The Artificially Sweetened Times

[Guest guest]

*****

The Artificially Sweetened Times

PO Box 457

Spirit Lake, Idaho 83869

(208) 255-2307

 

Editor: Don Harkins Associate Editor: Ingri Cassel

Graphic Design: Don Harkins

Contributors: Mission Possible Founder Betty Martini;

Aspartame Toxicity Center Director Mark D. Gold

Consumer Advocate Attorney Jim Turner

Medical Consultants: Russell Blaylock, MD; James Bowen, MD;

H.J. Roberts, MD; John Olney, MD

 

 

http://www.vaclib.org/news/astimes.htm

 

The Artificially Sweetened Times is a community service publication

produced in cooperation with Mission Possible, Vaccination

Liberation and The Idaho Observer. The intent of the editors is to

present a balance of information regarding the synthetic food and

beverage sweetener aspartame and its link to epidemic illness and

death.

The editors of The Artificially Sweetened Times believe that

government product approval is not a license to knowingly poison the

public for profit.

 

 

The masthead of The Artificially Sweetened Times' (hardcopy edition)

features a photograph of Presidential Assistant Donald Rumsfeld and

his assistant Dick Cheney meeting with reporters at the White House

Nov. 7, 1975. Cheney is a former secretary of defense, former

Halliburton CEO and current vice-president; Rumsfeld is a former

secretary of defense, former Searle Corp. CEO and the current

secretary of defense. These men are featured in the masthead of The

Artificially Sweetened Times for helping to successfully merge the

interests of modern multinational corporations with the interests of

the U.S. government at the expense of public health.

 

Ordering Information

The eight-page on newsprint hardcopy edition of The Artificially

Sweetened Times is available for $25 per 100 shipping included.

Circulate this publication among friends, family and throughout your

community. The future of America could very well depend upon the

removal of aspartame (and now neotame) from our food supply. The

Artificially Sweetened Times is the most concise, compelling and

cost-effective means of accomplishing this critical goal.

 

 

 

" There are known knowns. These are things we know

that we know.

There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things we know

we don't know.

But, there are also unknown unknowns. These are things we don't know

we don't know. "

~Donald Rumsfeld

 

 

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Sweet Slavery

" It's safe " says gov't, industry

" It's not safe " say others

Aspartame approval timeline

The human side of aspartame disease

Kicking the sweet habit

Aspartame Reaction Report Form

Questions and resources

Action plan

Sweeteners to use/avoid

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8

 

 

Page 1

Aspartame: Harmless synthetic sweetener or

FDA-approved poison?

 

Long before it achieved FDA approval for use in foods, beverages and

drugs, questions regarding the safety of synthetic sweetener

aspartame have been the subject of much controversy. It has even

been characterized as a poison linked to a variety of chronic

ailments (See list of complaints/symptoms page 4).

 

A growing body of scientists, doctors and laypeople insist that

aspartame disease is an ignored epidemic and an underlying cause of

chronic ill-health in America today. Conversely, aspartame

producers, food and beverage industry trade associations, government

regulators and some scientists and physicians claim aspartame is

completely safe and its worst characteristic is that it's non-

nutritive.

 

Are aspartame and other synthetic sweeteners like saccharin and

neotame harmless? Or are they government-approved poisons?

After reading this publication, follow your instincts and become

your own expert: The life you save may be your own.

 

God, refined sweets and political power

In the beginning, there were sweet fruits, vegetables and raw honey

and all was good. Then man said, " Let's isolate that which makes

things sweet. We shall discard the vitamin, mineral and enzyme

components of food. This will make the sweetnesses sweeter so we can

enter them into commerce. "

 

Soon thereafter, people became addicted to the " refined " sweet

stuff. They became cranky and unhealthy; their appetite for vice and

tendency toward pettiness replaced morality.

 

It is understood by those who aspire toward political power that a

moral people are self-governing and that amoral people demand more

government. See story page 2

 

U.S. food and drug administrators' curious approval guidelines: Money

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was commissioned to

enforce the Safe Food and Drug Act of 1906. For decades people have

alleged that the FDA commonly approves for human consumption foods

and drugs of questionable safety and denies approval of foods,

supplements and drugs proved to be safe.

 

According to the FDA, its " ...mission is to promote and protect the

public health by helping safe and effective products reach the

market in a timely way, and monitoring products for continued safety

after they are in use. Our work is a blending of law and science

aimed at protecting consumers. "

 

A lot has happened in the field of biochemistry since the FDA

protected the public from real snake oil salesmen and unsanitary

food packaging processes.

 

By the year 2000, Americans were spending some $117 billion

annually on pharmaceutical drugs. The FDA has approved the use of

thousands of drugs that mask the symptoms of chronic conditions such

as cancer, diabetes, obesity, anger, depression, heart disease,

asthma, Parkinson's, lupus, multiple sclerosis and AIDS just to name

a few.

 

According to FDA Criminal Investigations official Don Liggett, the

key to product approval, is money. " ...[T]he majority of firms that

have drugs approved in the United States are international in

scope... fantastically wealthy and able to invest the resources... "

 

Most drugs that get approved are from large multinational

pharmaceutical companies that can spend up to $230 million to

achieve approval of their wares.

 

Since many of these drugs were only recently " discovered, " it is

impossible for them to have undergone scientific studies proving

long-term risks or benefits.

 

If the approval of aspartame is any indication of tests conducted in

lieu of FDA approval, we can infer that many have accomplished the

expensive feat of drug approval with flawed science.

 

The proof is in the damage caused by FDA-approved drugs. A

congressional committee found that nearly 100,000 people die each

year from taking approved drugs per manufacturers' recommendations;

American Medical News reported in 2000 that 28 percent of hospital

admissions are the result of adverse reactions to prescribed drugs.

 

There are so many FDA-approved drugs entering the marketplace it is

impossible for doctors, or the FDA, to know which drugs will work

together to produce therapeutic results and which drugs will

recombine to produce toxic and potentially fatal results.

 

Rumsfeld named G.D. Searle CEO, reverses

Aspartame non-approval tide

 

By 1976, the G.D. Searle company's campaign to achieve the approval

of aspartame was mired in controversy. Amid objections to aspartame

approval formally filed by consumer advocate attorney Jim Turner and

neuroscientist John Olney, MD, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

(FDA) launched an investigation into Searle's laboratory practices.

The FDA determined that the aspartame developer's testing procedures

were shoddy, producing inaccurate results from manipulated data. The

investigators stated in their 1976 report they, " ...had never seen

anything as bad as Searle's testing. "

 

The FDA report prompted a grand jury investigation led by U.S.

Attorney Sam Skinner. Six months later, Skinner resigned from the

U.S. attorney's office to take a position at Searle's law firm

Sidley & Austin.

 

By March, 1977, Searle had hired former Illinois congressman and

former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld as its CEO. By Dec.,

1977, the statute of limitations had run out on the grand jury

investigation and charges against Searle were dropped by the U.S.

attorney's office.

Though opposition to aspartame approval was increasingly being

supported by independent scientific studies, Rumsfeld's political

muscle prevailed. On July 15, 1981, in one of his first official

acts as FDA commissioner under Ronald Reagan, Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes,

Jr., approved aspartame for dry products.

 

Physicians, scientists, laypeople question safety of government-

approved synthetic sweetener

 

People have a natural tendency to believe government-approved-

products are safe.

However, in the case of aspartame, the product is comprised of

substances that are not safe and every phase of its journey through

the body produces additional substances of known toxicity. This fact

has caused increasing numbers to question its safety as an

artificial sweetener.

 

Aspartame breaks down into substances such as methanol, formaldehyde

and formic acid all known neurotoxins. Our layperson hypothesis

becomes: " Aspartame cannot be safe because it breaks down into

substances known to be toxic to the human body. "

The next logical step is to locate the science that proves or

disproves our new hypothesis.

 

This is exactly the process that has led thousands of physicians,

scientists, attorneys and laypeople to investigate government

approval of aspartame. Their investigations reveal a trail of fraud,

deceit and power politics not science and public health

considerations that led to the approval of aspartame.

 

" Every known metabolite of aspartame is of marked or questionable

toxicity and patently unsafe for human use... The only responsible

action would be to immediately take aspartame off the market, fully

disclose its toxicities, offer full compensation to the injured

public and criminally prosecute anyone who participated in the

placement of aspartame on the market that includes those who work so

diligently to keep it there as well, " explained James Bowen, MD.

On Nov. 2, 1987, Emory University Professor of Pediatrics and

Genetics Dr. Louis Elsas testified before Congress. " Aspartame is,

in fact, a well-known neurotoxin and teratogen [causes abnormal

embryonic development] which, in some undefined dose, will,

irreversibly, in the developing child or fetal brain, produce

adverse effects... I am particularly angry at this type of

advertising that is promoting the sale of a neurotoxin in the

childhood age group, " Dr. Elsas told the nation's lawmakers

assembled on Capitol Hill.

 

Betty Martini of Mission Possible claims hundreds of peoples'

chronic symptoms have reversed once aspartame is removed from their

diets.

 

Neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock, MD, author of numerous books,

including, " Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills, " has declared that

aspartame is a toxin like arsenic and cyanide. He has demonstrated

that aspartame causes tumors, cancer, seizures and other chronic

disorders. He also said it can make people confused, disoriented and

is linked to autism and Alzheimer's disease.

 

Endocrinologist H.J. Roberts, MD, FACP, has studied the case

histories of 1,300 aspartame victims over 15 years. Dr. Roberts has

declared aspartame disease a " worldwide epidemic. "

 

Worldwide aspartame production, consumption increases 35-fold by 1995

Growth of Worldwide aspartame market (in tons)

 

1982

1986

1991

1995 U.S.

220

5100

8000

10200 Europe

30

430

1400

1800 Canada

100

120

400

500 Japan

5

40

80

140 RoW*

15

40

120

500 Total

370

5730

10000

13140

*Rest of World

(Source: Exhibit 1, Holland Sweetener Co. v. NutraSweet)

 

Since its 1981 approval for use in dry goods, aspartame has been

approved for beverages, processed foods and medical preparations.

Today some 7,000 products contain aspartame.

 

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Page 2

Sweet Slavery: A brief history

of the international sugar trade

 

by Don Harkins

 

Whether in cubes dropped in cups of coffee; in 100 pound sacks

grandma had in the pantry for her cakes, pies, jellies and jams or;

unseen in soda pop, ice cream, processed breakfast cereals and

corporate candy, refined sugar has been a mainstay of

the " civilized " diet for centuries. Only recently have sugar

consumers become aware of health risks associated with its

consumption. But this is only the beginning of the sugar story.

 

The international sugar trade is a story of slavery—slaves planted

and harvested the canes and addicted people became slaves to its

sweetness. Following is a brief look into the history of sweet

slavery. Understanding how 300 years of refined sugar commerce

shaped the world will give us a much clearer understanding of how

the politics of sweet are playing out in modern times.

 

In the beginning

 

For thousands of years, refined forms of sugar were unknown to man:

From the Garden of Eden to the New Testament and the Koran, there is

no mention of what we now know as sugar.

 

Ancient Chinese medical texts make no reference to sugar; the

Ancient Greeks did not even have a word for it. But, in 325 B.C.,

Admiral Nearchus, sailing in the service of Alexander the Great,

described " a kind of honey " that comes from canes.

 

Peoples native to where sugar cane grows would press the cane and

drink its sweet juice, or simply cut it into bite-sized pieces and

chew it (juice from the sweet cane would not keep, however and would

quickly ferment).

