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Monday, September 25th, 2006
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12:27 pm
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ASPARTAME (Equal® or Nutra-Sweet®) was accidentally discovered in 1965 when a chemist licked his fingers to pick up a sheet of paper and noticed a sweet taste. He had been working with two amino acids, phenylalanine and aspartic acid. On their own, neither has a sweet taste, yet, when combined, the two produced a sweetening that is 200 times greater than table sugar, while having virtually no calories. The new product, called aspartame, is a commercially produced sugar substitute made from 50% phenylalanine (an essential amino acid), 40% aspartic acid (a nonessential amino acid), and 10% methyl alcohol (wood alcohol, which is a precursor to formaldehyde). The soft drink industry is quick to point out that the alcohol is a very minor amount that causes no harm in the body. Claims are also made stating that this alcohol is rendered non-toxic by the liver. This is simply not true. That "minor" amount soon magnifies when quantities are consumed that appear to be the "on average" in America today. The amount of wood alcohol in one litre of diet soda is equal to 4/5th of an alcoholic beverage.
The methanol in aspartame is released from the protein bond in the body to become a free radical. Methanol targets certain organs for poisoning -- particularly the eyes, skin, central nervous system, and the GI tract. Since it is a free form, it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. Methanol found naturally in foods is always accompanied by ethanol or ethyl alcohol, which counteracts the dangerous effects of methanol. Aspartame does not contain ethanol. The recommended maximum intake of methanol is 7.8 mg. per day. One litre of a drink with aspartame contains 56 mg. of methanol.
Methanol is a widely used solvent and not meant for human consumption. Within the body, methanol can be converted to formaldehyde and formic acid, two toxic substances known to affect the thymus gland in particular and the immune system in general. If methanol is accidentally ingested, the standard treatment would be to pump the stomach and then have the patient consume ethanol -- which causes "drunkeness." By saturating the system with ethanol, methanol is degraded into acetaldehyde, which is not as life threatening as leaving the methanol in the system. If one were to take this standard treatment into everyday life, the only safe way to consume aspartame then would be to have it along with an alcoholic beverage -- which is not a feasible option for a three-year-old eating an aspartame-sweetened ice cream bar.
Aspartame also inhibits the formation of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Researchers are well aware that aspartame interferes with thyroid function. The pituitary gland uses serotonin to signal the thyroid what to do. The interrupted signal then does anything it wants, including disrupting sleep patterns. Serotonin concentrations are significantly lower in hyperactive children than in the average child. Hyperactivity decreases while serotonin levels increase. Five servings of an aspartame-sweetened product for a fifty-pound child would increase the phenylalanine blood level by 300-400%. In 1986, 8000 tons of aspartame was found to be in the food supply in the United States, including children's vitamins and pain relievers, producing 8 million pounds of phenylalanine.
Formaldehyde is a cumulative toxin taking its time to cause carcinogenic (cancer) action. While it lurks, it begins to cause damage to the retina and DNA replication, leading to birth defects. Even moderate amounts of aspartame during pregnancy can produce increased risks of children born with diminished brain function. Aspartame should not be used by those at risk for PKU (phenylketonuria). PKU is a disorder that causes mental retardation, resulting from an inability to metabolize phenylalanine. Children so affected often have fairer complexions than their siblings and can become so retarded as to require institutional care.
Millions of people every day consume drinks containing aspartame sweetening. It is not long before visual disturbances begin with a black dot in the center of vision. However, people react differently as their vision begins to fail. The macular area of the retina of the eye and the optic nerve fibers are highly reactive to methanol toxicity. These areas require up to six times the oxygen nutrition required by other areas of the body. The rods or cones cannot go without oxygen for more than ninety seconds without some vision loss. Common symptoms of methanol poisoning include irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, burning in the nose, coughing, bronchial spasms, lethargy, confusion, leg cramps, back pain, severe headaches, visual loss, labored breathing, pancreatic inflammation, and sometimes death.
Aspartic acid is a neuroexciter affecting the central nervous system (CNS) in high concentrations. In addition, both phenylalanine and tyrosine (which the body makes from phenylalanine), appear to interfere with neurotransmission. Research by the Arizona State University Biochemical Department has shown links to headaches and epileptic seizures from aspartame consumption. Some scientists are suggesting that this may be the cause for mood and behavioral changes which lead to depression or seizures, but the FDA is still refusing to acknowledge studies that point this out. Several drinks a day containing aspartame can produce neurological disorders. Hyperactivity in children can be stimulated by aspartic acid. Excessive aspartic acid, as well as calcium, causes neural cell damage triggering free radicals which kill cells. Chemicals, not meant to enter the brain, piggyback on an isolated amino acid into the brain's control center. (Some cultures recognize the danger of substances entering the brain. India is one such culture that protects the brain, known as the "Third Eye," by traditionally placing a jewel or a circle on the forehead).
