Someone tell Chief Justice Roberts: Aspartame promotes seizures, say health experts

[Guest guest]

Roberts Facing Medical Option on 2nd Seizure NY Times, August 1, 2007

By DENISE GRADY and LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN

Because the seizure that Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. suffered was his

second, he meets the criteria for epilepsy.

 

Aspartame promotes 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 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

 

 

 

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