 

William Duffy, in his classic #1 bestseller " Sugar Blues (1975) "

identified the technological development that marked the beginning

of the international sugar trade and sweet slavery. " The school of

medicine and pharmacology at the University of Djondisapour, the

pride of the Persian Empire, is credited with the research and

development of a process for solidifying and refining the juice of

the cane into solid form that would last without fermenting.

 

Transportation and trade were now possible. This happened sometime

after 600 A.D. when the Persians began growing the sweet cane on

their own. "

 

The fall of the Arab Empire

 

The Persians began exporting " loaves of stone honey, " or " saccharu

m " to the Orient. When the Persian Empire was overrun by the armies

of Islam and fell in the 9th century, A.D., Arabs took control of

the saccharum trade. The Arab world discovered sugared food, sugared

drinks and fermented sugar beverages. The Arab world also discovered

many new diseases.

 

Duffy believes sugar played a key role in the decline of the Arab

Empire. He interprets the notes of German botanist Leonhard Rauwolf

as indicating he viewed the sugar addiction of the sultan's armies

in the same light modern observers viewed American forces in Viet

Nam who became addicted to heroin. The sugar-addicted Turks and

Moors, " ...are no longer the intrepid fighters they had formerly

been, " Rauwolf observed.

 

Similarly, a Japanese philosopher told Duffy in 1965, " If you really

expect to conquer the North Vietnamese, you must drop army PXs on

them sugar, candy and Coca-Cola. That will destroy them faster than

bombs. "

 

Europeans wrestle for control of the sugar trade

 

The European sugar trade was largely controlled by the Portuguese by

the mid-1400sbut the Spaniards were yapping at their heels.

The Portuguese captured negroes from the west African coast and set

them to slavery on sugar cane plantations in Valencia and Grenada.

By 1510, the Portuguese had expanded their sugar production to South

America and were importing negro slave labor to grow and harvest

sugar cane in Brazil. Rather than keep lawbreakers imprisoned at

home, they shipped them to the New World where they were encouraged

to breed with natives and produce halfbreeds capable of working the

sugar cane plantations.

 

The Spaniards, following Christopher Columbus, had exterminated the

natives in the West Indies by 1596 (per a 1555 decree by Emperor

Charles V) and brought in African slaves to work their fields of

cane.

 

Sugar profits were largely responsible for the rise of the Spanish

and Portuguese empires; sugar addiction and the diseases and

immorality that accompany it, was also, arguably, a contributing

factor in their fall.

 

British and Dutch interests had control of West Indies sugar

production by 1648. During this era, the rum trade began to

flourish: Enough rum was being imported into the American colonies

for the annual consumption of " every man, woman and child " to

be " four gallons, " wrote Duffy.

 

Ships loaded with rum were exchanged for blacks who were traded to

British plantation owners in the West Indies in trade for molasses

that was sold to rum makers in the colonies to satisfy the

colonists' growing thirst for distilled spirits.

 

Rum was also being traded to Indians for furs at tremendous profit

to the white traders and at tremendous social and economic loss to

the Indians.

 

Millions of slaves

 

The 1860 census population of negro slaves in the U.S. was

4,441,830; it is estimated that some 20,000,000 negroes survived the

voyage to become slaves in the Western World. " It will be no

exaggeration to put the tale and toll of the slave trade at 20

million Africans, of which two-thirds are to be charged against

sugar, " wrote British historian Noel Deerr in " The History of Sugar

(1949). "

 

Planting, tending and harvesting sugar cane is backbreaking work

performed in the hot, humid climates cane prefers to grow. Negroes

are the only human race able to survive under the yoke of sweet

servitude. According to Deerr, it took some 13.2 million negro

slaves to produce enough raw sugar cane to satisfy the western

world's demand.

 

By the 1800s, France and Great Britain were wrestling for control of

the international sugar trade. " No cask of sugar arrives in Europe

to which blood is not sticking. In view of the misery of these

slaves, anyone with feelings should renounce these wares and refuse

the enjoyment of what is only to be bought with tears and death of

countless unhappy creatures, " wrote French Philosopher Claude Adrien

Helvetius in the 1850s while his nation was profiting immensely from

the sugar trade.

 

On the eve of the American Civil War, sugar and slavery were as

solidly linked together as two sides of the same coin.

 

Colonists could have had a sugar party

 

England was so addicted to sugar, as a substance and as a commodity

of unparalleled profitability, it amended its Navigation Acts in

1660. American colonists were banned from trading sugar, indigo and

tobacco with any other country except England, Ireland or another

British colony. In 1664, the Acts were again amended so British

colonies could only receive foreign goods via England. The Boston

Tea Party in 1773 was a colonial response to the Navigation Acts.

 

The queen's addicted subjects

 

When sugar was first introduced to Great Britain in the 1300s, only

the upper class could afford the exotic treat. By the mid 1600s, the

nation was importing 16 million pounds of sugar annually; 20 million

pounds by 1700 and, by 1800, the British were consuming 160 million

pounds of sugar 72 pounds per person each year.

 

It was about this time that the British Empire began crumbling.

 

Sweet slavery in America

 

According to Dr. Nancy Appleton, author of " Lick the Sugar Habit, "

the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that, between

1970 and 1995, Americans increased their sugar and corn sweetener

consumption by 22 percent.

 

The USDA reported in 2000 that Americans consumed nearly 22 million

tons about 151 pounds each of sugar and corn, glucose and dextrose

sweeteners in 1999. Americans derive 36-40 percent of their

carbohydrate intake from sugar.

 

Since 1984, Americans have gotten in the habit of drinking more soda

pop than water. The number of 12-ounce cans of soda produced in 1997

was 580 per person about 1.5 cans a day per persona figure that has

doubled since 1974; seven-fold since 1942. Each 12-ounce can

contains about 9 teaspoons of sugar.

 

The myth of sugar substitutes

 

The main argument in support of providing non-caloric, sugar

substitutes for the sweet-toothed consumer is to diminish their

intake of sugar. Health officials have determined that America's

addiction to sugar causes obesity, tooth decay, diabetes, heart

disease and behavioral problems.

 

Sugar consumption in the U.S. continues to increase regardless of

the marketplace presence of sugar substitutes such as aspartame,

which itself has skyrocketed in use since 1982 (see page 1).

We are also experiencing in this country epidemics of chronic

ailments historically associated with sugar addiction. The problem

appears to be compounded by the world's new addiction to aspartame.

Our self-destructive demand for sweets has been shaping human

history for centuries.

 

 

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Page 3

How aspartame causes damage to the body

When a matter is in controversy, the fair and civilized manner of

solving it would be for both parties of a dispute to bring their

evidence before an impartial body. Once both sides have presented

their evidence, the impartial body is adequately prepared to settle

the matter based upon the facts. Were such a forum used to determine

the safety of aspartame, the substance would no longer be an item of

controversy; it would no longer be poisoning a trusting public.

 

Compiled by Don Harkins

 

Since prior to its 1981 FDA approval, an international who's who of

scientific minds have been producing peer-reviewable reports warning

against the dietary use of aspartame. To my knowledge, not one of

the studies to which I refer has been duplicated and scientifically

determined to be in error.

 

What this means is that, until new, peer-reviewable science is

published to the contrary, aspartame is linked to the FDA's list of

92 reported symptoms (see margins pages 4, 5, 7). It also means that

anyone who consumes aspartame is a candidate for a broad spectrum of

physiological and psychological complications that include

blindness, death and/or insanity.

 

But there will be no new, credible, peer-reviewable science to

reveal that aspartame is safe. There wasn't any in 1965, 1981, 1983,

1985 or at any time between then and now. If you take a look at the

aspartame information on page 3, you will see that published science

and field experience easily refute claims promoting aspartame safety.

The argument in support of aspartame approval

 

Aspartame developer Searle conducted studies that are difficult to

find and impossible to duplicate because they were scientifically

flawed. Manipulated data were used to arrive at preconceived

conclusions. Based upon these studies (for which Searle was being

investigated for fraud), aspartame was initially approved by the

FDA for use in dry goods only. As of 1993, it has been approved for

use in any product consumed by people living in the U.S.

 

European Union officials recently approved the use of aspartame and

labeling requirements per recommendation of the FDA, World Health

Organization and the American Medical Association.

 

The argument in opposition to aspartame approval

 

This section will take a little work on our part, the laypeople, to

understand. Brilliant men and women have independently performed

studies, largely at their own expense and personal sacrifice, to

save your life and the lives of those close to you. Please honor

their commitment to your health by reading this article with a

dictionary close to you, if necessary.

 

Aspartame and the BBB

 

As of 1995, aspartame accounted for 75 percent of adverse reactions

(see page 3) reported to the FDA.1

Aspartame is comprised of 40% aspartic acid, 50% phenylalanine and

10% methanol. Some of the metabolites of aspartame are methanol,

formaldehyde, formic acid, diketopiperazine and carbon monoxide.

The body protects the brain from chemical imbalances through the

blood brain barrier (BBB). However, the BBB matures during

childhood, is compromised by ill-health and often allows substances

to pass while functioning properly.

 

Aspartic acid

 

The body produces aspartic acid that serves as a neurotransmitter,

facilitating the transition of information from neuron to neuron.

Excess aspartic acid (an amino acid) creates too many

neurotransmitters in certain areas of the brain. This excess damages

or kills neurons by overstimulating them hence the

term " excitotoxin. "

 

Excessive amounts of aspartame over time begin to destroy neurons.

Significant populations of people who consume aspartame develop a

variety of symptomologies commonly diagnosed as multiple sclerosis,

Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Lou Gehrig's disease.

Undiagnosed, aspartame users commonly experience memory loss, sexual

dysfunction, blindness, heart irregularities, headaches, loss of

hearing, seizures, blood sugar anomalies, irritability and varying

degrees of dementia.

 

Naturally, populations most vulnerable to excitotoxic neurological

damage are infants and developing children, pregnant women, the

elderly and the chronically afflicted.

 

Phenylalanine

 

Phenylalanine is also an amino acid produced in the body.

Phenylalanine from aspartame can cross the BBB and cause an

imbalance of it in the brain, causing serotonin to decrease leading

to emotional disorders. Elevated phenylalanine levels have been seen

in the blood and in areas of the brain of human subjects who

chronically use aspartame.2 Dr. Louis Elsas showed Congress that

such levels are dangerous to fetuses and infants. He also showed

that lab rats metabolize phenylalanine more efficiently than humans.3

Neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock shows earlier studies indicating

concentrations of phenylalanine accumulate in the hypothalamus,

medulla oblongata, and corpus stranium areas of the brain. Previous

science has determined that phenylalanine buildup in the brain can

cause schizophrenia or susceptibility to seizures.

 

Can we infer that aspartame use is partially responsible for

increased sales of Prozac and other psychotropic drugs?

 

Methanol

 

Methanol is a well-known neurotoxin. The EPA recognizes it as

a " cumulative " poison and that " methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde

and formic acid; both of these metabolites are toxic. " Methanol is

slowly released in the small intestine when aspartame encounters the

enzyme chymotrypsin.

 

Methanol metabolizes faster as " free " methanol which is created when

aspartame is heated above 86 degrees F. In 1993, the FDA approved

the use of aspartame in a wide variety of food items that would

always be heated above 86 degrees F.

 

The symptoms of methanol poisoning include headaches, tinnitus,

dizziness, nausea, digestive disturbances, weakness, vertigo,

chills, vision problems, retinal damage and blindness, memory

lapses, numbness and shooting pains in the extremities, behavioral

problems and neuritis.

