Xylitol Facts: Try A Safer Alternative To Aspartame and Neotame Sweeteners

FOODS CONTAINING NEOTAME & ALTERNATIVES

I believe pure, unadulterated Stevia and Xylitol are probably the safest commercially-produced artificial sweeteners. Next, I'll do a similar updated article on Stevia sweeteners.

Xylitol is in the Spry gum I buy and my Spry toothpaste. As with all the other artificial sweeteners, we run the risk of having the manufacturer integrate Xylitol with Neotame [the new monster version of aspartame] for added sweet taste, without the added calories. Neotame is attempting to stealthily broaden its client base by mixing with all the other sweeteners, including sugar, and not having to declare its presence on the ingredient label. I read it on one of their sales websites. Neotame is now being sprayed on cereals in a patented method. It's in Roman Meal whole wheat breads, Campbell soups, Sunny D for kids and pretzel snack items, among other things. 

I don't recommend heavy use of any sweetener, natural or artificial. But, until just the other day, when I ordered a box of Stevita chewing gum with only stevia, Xylitol was the only FDA-approved artificial sweetener I trusted. I am going to switch to SteviaDent, just because I believe Stevita Stevia is a bit more safe. Xylitol is said to have a slight side effect of diarrahea for some people. Here are some Xylitol facts for those who've asked our opinion on this sweetener. 

Official ACSN website: www.aspartamesafety.com

Stoddard's POV Blog: http://marystod.blogspot.com/

Xylitol:

 Polyols, energy-reduced sugar alcohols, are nutritive sweeteners with slightly less calories than true sugar. Often called sugar replacements, these sugar alcohols are derived from fruits or produced commercially from dextrose. The most common include: sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol and maltitol. 

Here's what my friends at LaLeva wrote about Xylitol:

Xylitol To The Rescue!

During World War II, Finland was suffering from an acute sugar shortage. With no domestic supply of sugar, the Finns searched for an alternative. It was then that the Finnish scientists rediscovered xylitol, a low-calorie sugar made from birch bark. It had, in fact, been known to the world of organic chemistry since it was first manufactured in 1891 by a German chemist.

By 1930, xylitol had been purified, but it wasn't until World War II that the sugar shortages forced researchers to look at alternative sweeteners. It was only when xylitol was stabilized that it became a viable sweetener in foods. It was also during this time that researchers discovered xylitol's insulin-independent nature. (It metabolizes in the body without using insulin.)

By the 1960s, xylitol was being used in Germany, Switzerland, the Soviet Union, and Japan as a preferred sweetener in diabetic diets and as an energy source for infusion therapy in patients with impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance. Since then, many other countries, including Italy and China, have been producing xylitol for use in their domestic markets-and with remarkable health benefits. It has been relatively unknown in the U.S.A. and Australia, primarily because cheap supplies of cane sugar made the more expensive xylitol less economically. viable.

Xylitol is a natural substance found in fibrous vegetables and fruit, as well as in corn cobs and various hardwood trees like birch. It is a natural, intermediate product which regularly occurs in the glucose metabolism of man and other animals, as well as in the metabolism of several plants and micro-organisms. Xylitol is produced naturally in our bodies; in fact, we make up to 15 grams daily during normal metabolism.

Although xylitol tastes and looks exactly like sugar, that is where the similarities end. Xylitol is really sugar's mirror image. While sugar wreaks havoc on the body, xylitol heals and repairs. It also builds immunity, protects against chronic degenerative disease, and has anti-aging benefits. Xylitol is considered a five-carbon sugar, which means it is an antimicrobial, preventing the growth of bacteria. While sugar is acid-forming, xylitol is alkaline enhancing. All other forms of sugar, including sorbitol, another popular alternative sweetener, are six-carbon sugars, which feed dangerous bacteria and fungi.

Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1963, xylitol has no known toxic levels. The only discomfort that some sensitive people may notice initially when. taking large amounts is mild diarrhea or slight cramping.

Since the body makes xylitol daily, as well as the enzymes to break it down, any discomfort usually disappears within a few days as the body's enzymatic activity adjusts to a higher intake.

Xylitol has 40% fewer calories and 75% fewer carbohydrates than sugar and is slowly absorbed and metabolised, resulting in very negligible changes in insulin. About one-third of the xylitol that is consumed is absorbed in the liver. The other two-thirds travels to the intestinal tract, where it is broken down by gut bacteria into short-chain fatty acids.

Xylitol looks, feels, and tastes exactly like sugar, and leaves no unpleasant aftertaste. It is available in many forms. In its crystalline form, it can replace sugar in cooking, baking, or as a sweetener for beverages. It is also included as an ingredient in chewing gum, mints, and nasal spray.
Xylitol And Oral Health

Tooth decay and gum disease are serious problems. According to the American Dental Association, 75% of American adults over the age of 35 suffer from some form of periodontal disease.1 Needless to say, diet plays a major role in dental heath. When there is an excess of sugar in the diet, this weakens the immune system and creates an acidic environment; thus oral health suffers. The mouth is home to over 400 strains of bacteria. Most of these are benign, but when sugar enters the scene, it feeds the destructive strains, allowing them to proliferate.

Periodontal disease is basically caused by bacteria. These deposits permit the growth of bacteria that cause inflammation of the gums. The bacteria also release minute amounts of toxins that break down guru tissue, thereby helping the infection to progress. Plaque is an invisible, sticky film of saliva and food residue that constantly forms on the teeth. Ongoing low-grade bacterial infection also burdens the immune system.

Bacteria help to create plaque and they also thrive within it. Unless removed, plaque formed along the gum-line can lead to gum disease. When left untreated, plaque at or below the gum line hardens into tartar.
Periodontal disease takes two forms: simple gum inflammation, called gingivitis, and a more severe gum infection, called periodontitis, which may lead to tooth loss and receding gums.

Gingivitis results from the build-up of plaque and tartar which irritate the gum or periodontal tissue. The more advanced state of gum disease, periodontitis, occurs when inflammation of the gums is accompanied by bone and ligament destruction. Bleeding gums are usually the first indication that gum disease is developing, but obvious symptoms may not always be present.

Gum infection can also lead to other serious health problems. It doubles the risk of stroke, triples the risk of heart attack, increases the incidence of premature, low-weight babies, and also contributes to bronchitis, pneumonia, and emphysema. In fact, the same bacteria that cause gum disease end up either directly or indirectly infecting your heart and arteries. A study conducted at the University of Minnesota in 1998 found that rabbits injected with tooth plaque developed blood clots which led to heart disease. 2 It seems that the bacteria first attack the bones and gums in the mouth and then enter the bloodstream through small cracks in the gums.

