Aspartame promotes grand mal seizures, say health experts

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Aspartame promotes grand mal seizures, say health experts

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Aspartame promotes grand mal seizures, say health experts

 

Monday, July 25, 2005

Aspartame promotes grand mal seizures, say health experts

A nursing infant developed convulsions after his mother drank an

aspartame-sweetened soft drink. A 19-year-old woman went into grand

mal convulsions within minutes of chewing a piece of

aspartame-flavored gum. A small amount of toxin can push the human

body into near-fatal conditions, regardless of whether the toxin is

considered " safe " and sold on grocery and convenience store shelves

around the world. Aspartame, the artificial sweetener that often

flavors sugar-free drinks and foods, has been known to induce

convulsions and grand mal seizures in certain individuals. So why is

it still on peoples' shopping lists?

 

In 1987, scientists and aspartame-sensitive seizure patients made the

government aware of the link between the consumption of aspartame and

the onset of seizures and convulsions, reports Dr. H.J. Roberts in

Aspartame (NutraSweet): Is It Safe. On November 3, 1987, the U.S.

Senate held a hearing entitled " 'NutraSweet' -- Health and Safety

Concerns. " In this hearing, people from a wide variety of occupations,

including an Air Force pilot, told the Senate about their

aspartame-induced grand mal seizures. These individuals reported that

their seizures disappeared after abstaining from aspartame consumption.

 

By all ethical standards, the testimonials provided during this 1987

hearing -- combined with the strong scientific evidence demonstrating

the health dangers of aspartame -- should have led to the banishment

of aspartame-sweetened products from grocery shelves forever; yet,

aspartame products are still abundant in our grocery stores and

restaurants.

 

How aspartame damages human health

Aspartame is a synthetic chemical composed of the amino acids

phenylalanine and aspartic acid. Each time you drink a diet soft drink

or chew sugarless gum, you are feeding unhealthy doses of these amino

acids into your system, according to Dr. James Howenstine in A

Physicians Guide to Natural Health Products that Work.

 

These amino acids can bypass the blood-brain barrier, enabling them

both to directly alter your neurological function. Your brain

naturally contains phenylalanine, but phenylalanine in its solitary

form without its companion amino acids is not normally a part of the

human diet. Debra Lynn Dadd, author of Home Safe Home, believes this

is where the health problems posed by aspartame begin. Aspartame

consumption provides phenylalanine in excess of your brain's normal

level. According to James A. May in Miracle of Stevia, this state of

excess phenylalanine lowers the seizure threshold, thereby making

convulsions more likely.

 

Researchers know that a raise in brain phenylalanine levels ultimately

increases the risk of seizures. This is true even for people without a

history of non-aspartame induced seizures, such as the Air Force pilot

who testified in the 1987 hearing. However, researchers are still

debating the exact role of increased brain phenylalanine levels in

inducing seizures. Although many researchers believe that increased

brain phenylalanine levels directly cause seizures and convulsions,

Dr. Blaylock writes in Excitotoxins that it is " more likely … the

direct excitatory effect of the aspartate itself. Phenylalanine may

act to potentiate this irritability. " Regardless of the precise

method, the combined neurological effects of excess phenylalanine and

aspartic acid make aspartame a dangerous ingredient.

 

Aspartame marketing gimmicks

Advertisements for aspartame commonly portray aspartame as a " healthy "

alternative to sugar. Such advertising makes aspartame even more

dangerous to consumers who are ignorant of the artificial sweetener's

potential side effects. Because of this deceptive advertising, people

concerned about their health and the health of their families

regularly use aspartame-sweetened products. Rather than switching to a

truly healthy diet and exercising more often, people concerned with

weight loss may use sugar-free foods sweetened with aspartame to

refrain from extra calorie consumption.

 

True, they're " watching their calories, " but they are also putting

themselves at risk of suffering from several aspartame-associated

health consequences, including insomnia, dehydration, migraines,

seizures and brain tumors. Dr. Roberts illustrates with an anecdote

about the malignant consequences suffered by consumers because of this

deceptive advertising: " A two-year-old with fever suffered seizures

within 10 minutes after chewing aspartame-sweetened acetaminophen …

This consideration may be significant to health-conscious mothers who

elect to give their infants health products containing aspartame

rather than sugar (such as vitamins) in an effort to prevent tooth decay. "

 

Imagine the guilt of a poor parent who gives his or her child

aspartame-sweetened medication in an effort to make the child healthy

or keep the child's teeth free of cavities only to have the child

suffer or even die from a grand mal seizure. Aspartame's deceptive

advertising is truly inexcusable.

