The Sweet Saboteur: Aspartame

[Guest guest]

The Sweet Saboteur: Aspartame

By Pat Barone, Trainer and Coach

It's a tiny molecule that is 180 times sweeter than sugar. It has no

calories. But is aspartame a huge advantage in the battle against

overweight or is it a dangerous chemical concoction that raises health

concerns as well as the number on your scale?

Aspartame, marketed as such brands as Nutrasweet, Equal, Spoonful and

Equal-Measure, first appeared in the U.S. in 1981, when the U.S. obesity

rate was 46%. Today, the rate is 63%. Clearly, aspartame has not been

effective in helping to reduce the overall weight of U.S. citizens. Most

experts now believe it has a negative impact on weight loss.

Along with the rising obesity rates, mounting questions about its

effectiveness and its safety continue to plague the food additive.

Although it may be possible to cut down on certain calories using

aspartame, some of the unwanted side effects include:

1. increased hunger and cravings

2. lowered serotonin which causes depression and/or mood swings 3. the release of insulin in proportions to the sweetness of the food

eaten, usually more than needed by the body

4. with overproduction of insulin, fat cells grow faster

5. increased thirst because aspartame dehydrates the body

6. impaired sleep

Artificial sweeteners can also change your perception of what is sweet

and alter the amounts of sweet it takes to satisfy you. Studies have

proven that people who use artificial sweeteners consume MORE sugar than

those who do not.

In addition to the damage cravings can do (both emotionally and

physically), dehydration is a major cause of weight gain. With greater

thirst, many people just consume more soda laden with more chemicals.

It is also easy to confuse thirst and hunger and many people eat when

they are actually thirsty. Do you crave something cold and sweet, like

ice cream? It's probably not hunger – it's thirst talking to you.

 

Widespread Use/Widespread Adverse Reactions

According to a 1998 survey by the Calorie Control Counsel, 144 million

American adults regularly consume sugar-free, artificially sweetened

foods every day.

If 1% of aspartame users have adverse reactions, that is over 1 million

problems. The FDA has admitted that 3/4 of all its non-drug complaints

are for the unwanted ill effects from aspartame use.

Some of the complaints include the following:

-Anxiety attacks

-Bloating and fluid retention

-Brain tumors

-Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

-Confusion

-Chest pains and/or heart palpitations

-Depression

-Dizziness

-Equilibrium Problems

-Exacerbated diabetes and/or hypoglycemia

-Headaches and/or migraines

-Hypertension

-Inability to concentrate

-Joint Pain

-Memory Loss

-Multiple Sclerosis

-Rashes, hives and skin problems

-Seizures

-Tremors

-Vertigo

-Vision Impairment

-Weight Gain

In addition, reactions to aspartame can mimic the following diseases:

Fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, lupus, epilepsy,

lymphoma, Lyme disease, attention deficit disorder and other

psychological disorders.

It is also connected to atherosclerosis, cancer, coronary artery disease

and arthritis. It comes as no surprise that joint pain is a major

complaint among aspartame users.

The chemical breakdown for aspartame is 40% aspartate, 50% phenylalanine

and 10% methanol, a deadly poison (wood alcohol). The Environmental

Protection Agency defines safe consumption as no more than 7.8

milligrams per day of this dangerous substance. A one-liter beverage,

sweetened with aspartame, contains about 56 milligrams of wood alcohol,

or eight times the EPA limit!

In addition, aspartame is metabolized by the body into carcinogins or

cancer-causing agents and kills brain cells every time it is ingested.

Never give your children aspartame. Children do not have the same blood

brain barrier development as adults and toxic substances like aspartame

can have negative effects on their nervous systems. Aspartame may be a

factor in ADD, hyperactivity, mental retardation and various other

neurological problems in children. More importantly, never use aspartame

if you are pregnant or nursing.

 

Why Does It Remain on the Market?

The simple answer is that uneducated consumers buy it.

A more complicated answer involves the rigorous marketing and ad

campaigns used for aspartame. After all, Monsanto, the current owner of

Nutrasweet, makes over $1 billion per year from the product.

In addition, most governmental agencies have supported its safety, even

in light of many scientific findings suggesting it should not be on the

market at all. Many doctors and scientists have found it difficult to

publish their studies confirming the dangers of aspartame. Some of these

doctors and scientists are the same experts who testified before the FDA

in 1980-81, urging the governmental body not to approve aspartame use in

the U.S. Without getting into too much detail or venturing into

"conspiracy" theories, most of the officials involved in the approval of

aspartame during the Reagan administration left their government

agencies for highly lucrative jobs directly linked to Searle, the

pharmaceutical company which owned aspartame at the time of its approval

by the FDA.