Eating sugar causes tooth decay by creating a highly acidic condition in the mouth. Acidity strips tooth enamel of minerals, causing it to weaken and making it more vulnerable to attack by bacteria, leading to tooth decay or demineralization. Ordinarily, saliva bathes the mouth with an alkaline solution that neutralizes all acidity and actually remineralizes the teeth. Saliva also washes away leftover bits of food and helps the digestion process. But when saliva turns acidic because of too many sweets, bacteria in the mouth have a feeding frenzy. These nasty bacteria, along with carbohydrate waste, stick to the teeth and tongue and hold the acid close to the teeth where it eats away enamel. Virtually whatever food you ingest, the remaining particles become food for plaque-producing bacteria. Using xylitol helps to raise plaque pH, thereby reducing the time that teeth are exposed to damaging acids, as well as starving harmful bacteria of their food source.

Xylitol is a dentist's dream. It reverses all these destructive effects of sugar on oral health. Xylitol is non-fermentable and therefore cannot be converted to acids by oral bacteria, thus it helps to restore a proper alkaline/acid balance in the mouth. This alkaline environment is inhospitable to all the destructive bacteria, especially the worst variety, Streptococcus mutans. It also inhibits plaque formation.

Using xylitol right before bedtime, after brushing and flossing, protects and heals the teeth and gums. Unlike sugar, it can even be left on the teeth overnight. With proper use, xylitol actually stops the fermentation process leading to tooth decay. Long-term use suppresses the most harmful strains of oral bacteria, making a long-lasting change in those bacterial communities. Xylitol even has the ability to enhance the mineralization of the enamel. It is most effective in treating small decay spots. Although larger cavities won't go away, they can harden and become less sensitive.

Consistently using small amounts of xylitol tends to increase protective factors in saliva. Xylitol stimulates saliva flow and helps keep salivary minerals in a useful form. Prolonged xylitol use increases the buffering capacity and protective factors in saliva. Increased saliva production is especially important for people suffering with a dry mouth due to illness, aging, or drug sideeffects.

Since the oral environment becomes less acidic with continued xylitol use, it is advisable to chew xylitol gum or suck a xylitol mint after every meal or after eating sweet snacks. The best news is that studies have shown that xylitol's effect is long-lasting and possibly even permanent.

Xylitol has recently received positive support in the Journal Of The American Dental Association. "Xylitol is an effective preventive agent against dental caries... Consumption of xylitol containing chewing gum has been demonstrated to reduce caries in Finnish teenagers by 30-60%. Studies conducted in Canada, Thailand, Polynesia, and Belize have shown similar results.... " 3 A study conducted at Harvard School of Dental Medicine concluded that: "Xylitol can significantly decrease the incidence of dental caries." 4

Another unexpected benefit came from a Finnish study which showed that children whose teeth are colonised between 19 and 31 months of age by Streptococcus mutans bacteria are more likely to have a large number of cavities. Most children acquire this bacteria from their mother's saliva through food tasting, sharing cups, and kissing. The study showed a dramatic 70% reduction in tooth decay among children whose mothers chewed xylitol gum.5

Xylitol, however, isn't just for the young. In a paper published in the Journal Of The American Geriatrics Society, researchers tested 111 adults, aged 60 and older, over a 12-month period. All were frail but healthy adults. In the study, one group of volunteers chewed no gum, a second chewed gum containing xylitol, and a third group chewed gum containing both xylitol and an antimicrobial. In the two groups receiving gum, the participants chewed two pieces for 15 minutes, two times per day. At the end of the study, the researchers reported that the group who received xylitol gum had substantially lowered their risk of developing thrush, a fungal or yeast infection that can cause mouth soreness. (The group who received xylitol plus the antimicrobial had equal benefits.) It had also reduced their risk of developing angular cheilitis, a condition in which sores develop in the corners of the mouth. The researchers noted that xylitol gum can provide a "real clinical benefit" to frail, elderly people.6

Xylitol And Ear, Nose & Throat Infections

Recurring middle-ear infections pose a great health threat to children. Tubes are often inserted into the eardrum in children with these recurring infections to reduce the fluid that is attempting to wash out the infection from the middle ear. While this procedure sometimes helps to reduce the frequency of infections, it is also designed to help with hearing.

Language, a critical part of learning, is built by auditory input during the first two years of life-the same period when ear infections are most common. If this input is dampened by infection or fluid in the middle ear during this important period, it can cause learning problems.

One researcher demonstrated that, even when properly treated, recurrent middle ear infections during the first two years result in significant impairment in reading ability up to the age of nine.7 Another study followed children longer and showed significant learning and social problems extending up to age eighteen.8

One of xylitol's versatile benefits is its ability to inhibit the growth of bacteria that cause middle-ear infections in young children. In two recent studies involving over 1,000 children, xylitolflavored chewing gum was found to reduce the incidence of middle-ear infections by 40%, significantly decreasing ongoing middle-ear complications and the need for antibiotics.

Regularly washing the nose with a spray containing xylitol decreases the number of harmful bacteria and stimulates normal defensive washing of this area. A clean nose reduces problems with allergies and asthma that originate from nasal irritants and pollutants.

Current research shows how bacteria attach to cells in the body, causing infection. Some sugars like xylitol are known to be able to interfere with this binding, blocking the attachment of the major infection-causing bacteria that live in the nose. Dr. Lon Jones, a physician in Plainsview, Texas, reported that the use of a xylitol nasal spray in his practice prevented 93% of ear infections and resulted in comparable reductions in sinus infections, allergies, and asthma.9

Xylitol has been shown to be effective in inhibiting Candida Albicans, a serious systemic yeast problem, and other harmful gut bacteria including H. Pylori, implicated in periodontal disease, bad breath, gastric and duodenal ulcers, and even stomach cancer.

Xylitol And Osteoporosis

Another exciting benefit from xylitol is its role in reversing bone loss. Studies in Finland found that xylitol maintained bone density in rats that had their ovaries removed. Without ovaries, estrogen levels plummeted and so did the bone density in rats that were not given xylitol. However, in the rats that had ovaries removed and were given xylitol, bone density actually increased.10 Another study showed that xylitol was effective in decreasing age-related bone loss in older male rats by 10%. 11

In an unprecedented action, the Finnish researchers made bold recommendations for human application of their studies. They suggested that an effective human dose would be about 40 grams daily. The scientists speculated that xylitol's bone density-enhancing properties are due to its ability to promote intestinal absorption of calcium. Including xylitol in one's diet is certainly an enjoyable way to reap the benefits of greater bone density, along with other health benefits.

