The Connection between Aspartame and Panic Attacks, Depression, Bipolar Disorder

[Guest guest]

http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/aspartame.htm

 

The Connection between Aspartame (Artificial Sweetener) and Panic

Attacks, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Memory Problems, and Other

Mental Symptoms

 

(The following article is a letter to the editor written to Time

Magazine. It is posted here because of its excellent references on the

relationship between aspartame and mental symptoms. Further references

are at the end of this article)

 

 

by Betty Martini, Founder

Mission Possible International

9270 River Club Parkway

Duluth, Georgia 30097

770 242-2599

www.dorway.com

 

I have read your article on Young and Bipolar, Aug 19, 2002. It says:

" Once called manic depression, the disorder afflicted adults. Now it's

striking kids. Why? "

 

I personally believe the answer is obvious, but Time has known the

true facts on aspartame for years and refuses to publish them.

 

If you had the ability to publish the truth, I would tell you to get

in touch with psychiatrist Ralph Walton, M.D.. He is Professor and

Chairman, Department of Psychiatry, Northeastern Ohio Universities

College of Medicine. In one statement he said: " We have known for

years that when aspartame is ingested with a carbohydrate rich meal

the usual physiologic increase in tryptophan is blocked, while brain

phenylalanine and tyrosine concentrations are increased. These changes

in amino acid neurotransmitter precursors could, I believe, alter

indoleamine/catecholamine balance, and thus have a profound effect on

mood and cognition ... depressed mood, anxiety, dizziness, panic

attacks, nausea, irritability, impairment of memory and concentration. "

 

Of course, bipolar is an affective disorder in which the patient

exhibits both manic and depressive episodes.

 

Aspartame has 50% phenylalanine which as an isolate is neurotoxic and

goes directly into the brain. Dr. Richard Wurtman of MIT explained

this to Congress in l985 and has done a great deal of research. He

undoubtedly would not give an interview today. Perhaps if you read

about him in the United Press International 8 month investigation of

aspartame you would understand why. It's on www.dorway.com You see the

phenylalanine also lowers the seizure threshold and Dr. Wurtman wanted

to do seizure studies. He was threatened by Searle that if he did his

research funds would be rejected and they were. But MIT is getting

research funds now. The phenylalanine also depletes serotonin. And

when you deplete serotonin it triggers MANIC DEPRESSION, anxiety,

hallucinations, panic attacks, insomnia, paranoia, mood swings and

even suicidal tendencies.

 

So Dr. Wurtman was very interested in the seizure issue and serotonin

issue. Back in l986 he was a real tiger and he understood very well

that if you wanted valid research you needed independent studies. I

have a copy of his introductory comments presented to the FDA on April

21, l986 in which he said:

 

" The present system, in which the companies that sell our synthetic

foods - like NutraSweet - fund virtually ALL of the studies,

FDA-mandated or not, of their safety is too vulnerable to misuse: As

we can discuss, if you like, when outside investigators propose

studies that might yield the " wrong " answer, a large bag of " dirty

tricks " is available for derailing those studies. We hope that the

evolving aspartame study will provide impetus for a new mechanism, in

which companies that manufacture new, synthetic food constituents

(like NutraSweet's manufacturer, Monsanto), or those that insert it

into their foods (like Coca-Cola or Pepsi-Cola, or the makers of

Kool-Aid or Crystal Lite) will be obligated to support the research

that affirms their product's safety, but will not be allowed to choose

exactly what studies are done, nor who conducts them. "

 

Dr. Wurtman left us a lovely paper trail in the book Dietary

Phenylalanine and Brain Function, edited by Richard J. Wurtman and Eva

Ritter-Walker, Birkhauser.

 

H. J. Roberts, M.D., who declared Aspartame Disease to be a global

plague has written the medical text, Aspartame Disease: An Ignored

Epidemic, www.aspartameispoison.com or www.sunsentpress.com or

1 800 814 - 9800.

 

There are chapters on the psychiatric and behavioral problems

triggered by aspartame, drug interaction, and of course, the issue of

bipolar and aspartame. And he brings out that there is considerable

information existing concerning marked neuropsychologic changes when

dopamine-serotonin balance is altered. And he says that decreased

brain serotonin has been associated with insomnia, depression,

anxiety, panic attacks, hallucinations, suicidal attempts, hostility

and psychopathic states like Dr. Walton.

