Aspartame
by Marita Roussey
ASPARTAME: Sweet Poison
Synthetic and non-caloric sweeteners* are intended to help decrease sugar and calorie intake, however, they increase appetite in general and increase our preference for fat intake and interfere with our body’s ability to select foods containing the nutrients it needs.
Aspartame was not approved until 1981. For over 8 years the FDA refused to approve it because of the seizures and brain tumors this drug produced in lab animals. In 1999, without public notice, the FDA removed all restrictions from aspartame allowing it to be used in everything, including all heated and baked goods.
Aspartame is a known neurotoxin and aspartic acid acts as an excitoxin, inflicting damage on brain and nerve cells. Aspartame is broken down into methanol in the small intestines. Methanol is classified as a severe metabolic poison and a narcotic. It is quickly converted into formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is grouped in the same class of drugs as cyanide and arsenic! There have been no studies done on the combined effect of aspartic acid and other excitoxins such as glutamate and glutamic acid. Researchers found that 6 months after aspartame was put into carbonated beverages, 25% of it had been broken down into DKP, a chemical that caused brain tumors.
According to Dr, Roberts, another serious problem is that consuming aspartame during pregnancy can cause birth defects.
Aspartame is not a diet product! It makes you crave carbohydrates.
Stevia is a natural alternative to synthetic sugarless sweeteners and is available in your local health foods store.
Low-Calorie Sweeteners Used in the United States:
Saccharin, approved 1900, 300 times sweeter than sucrose, not metabolized, excreted by the kidneys unchanged. Known as Sweet’n Low (pink package), used since 1963 in the diet cola Tab.
Aspartame, approved 1981, 200 times sweeter than sucrose, upon digestion, breaks down to aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and small amounts of methanol, all of which are metabolized normally. Aspartame is also found under the names of Equal (blue package), Equal Spoonful, and Nutrasweet. It is owned by Monsanto. Monsanto funds the American Diabetes Association and American Dietetic Association.
Acesulfame potassium, approved in 1988 is 200 times sweeter than Sucrose. It is not metabolized; rather, it is excreted by the kidneys unchanged.
Sucralose, approved 1998, 600 times sweeter than sucrose, not metabolized, excreted in feces and urine. Sucralose is a chlorinated sucrose derivative used as an artificial sweetener. It is sold in packets and in bulk for home use under the tradename Splenda (yellow packet), and is used in thousands of products.
Neotame, approved 2002, quickly metabolized and fully eliminated via normal biological processes, 8000 times sweeter than sucrose! (Developed by Monsanto, Chemical Corporation)
Popular products containing acesulfame K include Diet Rite Cola, 7up Plus, Fruit Shoot, Pepsi Max, Coca-Cola Zero, Lilt Zero, Fresca, Diet Coke with Splenda, Sprite Zero, Powerade, Trident gum, Wrigley’s Spearmint gum,Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit “red” gum, some SoBe products, XS Energy Drink, Propel Fitness Water, Bundaberg Diet Ginger Beer, Sugarfree Red Bull, Diet Lipton Green Tea with Citrus, Diet Arizona Energy Drinks, Danone Silhouette spring water-based beverage, Presidents Choice “PC 0 Cola”, Nestle Pure Life Natural Fruit Flavored Water Beverages, sugarfree Jell-O, Monster Energy low carb, Equal table sweetener, and Girl Scouts Sugar Free Little Brownies. In carbonated drinks it is almost always used in conjunction with another sweetener, such as aspartame or sucralose. The compound is also popular in protein powders used by athletes and bodybuilders; Optimum Nutrition’s Whey Gold Standard is one brand of powder that uses Acesulfame K.
Aspartame Disease mimics symptoms or worsens the following diseases:
Psychological/Psychiatric
Severe depression
Irritability
Aggression
Anxiety
Personality changes
Insomnia
Phobias
Heart palpitations, tachycardia
Shortness of breath
Recent high blood pressure
Gastrointestinal problems
Nausea
Diarrhea, sometimes with blood in stools
Abdominal pain
Pain when swallowing
Skin and Allergies
Itching without a rash
Lip and mouth reactions
Hives
Aggravated respiratory allergies such as asthma
Endocrine and Metabolic
Loss of control of diabetes
Menstrual changes
Marked thinning or loss of hair
Marked weight loss
Gradual weight gain
Aggravated low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
Severe PMS
Frequency of voiding and burning during urination
Excessive thirst, fluid retention, leg swelling, and bloating
Increased susceptibility to infection
Additional symptoms of Aspartame Toxicity include the most critical symptoms of all:
Death, Irreversible brain damage, Birth defects, including mental retardation, Peptic ulcers, Aspartame addiction and increased craving for sweets, Hyperactivity in children, Severe depression, Aggressive behavior, Suicidal tendencies
Aspartame may trigger, mimic, or cause the following illnesses:
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Epstein-Barr, Post-Polio Syndrome, Lyme Disease, Grave’s Disease, Meniere’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, ALS, Epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), EMS, Hypothyroidism, Mercury sensitivity from Amalgam fillings, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, Non-Hodgkins, Lymphoma, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
References:
www.sweetpoison.com Dr. H.J. Roberts, diabetic specialist and expert on aspartame toxicity “Defense against Alzheimer’s Disease”
Dr Joseph Mercola and Dr Kendra Pearsall, Sweet Deception: Why Splenda, NutraSweet, and the FDA May Be Hazardous to Your Health, (Nelson Books, November 2006).