Xylitol And Insulin Resistance, Diabetes Hypertension, And Hormonal Imbalances

Consuming sugar and other refined carbohydrates results in the rapid release of glucose, or blood sugar. In response, the pancreas secretes insulin to usher glucose into the cells, where it is burned for energy. Excess glucose stresses the system, and over time the cells become less responsive to insulin. This condition, known as insulin resistance, is a huge health problem and it is estimated to affect half the American population. Insulin resistance is associated with abnormalities in cholesterol and triglyceride levels, hypertension, increased risk of heart disease, and diabetes.

The dramatic rise in type-2 diabetes since the mid-1900s directly coincides with our increased consumption of sugar. One long-term study of more than 65,000 women demonstrated that a high-sugar, low-fibre diet increased the risk of type-2 diabetes by 250%. Another recent study found that excessive intake of sugar was the single most important dietary risk factor for heart disease in women and for men. It has been estimated that sugar intake may account for more than 150,000 premature deaths from heart disease in the United States each year.12

Xylitol has been demonstrated in repeated clinical studies to be very slowly metabolised. In fact, on the glycemic index, which measures how quickly foods enter the bloodstream, sugar is rated at 100 and xylitol at just seven! Xylitol is a natural insulin stabilizer, therefore it causes none of the abrupt rises and falls that occur with sugar. In fact, it actually helps in stopping sugar and carbohydrate cravings. Foods sweetened with xylitol will not raise insulin levels. This makes it a perfect sweetener for people with diabetes as well as those wanting to lose weight. There is a growing consensus amongst anti-aging researchers that maintaining low insulin levels is a key to a successful anti-aging program.

Insulin resistance also plays a significant role in hormonal imbalances, including those that lead to breast cancer. High insulin levels increase the production of estrogens, leading to an estrogen-dominant condition, and also interfere with healthy ovarian function. Insulin resistance is a major cause of a growing hormonal problem called polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). PCOS causes the ovaries to become anovulatory, which means that the normal cyclic production of estrogen followed by progesterone either ceases or becomes dysfunctional. Insulin stimulates the ovaries to produce predominantly male hormones, which, in combination with higher insulin and glucose levels, increase weight gain around the waist-a body type that is a risk factor for breast cancer. Signs that the body is being exposed to higher levels of the male hormones include acne, loss of head hair, and an increase in body hair. Lowering insulin levels is crucial for not only treating PCOS but also resolving most other hormonal imbalances, including those leading to breast cancer.13

Dr. John Lee, author of What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer, explains the connection between insulin resistance and breast cancer:

"Overeating junk food makes you fat. Increased body fat and lack of exercise lead to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance leads to further craving of sugary carbohydrates to generate energy for the body. More insulin is released in response to increased carbohydrate intake, leading to more weight gain. More fat leads to more estrogens, which, in turn, lead to earlier breast development and menstruation. Earlier onset of menstruation leads to more ovulatory cycles and a greater lifetime exposure to estrogens without adequate progesterone. A greater lifetime exposure to estrogens increases breast cancer risk.

"Simultaneously, increased consumption of simple carbohydrates, coupled with insulin resistance, leads to polycystic ovaries and lack of ovulation during menstrual cycles, resulting in excess production of androgens and estrogens, along with inadequate production of progesterone. Excessive estrogen production in the absence of progesterone production leads to estrogen dominance and increased breast cancer risk. Use of contraceptive hormones increases insulin resistance, exacerbating all the above problems."14

Using xylitol instead of sugar, as well as reducing intake of high-glycemic, refined carbohydrate foods, helps to lower the risk not only of PCOS but also of ovarian cysts, fibroids, endometriosis, PMS, hot flashes, weight gain, and depression.

The Safer Sweetener

Increased sugar consumption has bedeviled Western cultures with more and more health problems, many of which are putting an enormous strain on healthcare systems. Finally, there is an answer to our collective prayers for something truly healthy that can also satisfy our sweet tooth. Over 1,500 scientific studies have found that the more you use xylitol, the more you can eliminate sugar cravings, reduce insulin levels, and alkalinize your body. It's a great aid on the way to good health and long life.

Imagine never having to feel those twinges of guilt when you bite into a xylitol-sweetened brownie. Or how about increasing your bone density while enjoying your favorite hot drink with two spoonfuls of xylitol crystals, or knowing that xylitol-sweetened chewing gum is preventing cavities and gum disease?

With xylitol, you can now have your sweet tooth and treat it, too!
References

1. Zeines, Victor, DDS, MS, FAGD. Healthy Mouth, Healthy Body. Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2000, p. 55.

2. ibid., p. 29.

3. Beiswanger, BB, Boneta AE, Mau MS, Katz BP, Proskin HM, Stookey GK. The effect of chewing sugar-free gum after meals on clinical caries incidence. J. Am. Dent. Assoc. 1998;129:1623-6.

4. Hayes, Catherine, DMD; DMSc. The effect of non-cariogenic sweeteners on the prevention of dental caries: A review of evidence. Harvard School Of Dental Medicine. See the http://www.lib.umich.edu/dentlib/nihcdc/abstracts/hayes.html Internet website.

5. How Xylitol-containing Products Affect Cariogenic Bacteria. J. Am. Dent. Assoc., April 2000.

6. J. Am. Geriatrics Soc. 2002;50. See the www.globalaging.org/health/world/medgum.htm Internet website.

7. Luotonen M, Uhari M, Aitola, L et a1. Recurrent otitis media during infancy and linguistic skills at the age of nine years. Pediatr Infect. J. 1996;15:854-8.

8. Bennett KE, Haggard MP, Silva PA, Stewart IA. Behavior and development effects of otitis media with effusion into the teens. Arch. Dis. Child 2601 Aug;85(2):91-5.

9. See www.nasal-xylitol.com Internet website.

10. Svanberg M; Mattila P, Knuttila M. Dietary xylitol retards the ovariectomyinduced increase of bone turnover in rats. Calcif. Tissue Int. 60:462-466.

11. Mattila P, Svanberg, M, Knuttila, M. Increased bone volume and bone mineral content in xylitol-fed aged rats. Gerontology 2001;47:300-305.