Hoping to lose weight, millions of people turn to diet products, yet aspartame actually increases the cravings for carbohydrates and sugar. The use of artificial sweeteners robs the body of the needed sugar for brain function, causing it to scream out in so-called cravings. When a sweet taste hits the tongue, a message is sent to the hypothalamus warning of the incoming sugar. The message is then forwarded to the pancreas to secrete insulin in preparation. In the case of artificial sweeteners, which are significantly sweeter than sugar, no sugar arrives. The secreted insulin proceeds to do its job by lowering the blood sugar, even though there is no sugar to compensate. The already lowered blood sugar levels often drop even more to a level where the brain can no longer function, causing lethargy and faintness.
Fainting spells, dizziness, and seizures are common, along with pounding headaches. Before airline pilots realized the danger, some were passing out or having seizures at the controls of their aircraft. When changes in air pressure occur, as in take offs and landings, blood vessels dilate in the brain, allowing aspartame to cross the blood/brain barrier altering normal function. Hypoxia is also probable at high altitudes as a result of the methanol in aspartame binding with oxygen molecules, literally suffocating the brain. Naturally, these men lost their jobs -- minor, considering the alternative. However, when they made a link to their consumption of aspartame, their health improved, with symptoms never returning unless consumption resumed. Even though the link was made and health improved, the pilots were still not allowed to return to work and have had to police themselves by not consuming any aspartame product at least forty-eight hours before a flight. In addition, many pilots avoid aspartame two days before their annual physicals because the effects have been known to spike EKG's. Many physicians in the FAA are bureaucratically linked to the FDA and must abide by decisions made. Unless there is a public outcry, little will be done.
Studies done by Dr. Harry Waisman in 1969 were deleted when aspartame was first submitted to the FDA. His studies showed that after 300 days on aspartame, one of his lab monkeys died and five others had grand mal seizures. (Later research revealed that holes developed in the brains of mice fed aspartame). The following year, cyclamates were banned and saccharin suddenly developed a tainted reputation, just in time for aspartame to come into favor. Interestingly, shortly after the approval of aspartame in July 1983, Arthur Hayes, the FDA commissioner, resigned and joined aspartame's public relation firm of Burston Marsteller.
Other dangers lie with this sweetener. Professor Richard Wurtman of The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has shown that a number of neurochemical changes take place. In rats, aspartame doubled the levels of phenylalanine in the brain, doubling again when carbohydrates (sugars) were consumed at the same time. This combination raised the levels of tyrosine (derived from phenylalanine) in the brain by over 300%. The amount of sweetener used in this study equaled that consumed by a normal North American child on a hot afternoon in the form of soft drinks, ice cream, ices, etc. This same Professor Wurtman wrote in The Lancet describing the possible link between seizures in healthy adults and the use of aspartame and gave incidents backing his fear. Patients not only experienced seizures but mood swings, depression, headaches, and nausea preceding the seizures. In all cases, symptoms disappeared when aspartame was removed from the diet.
Aspartame cannot be used in baking because high heat for long periods cause a chemical change in its amino acid content, eliminating the sweet taste. By heating to 86ºF (which is lower than body temperature), aspartame breaks down, freeing the methanol. Some are advocating the combination of saccharin and aspartame. This combination causes a chemical reaction that increases temperatures to the boiling point, potentially capable of scalding the bladder.
Aspartame is known to cause Grave's Disease (former President George Bush and his wife AND DOG were diagnosed with this disease, which hardly ever occurs outside of kin, never mind in the family pet). Grave's Disease is a disease of the thyroid. The only known medical cure is to remove the offending organ. In this case, the person will have to remain on medication for the rest of his life to the tune of at least $100 a month. This, of course, is after the cost of the surgery. Many have been able to avoid all of this expense and risk and have their symptoms reversed, simply by avoiding any aspartame products. In addition, diabetics who stopped using aspartame were able to decrease their insulin. Most hypoglycemics returned to normal, with their symptoms disappearing entirely.