 

Humans, lacking a couple of key enzymes, are many times more

sensitive to the toxic effects of methanol than animals. Therefore,

animal studies with regard to the effects of methanol in the body

are of no value.

 

Aspartame enthusiasts are quick to mention that many common foods

such as fruit juices and alcoholic beverages contain methanol.

However, in these instances, ethanol is always present, usually in

higher amounts. Ethanol serves as an antidote to methanol.4

Aspartame contains no ethanol.

 

Formaldehyde

 

Formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, causes retinal damage, interferes

with DNA replication and causes birth defects.5

Diketopiperazine (DKP)

A by-product of aspartame metabolism, DKP has been associated with

the formation of brain tumors. DKP has been found to form in

aspartame-containing beverages during prolonged storage,

particularly above 86 degrees F. Gulf War troops drank copious

amounts of aspartame-sweetened sodas that had been stored for

extended periods in the hot Arabian sun.

 

Conclusions

 

Science has shown how the components of aspartame are metabolized in

the body. Aspartame's three main ingredients are themselves

problematic and break down into substances already known to be toxic

to the body.

Tests conducted by Searle to support claims that aspartame is safe

do not withstand peer review and were being investigated for fraud

prior to aspartame's FDA approval.

 

This article was largely taken from the article " The Bitter Truth

About Artificial Sweeteners " by Mark D. Gold as it appeared in the

Oct.-Dec., 1995 edition of Nexus Magazine. References available upon

request.

 

References:

1. Department of Health and Human Services, " Report on All

Adverse Reactions in the Adverse Reaction Monitoring System, "

February 25, 28, 1994.

2. Wurtman and Walker, " Dietary Phenylalanine and Brain

Function, " Proceedings of the First International Meeting on Dietary

Phenylalanine and Brain Function, Washington, D.C., May 8, 1987

 

3. Hearing Before the Committee on Labor and Human Resources,

First Session on Examining the Health and Safety Concerns of

NutraSweet (aspartame), U.S. Senate.

 

4. Monte, Woodrow C., Ph.D., RD, " Aspartame: Methanol and the

Public Health, " Journal of Applied Nutrition, 36(1):42-53

 

5. U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, No. 84-

1153, Community Nutrition Institute and Dr. Woodrow Monte v. Dr.

Mark Novitch, Acting Commissioner, USFDA, Sept. 24, 1985.

 

 

How diet soda becomes poison

 

In 1997, 11-year-old Jennifer Cohen saved her babysitting money for

lab tests to measure how aspartame breaks down in cans before

ingestion by consumers. With $1,250 this young girl was able to

produce peer-reviewable results that Searle, Monsanto and the FDA

and their $multi-million budgets, state-of-the-art testing

facilities and scientists could not.

 

On January 21, 1997, Jennifer Cohen bought a case of Diet Coke. She

put seven cans in the refrigerator (36 degrees F.), seven cans in

her bedroom (69 degrees F.) and seven cans in an incubator set at

104 degrees F. She checked the temperatures daily for 10 weeks. The

remaining cans she took to Winston Laboratories in New Jersey. The

cans were found to contain .06 percent aspartame.

 

Prior to conducting her experiments, she discovered that aspartame

was being consumed by over 100 million Americans and that aspartame

has a shelf life of 262 days at 77 degrees F.

 

Her research also revealed that the FDA gets more complaints about

aspartame than any other substance and; that aspartame use has been

linked to brain tumors, seizures and symptoms mimicking multiple

sclerosis and Alzheimer' s disease.

 

On April 1, 1997, Cohen took the refrigerated, room temperature and

incubated cans of pop to Winston Labs for analysis. The refrigerated

cans showed aspartame diminished to .0058 percent with .001 percent

DKP and 53.5 parts per billion (ppb) formaldehyde. The room

temperature samples showed .0051 percent aspartame, .002 percent DKP

and 231 ppb formaldehyde. The incubated samples showed only .026

percent aspartame, .010 percent DKP and 76.2 ppb formaldehyde.

 

The higher the temperature, the more DKP; room temperature produced

the highest levels of formaldehyde.

 

Cohen also conducted a double-blind taste test and found

that " fresh " diet Coke was preferred and the incubated samples

scored the lowest.

 

" The FDA says, 'we believe, based upon all the information we

received to date, that this is a safe product,' " Cohen wrote.

" I say, 'Decide for yourself,' " she concluded.

 

Cohen's entire 1997 study can be found at www.dorway.com

 

1981

 

On January 21, 1981, the day after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as

president of the United States, G.D. Searle resubmitted its petition

for FDA approval of aspartame.

 

According to former G.D. Searle salesperson Patty Wood-Allott, G.D.

Searle President and former (and current) Secretary of Defense

Donald Rumsfeld circulated a memo among his sales people stating

that, if necessary, " he would call in all his markers and that, no

matter what, he would see to it that aspartame would be approved

that year. "

 

(Gordon, 1987, page 499, U.S. Senate, 1987)

True to his word, aspartame was approved for use in dry products

July 15, 1981.

 

 

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Aspartame Timeline

The process of aspartame's federal approval and subsequent mass

marketing is a study in the triumph of political power over science

and public health. The following time was compiled by longtime

consumer advocate Attorney Jim Turner.

 

December 1965-While working on an ulcer drug, James Schlatter, a

chemist at G.D. Searle, accidentally discovers aspartame, a

substance that is 180 times sweeter than sugar yet has no calories.

 

Spring 1967-Searle begins the safety tests on aspartame that are

necessary to apply for FDA approval of food additives.

F Fall 1967-Dr. Harold Waisman, a biochemist at the University of

Wisconsin, conducts aspartame safety tests on infant monkeys on

behalf of the Searle Company. Of the seven monkeys that were being

fed aspartame mixed with milk, one dies and five others have grand

mal seizures.

 

November 1970-Cyclamate, the reigning low-calorie artificial

sweetener is pulled off the market after some scientists associate

it with cancer. Questions are also raised about safety of saccharin,

the only other artificial sweetener on the market, leaving the field

wide open for aspartame.

 

December 18, 1970-Searle Company executives lay out a " Food and Drug

Sweetener Strategy " that they feel will put the FDA into a positive

frame of mind about aspartame. An internal policy memo describes

psychological tactics the company should use to bring the FDA into a

subconscious spirit of participation " with them on aspartame and get

FDA regulators into the " habit of saying, 'Yes.' "

 

Spring 1971-Neuroscientist Dr. John Olney (whose pioneering work

with monosodium glutamate was responsible for having it removed from

baby foods) informs Searle that his studies show that aspartic acid

(one of the ingredients of aspartame) caused holes in the brains of

infant mice. One of Searle's own researchers confirmed Dr. Olney's

findings in a similar study.

 

February 1973-After spending tens of millions of dollars conducting

safety tests, the G.D. Searle Company applies for FDA approval and

submits over 100 studies they claim support aspartame's safety.

 

March 5, 1973-One of the first FDA scientists to review the

aspartame safety data states that " the information provided (by

Searle) is inadequate to permit an evaluation of the potential

toxicity of aspartame " . She says in her report that in order to be

certain that aspartame is safe, further clinical tests are needed.

 

May 1974-Attorney Jim Turner (consumer advocate who was instrumental

in getting cyclamate taken off the market) meets with Searle

representatives to discuss Dr. Olney's 1971 study which showed that

aspartic acid caused holes in the brains of infant mice.

 

July 26, 1974-The FDA grants aspartame its first approval for

restricted use in dry foods.

 

August 1974-Jim Turner and Dr. John Olney file the first objections

against aspartame's approval.

 

March 24, 1976-Turner and Olney's petition triggers an FDA

investigation of the laboratory practices of aspartame's

manufacturer, G.D. Searle. The investigation finds Searle's testing

procedures shoddy, full of inaccuracies and " manipulated " test data.

The investigators report they " had never seen anything as bad as

Searle's testing. "

 

January 10, 1977-The FDA formally requests the U.S. Attorney's

office to begin grand jury proceedings to investigate whether

indictments should be filed against Searle for knowingly

misrepresenting findings and " concealing material facts and making

false statements " in aspartame safety tests. This is the first time

in the FDA's history that they request a criminal investigation of a

manufacturer.

 

January 26, 1977-While the grand jury probe is underway, Sidley &

Austin, the law firm representing Searle, begins job negotiations

with the U.S. Attorney in charge of the investigation, Samuel

Skinner.

 

March 8, 1977-G. D. Searle hires prominent Washington insider Donald

Rumsfeld as the new CEO to try to turn the beleaguered company

around. A former Member of Congress and Secretary of Defense in the

Ford Administration, Rumsfeld brings in several of his Washington

cronies as top management.

 

July 1, 1977-Samuel Skinner leaves the U.S. Attorney's office and

takes a job with Searle's law firm. (see Jan. 26th)

 

August 1, 1977-The Bressler Report, compiled by FDA investigators

and headed by Jerome Bressler, is released. The report finds that 98

of the 196 animals died during one of Searle's studies and weren't

autopsied until later dates, in some cases over one year after

death. Many other errors and inconsistencies are noted. For example,

a rat was reported alive, then dead, then alive, then dead again; a

mass, a uterine polyp, and ovarian neoplasms were found in animals

but not reported or diagnosed in Searle's reports.

 

December 8, 1977-U.S. Attorney Skinner's withdrawal and resignation

stalls the Searle grand jury investigation for so long that the

statute of limitations on the aspartame charges runs out. The grand

jury investigation is dropped.

 

June 1, 1979-The FDA established a Public Board of Inquiry (PBOI) to

rule on safety issues surrounding NutraSweet.

 

September 30, 1980-The Public Board of Inquiry concludes NutraSweet

should not be approved pending further investigations of brain

tumors in animals. The board states it " has not been presented with

proof of reasonable certainty that aspartame is safe for use as a

food additive. "

 

January 1981-Donald Rumsfeld, CEO of Searle, states in a sales

meeting that he is going to make a big push to get aspartame

approved within the year. Rumsfeld says he will use his political

pull in Washington, rather than scientific means, to make sure it

gets approved.

 

January 21, 1981-Ronald Reagan is sworn in as President of the

United States. Reagan's transition team, which includes Donald

Rumsfeld, CEO of Searle, hand picks Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr., to

be the new FDA Commissioner.

 

March, 1981-An FDA commissioner's panel is established to review

issues raised by the Public Board of Inquiry.

 

May 19, 1981-Three of six in-house FDA scientists who were

responsible for reviewing the brain tumor issues, Dr. Robert Condon,

Dr. Satya Dubey, and Dr. Douglas Park, advise against approval of

NutraSweet, stating on the record that the Searle tests are

unreliable and not adequate to determine the safety of aspartame.

 

July 15, 1981-In one of his first official acts, Dr. Arthur Hayes

Jr., the new FDA commissioner, overrules the Public Board of

Inquiry, ignores the recommendations of his own internal FDA team

and approves NutraSweet for dry products. Hayes says that aspartame

has been shown to be safe for its' proposed uses and says few

compounds have withstood such detailed testing and repeated close

scrutiny.

 

October 15, 1982-The FDA announces that Searle has filed a petition

that aspartame be approved as a sweetener in carbonated beverages

and other liquids.

 

July 1, 1983-The National Soft Drink Association (NSDA) urges the

FDA to delay approval of aspartame for carbonated beverages pending

further testing because aspartame is very unstable in liquid form.