12. Carbohydrates: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Dr. James Whittaker Newsletter, vol. 13, no. 4, April 2000.

13. John, Lee MD. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Breast Cancer. Warner Books, 2002, p. 61.

14. ibid, p. 62.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Courtesy Mary Nash Stoddard/author Deadly Deception Story of Aspartame: 

Founder Aspartame Consumer Safety Network and Pilot Hotline (since 1987)

Official ACSN website: http://www.aspartamesafety.com

Stoddard's POV Blog: http://marystod.blogspot.com/

To book a dynamic Speaker on the topic of Sweeteners:

email: marystod@airmail.net

ASPARTAME U.S. FDA APPROVAL VIOLATES THE DELANEY CLAUSE

Aspartame Illegally Approved By U.S. FDA In Violation of The Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act

Mary Nash Stoddard/author Deadly Deception Story of Aspartame 

Delaney clause,

a 1960 amendment to the 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act regulating food additives. It prohibits the use of any food substance found to be carcinogenic in humans or animals. Food products not previously found to be carcinogenic were classified historically as "Generally Regarded As Safe," or GRAS.

Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 8th edition. © 2009, Elsevier.

Dr. Ralph Walton quote: "Aspartame should never have been approved and furthermore, the FDA scientists at the time did not want it approved but they were over-ruled by the FDA Commissioner, Arthur Hull Hayes. It was a unilateral decision, a political decision and not one based on medical and scientific data."

FDA knew aspartame caused cancer.  An adenocarcinoma was found in a 1972 animal study, pp 6, 67, 70 of Bressler Report.  FDA toxicologist and scientist, Dr. Adrian Gross, in testimony to the Senate, noted aspartame caused cancer on 8/1/85 and said: "In view of these indications that the cancer causing potential of aspartame is a matter that had been established beyond any reasonable doubt, what is the reasoning behind a refusal by the FDA to apply the legal Delaney Amendment to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act in the case of aspartame approval?" This statement was addressing brain cancer in laboratory animals fed DKP in aspartame.

The Delaney Amendment makes it illegal to allow any residues of cancer causing chemicals in foods.  Concluding his Senate testimony, Dr. Gross asked, "Given the cancer causing potential of aspartame, how would the FDA justify its position that it views a certain amount of aspartame as constituting an allowable daily intake or safe level of it?  Is that position in effect not equivalent to setting a tolerance for this food additive and thus a violation of that law?  And if the FDA itself elects to violate the law, who is left to protect the health of the public?" The FDA's own toxicologist testified that aspartame is on the market because FDA violated the law. [Delaney Clause]

The results were kept under FDA seal for 3 decades.  The Bressler Report and other studies should have prevented FDA from approving aspartame for human consumption. Especially given the fact that Brain tumors were covertly  removed from the rats and kept hushed up until almost 20 years later.

http://www.laleva.org/eng/2009/11/fda_hid_research_damning_to_aspartame.html

1)  "The present record does not contain data which demonstrate that the use of APM in soft drinks will not result in the adulteration of the beverages under section 402(a)(3) of the FDC Act 21 U.S.C. 342(a)(3), which provides that a food is adulterated if it contains, in whole or in part, "a decomposed substance or if it is otherwise unfit for food";

1980, Dr. John Olney submitted scientific data to a United States Food and Drug Administration Public Board of Inquiry showing that aspartic acid, the excitotoxic ingredient in aspartame, caused holes in the brains of mice.

 

Dr. Olney stated that it warranted special emphasis that excitotoxins act by an acute but silent mechanism requiring only a single exposure to toxic concentrations for CVO neurons to be quietly destroyed; and

 

Dr. Olney stated that Searle failed to establish the safety of its product, aspartame, for use in children's food, and that all age comparative data support the following conclusions: (1) orally administered excitotoxins destroy CVO neurons at any age; (2) immature animals are most vulnerable; and (3) the toxic threshold increases only gradually between birth and adulthood.

A: Among other things, it's about 10% methanol (wood alcohol,) famous for causing blindness in alcoholics. In the body, methanol metabolizes into formaldehyde, a neurotoxin; formic acid, a venom in ant stings; and diketopiperazine, which causes brain tumors in animals. It's so bad that in July of 1983, the National Soft Drink Association presented official objections to putting aspartame in beverages. 

###

Info courtesy: 

Aspartame Consumer Safety Network and Pilot Hotline (since 1987)

http://twitter.com/#!/marystod/

http://marystod.blogspot.com/
http://www.aspartamesafety.com/

      http://aspartamesafety.com/web/interviews/interview-published-in-nutrition-healing/
      http://aspartamesafety.com/web/deadly-deception/

Is diet soda really better for your health?

Is diet soda really better for your health?

Are Artificial Sweeteners Safe? Press Rel. Addresses Issue

Are Artificial Sweeteners Really Safe? Ask the Experts

(PRWEB) October 17, 2005 -- For over two decades, experts on artificial sweeteners sounded the warnings. With backgrounds in Law and Journalism, they answer the questions everyone is asking today. Are aspartame and sucralose really safe? Are Class Action suits in the works? 

This topic is 'hotter than hot,' with new sweeteners like Neotame and Splenda approved by the FDA for foods, drinks, medications, vitamins and gum. How safe is our food supply?

In 1987, Washington consumer advocate, James Turner, Esq., asked broadcast journalist and appointed Texas state judge, Mary Nash Stoddard to head the fledgling anti-aspartame movement and take it international, which she did and the rest is history. 

For nearly two decades, Aspartame Consumer Safety Network has supplied peer-reviewed, scientific, documented information and support to mainstream media, other consumer organizations, the general public, and health care professionals on five continents. Following the brain tumor death of her young husband, in 1985, Stoddard suffered a serious reaction (Eosinophilia) to the artificial sweetener, aspartame. Upon cessation of use, her symptoms abated.

Stoddard kicked the campaign into high gear when she gave testimony at the November 3, 1987 U.S. Senate Hearings on the safety of aspartame. She and Aspartame Consumer Safety Network cofounder, Turner are the only campaigners on the Internet who were actually there to give Senators their testimony. They are the only ones on the net who have qualified in court as Expert Medical Witnesses on this topic. 

Stoddard was a member of the national President's Council On Food Safety from 1998 to 1999 and is a current voting member of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. She received an award for her work from the Government of Mexico, following a keynote address to their conference on sweeteners in 1998. Stoddard was the first non-M.D. paid to teach a class on aspartame safety at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, and has guest lectured at numerous colleges and universities all over the U.S. 