 

And Dr. Roberts also quotes Dr. Wurtman. He says that aspartame and

its components can lower brain serotonin levels through several

mechanisms:

 

" * Dr. Richard Wurtman demonstrated that aspartame inhibits the

carbohydrate-induced synthesis of serotonin (Congressional Record -

Senate 1985a, P. S 5511). Serotonin is an important component of the

feedback system that helps limit one's consumption of carbohydrate to

appropriate levels by blunting the carbohydrate craving.

 

* The amino acid tyrosine, derived from phenylalanine, reduces the

amount of tryptophan that can cross the blood-brain barrier for

utilization in serotonin production. "

 

Dr. Roberts says that the mounting scientific evidence for altered

brain dopamine concentrations in mental illness is relevant.

 

" * The injection of dopamine (a metabolite of phenylalanine) into the

brain ventricles of humans can precipitate psychotic epidoes,

including hallucinations.

 

* Wong et al (l986) studies the D2 dopamine receptor density in the

caudate nucleus of normal volunteers and patients with schizophrenia

by positron emission tomography (PET). Higher densities were noted in

the schizophrenic group, even without prior neuroleptic drug treatment.

 

* Several aspartame reactors with severe neuropsychiatric features

evidence brain changes by SPECT imaging studies.

 

* .. Dopaminergic influences in aspartame and other addictions

(discussed in VII-G)

 

* More numerous D2 dopamine receptors have been found in the basal

ganglia of schizophrenic patients obtained at postmortem examination,

compared to persons having no history of neurologic or psychiatric

disease. "

 

He also quotes Dr. Walton and says with regard to other changes:

 

" Dr. Ralph G. Walton (l986) urged physicians to bear in mind " the

possible impact of aspartame on catecholamine and indolamine

metabolism, and inquire about use of this artificial sweetener when

assessing patients with affective disorders. "

 

The brain edema and vascular stasis due to chronic methanol intake (

10% of aspartame) could contribute to the neuropsychiatric

manifestations of aspartame reactors.

 

The observation that tryptophan depletion in nonalcoholic young men

can induce behavioral changes is pertinent in view of the depletion of

tryptophan by aspartame consumption. "

 

I might add at this point that Dr. Roberts says that suicide has

become a public health crisis. One occurs ever 17 minutes in the US,

ranking it third among causes of death for young people and second for

college students. Accordingly, any substance that may contribute to

suicide cannot be ignored, particularly when consumed in large amounts.

 

Now consider that Parents Magazine in Sept, 1999 wrote an article

titled What's Happening To Our Children? They said that almost every

family in the US has been affected and that by the time a child

reaches the 4th level of high school, one out of four has contemplated

suicide.

 

Remember that aspartame is used by 2/3rds of the population and 40% of

our children. I hope this helps you to understand this epidemic. So

whatever is happening to adults will also happen to children.

Aspartame simply destroys the brain and this was proven in a study by

Searle in South America although they did not publish it. An affidavit

from the translator is on www.dorway.com A few months a study in

Norway also showed that aspartame destroys the brain, especially in

the areas of learning. In l970 the famed Dr. John Olney who founded

the field of neuroscience called excitotoxicity did the studies on

aspartic acid which is 40% of aspartame and found that it caused

lesions in the brains of mice. It is an excitotoxin.

 

Russell Blaylock, M.D., neurosurgeon wrote the book on excitotoxicity:

Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills, www.amazon.com And he too goes

into the effect of aspartame on the brains of our children and even

admits that it triggers such things as ADD and autism. I have heard

both Doctors Roberts and Blaylock say that many people in mental

hospitals today are simply aspartame victims.

 

Aspartame also triggers such things as brain hemorrhage, stroke and

aneurysms, so you would expect the same thing in children. Not much

shocks me but I know industry had to stay up a lot of nights to come

up with the excuse heard on TV over two months ago. It was stated that

young children are having brain hemorrhages, aneurysms and strokes in

increasing proportions but researchers say that the cause of this is

that children get scared on roller coasters. Why they used such

stupidity I don't know as it definitely insults the intelligence of

the general public.