Aspartame has also been linked to migraine headaches, seizures, fainting spells, dizziness, numbness, nausea, muscle spasms, weight gain, depression, irritability, insomnia, hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing), breathing difficulty, blurred speech, memory loss, rashes, fatigue, tachycardia, visual disturbances, heart palpitations, anxiety attacks, loss of taste, and joint pain – just to name a few. The FDA has put out a list of symptoms from complaints they received (over 8000 of them) about aspartame that include several hundred seizures and some deaths. The FDA receives thousands of complaints each year about various products, but the complaints regarding aspartame makes up more than 85% of them.
In 1998, Monsanto introduced another sugar substitute called "Neotame," stating that it is "based on the aspartame formula." Neotame has added dimethylbutyl (a carcinogen) to the already proven dangerous combination of phenylalanine, aspartic acid, and methanol.
Aspartame is found in over 5000 food products under such brand names as NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure. From 1981 to 1992, the NutraSweet company, a wholly owned susidiary of the Monsanto Chemical Company, has been the only company patented to sell aspartame in the US. A Japanese company, Ajinomoto, retains the original patent and, even though aspartame is manufactured by the Japanese, it is not used by them. They prefer to use the natural sweetener, Stevia.
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(comment on this)
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12:26 pm
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These are the effects of Aspartame but the list was too big to put on as it had 45 pages of effects but i will be back with the website
Abdominal Pain
Anxiety attacks
arthritis
asthma
Asthmatic Reactions
Bloating, Edema (Fluid Retention)
Blood Sugar Control Problems (Hypoglycemia or Hyperglycemia)
Brain Cancer (Pre-approval studies in animals)
Breathing difficulties
burning eyes or throat
Burning Urination
can't think straight
Chest Pains
chronic cough
Chronic Fatigue
Confusion
Death
Depression
Diarrhea
Dizziness
Excessive Thirst or Hunger
fatigue
feel unreal
flushing of face
Hair Loss (Baldness) or Thinning of Hair
Headaches/Migraines dizziness
Hearing Loss
Heart palpitations
Hives (Urticaria)
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
Impotency and Sexual Problems
inability to concentrate
Infection Susceptibility
Insomnia
Irritability
Itching
Joint Pains
laryngitis
"like thinking in a fog"
Marked Personality Changes
Memory loss
Menstrual Problems or Changes
Migraines and Severe Headaches (Trigger or Cause From Chronic Intake)
Muscle spasms
Nausea or Vomiting
Numbness or Tingling of Extremities
Other Allergic-Like Reactions
Panic Attacks
Phobias
poor memory
Rapid Heart Beat
Rashes
Seizures and Convulsions
Slurring of Speech
Swallowing Pain
Tachycardia
Tremors
Tinnitus
Vertigo
Vision Loss
Weight gain
Aspartame Disease Mimics Symptoms or Worsens the Following Diseases
Fibromyalgia
Arthritis
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Parkinson's Disease
Lupus
Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS)
Diabetes and Diabetic Complications
Epilepsy
Alzheimer's Disease
Birth Defects
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Lymphoma
Lyme Disease
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Panic Disorder
Depression and other Psychological Disorders
How it happens:
Methanol, from aspartame, is released in the small intestine when the methyl group of aspartame encounters the enzyme chymotrypsin (Stegink 1984, page 143). Free methanol begins to form in liquid aspartame-containing products at temperatures above 86 degrees F.. also within the human body.
The methanol is then converted to formaldehyde. The formaldehyde converts to formic acid, ant sting poison. Toxic formic acid is used as an activator to strip epoxy and urethane coatings. Imagine what it does to your tissues!
Phenylalanine and aspartic acid, 90% of aspartame, are amino acids normally used in synthesis of protoplasm when supplied by the foods we eat. But when unaccompanied by other amino acids we use [there are 20], they are neurotoxic.
That is why a warning for Phenylketonurics is found on EQUAL and other aspartame products. Phenylketenurics are 2% of the population with extreme sensitivity to this chemical unless it's present in food. It gets you too, causing brain disorders and birth defects! Finally, the phenyalanine breaks down into DKP, a brain tumor agent.
In other words: Aspartame converts to dangerous byproducts that have no natural countermeasures. A dieter's empty stomach accelerates these conversions and amplifies the damage. Components of aspartame go straight to the brain, damage that causes headaches, mental confusion, seizures and faulty balance. Lab rats and other test animals died of brain tumors.