 

If you've been drinking diet sodas and chewing sugarless gum for

decades and you haven't been experiencing convulsions, then consider

yourself lucky that you apparently lack the biological tendency that

puts you at risk for aspartame-induced convulsions or grand mal

seizures. Other individuals have not been so lucky. Seizures aside,

however, you may not turn out to be as lucky in avoiding the other

health problems commonly associated with aspartame. You can read about

these other possible side effects along with stevia, an alternative to

both aspartame and natural sugar, at NewsTarget's aspartame and stevia

archives. Don't gamble with your body – you're only given one.

 

The experts speak on aspartame

Aspartame or Nutrasweet is composed of two amino acids, phenylalanine

and aspartic acid. The aspartic acid is as powerful as an exitotoxin

as is glutamate. Phenylalanine is known to produce seizures and act as

a neurotoxin in the brain. … When a sweetener contains high amounts of

these isolated amino acids the brain level may, after ingestion,

become high enough to cause brain cell death, seizures and death.

A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work By James

Howenstine MD, page 33

 

A 35-year-old male anesthetist had three grand mal seizures, severe

headaches and visual difficulty while drinking 4-6 diet colas daily,

but none for two years after stopping aspartame. He told the U. S.

Senate hearing on " NutraSweet " —Health and Safety Concerns, held on

November 3, 1987:

Aspartame - Is It Safe by H J Roberts MD, page 14

 

To test this, scientists used chemicals that are known to precipitate

seizures in animals, such as pentylenetetrazol and flurothyl. Pinto

and Maher found that aspartame, when given orally in doses of 1000 to

2000 milligram per kilogram, did potentiate the convulsant action of

these two chemicals.They also found that aspartame decreases the time

of onset of seizures and increases the number of animals showing

tonic-clonic convulsions when exposed to pentylenetetrazol.

Excitotoxins by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 197

 

CONVULSIONS ARE AMONG THE most serious reactions attributable to

aspartame products. There are various classifications of

convulsions—also referred to as epilepsy, seizures and " fits. " In this

series of 551 persons with adverse reactions to aspartame products, 80

(14.5 percent) suffered typical generalized (grand mal) convulsions,

and 18 (3.3 percent) experienced so-called temporal lobe seizures.

Aspartame - Is It Safe by H J Roberts MD, page 81

 

The problem with aspartame lies in overconsumption and the fact that

phenylalanine alone (without its companion amino acids) is not a

normal part of the diet. Large doses of phenylalanine are toxic to the

brain and can cause mental retardation and seizures in people with

phenylketonuria (PKU), a genetic disorder...

Home Safe Home by Debra Lynn Dadd, page 249

 

Aspartame products may render young children more vulnerable to

seizures. For example, a two-year-old with fever suffered seizures

within ten minutes after chewing aspartame-sweetened acetaminophen (a

commonly used substitute for aspirin). This consideration may be

significant to health-conscious mothers who elect to give their

infants health products containing aspartame rather than sugar (such

as vitamins) in an effort to prevent tooth decay.

Aspartame - Is It Safe by H J Roberts MD, page 85

 

Aspartic acid acts as an " excitatory " neurotransmitter in the brain.

It functions as a chemical messenger, stimulating the neurons in the

brain to " fire. " Too much aspartic acid, as well as too much

phenylalanine, entering the brain will cause the brain to get out of

balance with the inhibitory amino acids, therefore interfering with

normal brain function and possibly causing severe brain damage. Dr.

Julian Whitaker suggests, " This is a likely reason why aspartame

lowers the threshold of seizures, mood disorders, and other nervous

system problems. This altered brain chemistry may also be responsible

for the addictive nature of aspartame.

Miracle Of Stevia by James A May, page 160

 

The unknowing consumption of aspartame, whether by in-gestion or the

chewing of gum, predictably triggered subsequent grand mal seizures.