 

In Dr. Roberts discussion of Mania and " Bipolar " Depression in his

medical text are these comments:

 

" Several aspartame reactors in this series had " bipolar " depression

wherein the depression would alternate with periods of manic

behavioral characterized by intense excitement and overactivity. As

many as two million Americas suffer manic-depression.

 

" The ability of phenylalanine to stimulate the central nervous system,

directly or through its conversion to other neurotransmitters is germane.

 

" Some studies suggest that bipolar and unipolar affective disorders

are distinct entities - that is, in terms of familial prevalence,

genetics (including twin studies), prognosis, and response to

treatment (Schwartz 1987). Several observations are pertinent

 

" * Women outnumber men with unipolar depression by about two to one.

* Difference in unipolar and bipolar depression are reinforced by

positron emission tomography studies (Schwartz 1987). Patients with

unipolar depression have significantly higher local cerebral metabolic

rates for glucose, but these are reduced in bipolar depression.

Accordingly, a further reduction of the cerebral metabolic rate

caused by aspartame or its by products might precipitate clinical

depression in pre-disposed individuals.

 

* A subset of manic-depression appears linked to a dominant gene on

the tip of the short arm of chromosome 11. The tyrosine hydroxylase

gene which cascades the synthesis of dopamine, exists in this region. "

* Whereas the cyclic antidepressants are more effective than lithium

in unipolar depression, they tend to cause more behavioral

disturbances in bipolar depression.

 

Dr. Roberts gives the case history of a 67 year old man that had been

treated for bipolar depression, essential tremor and a labyrinthine

syndrome. He fared well for several years on small doses of

propranolol and lithium. He says that one month prior to his June 1986

visit, the tremor and vertigo intensified, coupled with " increased

mood elevation. " On direct questioning, he admitted to recent

consumption of aspartame products. His symptoms promptly subsided when

he avoid them and did not recur over the ensuing year, notwithstanding

enormous stress because of his wife's serious illness during that period.

 

Dr. Ralph Walton did a study on aspartame discussed in this medical text.

 

" Walton, Hudock, and Green-Waite (1993) dramatically demonstrated the

adverse effect of aspartame intake in patients with a history of

depression. They administered aspartame (30 mg/kg) daily or a placebo

for seven days in a double-blind challenge to 40 patients with

unipolar depression and a similar number of persons without a history

of psychiatric problems. The NutraSweet Company apparently refused to

supply these researchers with aspartame, so analytically certified USP

grade aspartame was purchased from a chemical distributor.

 

" The frequency and severity of depression, headache, nervousness,

difficulty in remembering, insomnia, fatigue and malaise were striking

among patients with a history of depression after ingesting aspartame,

compared to the placebo, both in these patients and nondepressed

volunteers. Persons without a history of depression did not manifest

frequent or severe symptoms when given aspartame. The severity of

reactions among patients with a history of depression proved

sufficiently alarming that the Institutional Review Board had to halt

this project prematurely.

 

" * Three participants spontaneously volunteered that they felt

" poisoned " after taking the product later determined to be aspartame.

* A 42 year old Ph.D. psychologist with a history of recurrent severe

depression experienced pain in one eye, followed by retinal detachment

requiring emergency surgery.

* Another depressed patient evidenced conjunctival bleeding for the

first time during the week she ingested aspartame.

* Individual patients with a history of depression experienced swollen

lips, a bad taste in the mouth, facial numbness, weight gain and

irritability - complaints not reported by nondepressed volunteers.

 

" This experience also has raised questions about the nature of the

aspartame supplied for published " negative " double-blind studies. "

 

Perhaps you can understand now why aspartame manufacturers have fought

to prevent independent, corporate neutral research.

 

Dr. Roberts continues but since this is getting long I'm sure you can

see the bottom line. He is stresssing that the decrease of serotonin

by aspartame administration has considerable relevance to depression

and other psychological problems. He mentions that Smith et al (1997)

reported that the rapid lowering of brain serotonin can precipitate

clinical depressive symptoms in untreated individuals vulnerable to

major depression. Also that aspartame decreases the availability of

L-tryptophan (a precursor of serotonin) and alters its balance with

norepinephrine, another important neurotransmitter. Also that some

have likened its effects to that of a lesion in the lateral

hypothalamus causing depression, other psychiatric problems, and

eating disorders. Dr. Walton I know has written about this and the

report is on web.