Long before artificial sweeteners became a 'hot' topic, the team of Stoddard and Turner were heating up broadcasting airwaves and generating dozens of articles in print [in flying magazines and top newspapers all over the world], to their credit. Appearing nationally on NBC's TODAY Show, CBS' Sixty Minutes and CNN. With articles about ACSN leaders in The Dallas Morning News, Mademoiselle magazine, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The New York Post, U.S. Air Force Flying Safety magazine, London Daily Mirror and others. 

Thousands of websites have jumped on the bandwagon to echo Stoddard's and Turner's warnings, using the information disseminated originally, by Dallas and Washington based, Aspartame Consumer Safety Network and Pilot Hotline, founded in 1987. 

One strangely anonymous source even went so far as to turn ACSN's well documented scientific information into bizarre gibberish - in the so-called, Nancy Markle email and the newer Sweet Poison email - resulting in a botched attempt to discredit Stoddard and Turner's credibility with media and the public. 

Are there safe alternatives to artificial sweeteners such as aspartame/Equal & NutraSweet and the new sucralose/Splenda? Ask Stoddard (marystod@airmail.net) and Turner. They know. 

###

http://twitter.com/#!/marystod/

http://marystod.blogspot.com/
http://www.aspartamesafety.com/

Insulin Pen for Diabetics Contains Neuro-excitatory Amino Acid Says MSG Expert Samuels

 INSULIN DEPENDENT DIABETICS FYI

(Answer to a question from an Aspartame Consumer Safety Network blog reader who wants to avoid all of the components of Aspartame and Neotame in her medications and diet.)

NovoRapid Penfill 100U/ML (insulin aspart) contains:

• disodium phosphate dihydrate
• glycerol
• hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide if pH adjusted
• insulin aspart
• metacresol
• phenol
• sodium chloride
• water for injections
• zinc chloride

The pharmaceutical firm that produces this product refers to "Insulin Aspart" as the generic name of the drug.  However, I found the following on Wikipedia.

"Insulin aspart (marketed by Novo Nordisk as "NovoLog/NovoRapid") is a fast acting insulin analogue. It was created through recombinant DNA technology so that the amino acid, B28, which is normally proline, is substituted with an aspartic acid residue. This analogue has increased charge repulsion, which prevents the formation of hexamers, to create a faster acting insulin. The sequence was inserted into the yeast genome, and the yeast expressed the insulin analogue, which was then harvested from a bioreactor."

Therefore, this product definitely contains aspartic acid, a neurotoxic amino acid that has been found by neuroscientists, in animal studies, to act the same as does glutamic acid, and in an additive fashion with glutamic acid.  As you know, aspartic acid is approximately 40% of aspartame.

In addition, I note that the product contains a phosphate.  We have found that some MSG-sensitive people with little tolerance for MSG, including me, act similarly to phosphates.  Phosphates are known to leach calcium and magnesium, two minerals known to be involved in the metabolism of glutamate.  This may explain the MSG-type reactions.  I know that aspartame sensitive people react similarly from MSG, but I do not know if some react to phosphates.  I would suspect that they do. - Jack Samuels

______________________________________________________________________________________

(submitted by Jack Samuels, founder of Truth In Labeling campaign re: MSG)

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin-dependent_diabetes_mellitus

http://www.aspartamesafety.com

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Phenol: 

Is not suitable for everyone and some people should never use it. Other people should only use it with special care. It is important that the person prescribing this medicine knows your full medical history.

Your prescriber may only prescribe this medicine with special care or may not prescribe it at all if you:

are allergic to nuts or almond oil

Furthermore the prescriber may only prescribe this medicine with special care or may not prescribe it at all for a neonate or a child.

Over time it is possible that Phenol can become unsuitable for some people, or they may become unsuitable for it. If at any time it appears that Phenol has become unsuitable, it is important that the prescriber is contacted immediately.

breast-feeding is not recommended while having this medicine

Phenol, Version 3, last updated 19 Dec 2008

http://www.medicines.org.uk/guides/phenol/

Fwd: Lymphoma/Leukemia Blood Disorders Epidemic - Latest Valid Scientific Study Re: Formaldehyde Connection

Lymphoma/Leukemia Blood Disorders Epidemic - Latest Valid Scientific Study Re: Formaldehyde Connection

Pass It On to Friends: Epidemic of Blood Disorders linked to Artificial Sweetener Aspartame by Respected Medical Research Group.

This is a valid study showing a possible link to the artificial sweetener aspartame which breaks down to formaldehyde:
Aspartame and Lymphoma / Leukemia

A long-term study linking aspartame ingestion to lymphomas and leukemias in animals. The full study can be read at: http://www.ramazzini.it/fondazione/docs/AspartameGEO2005.pdf. Neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock M.D. commented: "The new study released in the European Journal of Oncology by Morando Soffritti and co-workers is a serious warning to mothers and all those consuming aspartame sweetened products." This was a carefully done study which clearly demonstrated a statistically significant increase in several types of lymphomas and leukemias in rats. Both of these malignancies have increased significantly in this country since the widespread use of aspartame.

"This study confirmed the previous study by Dr. Trocho and co-workers, which also found the formaldehyde breakdown product of aspartame to be damaging to cellular DNA and that this damage was accumulative. The type of damage was a duplicate of that associated with cancers. Along with this most recent study, this means that drinking a single diet cola sweetened with aspartame every day could increase one's risk of developing a lymphoma or leukemia. (Look for aspartame as an active or inactive ingredient in: almost all chewing gum; low fat yogurt; low fat dressings; jello; puddings; crystal light; sugar-free kool aid; flavored bottled waters; breath fresheners; mouthwash; OTC and Rx meds; kids vitamins; frozen low fat desserts, etc. Sometimes "Contains Phenylalanine" is on label instead of "aspartame," but it's the same thing. Sunny D for kids now contains unmarked aspartame-formula-based sweetener, Neotame - 13,000 times sweeter than sugar!)
"They also found an increased incidence of malignant brain tumors, even though it was not statistically significant. This does not mean there is no association to brain tumors, since only the animals exposed to aspartame developed the tumors. With children and pregnant women drinking the largest amount of diet colas, this puts their children at the greatest risk of developing one of these horrible diseases. Their study found that even low doses of aspartame could cause these malignancies; yet, the higher the dose, the more cancers that were seen."
A followup study was published in Environmental Health Perspectives showing that there was a significant increase in cancer of the kidney and peripheral nerves. The full published study can be found in PDF format at: http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2005/8711/8711.pdf.