The amount of aspartame ingested in some patients was remarkably

small. This is illustrated by an infant who developed convulsions when

his nursing mother drank an aspartame soft drink...

aspartame - Is It Safe by H J Roberts MD, page 83

 

Aspartame has been proven to cause seizures in research studies on

human subjects. The simultaneous ingestion of Crystal Light and

NutraSweet has often caused seizures. One man who had an abnormal vein

deep in his brain stopped having seizures when he stopped using

aspartame and Crystal Light. The lowering of the seizure threshold

seen with aspartame may permit seizures to appear in persons with

small brain scars from a difficult childbirth or brain injury who

would have lived their lives seizure free without the aspartame usage.

A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work By James

Howenstine MD, page 34

 

....In addition, the two amino acids that comprise aspartame,

phenyl-alanine and aspartic acid, can bypass the blood-brain barrier

and enter the brain, upsetting the balance of neurotransmitters and

brain chemistry. High intake of aspartame has been linked with a

number of adverse effects, including headache, vision loss, seizures,

mood disorders, and other nervous system problems.

Reversing Diabetes by Julian Whitaker MD, page 126

 

Those who oppose excitotoxins used as food additives frequently cite

that they can either precipitate seizures in persons known to have a

history of seizures, or they can actually cause seizures. This became

especially prevalent with the introduction of the artificial sweetener

aspartame or, as it is better known, NutraSweet®.

Excitotoxins by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 191

 

Another physician informed me about a commercial pilot who had lost

his license because of unexplained convulsions. Deducing they probably

were triggered by aspartame beverages, he abstained from such

products... and became seizure-free. In an attempt to document such

specific intolerance and regain his pilot's license, he purposefully

rechallenged himself with an aspartame soft drink. Another seizure

promptly ensued.

Aspartame - Is It Safe by H J Roberts MD, page 90

 

A study was performed at the University of Wisconsin on the affects of

aspartame on rhesus monkeys Monkeys, being close in their physiologies

to humans, are excellent subjects for study. These monkeys, treated

with aspartame, all experienced grand mal epileptic seizures after day

200 of a 52-week study. Blood samples from these primates revealed

extremely high levels of phenylalanine in their blood serum. The

researchers, noting that 50 percent of aspartame consisted of

phenylalanine, attributed those seizures to aspartame ingestion. After

the study ended and the aspartame was removed from the animal's diets,

no further seizure activity was observed.

Milk The Deadly Poison by Robert Cohen, page 264

 

A 29-year-old businessman sought consultation because of recurrent

grand mal seizures over an 18-month period. He had begun drinking

considerable amounts of diet soft drinks (see related ebook on soft

drinks) and eating other aspartame products six months before the

first convulsion. He suffered five major attacks even while on

relatively large doses of phenytoin and carbama-zepine. The patient

had no further seizures for six months after stopping all aspartame

products.

Aspartame - Is It Safe by H J Roberts MD, page 87

 

Seizures occur in 15% of people sensitive to aspartame, most of whom

suffered their first convulsions after consuming a diet product. A

single dose of aspartame can trigger a seizure in susceptible

patients. Children who have unexplained seizures should be questioned

regarding their ingestion of aspartame and glutamates.

The Enzyme Cure by Lita Lee with Lisa Turner & Burton Goldberg, page 210

 

A 19-year-old woman had convulsions that were finally attributed to

aspartame. She remained seizure-free for 11 months by avoiding such

products. She then was handed a piece of " sugar-free " gum at a ball

game. Multiple grand mal convulsions recurred within minutes after

chewing it.

Aspartame - Is It Safe by H J Roberts MD, page 77

 

No other underlying cause could be found in most of these patients,

despite extensive tests such as CT (computerized tomography, formerly

CAT) scan, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), EEG

(electroencephalogram), and even an angiogram of the cerebral blood

vessels. Aspartame-caused seizures disappear or dramatically decrease

when aspartame is avoided, even without antiepileptic drugs.

The Enzyme Cure by Lita Lee with Lisa Turner & Burton Goldberg, page 210

 

A young Air Force pilot told the Senate hearing held on November 3,

1987 that he suffered a grand mal seizure while consuming up to one

gallon of an aspartame beverage daily. There had been no recurrence

over the ensuing two years of abstinence.

aspartame - Is It Safe by H J Roberts MD, page 14

 

Overview:

 

* Aspartame promotes grand mal seizures, say health experts

 

Source: http://www.newstarget.com/008952.html