When liquid aspartame is stored in temperatures above 85 degrees

Fahrenheit, it breaks down into DKP and formaldehyde, both of which

are known toxins.

 

July 8, 1983-The National Soft Drink Association drafts an objection

to the final ruling which permits the use of aspartame in carbonated

beverages and syrup bases and requests a hearing on the objections.

The association says that Searle has not provided responsible

certainty that aspartame and its' degradation products are safe for

use in soft drinks.

 

August 8, 1983-Consumer Attorney, Jim Turner of the Community

Nutrition Institute and Dr. Woodrow Monte, Arizona State

University's Director of Food Science and Nutritional Laboratories,

file suit with the FDA objecting to aspartame approval based on

unresolved safety issues.

 

September, 1983-FDA Commissioner Hayes resigns under a cloud of

controversy about his taking unauthorized rides aboard a General

Foods jet (General Foods is a major customer of NutraSweet). Burson-

Marsteller, Searle's public relation firm (which also represented

several of NutraSweet's major users), immediately hires Hayes as its

senior scientific consultant.

 

Fall 1983-The first carbonated beverages containing aspartame are

sold for public consumption.

 

November 1984-Center for Disease Control (CDC) publishes

its " Evaluation of consumer complaints related to aspartame use. "

 

November 3, 1987-U.S. congressional hearing, " NutraSweet: Health and

Safety Concerns, " Committee on Labor and Human Resources, Senator

Howard Metzenbaum, chairman.

 

Addendum

 

1993-FDA approves expanded uses for aspartame to include foods that

are always heated above 86 degrees F.

 

1995-Monsanto sells its sweetener division to J.W. Childs Partnership

 

1998-Monsanto petitions FDA for approval of neotame, reportedly

13,000 times sweeter than sugar.

 

July 5, 2002-FDA approves neotame despite formal objections by

scientists, physicians and activists.

 

 

Jim Turner, a long time Washington D.C. consumer crusader, began his

public advocacy career as one of " [Ralph] Nader's Raiders. " ' Food

safety and the regulatory process were subjects Jim Turner knew a

lot about . In the late 60s, he wrote the influential and best

selling expose of the food industry called " The Chemical Feast " .

Turner established his reputation as a regulatory pit-bull when he

fought to have cyclamate taken off the FDA's Generally Recognized As

Safe (GRAS) list. His success ultimately led to cyclamate's removal

from the market in 1970.

Turner committed himself to fighting against aspartame's approval.

He took on this battle largely at his own expense because he was

convinced that influence-peddling in Washington was the reason

behind aspartame's approval.

Note: An extremely detailed aspartame timeline is available at

www.holisiticmed.com/aspartame/history.faq. This timeline is an

excellent reference from which one may begin a comprehensive

investigation of the aspartame issue or just get a solid

understanding of aspartame politics and science.

 

 

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Page 4

Aspartame: Point/Counterpoint

 

The National Diabetic Association and the International Food

Information Council (IFIC) maintain that the government-approved

artificial sweetener aspartame is safe for use in foods, beverages

and medicines. Below are answers to frequently asked questions

regarding aspartame safety. The questions are first answered ( in

italics) as posed by the IFIC then refuted (in normal typeface) with

analyses supported by published scientific and medical literature.

The original 1995 IFIC article, " Everything you need to know about

aspartame, " as rebutted by Mark Gold (complete with fully cited

references to published scientific reports), is available in its

entirety at www.dorway.com/offasprt.html

 

What is aspartame made of?

Aspartame is made by joining two protein components, aspartic acid

and phenylalanine, and a small amount of methanol. Aspartic acid and

phenylalanine are building blocks of protein and are found naturally

in all protein-containing foods, including meats, grains and dairy

products. Methanol is found naturally in the body and in many foods

such as fruit and vegetable juices.

 

Aspartame-containing products also contain breakdown products of

aspartame such as beta-aspartame (Lawrence 1987, Stamp 1989) and

aspartylphenylalanine diketopiperazine (DKP) (Tsang 1985).

Because the amino acids are not bound in proteins, they are absorbed

quickly and spike the plasma aspartic acid and phenylalanine to high

levels. Even the industry researchers admit that these amino acids

are metabolized differently than those found in foods (Stegink

1987a, Stegink 1987b). Methanol is found in available form in much

greater quantities in aspartame than in real foods (Monte 1984).

Methanol taken orally is extremely toxic to humans. Even though a

small amount is found in the body, as little as a can of diet soda

can spike the plasma methanol levels significantly (Davoli 1986).

 

How is aspartame handled by the body?

Aspartame is digested just like any other protein. Upon digestion,

aspartame breaks down into its basic components and is absorbed into

the blood. Neither aspartame nor its components accumulate in the

body over time.

 

Formic acid (a toxic metabolite of methanol) likely can accumulate

in the organs (Liesivuori 1991). No one knows if DKP or a metabolite

of DKP accumulates in the body over time. Proper tests have not been

conducted. Aspartic acid may accumulate for a significant amount of

time like another excitotoxic amino acid, glutamic acid (Toth 1981).

Much of the damage caused by aspartic acid and glutamic acid

ingested orally is clearly laid out by Dr. Russell Blaylock,

Professor of Neurosurgery, in his well-referenced

book, " Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills. " Either way, gradual

damage can be caused by aspartame breakdown products even when they

do not accumulate. A chemical does not have to accumulate to cause

damage.

 

Can aspartame be used in cooking or baking?

Aspartame's components separate when heated over time, resulting in

a loss of sweetness. Therefore, aspartame is not recommended for use

in recipes requiring lengthy heating or baking. It may, however, be

added at the end of the cooking cycle in some recipes. If a food

containing aspartame is inadvertently heated, it would still be

safe, but would simply not provide the desired sweetness.

 

Any heating, even at the end of cooking will cause DKP and free

phenylalanine to quickly form. Significant amounts of DKP are formed

when aspartame is stored in liquid form at room temperature. Heating

will speed that process considerably. See Tsang (1985) discussed

above.

 

Is aspartame safe?

As a governmental agency charged with safeguarding the American food

supply, the FDA has concluded that aspartame is safe for the general

public, including diabetics, pregnant and nursing women, and

children. Persons with a rare hereditary disease known as

phenylketonuria (PKU) must control their phenylalanine intake from

all sources, including aspartame. These persons are diagnosed at

birth by a blood test performed on all babies. Products sweetened

with aspartame carry a statement on the label that they contain

phenylalanine.

 

In 1981 the FDA's Public Board of Inquiry, made up of scientists

(including the President of the American Association of

Neuropathologists), voted unanimously against approval of aspartame.

The board believed the brain tumor data was " worrisome. " As the

pages of the AS Times will demonstrate, aspartame's FDA approval was

secured by the political influence of Donald Rumsfeld, not as a

result of safety-proving science.

 

How much aspartame may people consume?

The FDA uses the concept of an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for

many food additives, including aspartame. The ADI represents an

intake level that if maintained each day throughout a person's

lifetime would be considered safe by a wide margin. The ADI for

aspartame has been set at 50 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) of body

weight.

 

The FDA's ADI was determined by tests conducted with mice not

humans. Mice are able to metabolize methanol, for instance, much

more efficiently than humans. All independent experiments using much

less than the FDA's ADI show aspartame causes problems in humans.

Therefore, the FDA's ADI with regard to aspartame is not an accurate

measure of safe levels of consumption in people.

 

How much aspartame are people actually consuming today?

The FDA monitors the amount of aspartame that Americans consume

through ongoing dietary surveys. The average daily intake of

Americans who consume aspartame has remained fairly constant since

July 1984, averaging less than 2 percent of the FDA guideline for

acceptable consumption. The most frequent consumers of aspartame are

consuming only 4 percent to 7 percent of the ADI.

 

Children have been shown to consume far more than the FDA's ADI on

an on-going basis and even overweight adults can consume more than

half of the FDA's ADI on an ongoing basis (Frey 1976, Porikos 1984).

The steady increase in consumption of aspartame since 1984 (see page

1 and USDA Situation and Outlook Report; Sugar and Sweeteners, 1988)

indicates the mathematical impossibility of IFIC claims.

 

How was aspartame tested before it was approved for use in foods?

Aspartame is one of the most thoroughly studied ingredients in the

food supply. It was tested in more than 100 scientific studies prior

to its approval by the FDA in 1981. These tests were conducted in

animals and humans, including normal adults and children, lactating

women and persons with diabetes, obesity and special genetic

conditions. Aspartame was tested in amounts many times higher than

individuals could consume in the diet. Today scientists continue to

conduct new studies on this sweetener as they do many other

ingredients used in the food supply. The FDA also monitors and

evaluates all research on this and other food ingredients.

 

If the studies to which IFIC refers exist, they are not part of the

public record. IFIC has not provided copies of or even citations for

these " more than 100 scientific studies " for review.

 

Have independent physicians and dietitians reviewed the safety of

aspartame?

Yes. The American Medical Association's Council on Scientific

Affairs reviewed research on aspartame and found the sweetener to be

safe. The American Dietetic Association also has concluded that

moderate use of aspartame is acceptable as part of a healthy diet.

 

The American Medical Association's Council on " Scientific " Affairs,

in 1985, merely restated comments made by FDA Commissioner Hayes in

the Federal Register when he ignored the Public Board of Inquiry

ruling and his own scientific team of experts in 1981. The American

Dietetic Association (ADA), which receives generous contributions

from Monsanto, admitted that NutraSweet assists in the writing of

its " fact " sheets (ADA 1993).

 

Can persons with diabetes consume aspartame?

Yes. The American Diabetes Association has stated that aspartame is

acceptable as a sugar substitute and can be included in a diabetic

meal plan.

 

H.J. Roberts, MD, has been studying the effects of aspartame on

diabetics for 20 years. He has noticed significant metabolic,

neurologic, vision and other problems in diabetics that remedy

themselves when aspartame is removed from the diabetic diet. Dr.

Roberts' observations can be found in his meticulously referenced

work, " Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic " (see page 7). As of

1995, the American Diabetes Association received generous annual

contributions from Monsanto.

 

Is aspartame safe for people with epilepsy?

Yes. The Epilepsy Institute, an organization devoted to people

suffering from seizure-related problems, has concluded that

aspartame is not related to seizures among epileptic patients.

 

The Epilepsy Institute is not the Epilepsy Foundation, but a

Monsanto-funded epilepsy center in New York. There have been no

properly conducted tests on aspartame and seizures. All independent

research has shown problems with aspartame (Camfield 1992, Elsas

1988, Walton 1986, Walton 1988). Seizures are one of the most common

adverse reactions linked to aspartame usage.

 

Has aspartame been found to affect children's behavior?

No. Studies have shown that aspartame consumption does not affect

the behavior of children, including those diagnosed as hyperactive

or with attention deficit disorder.

 

Scientists who believe that children's behavior might be affected by

aspartame and who saw case histories of erratic behavior from

children on aspartame believed that it was the medium to long-term

use of aspartame that often led to these changes. Some scientists

believed that it was the constant spiking of plasma phenylalanine

levels which led to brain chemistry changes.

Industry " researchers " conducted numerous experiments of very short

length, often using encapsulated aspartame (which reduced the plasma

phenylalanine spike) and then declared that there was no effect on

children. They also averaged the results of all the children in each

group so that if a few children were sensitive, their results would

get lost in the averages. Independent blinded studies on children

with behavior problems have yet to be conducted. However, when

independent researchers conducted blinded studies of aspartame they

have invariably found problems).