Mary Nash Stoddard, Founder
Aspartame Consumer Safety Network and Pilot Hotline
[Promoting FDA Recall of Aspartame - since 1987]
P.O. Box 2001 - Frisco, TX 75034 - U.S.
phone: 1-214-387-4001
email: marystod@airmail.net
http://www.aspartamesafety.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

An Overdue Ban On A Dangerous Sweetener

CHICAGO, IL, August 15, 2009 --/WORLD-WIRE/-- The artificial sweetener aspartame has been shown to cause cancer in lab rats, and should be banned for human consumption, warns the Cancer Prevention Coalition.

Under the explicit provisions of the 1958 Delaney Law, which requires an automatic ban on carcinogenic food additives, the Coalition is calling on Dr. Margaret Hamburg, the newly appointed Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and public health advocate, to promptly ban the continued use of aspartame.

First discovered in 1965 by the pharmaceutical company G.D. Searle, aspartame is an artificial sweetener marketed by Ajinomoto Sweeteners under trademark names including Nutrasweet, Equal and Canderel.

Aspartame is the second most widely used artificial sweetener in the world. It is found in more than 6,000 products including carbonated and powdered soft drinks, hot chocolate, chewing gum, candy, desserts, yogurt, and tabletop sweeteners, as well as some pharmaceutical products like vitamins and sugar-free cough drops. More than 200 million people worldwide consume it.

The sweetener has been used for more than 30 years, having first been approved by the FDA in 1974.

After saccharin, aspartame is the commonest sweetener, consumed by over 200 million people worldwide, and represents about 60% of the artificial sweetener market.

Aspartame provides food, soft drinks, candy and chewing gum manufacturers with substantial cost savings compared to sugar, which is 200 times less sweet. Aspartame is a sweetener without calories, which helps people control their weight.

Studies of the carcinogenicity of aspartame performed by producers of the sweetener have been negative.

But Cancer Prevention Coalition Chairman Samuel S. Epstein, MD warns that the use of aspartame in foods, vitamins and pharmaceuticals is based on false safety information and political maneuvering going back more than 30 years.

In January 1976, then Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Alexander M. Schmidt, MD testified before Congress that Hazleton Laboratories, under contract to Searle, had been charged with falsifying toxicological data on aspartame.

The FDA convened a Public Board of Inquiry to review concerns about the sweetener's carcinogenic effects in experimental animals. In 1980, the Board concluded that aspartame could "contribute to the development brain tumors."

Dr. Epstein points out that FDA then recommended that, pending confirmation of these findings, the sweetener should no longer be used.

However, then Searle Chairman Donald Rumsfeld, later Secretary of Defense in the Bush Administration, vowed to "call in his markers," to get the sweetener approved.

On January 21, 1981, the day after Ronald Reagan's inauguration, Searle re-applied to the FDA for approval to use aspartame as a food sweetener, and Reagan's new FDA commissioner, Arthur Hayes Hull, Jr., appointed a 5-person Scientific Commission to review the Board of Inquiry's decision.

It soon became clear that the panel would uphold the ban by a 3-2 decision, but Hull then installed a sixth member on the commission, and the vote became deadlocked. He then personally broke the tie in aspartame's favor.

Hull later left the FDA under allegations of impropriety, then took a position with Burston-Marsteller, the chief public relations firm for Searle and for Monsanto, which purchased Searle in 1985.

Dr. Epstein is not alone among doctors in his concern about the sweetener.

In a July 25, 2009 letter to the new FDA commissioner, H.J. Roberts, M.D., a Florida internist and diabetes expert, drew her attention to the dangerous health effects of aspartame in foods and other products.

"My own data base encompasses over 1400 individuals who have suffered major disorders that could be directly ascribed to the use of these products, including gum," wrote Dr. Roberts, who authored the books "Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic," and "Aspartame Disease: an FDA Approved Epidemic."

There have been other calls to ban the sweetener, including one in the UK earlier this year, when Member of Parliament Roger Williams cited "compelling and reliable evidence for this carcinogenic substance to be banned from the UK food and drinks market altogether."

Dr. Epstein says the evidence on the carcinogenicity of aspartame was strongly reinforced in a unique feeding test conducted on rats in an Italian laboratory.

In 2005, based on highly sensitive and life-long feeding tests in groups of about 200 rats and at doses less than usual human dietary levels, the prestigious Italian Ramazzini Foundation confirmed that aspartame is unequivocally carcinogenic. A high incidence of cancers was induced in multiple organs of the lab rats fed the sweetener, including lymph glands, brain and kidney.

Dr. Epstein says rats were fed aspartame beginning in the early fetal stage of life, resulting in their lifelong exposure to aspartame.

"This resulted in a still higher increase in the incidence of cancers at sites, including those previously reported," he says.

The Ramazzini study was reported in the November 2005 issue of "Environmental Health Perspectives," the peer-reviewed journal of the United States' National nstitute of Environmental Health Sciences.

"Our study has shown that aspartame is a multipotential carcinogenic compound whose carcinogenic effects are also evident at a daily dose of 20 milligrams per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg), notably less than the current acceptable daily intake for humans," the Ramazzini authors wrote.

Currently, the acceptable daily intake for humans is set at 50 mg/kg in the United States and 40 mg/kg in Europe.

In April 2007, the results of this study were presented by Ramazzini scientists at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York.

Not surprisingly, says Dr. Epstein, these findings have been sharply challenged by the sweetener industry, major sweetener users, such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestlé and Monsanto, and also by the industry-oriented scientific journal "Critical Reviews in Toxicology."

In view of the new scientific evidence of aspartame's carcinogenicity and the political gamesmanship that led to its original approval by the FDA, Dr. Epstein is urging the new FDA Commissioner, Dr. Hamburg, to impose an immediate ban on the use of aspartame for human consumption.

