Aspartame pronounced /ˈæspərteɪm/ or /əˈspɑrteɪm/) is the technical name for many of the artificial sweeteners (NutraSweet®, Equal® etc.). It was first approved by the FDA in 1981, over the objections of neuroscience researcher, Dr. John W. Olney and Consumer Attorney James Turner.
Aspartame consists of:
• 50% Phenylalanine
• 40% Aspartic Acid
• 10% Methyl Alcohol (Methyl alcohol is a toxic, colorless, flammable liquid.)
Excess aspartic acid in our food supply has been proven to cause serious chronic neurological disorders. Phenylalanine is an amino acid normally found in the brain. It has been shown that ingesting aspartame, especially along with carbohydrates, can lead to excess levels of phenylalanine in the brain, leading to emotional disorders, including schizophrenia, and can also lead to seizures.
Methanol is wood alcohol and is a deadly poison. It breaks down in the body into formic acid and formaldehyde, another deadly neurotoxin.
Aspartame is by far the most dangerous food additive on the market and accounts for over 75% of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. The Food and Drug Administration reported 5,064 Aspartame related health complaints. There are 90 documented symptoms associated with the consumption of this product. Among them are headaches, dizziness, seizures, irritability, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, vision problems, memory loss and hyperactivity.
According to researchers and physicians, the following illnesses can be worsened or triggered by using this product: Brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, mental retardation and diabetes, to name but a few.
A new movie entitled “Sweet Misery” chronicles the medical horrors of Aspartame. The film makes claims that aspartame may produce an MS-like syndrome as well as Parkinson’s symptoms (shaking, etc.)
Aspartame and MSG are amongst the excitotoxins that are responsible for damaging nerve fibers. Research has shown that excessive exposure to excitotoxins damages nerve fibers by killing the cells that are responsible for producing the sheath-like covering that protects the nerves.
When aspartame is consumed it causes the excitotoxin level in the blood to elevate significantly.
When Aspartame is consumed alongside MSG, excitotoxin levels soar and result in significant damage to the nerve fibers, which contribute to producing MS and Parkinson’s symptoms.
When people with benign MS consume Aspartame, it can convert the syndrome into full-blown MS, as Aspartame contains the toxin Methanol. If these persons consume additional excitotoxins, the risk of further disability and even death is greatly magnified.
Recent studies have also shown that even a SINGLE EXPOSURE to these food-based excitotoxins can produce prolonged worsening of neurological lesions; liquid forms of excitotoxins were found to be significantly more toxic due to the rapid absorption and higher blood levels.
If it is so dangerous, why is aspartame approved as an edible substance by the FDA? The answer is actually very simple. All of these symptoms are slow in development and they all could be due to many other causes. In other words, it is extremely hard and almost clinically impossible to diagnose any of these symptoms as being caused by aspartame. This is especially true since there is no immediate reaction after its consumption.
And, more than likely, the negative effects of aspartame occur after long term consumption of up to many years making it even more difficult to pin it as the culprit.
The reality, though, is that our society is taking daily doses of this substance over long periods of time. Unfortunately, there are no long term studies on the use of aspartame to help clarify the matter. It makes sense to err on the side of caution when it comes to using aspartame. Real or not, the potential consequences for the long-term use of this sweetener are scary.
The decision you need to make is not whether aspartame is good or bad for you. The decision is whether you will continue to subject you body to what could be called a toxin. Since you do not experience symptoms immediately from the consumption of this product, a good number of you will continue to use aspartame. This falls under the same reasoning as to why people continue to smoke. These are some very interesting facts to consider when deciding whether you feel that aspartame does or does not pose a health risk.