[hardhead]

A long conspiracy theory. I seem to remember some years ago that Pat Robertson did an 'expose' of this very subject on the 700 Club. Whether you believe or not, this is fun reading. If you want to make sure you are protected, get out the roll of aluminum foil. Regarding conspiracies, they are popular pastimes that get your bloo 'a boiling and the adrenalin pumping. They're fun - but like John Payne said at the end of Miracle on 34th Street, 'now I'm not so sure'. Where there is smoke, possibly there is a spark. All legends begin with some fact. The hard part is deciding or gleaning just what is fact or fiction. You be the judge.

[big bad easter bunny]

Try and find one double blind study that proves one single claim, or don't bother I already looked. I looked for 2 days, I have diabetes and wanted to know. I could not find one single double blind study that backed a single claim. The only proof these folks ever give are testimonials. Testimonials are ussually void of fact. They tested the **** out of the stuff. I believe it is safe.

[nuconvert]

Reynold's wrap to the rescue

[Ole Okie]

This means, of course, that I have to give up my Co-Cola??

And anything that I eat is going to do irreparable harm to my old body?

Gee whiz. Does that mean I've got to give up some of my current 77 years?

But, giving it a little more thought, methinks I need a whole bunch of rolls of aluminum foil.

[ImaGraftedBranch]

laugh all you want. My oldest son has had two day-long, deblitating, hospitalized migraines, coupled with nausea and loss of equilibrium. Both times after ingesting this "food additive."

Not funny.

[sinkspur]

There's nothing wrong with Nutrasweet, but it would be nice if Splenda were in wider usage.

It's sucralose, which doesn't spike insulin the way sugar and aspartame does.

[SauronOfMordor]

All I know is that I seem to have an alergic reaction to it. If I consume something with asperteme for a while, I develop a persistent cough, which goes away when I take it out of my diet. I experimented with this for two cycles (take it, develop cough, discontinue, cough goes away) to confirm

[Doc On The Bay]

Just an exercise; TRY to get "Aspartame" though the FDA regulating process as a "Drug".

I bet it would be summarily rejected.

Pardon my cynicism, but I suspect "Money Changed Hands."

Doc

[Petronski]

I don't know if I'll need tinfoil or not, but I have personally experienced headaches and disorientation associated with aspartame. I don't touch the stuff anymore.

[hardhead]

Would anyone want to take bets that all studies supporting the safety of aspartame are by the drug companies and/or the government?

[willieroe]

I seem to remember some years ago that Pat Robertson did an 'expose' of this very subject on the 700 Club.

Heh... I've watched the 700 Club maybe 20 minutes in my lifetime, but 8 years ago, while changing the channels, Pat was talking about three common side effects of aspartame: depression, heart arrhythmia, and memory loss. At that time, my doctor had just ordered me a 24-hour Holter monitor for arrhythmia, two months after partial hospitalization treatment for depression - and I was also noticing some short-term memory loss (in my 30's?) I also consumed at least 40 ounces of Diet Coke a day. After reading a bit more, I ceased use of aspartame, and saw a noticable decrease in the intensity of the above problems.

No data points included - just a personal story.

[spoiler2]

You're probably well aware of this already, but here's the latest report for your file.

[hardhead]

I just did a Google and these are only a few from the extensive list:

Aspartame!  Nein!

The Dangers of Aspartame

The Dangers of Aspartame Poisoning

Mary Nash Stoddard Research Findings on the Danger of Aspartame

[Nick Danger]

You don't have to know anything about food additives, medicine, or chemistry to spot ax-grinding BS when it is this thick.

Here's a guy on the board of directors — the Chairman no less! — who in the 1950's served in the Army! Not only that, he was in the Chemical Corps! This same division tested LSD on groups of human subjects in concert with the CIA! Well, that proves it! The whole thing is a giant plot hatched in the 1950's by CIA operatives who turned this young lieutenant (I dunno, maybe he was a private) into the chairman of a huge drug company founded in 1888 by people who had known connections with the Bavarian Illuminati and Nazis cloaked as isolationists, or something like that. And that was so the chairman of the board could personally slip this poison cocktail in the food stream of the American people, which the CIA wants to kill. Or at least did, in the 1950's.

Aww geez, not this again.

[PeaceBeWithYou]

The real question is would people be as willing to ingest something called l-Aspartic Acid Methel Ester of Phenylalanine, a substance that could already be broken down into Methanol and it's metabolates Formaldahyde and Formic Acid.

That methyl group on the phenylalanine can break off pretty easily, and at temperatures as “low” as 86° F (= 30° C — lower than body temperature or a summer day), aspartame starts to disintegrate, releasing methanol (which in larger quantity causes blindness, etc. — it’s toxic). As the liver tries to deal with the methanol using normal metabolic pathways, it ends up turning the methanol into formaldehyde, which is a known carcinogen. carcinogen.