Childhood Obesity Trigger

Last Updated: Wednesday, 8 August 2007, 06:31 GMT 07:31 UK Diet food 'may fuel obesity risk' Diet foods for children may inadvertently lead to overeating and obesity, say researchers. In tests on young rats, animals given low-calorie versions of foods were induced to overeat, whether they were lean or obese. The researchers believe low-calorie versions of usually high-calorie foods disrupt the body's ability to use taste to regulate calorific intake. The University of Alberta study appears in the journal Obesity. Diet foods are probably not a good idea for growing youngsters Dr David Pierce University of Alberta Lead researcher Professor David Pierce said: "Based on what we've learned, it is better for children to eat healthy, well-balanced diets with sufficient calories for their daily activities rather than low-calorie snacks or meals." The researchers found that young rats given low-calorie foods began to overeat during their regular meals. However, older, adolescent rats also fed diet foods did not show the same tendency to overeat. Taste cues The researchers believe the older rats did not overeat because they, unlike the younger rats, were able to rely on a variety of taste-related cues to correctly assess the energy value of their food. In contrast the younger animals learned to match tastes usually associated with food high in calories with low-fat alternatives, and so carried on eating to try to get their calorie count up when in fact it had already reached a healthy level. Professor Pierce said the research underlined the importance of promoting a balanced diet and exercise as the best ways to keep children fit and healthy. He said: "Diet foods are probably not a good idea for growing youngsters." Obesity is a significant risk factor for both type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and soaring rates are posing an increasing public health problem. Dr Colin Waine, chairman of the UK National Obesity Forum, sounded a note of caution about extrapolating from rats to humans. But he said: "It is an interesting theory, especially with the amount of low calorie foods which are around now. "It reinforces the need to try to teach children healthy eating habits from early in life." ### http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/661834.Mary_Nash_Stoddard http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825841/ http://twitter.com/#!/marystod/ http://marystod.blogspot.com/ http://www.aspartamesafety.com/ http://www.worldeducationcouncil.org/the-council/founding-board-members/mary-nash-stoddard/

Kidney Dz and Cancer Triggered in Lab by Aspartame (in small amts.)

Aspartame alert: Diet soda destroys kidney function
Thursday, December 17, 2009 by: E. Huff, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Scientists from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston have revealed results from a study outlining some of the effects of artificial sweeteners on the body. Conducted on a group of 3,000 women, the results indicated that those who drank two or more artificially-sweetened beverages a day doubled their risk of more-rapid-than-normal kidney function decline.

The study accounted for various other risk factors including the woman's age, her blood pressure, if she smoked, and if she had any other pre-existing conditions such as heart disease or diabetes. The 11-year study evaluated the effects of all sweetened drinks on progressive kidney decline and discovered that two or more diet drinks leads to a two-fold increase in rapid kidney decline incidences.

Though study results did not show any correlation between sugar- or corn syrup-sweetened drinks and the onset of rapid kidney decline, these ingredients are implicated in causing diabetes and obesity and should not be perceived as safe merely because they did not have a direct correlation in this particular study topic. It is no surprise that diet sodas were the primary offenders in the study.

Studies on aspartame
When aspartame was first approved in the 1970s under the name "NutraSweet", studies were submitted as supposed proof that the artificial chemical was safe. The FDA initially approved the chemical in 1974 for use in a limited number of foods based upon the studies submitted by G.D. Searle Co., the company that invented aspartame.

Following a discovery made shortly thereafter by a research psychiatrist who found that aspartic acid, a primary ingredient in aspartame, caused holes to form in the brains of mice, the FDA decided to form its own internal task force to investigate the initial claims made by the Searle Co.

What the agency discovered was a series of falsified claims, compromised study results, and missing information. The claims made in favor of aspartame were so dubious and the evidence so faulty that the FDA decreed that a grand jury should investigate Searle Co.'s claims. Unfortunately, the case failed to move forward when U.S. Attorney Thomas Sullivan and Assistant U.S. Attorney William Conlon failed to initiate any legal action. Conlon was later hired by the law firm that represented Searle Co.

Investigation revealed that aspartame had caused tumors, seizures, brain holes, and death in many of the studies. All negative findings had been altered or scrubbed from the final reports delivered to the FDA when aspartame was first reviewed.

Time and time again the question over whether aspartame is safe has led to investigations that never go anywhere. Studies are continually released in support of the chemical's safety even though they fail to address the results of other studies that show it to be harmful.

Other artificial sweeteners:
A study published in the January, 2008 issue of the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health revealed that the newer artificial sweetener, sucralose, alters gut microflora and inhibits the assimilation of dietary nutrients.

Commonly marketed as being "made from sugar," sucralose (Splenda) had undergone no long-term human studies to verify its safety in humans. Like aspartame, initial studies revealed negative reactions by lab animals on whom it was tested, indicating that there could be the same potential problems in humans.

The EU Food Commission, Canadian health officials, and the U.S. FDA all rejected the initial studies submitted by McNeil Nutritionals, the marketers of sucralose, because of the negative results. However they encouraged the company to continue researching until they "got it right". McNeil simply lowered the levels of sucralose used in their studies until an acceptable limit was found. After several tries, sucralose was finally approved.

Stevia, a safe alternative
A great many varieties of artificial sweeteners have been approved, many scandalously, despite the fact that safe, natural alternativesexist. Stevia, for instance, is a sweet herb from South America that is up to 300 times sweeter than sugar. Claiming inadequate safety research, the FDA has long refused the herb from being included on the "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) list.

Up until last year, all forms of stevia could only be sold as dietary supplements. The extract could not be labeled as a "sweetener" and it could not be included in any food items.

Once the parent companies of both Pepsi and Coca-Cola discovered how to manipulate and patent a segment of stevia, however, it suddenly became safe to use as a sweetener and is now sold on grocery store shelves in packets similar to the artificial sweeteners. The FDA reluctantly added the natural stevia extract to the GRAS list as well.

Stick with natural and unprocessed:
When it comes to health, a person's best bet is to avoid artificial sweeteners altogether. There are plenty of preferable, safe alternatives such as stevia which will allow for a little extra sweetness without all the harmful side effects.

