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Artificial Sweeteners: Part 1
If
you knowingly consume artificial sweeteners, then I highly recommend
you read this, however unfortunately many unknowingly consume it,
as it's a very well hidden product, in over 5000 thousand foods,
including chewing gum, soft drinks, jelly and children's medicines.
Aspartame is considered by many health experts as the most dangerous
food additive on the market. It's a highly controversial and complex
issue because the organisations declaring its safety are numerous
and very powerful.
So with two sides, both with their 'independent' experts, it comes
down to whom do you trust?
The following points will be examined:
• History of aspartame
• Where can aspartame be found?
• The two opposing teams
• Symptoms of aspartame poisoning
• The science behind aspartame
• Alternatives to an alternative
History
Aspartame is the technical name for the brand names NutraSweet,
Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure. It was discovered by accident
in 1965 by James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company. Schlatter
was at the time testing an anti-ulcer drug, when he discovered this
sweet product. (3)
Searle saw it's promise as a sweetener but was repeatedly refused
by the FDA (U.S Food and Drug Administration) because of safety
concerns.
In 1977 Donald Rumsfeld, now George Bush's defence secretary, but
then chief executive of the pharmaceutical company GD Searle, publicly
stated that he would "call in his markers" to win a license
for aspartame. On the day of his inauguration as president in 1981,
with Mr. Rumsfeld on his transition team, Ronald Reagan personally
wrote an executive order suspending the head of the US Food and
Drug Administration's powers on aspartame. One month later Mr. Reagan
appointed a new head of the regulatory authority, Arthur Hayes,
who granted a license for the sweetener. (1)
Is this the tale of more shady U.S government dealings? Or is it
just another conspiracy theory?
In 1996 a review of aspartame research found that every single industry-funded
study found aspartame safe. But 92% of independent studies identified
one or more problems with its safety. (1)
In the Food and Drug Administration's Final Decision on aspartame's
approval (Fed. Reg. 46:38289, 1981), the Commissioner stated:
"Few compounds have withstood such detailed testing and repeated,
close scrutiny, and the process through which aspartame has gone
should provide the public with additional confidence of its safety."
(2)
What
kind of products contains aspartame?
Aspartame is used in almost 5000 products around the world, of
which more than 2000 are consumed in Europe. Aspartame can be
found in a wide variety of food products including:
| Beverages: |
Carbonated
and non-carbonated soft drinks, fruit drinks, squashes, iced
teas and coffees and hot chocolate drinks.
|
| Dairy
products: |
Yoghurts,
dairy desserts and fromage frais.
|
| Confectionery: |
Chewing
gum, sweets, chocolate, breath mints.
|
| Table-top
sweeteners: |
Tablets
and spoon-for-spoon powders.
|
| Frozen
desserts: |
Ice
cream and frozen snacks.
|
| Powdered
products: |
Powdered
soft drinks, milkshake mixes, and multivitamin drinks.
|
| Cereals: |
Cereal
mixes, mueslis.
|
| Preserves: |
Fruit
preserves, canned fruits.
|
| Pharmaceuticals: |
Effervescent
tablets, chewable tablets and sachets. |
The
two opposing teams
1. Organisations that 'apparently' give aspartame thumbs up:
Alzheimer's Association, American Academy of Family Physicians
,American Cancer Society, American Council on Science and Health
American Diabetes Association, American Dietetic Association,
American Heart Association, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
Diabetes U.K. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Canadian
Diabetes Association, Mayo Clinic, National Cancer Institute U.K.
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF), US. Consumer
Information Centre, World Health Organization, U.K. Food Standards
Agency, U.S. FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
(According to the aspartame information centre) (2)
That's a very powerful and influential list.
2. Organisations and individual's calling for its removal
I have lost count of the number of organisations against aspartame,
however they are much smaller in size and lesser known; many have
been formed by victims.
The film 'Sweet Misery' is an excellent resource and shows the
aspartame story in shocking detail; it's packed with leading experts
and victims personal accounts.
You can check it out at: www.aspartamekills.com
The latest lawsuit filed is a $350 million class action filed
on September 15, 2004 in United States District Court in San Francisco,
California, case no: C 04 3872.
This class action racketeering (RICO) lawsuit was filed against
the NutraSweet Corporation, American Diabetes Association, Dr.
Robert H. Moser and John Does 1-50.
Plaintiffs maintain that this lawsuit will prove how deadly the
chemical sweetener aspartame is when consumed by humans.
The National Justice League filed three other lawsuit's on April
26, 2004, in three separate California courts. (4)
Here are some other helpful links:
www.mercola.com/
www.dorway.com/
www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/
www.presidiotex.com/aspartame/
(victims support group)
www.aspartamesafety.com/
Symptoms
of Aspartame Intoxication
"Complaints about aspartame represent 80-85% of all food
complaints registered with the FDA. More than 6,000 complaints
have been made concerning the effects of aspartame. Many of these
reactions are very serious including seizures and death."
(3)
The symptoms of aspartame intoxication include:
• severe headaches and nausea
• vertigo
• insomnia
• loss of control of limbs
• blurred vision and blindness
• memory loss
• slurred speech
• mild to severe depression often reaching suicidal levels
• hyperactivity
• gastrointestinal disorders
• seizures
• skin lesions and rashes
• anxiety attacks
• muscle and joint pain
• numbness
• mood changes
• loss of energy
• menstrual cramps out of cycle
• hearing loss or ringing in the ears
• loss or change of taste
• symptoms similar to those in a heart attack.
• additionally, aspartic acid chelates (combines) with chromium
-
which is a necessary element for proper operation
of the thyroid
gland. People who consume large quantities of aspartame
may
end up with a false diagnosis of Graves disease and
suffer
allopathic irradiation of their thyroid gland for
no reason. (3)
Part two examines the science behind aspartame, as its supporters
contend it's a naturally safe product containing only compounds
that already exist in nature. Finally I will include some alternatives.
So stay tuned for the next month's Peak Performance Edition.
Your 3d Coach
Craig
Burton
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