source: http://dorway.com/astimes1.html this is a copy from that site, and on there site there are no page numbers so ignore for the time being where it says see pg...
When a matter is in controversy, the fair and civilized manner of solving it would be for both parties of a dispute to bring their evidence before an impartial body. Once both sides have presented their evidence, the impartial body is adequately prepared to settle the matter based upon the facts.
Were such a forum used to determine the safety of aspartame,
the substance would no longer be an item of controversy; it would no longer be poisoning a trusting public.
Originally compiled by Don Harkins.
Since prior to its 1981 FDA approval, an international who's who of scientific minds have been producing
peer-reviewable reports warning against the dietary use of aspartame.
To my knowledge,not one of the studies to which I refer has been duplicated and scientifically determined to be in error.
What this means is that, until new, peer-reviewable science is published to the contrary, aspartame is linked to the FDA's list of 92 reported symptoms (see margins pages 4, 5, 7). It also means that anyone who consumes aspartame is a candidate for a broad spectrum of physiological and psychological complications that include blindness, death and/or insanity.
But there will be no new, credible, peer-reviewable science to reveal that aspartame is safe. There wasn't any in 1965, 1981, 1983, 1985 or at any time between then and now. If you take a look at the aspartame information on page 3, you will see that published science and field experience easily refute claims promoting aspartame safety.
The argument in support of aspartame approval-
Aspartame developer Searle conducted studies that are difficult to find and impossible to duplicate because they were scientifically flawed. Manipulated data were used to arrive at preconceived conclusions. Based upon these studies (for which Searle was being investigated for fraud), aspartame was initially approved by the FDA for use in dry goods only. As of 1993, it has been approved for use in any product consumed by people living in the U.S.
European Union officials recently approved the use of aspartame and labeling requirements per recommendation of the FDA, World Health Organization and the American Medical Association.
The argument in opposition to aspartame approval-
This section will take a little work on our part, the lay people, to understand.
Brilliant men and women have independently performed studies,
largely at their own expense and personal sacrifice,
to save your life and the lives of those close to you. Please honor their commitment to your health
by reading this article, with a dictionary close to you, if necessary.
Aspartame and the BBB
As of 1995, aspartame accounted for 75 percent of adverse reactions (see page 3) reported to the FDA.1
Aspartame is comprised of 40% aspartic acid, 50% phenylalanine and 10% methanol. Some of the metabolites of aspartame are methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid, diketopiperazine and carbon monoxide.
The body protects the brain from chemical imbalances through the blood brain barrier (BBB). However, the BBB matures during childhood, is compromised by ill-health and often allows substances to pass while functioning properly.
Aspartic acid
The body produces aspartic acid that serves as a neurotransmitter, facilitating the transition of information from neuron to neuron. Excess aspartic acid (an amino acid) creates too many neurotransmitters in certain areas of the brain. This excess damages or kills neurons by overstimulating them hence the term "excitotoxin."
Excessive amounts of aspartame over time begin to destroy neurons. Significant populations of people who consume aspartame develop a variety of symptomologies commonly diagnosed as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Lou Gehrig's disease. Undiagnosed, aspartame users commonly experience memory loss, sexual dysfunction, blindness, heart irregularities, headaches, loss of hearing, seizures, blood sugar anomalies, irritability and varying degrees of dementia.
Naturally, populations most vulnerable to excitotoxic neurological damage are infants and developing children, pregnant women, the elderly and the chronically afflicted.
Phenylalanine
Phenylalanine is also an amino acid produced in the body. Phenylalanine from aspartame can cross the BBB and cause an imbalance of it in the brain, causing serotonin to decrease leading to emotional disorders. Elevated phenylalanine levels have been seen in the blood and in areas of the brain of human subjects who chronically use aspartame.2 Dr. Louis Elsas showed Congress that such levels are dangerous to fetuses and infants. He also showed that lab rats metabolize phenylalanine more efficiently than humans.3
Neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock shows earlier studies indicating concentrations of phenylalanine accumulate in the hypothalamus, medulla oblongata, and corpus stranium areas of the brain. Previous science has determined that phenylalanine buildup in the brain can cause schizophrenia or susceptibility to seizures.
Can we infer that aspartame use is partially responsible for increased sales of Prozac and other psychotropic drugs?
Methanol
Methanol is a well-known neurotoxin.
The EPA recognizes it as a "cumulative" poison and that "methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde and formic acid;
both of these metabolites are toxic."
Methanol is slowly released in the small intestine when aspartame encounters the enzyme chymotrypsin.
Methanol metabolizes faster as "free" methanol
which is created when aspartame is heated above 86 degrees F.
In 1993, the FDA approved the use of aspartame in a wide variety of food items
that would always be heated above 86 degrees F.
The symptoms of methanol poisoning include:
headaches, tinnitus, dizziness, nausea, digestive disturbances, weakness, vertigo, chills, vision problems, retinal damage and blindness, memory lapses, numbness and shooting pains in the extremities,
behavioral problems and neuritis.
Humans, lacking a couple of key enzymes, are many times more sensitive to the toxic effects of methanol
than animals. Therefore, animal studies with regard to the effects of methanol in the body are of no value.
Aspartame enthusiasts are quick to mention that many common foods such as fruit juices and alcoholic beverages contain methanol. However, in these instances, ethanol is always present, usually in higher amounts. Ethanol serves as an antidote to methanol.4 Aspartame contains no ethanol.
Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, causes retinal damage, interferes with DNA replication
and causes birth defects.5
Diketopiperazine (DKP)
A by-product of aspartame metabolism, DKP has been associated with the formation of brain tumors.
DKP has been found to form in aspartame-containing beverages during prolonged storage,
particularly above 86 degrees F.
Gulf War troops drank copious amounts of aspartame-sweetened sodas
that had been stored for extended periods in the hot Arabian sun.
Conclusions
Science has shown how the components of aspartame are metabolized in the body.
Aspartame's three main ingredients are themselves problematic and break down into substances already known to be toxic to the body. Tests conducted by Searle to support claims that aspartame is safe do not withstand peer review and were being investigated for fraud prior to aspartame's FDA approval.
This article was largely taken from the article
"The Bitter Truth About Artificial Sweeteners" by Mark D. Gold
as it appeared in the Oct.-Dec., 1995 edition of Nexus Magazine.
References:
1. Department of Health and Human Services, "Report on All Adverse Reactions in the Adverse Reaction Monitoring System," February 25, 28, 1994.
2. Wurtman and Walker, "Dietary Phenylalanine and Brain Function," Proceedings of the First International Meeting on Dietary Phenylalanine and Brain Function, Washington, D.C., May 8, 1987
3. Hearing Before the Committee on Labor and Human Resources, First Session on Examining the Health and Safety Concerns of NutraSweet (aspartame), U.S. Senate.
4. Monte, Woodrow C., Ph.D., RD, "Aspartame: Methanol and the Public Health," Journal of Applied Nutrition, 36(1):42-53
5. U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, No. 84-1153, Community Nutrition Institute and Dr. Woodrow Monte v. Dr. Mark Novitch, Acting Commissioner, USFDA, Sept. 24, 1985.
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