 

Can aspartame cause visual damage?

No. Scientists know that only huge quantities of methanol can affect

vision. A small amount of methanol is formed when aspartame is

digested or when its components separate. However, the amount of

methanol one could possibly consume from aspartame is well within

safe levels, and is actually less than that found in many fruit and

vegetable juices.

 

The relationship between methanol and blindness has been known for

decades. The relationship between macular degeneration and aspartame

was explained to Congress in 1987 by methanol expert and eye

specialist, Dr. Morgan B. Raiford. Dr. Raiford testified about one

of the many persons he had seen with eye damage from aspartame. Per

his paper (Raiford 1987), he described how the deterioration of

Shannon Roth's eyes (due to methanol poisoning attributed to

NutraSweet) " ...was identical to the damage I observed repeatedly in

the eyes of individuals whose eyes have been damaged by methyl

alcohol toxicity. "

Dr. Raiford's work was supported in 1991 (Cook and Bergman, et al).

 

Do some people have adverse reactions to aspartame?

There is no scientific evidence that aspartame is linked to adverse

reactions in people. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

reviewed some 500 consumer complaints related to aspartame in 1984.

CDC concluded that there was no specific group of symptoms clearly

related to aspartame consumption. The FDA has investigated all

complaints since 1984, and has stated that there is " no consistent

or unique pattern of symptoms reported with respect to aspartame

that can be causally linked to its use. " Individuals who have

concerns about possible adverse reactions to aspartame should

contact their physicians.

 

Adverse reactions to aspartame comprise about 80 percent of product

complaints to the FDA. Contrary to IFIC claims, independently

produced, double-blind studies which show adverse reactions in

humans to aspartame have been published (Camfield, et al, 1992;

Elsas, Trotter, 1988; Koehler, Glaros, 1988; Kulczycki, 1995;

Spiers, et al, 1988; Van den Eeden, et al, 1994; Walton, 1993).

 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

SYMPTOMS attributed to ASPARTAME in complaints submitted to the FDA

REPORTED SYMPTOMS NO. OF

COMPLAINTS % OF

REPORTS % OF

COMPLAINTS

HEADACHE 1847 21.1% 19.0%

DIZZINESS/POOR EQUILIBRIUM 735 11.2% 7.5%

CHANGE OF MOOD 656 10.0% 6.7%

VOMITTING OR NAUSEA 647 9.8% 6.6%

ABDOMINAL PAIN AND CRAMPS 483 6.9% 4.7%

CHANGE IN VISION 362 5.5% 3.7%

DIARRHEA 330 5.0% 3.4%

SEIZURES AND CONVULSIONS 290 4.4% 3.0%

MEMORY LOSS 255 3.9% 2.6%

FATIGUE, WEAKNESS 242 3.7% 2.5%

OTHER NEUROLOGICAL 230 3.5% 2.4%

RASH 226 3.4% 2.3%

SLEEP PROBLEMS 201 3.1% 2.1%

HIVES 191 2.9% 2.0%

CHANGE IN HEART RATE 85 2.8% 1.9%

ITCHING 175 2.7% 1.8%

GRAN MAL 172 2.6% 1.8%

LOCAL SWELLING 14 1.7% 1.2%

CHANGE IN ACTIVITY LEVEL 113 1.7% 1.2%

DIFFICULTY BREATHING 112 1.7% 1.2%

ORAL SENSORY CHANGES 108 1.6% 1.1%

CHANGE IN MENSTRUAL PATTERN 107 1.6% 1.1%

SYMPTOMS REPORTED BY LESS

THAN 100 COMPLAINTS 1812 -- 18.6%

 

DISTRIBUTION of REACTIONS to ASPARTAME by product name.

REPORTED SYMPTOMS NO. OF

COMPLAINTS % OF

REPORTS % OF

COMPLAINTS

DIET SOFT DRINKS 3021 45.9% 38.3%

TABLE TOP SWEETNER 1716 26.1% 21.7%

PUDDINGS - GELATINS 633 9.6% 8.0%

LEMONADE 410 6.2% 5.2%

OTHER 346 5.3% 4.4%

KOOL AID 339 5.1% 4.3%

ICED TEA 319 4.8% 4.0%

CHEWING GUM 319 4.8% 4.0%

FROZEN CONFECTIONS 136 2.1% 1.7%

CEREAL 119 1.8% 1.5%

SUGAR SUBSTITUTE TABLETS 71 1.1% 0.9%

BREATH MINTS 62 0.9% 0.8%

PUNCH MIX 45 0.7% 0.6%

FRUIT DRINKS 24 0.4% 0.3%

NON-DAIRY TOPPINGS 8 0.1% 0.1%

CHEWABLE MULTI-VITAMINS 8 0.1% 0.1%

FRUIT, DRIED 1 0.01% 0.01%

 

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Page 5

The human side of aspartame poisoning

 

Michael J. Fox

Michael J. Fox was the posterchild for aspartame-containing Diet

Pepsi. Now he is the posterchild for Parkinson's disease. While the

Michael J. Fox Foundation continues to solicit donations for

Parkinson's research, Mr. Fox's health continues to deteriorate.

Sources close to the actor claim he still consumes several cans of

Diet Pepsi each day. We believe that Mr. Fox's Parkinson's is due to

aspartame poisoning. Mission Possible, The Idaho Observer and others

have repeatedly attempted to contact Mr. Fox and deliver to him

information that could save his life. However, the research

foundation that bears his name has expressed zero interest in

identifying the cause of Mr. Fox's degenerative condition; it only

seeks to use his name to raise money to develop drugs that mask,

rather than cure, Parkinson's disease ( www.idaho-observer.com

September, 2000

 

Joyce Wilson

The 1991 aspartame-related death of Joyce Wilson marked the

beginning of Mission Possible. Described by those close to her as a

wonderful wife, mother and friend, Joyce began to use products

containing NutraSweet after it was approved by the FDA. Though not

overweight, she wanted to stay slim. She began drinking diet sodas,

Slimfast and chewing sugar-free gum. She gained 35 pounds and her

health began to fail. She also began to lose her vision. Thirty-four

doctors could not figure out what was happening. One day she heard

how a woman named Shannon Roth became blind in one eye because of

her consumption of NutraSweet. She contacted Roth and found that

aspartame is a deadly poison. Indeed, this poison destroyed her

brain, ravaged her internal organs and blinded her. She suffered

headaches, hypertension and developed multiple-sclerosis-like

symptoms. In her deteriorating state, she vowed to do everything in

her power to warn the world about aspartame. In advance of

testifying before Congress in 1986, she told Sen. Howard

Metzenbaum, " I feel aspartame is the most dangerous substance

introduced for human consumption. Please stop this product now

before the toll on the health of Americans is disastrous. It is too

late for me, but I hope I can help others... "

Joyce successfully got many people off aspartame and watched their

health return an option that was not available to her. Aspartame

disease eventually took her memory completely away and she passed

away like an Alzheimer's victim.

The memory of Joyce Wilson lives on as more and more of us become

informed about aspartame and become part of the team working to

remove this horrible substance from our foods, beverages and

medicines.

 

Gloria Collins, April 16, 1995

Gloria used Equal/NutraSweet/aspartame for about five years,

completely unaware of the artificial sweetener's health risks and

confident that FDA approval was an official seal of product safety.

She began to experience depression, vertigo, leg cramps, insomnia,

nightmares and memory loss. Her vision began to fail and, though her

eye doctor could not explain why, she was resigned to going blind.

Not knowing what else to do, she turned to prayer.

Her prayers were answered in the form of a flyer

entitled, " NUTRASWEET IS A NEUROTOXIN. " The flyer listed all her

symptoms. She immediately abandoned the use of aspartame in any

form. All her symptoms began to disappear even her vision returned

to normal. Gloria said, " It looks like we have no protector, so we

must warn each other. In this spirit I attest to the nightmare Equal

made of my life. I urge you to take the 'no aspartame' test and

discover if your health problems are the result of continuous daily

poisoning. "

 

George Jantz

My name is George Jantz and I am 69 years old. I have visited the

www.dorway.com website many times and was extremely impressed. You

had expressed the need for 'hornblowers' and this is why I am

writing to you as I have lived an unforgettable ordeal over the

years.

For years, I had consumed a lot of soft drinks containing aspartame.

Both of my knees had been replaced in August l988 and I was still

consuming large amounts of aspartame when in l989 I started to fight

a severe form of depression that landed me in the Oshkosh Psycho

Ward for one week. From there I was transferred to the VA Hospital

in Tomah, Wisconsin and stayed there for a number of months.

After being released in the fall of 1990 from the VA Hospital, I was

forced to deal with a separation from my wife Lois for 1 1/2 years.

During the 1991 summer I sank into a deeper depression and became

psychotic. I had been placed on the medications of Lithium and

Depekote. I believe now that it was the combination of these drugs

along with my large consumption of aspartame that took at least 15

years of my life causing me to make two suicide attempts and

experience many serious health problems.

I have since gotten off of Lithium and Depekote as well as stopping

the consumption of aspartame. My personal experience along with

witnessing the deteriorating effects of aspartame on three of my

personal acquaintances has left me devastated. My stand against the

use of aspartame and sharing with others the effects of aspartame on

the human body has alienated most of my family from me and caused

much heartache and sorrow.

In closing, it is my sincere hope that you and many others like you,

can understand the long-term effects on a person's life because of

the daily use of aspartame as well as prescription drugs. It is my

sincere hope that my personal experiences can somehow help others in

the future!

 

Aspartame and sudden death

News of the last few years has been punctuated with reports of world-

class athletes and others in generally good health simply dropping

dead. What could be causing the rise in incidences of " Sudden Adult

Death Syndrome? " Dr. James Bowen has written an). It is the

editorial belief of The Artificially Sweet in-depth report on

aspartame and sudden death (available at www.bowendrjim.com ). It is

the editorial belief of The Artificially Sweetened Times that, if

the case histories of each one of these untimely and unexpected

deaths were to be thoroughly analyzed, the common denominator would

be consumption of aspartame over an extended period of time coupled

with its metabolic interaction with dietary supplements and

medications

 

Steve Belcher, 1979-2003

Steve Belcher, a pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, died at age 23

Feb. 17, 2003, in a Fort Lauderdale hospital. A bottle of ephedra-

containing weight-loss supplements was found in his locker. Dr. H.J.

Roberts contacted Broward County Medical Examiner Dr. Joshua Perper

and found that the official cause of death was hyperthermia because

his internal body temperature reached 108 degrees F. to cause

multiple organ failure. Dr. Roberts asked how many diet drinks

Belcher drank per day. Dr. Perper did not even think to inquire as

to the possibility of aspartame poisoning contributing to Belcher's

untimely death. Dr. Roberts maintains that the ephedra alone could

not have caused Belcher, a physically-fit professional athlete in

the prime of his life, to die from hyperthermia. He believes that

the excitotoxin aspartame must have been consumed by Belcher to

achieve the toxicity that led to his death.

 

Chuck Fleming, 1963-2000

At age 37, Chuck Fleming was a fit, athletic man who habitually

consumed a variety of health drinks, health powders, energy bars

mass-building products. On the way home from church in June, 2000,

Fleming and his wife Diane stopped at a store to buy a case of

Gatorade and a carton of Creatine, a product marketed to help build

muscle mass. Chuck and Diane mixed the Creatine into the Gatorade.