Sources for this story include:
http://www.aspartamesafety.com

The results of this new study are very important to everyone - more importantly, to those with a genetic predisposition to kidney disease. The study focuses mostly on diet drinks, but chewing gums, which virtually all now contain aspartame and/or the super-aspartame Neotame, which is blocked from all ingredient lists, even though the products contain neotame, the new NutraSweet product 13,000 times sweeter than sugar. I have all the science saying how the buccal/sublingual absorption through the mouth is perhaps the most efficient transport system of all - taking toxins directly into the brain and bloodstream from the mouth and throat. (MNS)

Articles Related to This Article:

• The link between aspartame and brain tumors: What the FDA never told you about artificial sweeteners

• Aspartame consumption strongly associated with migraines and seizures

• Aspartame promotes grand mal seizures, say health experts

• Aspartame found to cause breast cancer, leukemia and lymphomas in latest animal experiments

• Nutrasweet - A Look at the History of Deception Behind Its Marketing (Part 2)


Related Articles:
• The link between aspartame and brain tumors: What the FDA never told you about artificial sweeteners.
• Aspartame consumption strongly associated with migraines and seizures.
• Aspartame promotes grand mal seizures, say health experts
• Aspartame found to cause breast cancer, leukemia and lymphomas in latest animal experiment.
• Nutrasweet - A Look at the History of Deception Behind Its Marketing (Part 2)

Tags: Aspartame, Artificial Sweeteners, FDA, NutraSweet, Equal, Sugar, Mary Nash Stoddard, pilots, Aspartame Consumer Safety Network and Pilot Hotline

Aspartame: The Real Story

by Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D. 

Sugar is bad for you, right? It has calories and makes you fat. Therefore, anything that tastes sweet and doesn't have calories is preferable, because it won't make you fat. Right? That is the thinking that supports the widespread use of artificial sweeteners. Millions of people guzzle soft drinks sweetened with aspartame, the compound sold under the trade names Nutrasweet and Equal. This ingredient is found in all kinds of diet foods, in toothpaste, and sprinkled out of small packets into coffee and tea. It is sold worldwide. It is also associated with thousands of reports of adverse effects. Most of the information that follows was taken from the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network Fact Sheet, written by Lendon Smith, MD, former Network Physician at NBC-TV and well-known author and pediatrician. Aspartame (the technical name is L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanyl-methyl-ester) is considered to be about 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is virtually calorie free. When ingested and metabolized, it breaks down into three substances: phenylalanine (50%), one of the amino acids needed for the production of neurotransmitters essential to brain function. While this sounds OK, it is not: people with PKU (phenylketonuria) are missing the enzymes to break down this amino acid and may end up with an excess that causes brain damage. For susceptible people, phenylalanine will be neurotoxic and might cause seizures. aspartic acid (40%), which can cause brain damage in fetuses methanol (10%), an alcohol wich turns into formaldehyde, a known toxic substance used, among other things, as embalming fluid. Early studies in the 1970's found that aspartic acid causes holes in the brains of mice. (I find this an interesting bit of information, in the light of current concerns with "spongiform encephalopathy," or mad cow disease, and Creuzfeld-Jacob disease, in all of which the brain becomes sponge-like with holes in it). Monkeys fed aspartame died or had grand mal seizures; however, these studies were not submitted to the FDA when approval for aspartame was requested. The request was approved by then FDA commissioner Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr., in 1981, after he overruled the Public Board of Inquiry's recommendation to ban this artificial sweetener. Two months before quitting the post, Hayes approved the use of aspartame in soft drinks, even though the National Soft Drink Association had warned the FDA that aspartame was breaking down in warm climates. From the early '80's, consumer complaints began pouring into the FDA related to aspartame use. Among the symptoms reported are the following: headaches

nausea

vertigo

hearing loss

tinnitus

insomnia

numbness and tingling of extremities

blurred vision

blindness

eye problems

memory loss

slurred speech

mild to suicidal depression

personality changes

violent episodes

mood changes

anxiety attacks

hyperactivity

heart arrhythmia

edema or swelling

gastrointestinal disorders

seizures

skin lesions

muscle cramps

joint pains

fatigue

PMS

menstrual irregularities

chest pain

increased appetite 

Artificial sweeteners can increase appetite because as the sweet taste hits the mouth, a message is passed on to the body that carbohydrates are coming in; then the pancreas swings into action and sends insulin into the bloodstream. As there are no actual carbohydrates, the insulin lowers the blood sugar and appetite increases. In this manner, artificial sweeteners can contribute to hypoglycemia. Scientific studies show mixed results; some find no increase effects on hyperactivity with aspartame, others find that individuals with mood disorders do react with headaches or increased number and severity of depressive symptoms. "Anecdotal reports" are simply people telling what happened to them; while the scientific community does not accept these as valid, sensible human beings might at least pay attention. Where there's smoke there's fire. In addition to the above symptoms, aspartame use can mimic a number of autoimmune diseases. 

In addition to MS, aspartame may also either mimic or trigger the following illnesses: fibromyalgia

chronic fatigue syndrome

Epstein-Barr

post-polio syndrome

lyme disease

epilepsy

hypothyroidism

ADD

Meuniere disease

Alzheimer disease Fortunately, most of these symptoms are reversible, and disappear once aspartame is discontinued. This noxious substance, so ubiquitous in our commercial food supply, should be recalled by the FDA and retested as a drug. As it is not classified as a drug, the manufacturers are not obligated to monitor its adverse effects! Senator Howard Metzenbaum had written a bill warning pregnant women, infants and children against ingesting aspartame, on the suspicion of its relationship to seizures, changes in brain chemistry, and adverse neurological and behavioral symptoms; as is to be expected, the bill got killed. What I found really interesting is that the US Air Force has formally warned all pilots to refrain from consuming aspartame-sweetened diet drinks, as they found them linked to grand mal seizures, vertigo, heart disease, and suicidal depressions. Aspartame interferes with the production of the calming neurotransmitter serotonin. Isn't it really interesting that sales of the antidepressant Prozac, which encourages the production of serotonin, have gone through the roof in the last few years? 

For further information, you can contact the following: 

Aspartame Consumer Safety Network; Mary Nash Stoddard, Founder. P.O. Box 2001 - Frisco, TX 75034; tel. 214-387-4001. E-mail:marystod@airmail.net. Stoddard's book: Deadly Deception Story of Aspartame.

To sweeten your food without white sugar and without artificial sweeteners, stick to the real thing: fruit both fresh and dry, juices, maple syrup, grain malts. Yes, they do have calories like normal food does, but they will not fool and confuse your body, and won't put you at risk for autoimmune or neurological disorders. 

If you really like drinking sweet fizzy drinks, here is a simple recipe: Apple Mint Fizz

1/3 cup unfiltered apple juice

1/3 cup cold mint tea

1/3 cup seltzer water

Mix and enjoy at room temperature or over ice, 

with a slice of lemon if you like. You can make all kinds 

of variations on this recipe with juices, teas, and seltzer water.

Courtesy: Aspartame Consumer Safety Network - www.aspartamesafety.com/