Dark Chocolate May Sweeten The Way To Health/Aspartame Proven To Cause Cancer

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Dark Chocolate May

Sweeten The Way

To Health

By Steven Reinberg

HealthDay News

7-19-5

 

(HealthDay News) -- If it tastes good it must be bad, so the saying

goes, but delicious dark chocolate may be the exception to the rule.

 

In addition to all the pleasurable sensations associated with the

sweet, it may also help lower blood pressure by an average of 10 percent

while improving the body's sensitivity to insulin, researchers report.

 

However, this benefit applies only to dark chocolate, which is rich

in flavonoids -- the same antioxidant compounds found in fruits, vegetables

and whole grains that are known to help lower blood pressure, according to

the report in the July 18 online edition of Hypertension.

 

" It turns out that chocolate is not only a pleasurable food, but it

fits in quite nicely with the other healthy recommendations, " said coauthor

Jeffrey B. Blumberg, a professor of nutrition and a senior scientist at the

Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts

University. " We found that three ounces of dark chocolate per day over

several weeks reduced blood pressure in patients with essential hypertension

and also seemed to provide a benefit on their insulin sensitivity, " he

added.

 

In their study, Blumberg's team had 10 men and 10 women eat 3.5

ounces of dark chocolate every day for 15 days. All of these people had high

blood pressure and none were taking blood pressure medications.

 

First, the researchers had five of the men and five of the women eat

dark chocolate while the others ate white chocolate, which contains no

flavonoids. Then after another week of no chocolate, the groups " crossed

over " and ate the other chocolate.

 

In the 15 days they were eating dark chocolate, individuals

displayed an average 11.9 mm Hg drop in their systolic blood pressure (the

top number in a blood pressure reading) and a 8.5 mm Hg drop in diastolic

blood pressure (the lower number). However, there was no drop in blood

pressure when they ate flavonoid-free white chocolate, the researchers

found.

 

Given these results, Blumberg believes that dark chocolate can be

good for you. " Dark chocolate can be included as part of a healthful diet in

patients who have hypertension, " he said.

 

However, he cautioned that you can't just add it on top of your

diet. " It's still a high-calorie food. You don't want to have excess

calories or put on weight if you have hypertension, " Blumberg said. " But as

part of a healthful diet, it is something that you can enjoy and not feel

you are violating the principles of a healthful diet. "

 

Blumberg thinks that being able to enjoy some chocolate can also

make it easier to stay on a healthy diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables

and whole grains.

 

One expert sees this study as part of a body of evidence that shows

that chocolate is good for us. " Dark chocolate may be health-promoting, "

said Dr. David L. Katz, an associate clinical professor of public health and

director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of

Medicine.

 

Katz, who is doing his own research into the benefits of chocolate,

noted that chocolate is rich in not only antioxidants, but also magnesium

and fiber. " The predominant saturated fat in dark chocolate, stearic acid,

does not raise cholesterol or harm blood vessels, " he added.

 

" Milk chocolate and white chocolate do not offer any known health

benefits, and provide more calories, sugar, and potentially harmful oils

than dark chocolate, " Katz said, but " dark chocolate may well prove to be

health food. "

 

According to Katz, there are many unanswered questions about

chocolate: What is the optimal dose of dark chocolate? How high does the

cocoa content need to be to offer health benefits? Who in the population

stands to benefit from eating dark chocolate? Are the benefits of liquid

cocoa and solid chocolate the same? Can people eat chocolate without gaining

weight?

 

" These answers, and others, will come in time, " Katz said. " For now,

it's clear that not all chocolate is created equal. But it's delicious to

think that indulgence and health may both reside beneath the same wrapper. "

 

Another expert is more cautious. Without more definitive data on

whether chocolate promotes weight gain that might outweigh its benefits, Dr.

Jeffrey Mechanick, the director of the Metabolic Support Service at Mount

Sinai School of Medicine, is hesitant to recommend it as a health food. " I

would never tell a heart patient or a diabetic to eat more dark chocolate, "

he said.

 

For patients who do not have these health problems, Mechanick is

more lenient. " Having a treat every once in a while is fine, " he said. " My

preference is that you have dark chocolate, because it's looking like maybe

dark chocolate may have some benefit. But there are no data to support that

it's truly beneficial. It's still unproven that it's beneficial and there

could be risks involved. "

 

Mechanick also warned that the data about the benefits of dark

chocolate should not mean replacing other high blood pressure therapy with

chocolate. " Chocolate is not an alternative to traditional lifestyle changes

or to taking medications to reduce risk of heart disease or to treat

diabetes, " he said.

 

© 2005 Forbes.com Inc.

 

http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/health/feeds/hscou

t/2005/07/18/hscout526855.html

 

Aspartame Proven

To Cause Cancer

From Dr. Betty Martini, D.Hum.