Chuck misread the directions and mixed tablespoons not teaspoons as

directed into one bottle of Gatorade. He sipped the mixture and, not

liking the taste, put it into the refrigerator and took off to play

basketball, as was his custom 2-3 times per week. For a month prior

Chuck had been complaining of intermittent nausea and shortness of

breath. Diane claims he drank about eight 12-ounce cans of diet pop

each day, drank very little water and never drank coffee or tea. He

took several pharmaceutical preparations including Prevacid (an

antacid), tetracycline (an antibiotic), Naproxen (digestive anti-

inflammatory), a multi-vitamin and Vancenase AQ (nasal inhaler for

allergies). After returning home from playing basketball, he ate a

bowl of ice cream, mixed Creatine in the remaining bottles of

Gatorade and went to bed. He awakened the next morning feeling ill

but went to work, taking three bottles of mixed Gatorade with him.

He drank only a third of one bottle and returned home feeling

nauseated. Originally thinking he had a touch of the flu, his

condition continued to worsen. By late afternoon the following day,

Diane called 911 and Chuck was rushed to the hospital. He lapsed

into a coma and was removed from life support three days later. The

cause of death was methanol poisoning. Thirteen months later Diane

was arrested for murder and is now serving a 50-year sentence in a

Virginia prison for allegedly spiking her husband's Gatorade with

methanol-containing windshield washer fluid while he was off playing

basketball.

 

Diane Fleming

Chuck Fleming's wife Diane also had her life suddenly come to an end

due to aspartame. During a one-day trial she was convicted of murder

and sentenced to spend the rest of her life in a Virginia prison.

Court transcripts reveal that the methanol with which she allegedly

spiked her husband's Gatorade came from a gallon of windshield

washer fluid that had not been opened.

New evidence indicates that Chuck's methanol poisoning was aspartame

not wife induced (The Idaho Observer, June, 2003 www.idaho-

observer.com).

" If the facts about this case that have been reviewed are correct,

it is my firm opinion that Diane Fleming should be immediately freed

from wrongful imprisonment to rejoin her family, " wrote H.J.

Roberts, MD, in an affidavit submitted to the court (see

www.dorway.com ).

Diane is currently hoping the new evidence will prompt a judge to

grant her a new trial. Contact Betty Martini, Mission Possible,

(770) 242-2599.

 

Aspartame destroys diabetics

The American Diabetic Association recommends aspartame to diabetics.

H.J. Roberts, MD, has exhaustively reviewed the metabolic mechanisms

of aspartame and their effect on diabetics. He has concluded that

the artificial sweetener is extremely destructive to the

diabetic. " In my experience and research over the past 20 years,

numerous patients with known diabetes and hypoglycemia ( " low blood

sugar attacks " ) have suffered serious metabolic, neurologic, eye,

allergic and other complications that could be specifically

attributed to using aspartame products. They include the loss of

diabetes control, the apparent precipitation of diabetes, the

aggravation or simulation of diabetic complications (particularly

neuropathy and retinopathy), the intensification of hypoglycemia,

and a profound gain of weight with dramatic improvement after

avoiding aspartame, AND their predictable recurrence shortly after

resuming these products, " wrote Dr. Roberts in a letter to the

British Medical Association.

Dr. Roberts is the author of Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic.

 

 

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Page 6

Kicking the sweet habit

Tips to regain your health through an aspartame detoxification

program

 

compiled by Ingri Cassel

 

The first step in any detoxification program is to stop exposure to

the toxins causing our health problems. Become an avid label reader

and avoid instant or prepackaged food in general. Buy organic

grains, nuts, beans, fruits, vegetables and herbs while learning how

to cook from scratch.

The second step is to eliminate the craving for the substance

causing our ill health. In the case of aspartame, it is essential to

restore depleted nutrients by taking a high quality B-complex

supplement as well as a multi-mineral supplement. Liquid supplements

or supplements in capsules are much more assimilable than

supplements in tablet form.

It is also important to drink a minimum of eight glasses of purified

water a day while eliminating dehydrating drinks such as coffee,

black tea, alcohol and carbonated beverages.

Plenty of chlorine and fluoride-free, filtered water is necessary

for our bodies to eliminate the accumulation of toxic residues and

heavy metals stored in our fatty tissues. A vast majority of the

populace is severely dehydrated as Dr. F. Batmanghelidj in his

book " Your Body's Many Cries for Water " reveals. This is one of the

most powerful aspects of any detoxification program. The best

resource on the Internet about the importance of water with several

case histories cited is www.watercure2.com

In his book, " Health and Nutrition Secrets to Save Your Life, " Dr.

Russell Blaylock details an intense aspartame detox regimen. (see

resources page 7).

In the case of aspartame as well as most other toxins, our body's

main filter, the liver, is congested and needs to be supported in

the cleansing process. For information on liver cleanses and herbs

to support liver function, read Dr. Sandra Cabot's book, " The Liver

Cleansing Diet Book " (888-752-4286).

Also, Dr. Richard Schulze is an expert on natural healing

and " saying it like it is " when it comes to how your body works as

well as how you can recover naturally from " incurable " diseases.

Call 1-800-HERBDOC and ask for Dr. Schulze's comprehensive

newsletter on The Liver or go to his website www.800herbdoc.com

Colon cleansing is also an essential part of the detoxification

process as you will find out from Dr. Schulze and countless other

naturopaths.

Other important aspects of detoxification are oxygenation, copious

amounts of Vitamin C, consuming lots of raw fruits and vegetables,

drinking raw fresh juice made with your own juicer, and proper

application of certain types of clay both internally and externally.

Dr. Janet Starr Hull, author of Sweet Poison, recommends using

French Green clay internally and we know of many people who have

excellent results with magnetic clay baths for detoxing from

mercury, aluminum and barium, as well as formaldehyde and DKP the

metabolic byproducts of aspartame. Go to www.magneticclay.com

But the most important and most commonly overlooked aspect of any

healing program is its spiritual, mental and emotional components,

known today as psycho-neuro-immunology. 1. Take control of your life

by loving yourself and your life through positive affirmations. 2.

Learn to forgive yourself and those around you. 3. Take

responsibility for your personal life, cleaning up strained

relationships. 4. Meditate, follow your spirit and pray. 5. Help

someone everyday.

For books and websites on specific programs for detoxing from

aspartame poisoning, refer to the resource list on page 7. You can

meet others who have successfully detoxed from aspartame by

participating in discussion groups found at

www.dorway.com/.html

 

Where's the aspartame?

Aspartame can be found on the ingredients list in the following

products: Soft drinks, over-the-counter drugs & prescription drugs

(very common and listed under " inactive ingredients " ), vitamin &

herb supplements, yogurt, instant breakfasts, candy, breath mints,

cereals, sugar-free chewing gum, cocoa mixes, coffee beverages,

gelatin desserts, frozen desserts, juice beverages, laxatives, milk

drinks, shake mixes, tabletop sweeteners, tea beverages, instant

teas and coffees, topping mixes, wine coolers, etc.

Please check labels carefully and compare it against the list

of " Sweetene rs to Avoid. "

Many people make the mistake of not checking labels carefully and

continue to poison themselves. (Note: In some countries such as

Australia, the word " aspartame " may not appear on the label, but the

phrase " Phenylketonurics: Contains Phenylalanine " appears instead).

Also, some drug and supplement manufacturers are allowed to avoid

listing aspartame on the label if they state the words, " contains

phenylalanine. " In addition, many people do not realize that their

children may be given aspartame or other artificial sweetener-

containing foods or drugs at school without their knowledge. Talk to

the school director and to the local PTA to assure that this does

not happen.

Sweeteners to Use

Stevia *

Barley Malt

Evaporated Cane Juice

Fruit Juice

Rice Syrup

Honey

Licorice Root (small amounts)

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) *

Amasake

Vegetable Glycerin

 

Sweeteners to Avoid

Aspartame

Neotame

Sucralose (Splenda)

Saccharin

Acesulfame-K (Sunette, Sweet & Safe, Sweet One)

Cyclamates

Refined Sugar #

High Fructose Sweeteners #

Sorbitol #

 

* Safe for Diabetics

# Can Be Used in Very Small Amounts

Source: www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/detox.html

 

Excitotoxins

Excitotoxins were discovered in 1957 by two opthalmologists testing

how MSG affects the vision of mice.

A growing number of clinicians and scientists today are convinced

excitotoxins play a critical role in the development of neurological

disorders such as migraines, seizures, infections, abnormal neural

development, certain endocrine disorders, learning disorders in

children, AIDS dementia, episodic violence and obesity.

Excitotoxins are also linked to the development of neuro-

degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's

disease, Huntington 's disease [and multiple sclerosis], wrote

neuroscientist Russell Blaylock, MD.

The most commonly consumed excitotoxins are aspartame, monosodium

glutamate (MSG) and hydrolyzed vegetable protein (which is commonly

listed on product labels as " natural flavors, natural flavoring,

spices, yeast extract, textured protein " and " soy protein extract " ).

Since 1948 the amount of MSG added to foods has doubled every

decade. Over 800 million pounds of aspartame have been consumed in

various products since it was first approved in 1981. Hydrolyzed

vegetable protein is found in a steadily-increasing array of foods

found at the grocery store. Today, at least one of these

excitotoxins is present in nearly every packaged food product.

For example, soups often contain three or more excitotoxins in the

form of flavor enhancers, and many breads contain L-cysteine as a

dough conditioner. In the body, L-cysteine converts to the powerful

excitotoxin cystein sulfinic acid.

Additionally, excitotoxins have been found to interact with food

additives and pharmaceutical preparations with adverse (even lethal)

results.

Dr. Blaylock's brief description of excitotoxins can be found in his

article Excitotoxins, Neurodegeneration and Neurodevelopment, " at

www.dorway.com

A more detailed analysis is found in his well-referenced

book, " Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills (See page 7).

 

 

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Aspartame Reaction Report Form

 

Commissioner of the FDA

Date:______________

Food and Drug Administration

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, Maryland 20857

 

Dear Commissioner:

For the past ______________________ I have experienced the following

health problems:

___________________

____ (Use this space for generalizations. Use additional pages for

in-depth and supporting information)

I recently learned that aspartame, the artificial sweetener packaged

under the trade names Equal, NutraSweet and others, is a toxic

substance unfit for human consumption.

After the total elimination of this substance from my diet the

symptoms listed above have either disappeared, or are greatly

diminished.

According to your MISSION statement, the FDA must:

1. Base regulatory decisions on a foundation of sound scientific

analysis and the law; and understand, conduct and apply excellent

science and research.

2. Be honest, fair and accountable in all actions and decisions.

 

Your mission statement was not applied to the approval of this toxic

drug. I understand that your predecessor, Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes,

disregarded the fraudulent nature of test documentation submitted by

Searle, and then overruled his own FDA Board of Inquiry to approve

this substance for the open market. The FDA ruling of 1993 allowing

aspartame to be used in everything, including in heated foods,

greatly compounds the gravity of this tragic action.

Those actions were not in keeping with the FDA's stated mission, and

were taken with total disregard to public health and safety.

Aspartame has been linked to a full spectrum of chronic symptoms

affecting men, women, and children. It strikes especially hard at

those who are most diet conscious for they are the ones most prone

to use this drug. It is time to end a growing world-wide epidemic by

recognizing aspartame for what it is, a slow-acting poison now found

in over 7000 foods, beverages and medicines in over 90 countries.

