ASPARTAME - Australia

June 14, 2008

This week we received the INAUGURAL - Dtour Magazine........ it is the official Tasmania NDSS Journal (national Diabetic support scheme?)

As a point of interest I copy here the following article: asking if Betty Martini would care to respond..... Sure hope you will. Anyone else who strongly disagrees? please please please write to the editor.

Are Artificial Sweeteners hazardous?

I recently read an article about someone who was diagnosed with MS but was actually affected adversely from an artificial sweetener. The sweetener caused her to display similar symptoms to MS including leg spasms resulting in her being placed in a wheelchair. The sweetener which was blamed was ‘aspartame According to the article, it was causing a rise in MS and lupus diagnosis, and is especially dangerous for people with diabetes causing possible memory loss, brain damage, seizure, depression, rage and more. Are these artificial sweeteners a real concern for us?

Editor’s Reply

Information concerning a supposed link between a number of health problems and Aspartame (NutraSweet EqualTM and SpoonfulTM) has been widely circulated throughout Australia via e-mail, the internet and some local newspapers. The articles suggest that heating beverages that contain Aspartame may cause more methanol to be produced. However, methanol is not created new from aspartame, it is a part of the molecule, and is released into the blood stream when it is digested. Therefore, even if it did break down with heating, you would not get any more methanol in total. Additionally, when Aspartame breaks down with heating it loses its sweetness. Any regular consumer of products containing Aspartame would immediately notice the difference — the beverage would develop a very unpleasant taste! The articles state that the methanol released into the bloodstream when Aspartame is digested is converted to formic acid, which causes both MS and blindness, amongst other things. When digested, 1 litre of a typical Aspartame sweetened beverage will produce approximately 60 mg of methanol. In contrast, an equivalent quantity of fruit juice contributes more than 120 mg of methanol, and alcoholic beverages contribute between 200—300 mg of methanol. Therefore, Aspartame is not unique in producing methanol in the human body, nor is it the major source of methanol in the average Australian diet. The cause of MS is currently unknown, however a virus or autoimmune mechanism is suspected. One case of an MS-like syndrome has been reported in an individual with a history of chronic excessive alcohol consumption, but symptoms disappeared when alcohol consumption ceased and an autopsy showed no physical changes characteristic of MS. Blindness can occur with severe diabetic acidosis, or acidosis caused by ebronic excessive alcohol consumption (hence the saying blind drunk!). This is usually, but not always, reversible. Research has shown that consumption of very large doses of Aspartame does not cause acidosis. Aspartame is the most studied food additive in the world. It has been approved throughout the world by the various health authorities because of the weight of evidence that it is safe for human consumption, unless you suffer from phenylketonuria (a rare genetic disease that requires a special diet from birth). In view of this, the Australian and New Zealand Food Authority has given approval for Aspartame to be used in foods and beverages in Australia. Diabetes Australia has always recommended that people use a variety of sweeteners including Aspartame (951), Sucralose (955), Acesulphame K (950), and Saccharin (954), so that the likelihood of excessive consumption of any one sweetener is reduced. Studies in Australia, however, have shown that even the heaviest users of Aspartame-sweetened products consume less than 1/3 of the recommended maximum level of Aspartame each day. Aspartame is used in many products where the sugar-sweetened product may not be appropriate for people with diabetes to consume in large amounts, like soft drinks and cordials. The use of Aspartome in foods can also help reduce the number of kiloloules (Calories) in a food and this may be helpful in losing weight. However, research into the Glycaemic Index of foods has determined that people with diabetes can consume a moderate amount of sugar in their daily diet, if desired. The use of moderate quantities of sugar in high fibre, low fat foods will not cause a rapid rise in blood glucose levels.

Dtour MAGAZINE Autumn 2008 Page 23

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