority of people who consume aspartame experience

no obvious symptoms such as these.

Instead, the effects cited here could take years or decades to produce

noticeable damage, which would be very hard to trace back to chronic

aspartame consumption.

Aspartame's impact on weight control

The authors of the review point out that, ironically, consumption of

aspartame results in a craving for carbohydrates that will eventually

result in weight gain.

Studies on artificial sweeteners are mixed ... most show weight

benefit, but others don't.

The conclusions of a conference held in Paris in 2006 noted the

increasing evidence that even modest reductions in calorie consumption

can reduce the risk factors associated with diabetes, cardiovascular

disease, and more.

Some research suggests that choosing sodas and sweets with aspartame

could cut in calorie intake enough to reduce heart and diabetes risks.

But as the South Africans say, the metabolic effects of aspartame could

worsen blood sugar control over time.

Aspartame's impact on child brain development And the Africans team

added these disturbing predictions (Humphries P et al. 2008):

" In addition, prenatal consumption of aspartame [via the umbilical cord]

might result in mental retardation, impaired vision, birth defects and

is thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease;

furthermore, it is implicated in disruption of learning and emotional

functioning

.... "

" ... earlier research findings show that aspartame consumption might

affect early brain development and neurotransmitter systems, which might

result in specific emotional, behavioral and learning difficulties ... "

The researchers said more testing is required to further determine the

health effects on aspartame and bring an end to the controversy.

No kidding!

To learn more about the serious deficiencies of the research upon which

FDA approval of aspartame rests, click here [

http://www.imakenews.com/eletra/go.cfm?z=vitalchoiceseafood%2C258649%2Cb1kJkvww%\

2C2290580%2Cbcy6MS7

] and here [

http://www.imakenews.com/eletra/go.cfm?z=vitalchoiceseafood%2C258649%2Cb1kJkvww%\

2C2290581%2Cbcy6MS7

]. (We can't vouch for every statement, but we've found this site

generally reliable on this subject.)

When you add up the many alarming facts about aspartame revealed by

their review, it seems odd that the FDA has not banned the sweetener

until all of the many legitimate concerns have been settled by

objective, scientifically sound studies.

Sadly, we wouldn't advise holding your breath waiting for

industry-influenced Federal agencies and elected representatives to

protect public health at the expense of profits.

Instead, it will likely take citizen pressure to force new research.

Sources

- [No authors listed] Aspartame. Review of safety issues. Council on

Scientific Affairs. JAMA. 1985 Jul 19;254(3):400-2.

- Coulombe RA Jr, Sharma RP. Neurobiochemical alterations induced by the

artificial sweetener aspartame (NutraSweet). Toxicol Appl Pharmacol.

1986 Mar 30;83(1):79-85.

- HolisticMed.com (HM). Aspartame and Manufacturer-Funded Scientific

Reviews. Accessed online April 24, 2008 at

http://www.imakenews.com/eletra/go.cfm?z=vitalchoiceseafood%2C258649%2Cb1kJkvww%\

2C2290580%2Cbcy6MS7

- Humphries P, Pretorius E, Naude H. Direct and indirect cellular

effects of aspartame on the brain. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2008

Apr;62(4):451-62. Epub 2007 Aug 8.

- Magnuson BA, Burdock GA, Doull J, Kroes RM, Marsh GM, Pariza MW,

Spencer PS, Waddell WJ, Walker R, Williams GM. Aspartame: a safety

evaluation based on current use levels, regulations, and toxicological

and epidemiological studies. Crit Rev Toxicol. 2007;37(8):629-727.

Review.

- Oyama Y, Sakai H, Arata T, Okano Y, Akaike N, Sakai K, Noda K.

Cytotoxic effects of methanol, formaldehyde, and formate on dissociated

rat thymocytes: a possibility of aspartame toxicity. Cell Biol Toxicol.

2002;18(1):43-50.