As an American who helps pay your salary and provides you with

facilities, I expect you to perform your duties according to the

letter of the law and the Food and Drug Administration charter. To

this end, I demand that aspartame be reclassified as a dangerous

toxin, a drug that is unfit for human consumption, and that it be

banned from all foods, beverages and medicines.

Signed: Date:_____________

Address:

________________

 

Copy to: Betty Martini, Mission Possible, 9270 River Club Parkway,

Duluth GA 30097

 

Mission Possible Aspartame Disease Class Action

Do you suffer from any of the symptoms found on page 3 or at the end

of this post? Do you now have reason to believe they may be related

to your consumption of products containing aspartame? Do you wish to

be included in a class action? Write up your case history, make

copies of supporting documents and send them to:

 

Betty Martini

9270 River Club Parkway

Duluth, Georgia 30097

(770) 242-2599

Bettym19

 

New medical text on the global plague of Aspartame Disease: An

Ignored Epidemic at www.aspartameispoison.com or call 1-800-827-7991

 

WANTED: Looking for insider reports. Human subjects in locations all

over the world have been used to test aspartame without their

knowledge or consent. Mission Possible has obtained some of these

shocking reports but knows there are more of them out there. Contact

Mission Possible(770) 242-2599

 

 

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Page 7

Questions:

1. If aspartame begins to break down into methanol, a known

neurotoxin, at 86 degrees F., how can aspartame be safe for humans

whose healthy bodies operate at 98.6 degrees F.?

2. Aspartame is comprised of 40 percent aspartic acid, 50 percent

phenylalanine and 10 percent methanol. In the body it converts to

methanol (a neurotoxin), then formaldehyde (embalming fluid), then

formic acid (insecticide) and DKP (brain tumor agent). How can this

substance be safe if all its metabolic conversions are unsafe?

3. Why are most people who drink " diet " pop sweetened with aspartame

chronically overweight? Why do slender people who drink " diet " pop

sweetened with aspartame have a tendency to gain weight?

4. What prompted the U.S. attorney investigating Searle for

aspartame approval-related fraud to leave his job to work for the

law firm representing Searle?

5. If science has proven that aspartame destroys diabetics, why do

ad campaigns for sugarless products sweetened with aspartame target

diabetics? Why does the American Diabetic Association recommend that

diabetics use aspartame?

6. If some of aspartame's metabolites are known to cause birth

defects, why aren't pregnant women being warned?

7. If science has determined that neurological pathways develop

during childhood, why would the FDA approve the consumption of

neurotoxic, methanol-containing aspartame for children?

8. What would prompt the FDA to approve aspartame as safe for human

consumption when they have compiled a list of 92 symptoms from

complaints received that include blindness, coma and death?

9. Why would the FDA list " death " as a " symptom? " Isn't " death " the

cessation of symptoms?

10. Aspartame is described as an " excitotoxin " because it interacts

with other drugs. Why does the FDA list it as a benign

food " additive " when it could interact with a person's medications

with potentially lethal results?

11. The vast majority of product complaints (between 75 percent and

85 percent) received by the FDA are aspartame related. Why wouldn't

the FDA think this is important?

12. If aspartame is safe, why do so many sick people get better when

they stop using it?

13. Donald Rumsfeld was the secretary of defense before using his

political influence to achieve FDA approval for aspartame as CEO of

G.D. Searle. Was aspartame approval considered a matter of national

security? Rumsfeld is secretary of defense, again is aspartame's

continued presence in vitamins, drugs and the food supply related to

his powerful political position?

 

The American people can render answers to all the previous questions

moot by simply boycotting products containing aspartame and the

companies who produce and market them.

 

Help remove aspartame from the world's food supply

 

Buy a bundle of 100 copies of The Artificially Sweetened Times and

distribute them throughout your community.

 

Talk to schools and daycare centers. Offer to speak at parent-

teacher meetings.

 

Contact your local, state, and federal government

representatives.

 

If you see someone with a diet drink, ask if they have had any

of the typical aspartame side effects.

 

Refer people to the Mission Possible website at www.dorway.com

or its phone number 770-242-2599.

 

Tell your doctor about the scientific research available proving

the negative side effects of aspartame.

 

Register a complaint with the FDA and the FAA about aspartame

poisoning.

 

Return all food products with aspartame, opened or unopened, to

your grocer. Tell him/her the products make you sick. The grocer can

return them to the manufacturer for a store refund. The manufacturer

should get the message. So, will the grocer.

 

Spread the word on computer networks and by writing letters to

the editors of your local newspapers.

 

Publish articles in newsletters at your church, place of work,

or neighborhood association.

 

Set a personal example for health and wellness.

 

Resources:

 

Books

Russell Blaylock, MD Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills

Russell Blaylock, MD Health and Nutrition Secrets to Save Your Life

H. J. Roberts, MD Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic

H. J. Roberts, MD Sweet'ner Dearest

H. J. Roberts, MD Aspartame (Nutrasweet): Is It Safe?

Barbara Mullarkey Bittersweet Aspartame: The Diet Delusion

Janet Starr Hull Sweet Poison: How The World's Most Popular

Artificial Sweetener Is Killing Us

Mary Nash Stoddard The Deadly Deception: The Story of Aspartame

Dennis Remington, MD and Barbara Higa, RD The Bitter Truth

About Artificial Sweeteners

Dr. Richard Schulze Common Sense Health and Healing:

20 Simple, Easy and Powerful Steps to Create a New Healthy Life

Dr. Richard Schulze Healing Liver and Gallbladder Disease Naturally

 

Websites:

www.dorway.com - Mission Possible Betty Martini, director

www.aspartamekills.com - Mission Possible Nation's Capital

www.russellblaylockmd.com - Dr. Russell Blaylock's website

www.holisticmed.com/aspartame - Mark D. Gold's Aspartame Toxicity

Center

http://web2.iadfw.net/marystod/ - Aspartame Consumer Safety Network

Mary Stoddard, founder

www.sweetpoison.com - Janet Starr Hull's aspartame info. website

www.bowendrjim.com - Dr. James Bowen's aspartame info. website

www.mercola.com - Dr. Joseph Mercola's excellent #1 alternative

health website

 

Editor's comment:

An exercise in self-reliance

 

Admittedly, the research we had already conducted on aspartame

convinced us that it's devastating to the human body. Since millions

of people consume this government-approved, carcinogenic, mutagenic,

neurotoxic, non-nutritive synthetic sweetener every day, we were

also convinced aspartame is helping to destroy entire nations. That

is the real reason this paper had to be published.

We were not, however, prepared to find absolutely nothing in support

of aspartame approval. All claims in support of aspartame use are,

at best, utterly false; all publicly available reports in support of

aspartame safety actually prove aspartame toxicity if one takes the

time to read them instead of taking for granted what government and

industry tell you they say.

We published on page 3 several frequently asked questions about

aspartame as posed by the International Food Information Council

(IFIC). What the IFIC says about aspartame is what we are supposed

to believe about it. The IFIC's statements are so irresponsible and

scientifically unsupportable, they had to be refuted.

The editorial intent of The AS Times is clear. We want our people to

(a) stop using aspartame and convince those close to them to stop

using aspartame immediately, (b) conduct further research, © begin

the process of reclaiming your life through an aspartame detox

program and, (d) help remove aspartame (and neotame) from the

world's food supply.

Since we didn't have to spend much time reviewing credible pro-

aspartame science (because there isn't any), we had time to research

the history of sweeteners. Quite surprisingly, " civilized " man has

been a slave to his sweet tooth since discovering sugar. So

enslaved, in fact, he has been willing to enslave millions to ensure

his supply of it.

Imagine our surprise when a revisionist review of history revealed

that international commerce from the 1300s to the late 1800s was as

influenced by the demand for refined sugar as 20th century commerce

was influenced by the demand for gasoline.

Supply and demand. For the most part, the product is in demand and

so, for our folly, there are suppliers.

But one has to ask himself, " Why would government approve as safe

something that is so obviously unsafe? "

The answers we must return to ourselves are more than a little

disconcerting.

If the government can approve one deadly poison for human

consumption, what other government-approved poisons are we consuming?

We should use the aspartame example as an exercise in self-reliance.

We are now equipped to make an informed choice regarding our

consumption of aspartame. Government approval of this substance will

be of no consequence when enough of us stop buying it. (DWH)

 

Note: The website at www.dorway.com/symptoms/ provides the list of

92 FDA-recognized adverse reactions to aspartame with a link to

published medical journal reports describing them.

 

Rumsfeld's disease?

The spectrum of chronic disorders linked to aspartame have been

generically labeled " aspartame disease. " This disease has become so

pervasive it deserves a new name. Since Donald Rumsfeld is

responsible for aspartame approval,The AS Times proposes that

aspartame disease be called " Rumsfeld's disease. "

 

 

 

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Page 8

Billions of victims or billions of activists: Anecdotes in support

of removing aspartame from our food supply

Congress and regulatory agencies have been shown enough science to

know that the only acceptable use for aspartame is as a pesticide.

The aspartame-related horror stories all around us prove that we

should not subject ourselves to, or be secretly exposed to,

aspartame. If Congress, the FDA, the CDC, HHS and the EPA (and the

president, vice-president, the attorney general and [certainly]

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld) all know that aspartame is

poisoning the American people and nothing is being done; if consumer

advocates and trade organizations know aspartame is poisoning the

marketplace where aspartame-laden products are purchased and nothing

is being done, then, who is left to keep us from being poisoned? The

following is a collection of sound bytes to help answer that last

question and support your efforts in alerting your family, friends

and community to the painful, yet empowering truth about aspartame:

We, the American people, are on our own.

 

Journal of the Diabetic

Association of India

Oct. Dec. 1995

A thoroughly referenced and researched report entitled, " A HEALTH

ALERT: Emerging Facts About Aspartame, " by researchers Dr. J. Barua,

an associate ophthalmologist and Dr. A. Bal of the S.L. Raheja

Hospital, Bombay, was published in the Journal of the Diabetic

Association of India (Oct. Dec., 1995).

These men were alarmed at the dramatically increasing use of

aspartame in the U.S., and how it's being marketed to diabetics

regardless of the dangers and adverse effects of aspartame as

established by sound science. " Since in India, its [aspartame's] use

is still limited, we felt it prudent to spread this important

information to our colleagues and to the people, so as to prevent

its extensive use in the future, " Drs. Barua and Bal stated in the

report's introduction.

The report reviewed 78 papers published in esteemed medical journals

from all over the world between 1974 and 1995. Drs. Barua and Bal

concluded that, of aspartame's three components, aspartic acid

(40%), phenylalanine (50%) imbalance the body to produce toxic

results and methanol (10%) is itself a deadly poison.

The researchers, puzzled that a product so obviously disharmonious

in the body would enjoy such popularity among consumers, proposed

that aspartame 's clean taste, its claims to be nonfattening,

consumer confidence in aspartame safety and the political power of a

$multi-billion industry are the reasons for its marketplace success.

" To conclude, " Drs. Barua and Bal logically observed, " 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. Moreover, it

does not fulfill its own objectives i.e. controlling weight gain or

diabetes.

" We suggest that, until such time that it is proved conclusively

that there are no health hazards on prolonged use of aspartame, it

will be prudent to refrain from its use. "

 

Sit back, relax and enjoy the flight "

Some people have suffered aspartame related disorders with doses as

small as that carried in a single stick of chewing gum. This could

mean a pilot who drinks diet sodas is more susceptible to flicker

vertigo, or to flicker induced epileptic activity. It also means

that all pilots are potential victims of sudden memory loss,

dizziness during instrument flight and gradual loss of vision. "

~Flying Safety, May, 1992 (published by the U.S. Air Force).