In 1998, Ralph G. Walton, MD, a Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at

Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, analyzed 164 studies

relevant to human safety questions associated with aspartame. Of those

studies, 74 studies had aspartame industry-related sponsorship and 90

were funded without any industry money.

-Of the 90 non-industry-sponsored studies, 83 (92%) identified one or

more problems with aspartame. Of the 7 studies which did not find a

problem, 6 of those studies were conducted by the FDA. Given that a

number of FDA officials went to work for the aspartame industry

immediately following approval (including the former FDA Commissioner),

many consider these studies to be equivalent to industry-sponsored research.

-Of the 74 aspartame industry-sponsored studies, all 74 (100%) claimed

that no problems were found with aspartame.

-83 out of 84 independent reports found problems.

The aspartame industry-sponsored studies are usually the ones the

American public sees cited in news and television reports.

How far does the Public Relations machine of Monsanto reach? The

American Diabetic Association (ADA), although it is supposed to exist to

educate diabetics about risks to their health, has admitted that their

"Fact Sheets" presentation on aspartame, which gives it the thumbs up,

was written by the company that makes Nutrasweet. Is this effective

consumer education?

 

Tips for Cutting Back on Aspartame

1. Cut back slowly. If you add it to food and drinks, cut your portions

in half, then cut back to one quarter of your normal serving. If you

drink 3 sodas a day, cut back to two for a week, then go to one for a

week, then one-half.

2. Pay attention to your sense of sweet. It may change drastically. When

you crave something sweet, allow yourself to eat a very small portion of

whatever you are craving (provided it has no Nutrasweet in it) paying

absolute attention to what you are eating. Eat slowly and savor it.

3. Read food labels. Aspartame is "hidden" in many foods, especially

yogurt, low calorie jams, salad dressings, candy, breath mints, cereals,

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

breakfasts, frozen desserts and shake mixes. Some drug and supplement

manufacturers are allowed to avoid listing aspartame on the label if

they state the words, "contains phenylalanine." You may also see the

phrase "Phenylketonurics: Contains Phenylalanine" instead.

4. Recognize that it may take 60 days to rid your body of the effects of

aspartame. Most people report positive changes happen much quicker but

long-term use may make your recovery slower.

5. Other sweeteners to avoid: neotame; sucralose (Splenda); acesulfame-K

(Sunette, Sweet & Safe, Sweet One); cyclamates; saccharin; and sugar

alcohols (xylitol, sorbitol).

 

Dieting Without Aspartame?

In a cruel and ironic twist, aspartame may actually cause weight gain.

Phenylalanine and aspartate, found in aspartame, stimulate the release

of insulin. Rapid, strong spikes in insulin remove all glucose from the

blood-stream and store it as fat. This can result in hypoglycemia and

sugar cravings.

83 (out of 84) independent reports which did find problems are

under-reported.

Research shows aspartame actually stimulates appetite and brings on a

craving for carbohydrates and sugary foods. In 1986, The American Cancer

Society documented the fact that persons using artificial sweeteners

gain more weight than those who avoid them.

When a diet drink is ingested with a meal, aspartame causes the brain to

cease production of serotonin, therefore the feeling of fullness is

greatly delayed and the body continues to give out hunger signals.

In a recent study, a control group switching to an aspartame-free diet

resulted in an average weight loss of 19 pounds in one year!

The only thing better than losing that much weight is the fact that most

people who cut aspartame from their diets report a huge lift in their

spirits. In my own practice, ALL of my clients who give up aspartame

report relief from a low-level depression they did not even recognize

was present in their lives.

Feel better! Guard your health! There is nothing more important than

your health and well-being and aspartame may not be enhancing your health.

 

Footnotes

-ASPARTAME (NUTRASWEET): IS IT SAFE?; by Dr. H.J. Roberts; Philadelphia,

PA; 1989; Charles Press.

-SWEETNER DEAREST: BITTERSWEET VIGNETTES ABOUT ASPARTAME (NUTRASWEET);

by Dr. H.J. Roberts; West Palm Beach, FL; 1992; Sunshine Sentinel Press.

-EXCITOTOXINS: THE TASTE THAT KILLS; by Russell L. Blaylock; Sante Fe,

NM; 1994; Health Press.

-DEADLY DECEPTION – THE STORY OF ASPARTAME; edited by Mary Nash

Stoddard; 1987; the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network.

 

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