Also of interest:

PKU or phenylketonuria is a genetic disorder for which, by law, all newborns must be tested. People with this disorder are lacking an enzyme called phenylalanine hydroxylase needed to turn the amino acid, phenylalanine into tyrosine so it can be eliminated via the urine. Since phenylalanine cannot be eliminated, it builds up and in children whose nervous systems are still developing, causes mental retardation. According to the Merck Manual, the body is slowly able to turn it into several other compounds which can be eliminated via the urine, but these chemical reactions are too inefficient to get rid of the excess phenylalanine. If PKU is detected shortly after birth, the child is put on a special diet low in phenylalanine and has normal mental development. Since phenylalanine is an amino acid that is needed by the body for normal growth and development, the goal is to limit intake to just what the child needs without any excess that could build up in his/her system. The Merck Manual says that, unfortunately, most natural protein sources, including milk, are too high in phenylalanine for children with PKU, so these babies/children must be put on a special formula from which most, if not all, of the phenylalanine has been removed. As the child grows, some low-protein, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, and some kinds of grain are OK to eat. The needed phenylalanine is supplied via carefully-measured amounts of natural protein plus the residual in the formula. One area of “debate” is how long the special diet must be continued. Some people think the diet may be discontinued after the brain finishes developing at about age 5. Others have noted some behavior problems and learning difficulties that appear to be related to going off the diet, and recommend that people with PKU stay on the diet for life. Staying on the special diet is especially important if a woman who has PKU is even thinking about trying to become pregnant. Because any excess phenylalanine in her system could cross the placenta and could cause mental retardation in the baby, especially in the first few weeks while the nervous system is forming, she has to make sure that she adheres to the special diet from before conception. Note that this is not a major concern for a normal woman carrying a baby with PKU (she wouldn’t know that until after the baby was born and tested) because the woman’s body can digest phenylalanine, including any excess from the baby’s body that is sent back, via the placenta, to her body.

For these reasons alone, Freepers should take a pass on Aspartame, Nutrasweet and Equal.

[aSkeptic]

aspartame tastes bad. Bleh. Since I'm on a low carb diet I avoid sodas almost entirely. Once in a while I'll get a soda from a fountain. I'll take a soda with extra fizzy water before drinking a diet soda.

[redangus]

Military-industrial complex, chemical weapons, Nazis, Jim Jones, evil rich people, the greedy pharmacuetical companies., did I forget anybody? This guy throws in everybody that anyone could ever think to hate or be suspicious of to make his point. That kind of over the top argument usually means the real argument has little merit.

[Sam Cree]

I personally don't trust Aspartame at all. OTOH, I believe just plain old sugar is almost as bad for us, and is likely addictive. We never realize this since we eat it everyday. But try going off it, most of us will suffer strong cravings.

[GrandMoM]

ASPARTAME: WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW CAN HURT YOU Helps Control Weight Gain Myth "I drank diet soda for the obvious reason -- to avoid sugar and to avoid weight gain" claims a businesswoman in a case reported to Dr. Roberts (qtd. In Roberts 147). It's not unusual for people who are dieting to reach for an aspartame product verses a product containing sugar. Aspartame is "200 times sweeter" than ordinary sugar so fewer calories are consumed (Deskins G1). With a weight conscious society, fewer calories can be attractive. However, a closer look shows that aspartame may not help control weight gain.

Outlined in the following list are some reasons why aspartame might not be effective in controlling weight:

1. According to an article in Technology Review, "aspartame may actually stimulate appetite and bring on a craving for carbohydrates" (Farber 52). 2. An article in Utne Reader claims, "researchers believe that any kind of sweet taste signals body cells to store carbohydrates and fats, which in turn causes the body to crave more food" (Lamb 16). 3. From the San Francisco Chronicle, Jean Weininger states that "studies have shown that people who use artificial sweeteners don't necessarily reduce their consumption of sugar -- or their total calorie intake. . . . Having a diet soda makes it okay to eat a double cheeseburger and a chocolate mousse pie" (1/ZZ1). 4. "The American Cancer Society (1986) documented the fact that persons using artificial sweeteners gain more weight than those who avoid them" (Roberts 150)

Whether you are trying to lose pounds or maintain your weight, using an artificial sweetener such as aspartame does not seem to have any significant effect on weight control. Those extra calories you saved by drinking a diet pop won't make much of a difference if you still need to satisfy your hunger and indulge in several cookies later. If it is actually increasing your appetite, why use it? Common sense tells you that proper diet and exercise are more beneficial. Even if you believe that aspartame may aid in dieting, is this worth risking your health?