One more clue as to aspartame safety.

 

Consumption of aspartame linked to fetal brain damage June 17, 1985

WASHINGTON (UPI) Two pediatric and genetic researchers say many

pregnant women who consume aspartame, the popular sugar substitute

sold as NutraSweet in soft drinks and 70 other products, may have

babies with permanent brain damage.

In a contention rejected by NutraSweet's manufacturer, one of the

scientists, Dr. Louis Elsas of Emory University in Atlanta, also

said he believes a key aspartame component can cause similar damage

to infants if they ingest it in the six months following birth.

" There's no reason why the pregnant female should be taking

aspartame, " Elsas said, " and there's no reason why a child less

than six months old should be taking aspartame. Period. " He said the

damage may not show up for years.

Meanwhile, lawyers for a five-year-old boy who a research team said

became, " uncontrollable and wildly emotional " after drinking

NutraSweet products have filed a $2 million damage suit against the

product's manufacturer, G.D. Searle Co. of Skokie, Ill.

The suit, filed three weeks ago in Washington [D.C.], charges that

aspartame is an " unreasonably dangerous and harmful food additive "

that causes permanent affects when combined with glucose and given

to children under six years old.

 

Aspartame a deadly neurotoxin says former FDA investigator

Former FDA investigator Arthur Evangelista, in a letter " To all my

neighbors of all nations... " stated, " The problems with aspartame

include not only the biochemical nature of this toxin but....also

sheds light on the political nature of the players involved. "

Evangelista believes aspartame's FDA approval was achieved as a

result of FDA employees placing the interests of politicians and

corporate lobbyists over public health and consumer safety.

" What I can tell you regarding toxicology, histology and

biochemistry is that aspartame is neurotoxic. Its components easily

transcend the blood-brain barrier, interfering with normal nerve

cell function. This affects the glutathione and calcium mechanisms

in place, destroying nerve cell integrity. The methanol then breaks

down into formaldehyde-formic acid components, which

denatures/mutates the DNA a known scientific fact. The subsequent

result from this interaction and from isolates of genetically-

modified amino acids and methanol is nerve cell necrosis and

subsequent organ system degradation. "

Evangelista cites the 1977 " Bressler Report " describing G.D.

Searle's " despicable " lab practices. This FDA report led to the

company being indicted for fraud (The full report and Evangelista's

statement are available at www.dorway.com).

The aspartame approval process " ...was further corrupted by

politicians involved with corporate constituents. Another name for

this, of course, is 'bribery,' " Evangelista said.

 

NEOTAME

If aspartame weren't bad enough

In 1995 Monsanto sold its sweetener division to J.W. Childs

Partnership aspartame's current owner. We can imagine that the sale

was mostly in name because aspartame was becoming a public relations

nightmare for the high-profile Monsanto (a company whose business is

manipulating the natural world with chemical killers and genetically

modified organisms).

In 1998 Monsanto petitioned the FDA for approval of its new monster

molecule neotame. Based upon the aspartame formula, Monsanto added 3-

dimethylbutyl (listed by the Environmental Protection Agency as a

most hazardous chemical). The addition of this one little chemical

allows Neotame to be some 13,000 times sweeter than sugar.

The FDA approved Monsanto's newest sweet creation despite formally

submitted objections by the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network and

other opponents of bio-engineered sweeteners. Long-term effects of

this product are unknown.

We believe the FDA does not require that neotame be specifically

identified on product labels and that it may be in the list of

ingredients as " natural flavors. "

 

Congressional Record, Tuesday, May 7, 1985

Aspartame was approved for use in dry goods in 1981; for use in

beverages in 1983. Dr. John Olney and Attorney Jim Turner's proposed

amendment to the FDA's approval of aspartame in beverages, sponsored

by Senator Howard Metzenbaum (D-Ohio), sparked opposition. All the

amendment called for was to have the amount of aspartame indicated

on product labels. The Congressional Record is very revealing.

 

 

Mr. METZENBAUM. " ...Now, the National Soft Drink Association in

August, 1983, thought that aspartame should not be used in soft

drinks. But so many of my colleagues have been called recently and

told that they should not vote for this amendment. Yet this

amendment does not provide that the product should not be sold, only

that people who use the product have a right to know how much of it

they are consuming. "

(Metzenbaum then reads an excerpt from an FDA memo dated May 19,

1981. " Th e first and primary agenda item relates to the brain tumor

issue. This was the point on which the Public Board of Inquiry

concluded that safety had not been shown, " the memo stated.

Mr. METZENBAUM. " ...So what we are talking about is, do we agree

that there will be labeling indicating how much aspartame is in the

product or do we close our minds to all the questions surrounding

this product and turn our backs on the consumers' right to know.

" I am frank to tell you I stand on the floor and do not have all the

answers. But I believe that this body has some responsibility to the

children, grandchildren and the adults who are consuming these soft

drinks. And all I am asking for here today is that which I consider

to be the very minimum, to tell the people who are drinking these

diet sodas how much aspartame is in the product.

" My amendment is no big deal. It is not going to save the world. It

is not going to solve problems in Nicaragua and it is not going to

balance the budget. But it is one little step in the right

direction. We will be providing people with the minimum amount of

information they deserve about a substance that poses many

unanswered questions about basic consumer health and safety. "

The amendment did not pass. Though the FDA, members of Congress, the

scientific community and laypeople had concerns about the safety of

aspartame and its link to brain tumors, the powerful aspartame lobby

was able to defeat this seemingly innocuous bill.

 

Squirrel Sense

A friend and I were having lunch at the Beach House restaurant in

Sandpoint, Idaho, early in October, 2000. We would have ordinarily

dined outside on the deck overlooking magnificent Lake Pend Oreille

as the empty tables were all set with tablecloths, water glasses and

silverware. However, a fall chill was in the air so we decided to

enjoy lunch at a table inside.

The hostess seated us at a table that allowed us to look past the

deck to the mountains beyond the lake. My friend and I had slipped

into conversation when we were interrupted by the antics of a

squirrel that had hopped up onto the empty deck table closest to

ours but on the other side of the picture window.

The squirrel hopped, as squirrels do in their uniquely squirreline

manner, to the center of the table. He began sniffing about the

little white ceramic box universally used by restaurants to hold

paper packets of the various sweetener options. In this case the

options available were refined white sugar, Equal, NutraSweet, Sweet

and Low and brown paper packets labeled " Raw Sugar. "

By now our conversation had stopped as we were being totally

entertained by the antics of the squirrel. He methodically grabbed a

packet of each sweet option in both hands, sniffed it momentarily

then threw it a few inches to the left or right, then picked up and

sniff tested a different packet.

Our squirrel rifled through all the packets in this fidgety, yet

methodical fashion until he came to the raw sugar. He picked it up

and sniffed it over and over again, turning it around several times

to sniff the entire packet. Then he licked it a couple of times,

nibbled at the paper and licked it again.

Apparently satisfied, he threw it off the table, jumped off the

table himself, picked the raw sugar packet up in his little hands,

put it in his mouth and hurriedly disappeared under the deck with

his booty.

The entire show took less than five minutes, but our conversation

about it lasted much longer. We even told the waiter but he seemed

more irritated over the little rodent's bad table manners than the

dietary implications of what we witnessed.

It was obvious to us that, while performing the yearly task of

gathering food for the winter, our squirrel had chosen the raw sugar

over the other options because he was smart enough to discern, with

one quick sniff, that they were poisonous and, therefore, not

appropriate items to store for winter use. (DWH)

 

Aspartame Side Effects

The components of aspartame can lead to a number of health problems.

Side effects can occur gradually, can be immediate, or can be acute

reactions. According to Lendon Smith, M.D., Russell Blaylock, M.D.

and a growing number of other medical doctors, there is an enormous

population suffering from side effects associated with aspartame,

yet have no idea why drugs, supplements and herbs don't relieve

their symptoms. Even though some don't 'appear' to suffer immediate

reactions, these individuals are still susceptible to the long-term

damage caused by excitatory amino acids, phenylalanine, methanol,

and DKP.

Over 92 adverse reactions and side effects have been attributed to

aspartame including:

Eyes

blindness in one or both eyes

decreased vision and/or other eye problems such as: blurring, bright

flashes, squiggly lines, tunnel vision, decreased night vision

pain in one or both eyes

decreased tears

trouble with contact lenses

bulging eyes

Ears

tinnitus - ringing or buzzing sound

severe intolerance of noise

marked hearing impairment

Neurologic

epileptic seizures

headaches, migraines and some severe

dizziness, unsteadiness, both

confusion, memory loss, both

severe drowsiness and sleepiness

paresthesia or numbness of the limbs

severe slurring of speech

severe hyperactivity and restless legs

atypical facial pain

severe tremors

Psychological/Psychiatric

severe depression

irritability

aggression

anxiety

personality changes

insomnia

phobias

Chest

palpitations, tachycardia

shortness of breath

recent high blood pressure

Gastrointestinal

nausea

diarrhea, sometimes with blood in stools

abdominal pain

pain when swallowing

Skin and Allergies

itching without a rash

lip and mouth reactions

hives

aggravated respiratory allergies such as asthma

Endocrine and Metabolic

loss of control of diabetes

menstrual changes

marked thinning or loss of hair

marked weight loss

gradual weight gain

aggravated low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)

severe PMS

Other

frequency of voiding and burning during urination

excessive thirst, fluid retention, leg swelling, and bloating

increased susceptibility to infection

Additional Symptoms of Aspartame Toxicity include the most critical

symptoms of all:

death

irreversible brain damage

birth defects, including mental retardation

peptic ulcers

aspartame addiction and increased craving for sweets

hyperactivity in children

severe depression

aggressive behavior

suicidal tendencies

Aspartame may trigger, mimic, or cause the following illnesses:

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Epstein-Barr

Post-Polio Syndrome

Lyme Disease

Grave's Disease

Meniere's Disease

Alzheimer's Disease

ALS

Epilepsy

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

EMS

Hypothyroidism

Mercury sensitivity from Amalgam fillings

Fibromyalgia

Lupus

non-Hodgkins Lymphoma

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

 

These are not allergies or sensitivities, but diseases and disease

syndromes. Aspartame poisoning is commonly misdiagnosed because

aspartame symptoms mock textbook 'disease' symptoms, such as Grave's

Disease.

Aspartame changes the ratio of amino acids in the blood, blocking or

lowering the levels of serotonin, tyrosine, dopamine,

norepinephrine, and adrenaline. Therefore, it is typical that

aspartame symptoms cannot be detected in lab tests and on x-rays.

Textbook disorders and diseases may actually be a toxic load as a

result of aspartame poisoning.

Source: www.sweetpoison.com. Sweet Poison: How The World's Most

Popular Artificial Sweetener Is Killing Us - My Story, by Janet

Starr Hull, New Horizon Press, ISBN; 0-88282-164-4.

 

 

http://www.vaclib.org/news/astimes.htm

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Graphic Sources

electronicintifada.net/al-bassaleh/ 200103.html

rumsfeld.jpg with pentagon/money behind him

www.chembio.uoguelph.ca/chemzine/v1i1feb02/images/aspartame.gif

aspartame.gif in outline form

 

www.nyscience.org/marvelousmolecules/ aspartame.gif

aspartame.gif color molecule

 

www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9909/28/fox.parkinsons/fox.jpg

1999 fox.jpg Rumsfeld