Guest guest Posted April 25, 2005 Report Share Posted April 25, 2005 >by An nemarie Colbin, C.H.E.S. >--- >http://www.foodandhealing.com/article-aspartame.htm >--- > >Sugar is bad for you, right? It has calories and makes you fat. >Therefore, anything that tastes sweet and doesn't have calories is >preferable, because it won't make you fat. Right? > >That is the thinking that supports the widespread use of artificial >sweeteners. > >Millions of people guzzle soft drinks sweetened with aspartame, the >compound sold under the trade names Nutrasweet and Equal. This >ingredient is found in all kinds of diet foods, in toothpaste, and >sprinkled out of small packets into coffee and tea. It is sold >worldwide. > >It is also associated with thousands of reports of adverse effects. Most >of the information that follows was taken from the Aspartame Consumer >Safety Network Fact Sheet, written by Lendon Smith, MD, former Network >Physician at NBC-TV and well-known author and pediatrician. > >Aspartame (the technical name is L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanyl-methyl-ester) >is considered to be about 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is virtually >calorie free. > >When ingested and metabolized, it breaks down into three substances: > >phenylalanine (50%), one of the amino acids needed for the production of >neurotransmitters essential to brain function. While this sounds OK, it >is not: people with PKU (phenylketonuria) are missing the enzymes to >break down this amino acid and may end up with an excess that causes >brain damage. > >For susceptible people, phenylalanine will be neurotoxic and might >cause seizures. >aspartic acid (40%), which can cause brain damage in fetuses >methanol (10%), an alcohol with turns into formaldehyde, a known toxic >substance used, among other things, as embalming fluid. > >Early studies in the 1970's found that aspartic acid causes holes in the >brains of mice. (I find this an interesting bit of information, in the >light of current concerns with " spongiform encephalopathy, " or mad cow >disease, and Creuzfeld-Jacob disease, in all of which the brain becomes >sponge-like with holes in it). > >Monkeys fed aspartame died or had grand mal seizures; however, these >studies were not submitted to the FDA when approval for aspartame was >requested. The request was approved by then FDA commissioner Arthur Hull >Hayes, Jr., in 1981, after he overruled the Public Board of Inquiry's >recommendation to ban this artificial sweetener. > >Two months before quitting the post, Hayes approved the use of >aspartame in soft drinks, even though the National Soft Drink >Association had warned the FDA that aspartame was breaking down in warm >climates. > >From the early ‘80's, consumer complaints began pouring into the FDA >related to aspartame use. Among the symptoms reported are the following: > > >headaches >nausea >vertigo >hearing loss >tinnitus >insomnia >numbness and tingling of extremities >blurred vision >blindness >eye problems >memory loss >slurred speech >mild to suicidal depression >personality changes >violent episodes >mood changes >anxiety attacks >hyperactivity >heart arrhythmia >edema or swelling >gastrointestinal disorders >seizures >skin lesions >muscle cramps >joint pains >fatigue >PMS >menstrual irregularities >chest pain >increased appetite > >Artificial sweeteners can increase appetite because as the sweet taste >hits the mouth, a message is passed on to the body that carbohydrates >are coming in; then the pancreas swings into action and sends insulin >into the bloodstream. As there are no actual carbohydrates, the insulin >lowers the blood sugar and appetite increases. In this manner, >artificial sweeteners can contribute to hypoglycemia. > >Scientific studies show mixed results; some find no increase effects on >hyperactivity with aspartame, others find that individuals with mood >disorders do react with headaches or increased number and severity of >depressive symptoms. > > " Anecdotal reports " are simply people telling what happened to them; >while the scientific community does not accept these as valid, sensible >human beings might at least pay attention. Where there's smoke there's >fire. > >In addition to the above symptoms, aspartame use can mimic a number of >autoimmune diseases. Betty Martini, founder of Mission Possible, an >organization dedicated to spread information about problems with >aspartame, found that methanol toxicity causes metabolic acidosis and >mimics multiple sclerosis (MS). > >She lists the following symptoms as " aspartame disease " : fibromyalgia, >spasms, shooting pains, joint pains, depression, anxiety attacks, >slurred speech, blurred vision, and memory loss. In addition to MS, >aspartame may also either mimic or trigger the following illnesses: > >fibromyalgia >chronic fatigue syndrome >Epstein-Barr >post-polio syndrome >lyme disease >epilepsy >hypothyroidism >ADD >Meuniere disease >Alzheimer disease > >Fortunately, most of these symptoms are reversible, and disappear once >aspartame is discontinued. > >This noxious substance, so ubiquitous in our commercial food supply, >should be recalled by the FDA and retested as a drug. As it is not >classified as a drug, the manufacturers are not obligated to monitor its >adverse effects! > >Senator Howard Metzenbaum had written a bill warning pregnant women, >infants and children against ingesting aspartame, on the suspicion of >its relationship to seizures, changes in brain chemistry, and adverse >neurological and behavioral symptoms; as is to be expected, the bill got >killed. > >What I found really interesting is that the US Air Force has formally >warned all pilots to refrain from consuming aspartame-sweetened diet >drinks, as they found them linked to grand mal seizures, vertigo, heart >disease, and suicidal depressions. > >Aspartame interferes with the production of the calming neurotransmitter >serotonin. Isn't it really interesting that sales of the antidepressant >Prozac, which encourages the production of serotonin, have gone through >the roof in the last few years? > >For further information, you can contact the following two >organizations: > >Aspartame Consumer Safety Network; Mary Nash Stoddard, Founder. P.O. Box >780634 - Dallas, TX 75378; tel. 214-352-4268. E-mail: marys- >Stoddard's book The Deadly Deception can be ordered by calling >1-800-969-6050. >Mission Possible International >9270 River Club Parkway >Duluth, Ga. 30097 >770 242-2599 Voice >770 242-2596 FAX > >Betty Martini, Founder. E-mail: bett- > forum: aspartame/ > >To sweeten your food without white sugar and without artificial >sweeteners, stick to the real thing: fruit both fresh and dry, juices, >maple syrup, grain malts. Yes, they do have calories like normal food >does, but they will not fool and confuse your body, and won't put you at >risk for autoimmune or neurological disorders. > >If you really like drinking sweet fizzy drinks, here is a simple recipe: > > >Apple Mint Fizz >1/3 cup unfiltered apple juice >1/3 cup cold mint tea >1/3 cup seltzer water > >Mix and enjoy at room temperature or over ice, >with a slice of lemon if you like. You can make all kinds >of variations on this recipe with juices, teas, and seltzer water. > >1998-2004 Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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