Bettym19

Director - Mission Possible

7-21-5

 

A three year Italian study on Aspartame in rats revealed a

connection between the artifical sweetner and leukemia, lymphoma and

malignant brain tumors. It conclusively * proved * that aspartame is a

carcinogen, say the study's authors.

 

A famous neurosurgeon calls for the complete removal of

aspartame-laden products from all schools. These claims completely refute

and destroy those of Aspartame manufacturers. -- Betty Martini

 

 

ATLANTA (PRWEB) -- The European Ramazzini Foundation of

Oncology and Environmental Sciences Cancer Research Centre in Bolonga,

Italy, just released their three year study confirming the link between

aspartame and lymphomas and leukemias.

 

The report by Morando Soffritti " Aspartame induces lymphomas

and leukemias in rats " is in the European Journal of Oncology for July,

2005. Dr. Soffritti and his team carefully set the conditions whereby

genetically-uniform test rats were treated equally with the exception of

being divided into groups given varying levels of the toxic chemical

sweetener.

 

Rats are deemed appropriate subjects for testing aspartame

on humans because both humans and rats metabolize the methyl ester in

aspartame into methyl alcohol, then formaldehyde then formic acid - all

deadly poisons. The carcinogenicity of substances in rats and mice is a

consistent predictor of cancer risk in humans exposed to those substances.

 

The study commenced with 8 week old rats and continued until

the last one died at 159 weeks. Their physical status and behavior were

examined three times daily and detailed records of their growth were kept.

Every two weeks each of the 3,600 rats were " clinically examined for gross

changes. " As each rat died, a complete autopsy was performed. Organs,

tissues and bones were preserved for further study.

 

" In our experimental conditions, it has been demonstrated

that APM [aspartame] causes a dose-related statistically significant

increase in lymphomas and leukemias in females at dose levels very near

those to which humans can be exposed, " the authors wrote in their

conclusion. The number of cancers that developed in rats given zero

aspartame was zero.

 

Increases of lymphomas and leukemias at the lowest exposure

level was 62 percent and " an increase in the incidence of these types of

neoplasias was also observed in males exposed to the highest dose, " as

stated in the study.

 

Neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock, MD, one of the world's

leading authorities on aspartame neurotoxicity, extensively reviewed the

Soffritti report. " This study confirmed the previous study by Dr. Trocho and

co-workers (1998), which also found the formaldehyde breakdown product of

aspartame to be damaging to cellular DNA and that this damage was

cumulative. The type of damage was a duplicate of that associated with

cancers. These two studies strongly indicate that drinking a single diet

cola sweetened with aspartame every day could significantly increase one's

risk of developing a lymphoma or leukemia, " Blaylock said.

 

" This study should terrify mothers and all those consuming

aspartame sweetened products, " he continued. " This was a carefully done

study which clearly demonstrated a statistically significant increase in

several types of lymphomas and leukemias in rats. Both of these malignancies

have increased significantly in this country since the widespread use of

aspartame. "

 

" They also found an increased incidence of malignant brain

tumors, even though it was not statistically significant. This does not mean

there is no association to brain tumors, since ONLY the animals exposed to

aspartame developed the tumors. With children and pregnant women drinking

the largest amount of diet colas, this puts their children at the greatest

risk of developing one of these horrible diseases. Their found that even

lower doses of aspartame could cause these malignancies, yet, the higher the

dose, the more cancers that were seen, " said Blaylock.

 

" Since aspartame can increase obesity and may even cause the

metabolic syndrome that affects 48 million Americans, there is no reason to

ever consume this product. At the least, it should be immediately banned

from all schools, " said Blaylock.

 

Aspartame was approved for use in dry goods in 1981 under

extremely controversial circumstances. The artificial sweetener is currently

found in more than 6,000 products-soft drinks, chewing gum, candy, desserts,

table sweeteners and even pharmaceutical drugs and is responsible for more

than 80 percent of consumer complaints filed with the FDA each year. The FDA

itself has published a list of 92 potentially adverse reactions to aspartame

that includes weight gain, blindness, chronic headaches, insanity and death.

 

Soffritti et al conducted this study because they wanted to

determine whether or not the ADI for aspartame (50 and 40 milligrams per

kilogram of body weight per day in the U.S. and Europe respectively) was an

appropriate limit. Their report concludes with these words: " Results of our

study call for urgent reexamination of permissible exposure level of

aspartame in both food and beverages, especially to protect children. "

 

Here comes the Whopper. Makers and sellers of aspartame

tried to rebut this impeccable European research saying: " With billions of

man-years of safe use, there is no indication of an association between

aspartame and cancer in humans. "

 

For the rest of the story go to:

http://www.wnho.net/whopper.htm

 

For more information http://www.whno.net or

http://www.dorway.com

 

Contact Information

Dr Betty Martini

MISSION POSSIBLE INTERNATIONAL

http://www.wnho.net

770 242-2599