FDA approval and natural ingredients may signal safety at first, but the mounting evidence against aspartame reveals many hidden dangers and possible risks. If you are experiencing any of the adverse reactions, stop using aspartame and see if the symptoms disappear. Now that you are aware of the problems with aspartame, inform others of the symptoms of aspartame poisoning. Notify the FDA of any adverse reactions that you may experience and encourage others to do the same. Don't just stop using aspartame, but make a difference by returning any aspartame products you may now have. If sales go down, hopefully aspartame will be pulled off the market and put an end to the aspartame dilemma.

Fraudulent Claims of Aspartame as a "Diet Aid"

Interestingly, even the American Cancer Society confirmed that users of artificial sweeteners gained more weight than those who didn’t use the products, further undermining the supposed "purpose" for the existence of aspartame in the food.[16] Haven’t we heard this kind of criminal fraud before?

The major selling point of aspartame is as a diet aid, and it has been demonstrated that the use of this product actually causes people to consume more food. Normally, when a significant quantity of carbohydrate are comsumed, serotonin levels rise in the brain. This is manifested as a relaxed feeling after a meal. When aspartame is ingested with carbohydrates, such as having a sandwich with a diet drink, aspartame causes the brain to cease production of serotonin, meaning that the feeling of having had enough never materializes. You then eat more foods, many containing aspartame, and the cycle continues. Monsanto’s profit from its NutraSweet Division was $993 million in 1990.

http://www.mercola.com/article/aspartame/weight_gain_myth.htm

[GrandMoM]

NEWS FLASH July 5, 2002:

NEW MOLECULE [aka Neotame] APPROVED BY FDA THREATENS WORLD FOOD SUPPLY

U.S. FOOD SUPPLY SAFETY THREATENED TODAY WITH FDA APPROVAL OF CONTROVERSIAL NEW ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER 13,000 TIMES SWEETER THAN SUGAR

DALLAS, July 5, 2002 -
(Aspartame Consumer Safety Network) - In response to FDA and Monsanto's announcement today that approval has been granted for use of the new sweetener, Neotame as a food additive in baked goods, aqueous solution and as a table top sweetener, Aspartame Consumer Safety Network, issues the following statement:

Eighty percent of all FDA complaints pertain to aspartame adverse reactions. ACSN has thousands of serious reactions in their files. These reports include: grand mal seizures, brain tumors, blindness and other health-related problems, including deaths.

Monsanto's Nick Rosa stated in 1998, that Neotame is "based on the aspartame formula." Since we believe this to be true, Dallas-based Aspartame Consumer Safety Network vigorously opposes today's approval and urges consumers to avoid the new fake sugar if they want to remain healthy.

Neotame is aspartame plus 3-di-methylbutyl, which can be found on the EPA's list of most hazardous chemicals. The aspartame formula is comprised of Phenylalanine [50%], which caused seizures in lab animals and Aspartic Acid [40%], which caused "holes in the brains" of lab animals - bonded by Methyl Alcohol, or Methanol [10%] which is capable of causing blindness, liver damage and death.

Methanol, or wood alcohol in aspartame breaks down further in heat and in the body, into Formaldehyde (embalming fluid), Formic Acid (venom in ant stings) and the most deadly of all - Diketopiperazine (DKP), a brain tumor agent.ACSN's files contain in excess of 10,000 responses from the public, including thousands of serious adverse reactions to Monsanto's aspartame.

As a founder of the world's burgeoning anti-aspartame movement, Stoddard was the first non-M.D.engaged to lecture at a major medical school on the topic of Aspartame (Jan. 1997).ACSN founder, Stoddard recently concluded a multi-city lecture tour and finds interest in this topic to be extremely high - here and all over the world. Recently, a story appeared in London's Sunday Mirror, featuring an adverse reaction of a child whose parents are members of A.C.S.N. (Aspartame Consumer Safety Network). Aspartame has been identified and denounced as a major risk factor by consumers in over a dozen countries.

According to FDA Toxicologists who gave testimony with Stoddard in 1987 at a Senate Hearing on the subject - the tests to get aspartame approved were falsified. Deaths of lab animals were covered up and went unreported. Many criminal acts were committed and the perpetrators went unpunished.

Based on over a decade of epidemiological research and work with consumers and health care professionals, Stoddard urgently implored the FDA to unequivocally deny any form of approval of Neotame. ACSN's warnings fell on deaf ears when Stoddard and co-founder, James Turner, Esquire met with top FDA officials in Washington in 1998 to plead their case. Today, four years later, FDA approval was announced in the national media.

http://web2.iadfw.net/marystod/neotame2.htm

[angkor]

Not to get too tinfoil about it (I am drinking Diet Canadian Dry at this moment), but I do recall seeing a scary research notice about Aspartame on bulletin boards in the halls of MIT in 1992/93.