Despite the claims of Monsanto and bedfellows:
1. Methanol from alcohol and juices does not get converted to formaldehyde to any significant extent. There is very strong evidence to confirm this fact for alcoholic beverages and fairly strong evidence for juices.
2. Formaldehyde obtained from methanol is very toxic in *very small* doses as seen by recent research.
3. Aspartame causes chronic toxicity reactions/damage due to the methanol to formaldehyde and other break down products despite what is claimed otherwise by the very short, industry-funded experiments using a test substance that is chemically different and absorbed differently than what is available to the general public. "Strangely enough", almost all independent studies show that aspartame can cause health problems.
4. A common ploy from Monsanto is to claim that aspartame is "safe" yet a few select people may have "allergic" reactions to it. This is typical Monsanto nonsense, of course. Their own research shows that it does not cause "allergic" reactions. It is there way of trying to minimize and hide the huge numbers of toxicity reactions and damage that people are experiencing from the long-term use of aspartame.
Summary
Given the following points, it is definitely premature for researchers to discount the role of methanol in aspartame side effects:
1. The amount of methanol ingested from aspartame is unprecedented in human history. Methanol from fruit juice ingestion does not even approach the quantity of methanol ingested from aspartame, especially in persons who ingest one to three liters (or more) of diet beverages every day. Unlike methanol from aspartame, methanol from natural products is probably not absorbed or converted to its toxic metabolites in significant amounts as discussed earlier.
2. Lack of laboratory-detectable changes in plasma formic acid and formaldehyde levels do not preclude damage being caused by these toxic metabolites. Laboratory-detectable changes in formate levels are often not found in short exposures to methanol.
3. Aspartame-containing products often provide little or no nutrients which may protect against chronic methanol poisoning and are often consumed in between meals. Persons who ingest aspartame-containing products are often dieting and more likely to have nutritional deficiencies than persons who take the time to make fresh juices.
4. Persons with certain health conditions or on certain drugs may be much more susceptible to chronic methanol poisoning.
5. Chronic diseases and side effects from slow poisons often build silently over a long period of time. Many chronic diseases which seem to appear suddenly have actually been building in the body over many years.
6. An increasing body of research is showing that many people are highly sensitive to low doses of formaldehyde in the environment. Environmental exposure to formaldehyde and ingestion of methanol (which converts to formaldehyde) from aspartame likely has a cumulative deleterious effect.
7. Formic acid has been shown to slowly accumulate in various parts of the body. Formic acid has been shown to inhibit oxygen metabolism.
8. The are a very large and growing number of persons are experiencing chronic health problems similar to the side effects of chronic methanol poisoning when ingesting aspartame-containing products for a significant length of time. This includes many cases of eye damage similar to the type of eye damage seen in methanol poisoning cases.
Toxicity Effects of Aspartame Use Selection of Health Effects from Short-term and/or Long-Term Use Note: It often takes at least sixty days without any aspartame NutraSweet to see a significant improvement. Check all labels very carefully (including vitamins and pharmaceuticals). Look for the word "aspartame" on the label and avoid it. (Also, it is a good idea to avoid "acesulfame-k" or "sunette.") Finally, avoid getting nutrition information from junk food industry PR organizations such as IFIC or organizations that accept large sums of money from the junk and chemical food industry such as the American Dietetic Association.
If you are a user of any products with aspartame, and you have physical, visual, mental problems... take the 60-day no aspartame test. If, after two months with no aspartame your symptoms are either gone, or are much less severe, please get involved to get this neurotoxin off the market. Write a letter to the FDA, with a copy to Betty Martini (for proof of how the FDA doesn't keep proper records). Write your congressmen. Return products containing aspartame to the point of purchase... for a FULL refund. Make a big stink if they WON'T give you a full refund! Tell all your friends and family... and if they stop using aspartame and also "wake up well"... get them involved in the same way.
Aspartame is an "approved sweetener" because of a few greedy and dishonest people who place profits above human life and well-being. With the FDA and our Congress culpable, only an INFORMED and ACTIVE public will affects its reclassification from "food additive" to TOXIC DRUG, and removed from the human food chain.
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(comment on this)
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| Monday, January 16th, 2006
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5:03 pm
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hey every one june 27th is ADHD awareness day so tell every one to look up something about ADHD/add and post it in to my LJ and i'll get back to you all on that day
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(comment on this)
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| Thursday, January 5th, 2006
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7:14 pm - adhdhelpper is here to help you out!
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| Saturday, December 31st, 2005
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7:10 pm - Join now and get free vouchers of your choice
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