Nexus - 0228 - New Times Magazine-pages

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The Truth About Bitter ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS Aspartame sugar substitutes cause worrying symptoms from memory loss to brain tumours. But despite US FDA approval as a 'safe' food additive, aspartame is one of the most dangerous substances ever to be foisted upon an unsuspecting public. Part 1 spartame is the technical name for the brand names NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure. Aspartame was discovered by accident in 1965, when James Schlatter, a chemist of G. D. Searle Company, was testing an anti- ulcer drug. Aspartame was approved for dry goods in 1981 and for carbonated beverages in 1983. It was originally approved for dry goods on 26 July 1974, but objec- tions filed by neuroscience researcher Dr John W. Olney and consumer attorney James Turner in August 1974, as well as investigations of G. D. Searle's research practices, caused the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to put approval of aspartame on hold (5 December 1974). In 1985, Monsanto purchased G. D. Searle and made Searle Pharmaceuticals and The NutraSweet Company separate subsidiaries. Aspartame is by far the most dangerous substance on the market that is added to foods. Aspartame accounts for over 75% of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Many of these reactions are very serious, including seizures and death as recently disclosed in a February 1994 Department of Health and Human Services report.’ A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include: headaches/migraines, dizziness, scizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss and joint pain. According to researchers and physicians studying the adverse effects of aspartame, the following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingestion of aspartame’: brain tumours, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia and dia- betes. Aspartame is made up of three chemicals: aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol. The book, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, by James and Phyllis Balch, lists aspar- tame under the category of "chemical poison”. As you shall see, that is exactly what it is. ASPARTIC ACID (40% OF ASPARTAME) Dr Russell L. Blaylock, a Professor of Neurosurgery at the Medical University of Mississippi, recently published a book thoroughly detailing the damage that is caused by the ingestion of excessive aspartic acid from aspartame, Aspartic acid makes up 40% of aspartame; glutamic acid is 99% of monosodium glutamate (MSG). The damage MSG causes is also documented in Blaylock's book. Blaylock makes use of almost 500 scien- tific references to show how excess free excitatory amino acids such as aspartic acid and glutamic acid in our food supply are causing serious chronic neurological disorders and myriad other acute symptoms.* © 1995 by Mark D. Gold 35 Inman St, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA Phone: (617) 497 7843 E-mail: mgold@tiac.net Web page: hitp://www.tiac.net/mgold/ : usteaihealinharnl a: Extracted with permission from Blazing Tattles Vol. 4, Nos. 4, 5, 6, April-June 1995 HOW ASPARTATE (AND GLUTAMATE) CAUSE DAMAGE Aspartate and glutamate act as neurotransmitters in the brain by facilitating the trans- mission of information from neuron to neuron. Too much aspartate or glutamate in the brain kills certain neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells, This influx triggers excessive amounts of free radicals which kill the cells. The neural cell damage that can be caused by excessive aspartate and glutamate is why they are referred to as "excitotoxins". They "excite" or stimulate the neural cells to death. NEXUS ¢ 25 THE MOST DANGEROUS FOOD ADDITIVE? OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 1995