 

You might want to read The Lancet 1987;2:949-950 where Dr. Roberts

says there is considerable evidence for the diminished turnover of

brain serotonin in depression and behavioral disturbances, including

suicide.

 

Could it get any worse? Yes, how could a physician treat these

patients if he didn't know about aspartame since it interacts with

antidepressants. For instance, the serotonin elevating action of

fluoxetine (Prozac) for treating depression could be counteracted by

aspartame. It can block tryptophan entry into the brain, thereby

inhibiting synthesis of serotonin! This is discussed in the chapter on

drug interaction and antidepressant drugs. Aspartame interacts with

just about every drug used to treat the problems it causes!

 

Obviously after 20 years on the market we know what aspartame does.

Doctors who have seen aspartame victims in the trenches of medical

practice for years are experts and constantly alert the public through

writings. But we have a reluctant press who could have done something

about this issue years ago. Dr. P. Maxwell Foshay, Editor, Cleveland

Journal of Medicine said it the best way back in 1900:

 

" It will thus be seen that medical journalism is in a state of chaos

.... The greed for advertising patronage leads, the editor only too

often to prostitute his pen or his pages to the advertiser, so long as

he can secure the coveted revenue. "

 

In 1999 Time Magazine was on www.dorway.com investigating an email

that made world news on the World Environmental Conference. It was

signed Nancy Markle but I was the one who lectured. Time's Mrs. Gorman

admitted that she had seen an almost identical post which was my

original. So she knew I was the author and instead of calling me wrote

that it was a hoax. Basically it read like a Monsanto commercial down

to " Sweeten Your Life Without Shortening It " . A good example of

reverse psychology. Flooded with mail Time refused to retract their

misinformation stumbling many consumers back on aspartame only to

suffer such things as grand mal seizures. Mission Possible gave Time

Magazine the award for The Most Irresponsible Journalism - 1999, and

were added to the Hall of Shame.

 

Monsanto could not put out the fire, however, because the email

saturated the globe and sold the NutraSweet Company. But as Mohammed

Ali once said: " They can run but they can't hide. " Today we are taking

case histories for class action having to do with the brain tumors,

blindness, eye deterioration and seizures.

 

Because aspartame is also an abortifacient millions of babies have

been murdered in their mother's womb. Dr. James Bowen said in

Aspartame Murders Infants on web:

 

" At every point in the fertility process aspartame destroys, beginning

with the gleam in Mom and Pop's eyes, it ruins female sexual response

and induces male sexual dysfunction. Beyond this, aspartame disrupts

fetal development by aborting it or inducing defects. And if a live

child is born aspartame may have heinously damaged the DNA of the

baby, cursing future generations. "

 

It's a shame that Time Magazine doesn't consider the lives of our

children to be more important than the advertising funds of such

companies as NutraSweet, Coke and Pepsi, for example.

 

Today aspartame is estimated to be in 9000 products and climbing and

100 countries of the world. It is in pediatric prescription drugs like

pediatric penicillin, Augmentin, chewable Tylenol, chewable Benadryl,

pediatric vitamins, etc. Our children don't have a chance.

 

If you go to www.greatfallspro.com (Mission Possible Maine) you can

download Dr. John Olney's entire report to the Board of Inquiry of the

FDA. Here you can read his prophecy of what will happen to the brains

of our children if aspartame is approved, and this prophecy has now

been fulfilled.

 

I don't expect for Time Magazine to expose the aspartame issue to the

public because they have known the real facts for years and only added

to misinformation. So I leave you with the words of Patrick Henry:

 

" Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves longer. "

 

Further References:

 

Book: Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic,

www.aspartameispoison.com or www.sunsentpress.com or 1 800 814 - 9800.

 

Web site: http://www.aspartamesafety.com/

 

The following posts cover various symptoms reportedly caused by aspartame:

 

Anxiety - http://nancymarkle.com/hulse.txt

Anxiety - http://nancymarkle.com/wolverto.txt

Nerve damage - http://nancymarkle.com/raiford.txt

Neuropsychiatric disorders - http://nancymarkle.com/blayenn.txt

Panic attacks - http://nancymarkle.com/drake.html

Psychiatric complaints - http://nancymarkle.com/roberts-headach.txt