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ASPARTAME CONSUMER SAFETY NETWORK FACT SHEET
(Written by NBC TV's former Network Physician and world class Pediatrician / Author: Lendon Smith, M.D.)
GREED vs HEALTH Which Will Win?
by Dr. Lendon Smith
I knew there was something wrong with aspartame (ASP, Nutrasweet /Equal),
but I could not quite put my finger on it. Yes, the ingredients are
chemicals found naturally in foods, but is a little different when it is
ingested as a sweetner with little or no "food" around it. I just received
an eye-opener called "THE DEADLY DECEPTION," compiled by the ASPARTAME
CONSUMER SAFETY NETWORK (ACSN, PO Box 780634, Dallas, TX 75378.) Founded
in 1987, it serves as a support group and clearinghouse for vital
information. One of the opening pages hit me:
"85% of all complaints registered with the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) concerns aspartame's adverse reactions."
It is now reported that FIVE DEATHS and at least 70 different symptoms have
resulted from its use. The list includes neurological, dermatological,
cardiac, respiratory all the symptoms I have ever seen reported for food
sensitivities, low blood sugar, Alzheimer's, Chronic Fatique syndrome,
amalgam-filling disease and methanol poisoning. The Searle Pharmaceutical
Company has actually covered up or, at the very least, failed to report
adverse reactions just so the FDA would allow this product to be used by
millions worldwide. Aspartame (L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanyl-methyl-ester) is
about 200 times as sweet as sugar with virtually no calories. It sounds
ideal for those who need to have the sweet taste, but not the calories.
This compound breaks down in the system to:
1) phenylalanine (50%) which can be neurotoxic and in some susceptible
people will cause seizures
2) aspartic acid (40%) which can cause brain damage in the developing brain
3) methanol (10%) which turns into formaldehyde embalming fluid an
obvious toxin.
They all have adverse effects, but not everyone is affected equally. This
is why the scientific community is having trouble evaluating these
anecdotal reports. But I think you can see why Searle and the FDA have
minimized the adverse reactions; there might be a loss of revenue.The
symptoms easily might lead a doctor to make a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome. These chemicals "change the ratio of the amino acids in the
blood stream."
The MENTAL SYMPTOMS that ASP can produce in a person is thought to be
related to the increase in violence and suicides in our population. ASP
causes a blockage of the formation of serotonin in the brain. Since
tryptophan has been taken off the market by the FDA, there are many people
who cannot make enough serotonin from their food, and they are more
suseptible to insomnia, depression, and/or PMS. If these genetically
deficient people are also swallowing ASP, they will more readily have
headaches, insomnia, depression, hostility, anxiety, and a host of other
negative symptoms. No wonder sales of the new drug, Prozac, have
skyrocketed. ASP is known to disturb thyroid function. The pituitary uses
serotonin as its neurotransmitter to tell the thyroid what to do. ASP will
inhibit the formation of that neurotransmitter. It can do anything. These
ingredients may not actually cause mental problems but can certainly
trigger them by interferring with the ratio of the various brain
neurotransmitters. It is the same with sugar, additives, alcohol, or food
sensitivities. A person may be susceptible to brain chemical alterations,
but the reaction only occurs when there is stress plus the ingestion of
ASP.
MARY NASH STODDARD, who heads up the ACSN, has been diagnosed with that
devastating EMS
(EosinophiliaMyalgia Syndrome) because of her severe generalized aches and
an elevated eosinophil count. When she stopped the ASP the disease
disappeared. (And we all thought that disease was only due to the tainted
tryptophan from the Japanese company.) The FDA and Searle (the Nutrasweet
Co.) claim that all the symptoms reported are just anecdotal, and these
people should see their doctor for a definitive diagnosis. (most of them
have, and the doctor could not name the disease.) Three out of five of the
negative responders have headaches, to the point of being diagnosed as
migraines.This company feels that because so many millions of doses are
being taken everyday and the numbers of reactions are so few, ASP is very
safe as a sugar substitute. But if people are using ASP as a sugar
substitute they are living in a fools' paradise. Research has shown that
most people who are sensitive to ASP will notice an increase in hunger
pangs. The blood sugar actually falls when the sweet taste in the mouth
from the ASP send a message to the brain that some sugar is going down the
gullet, and the pancreas better kick in with some extra insulin.I think
that most intelligent people might notice that they do not feel good after
drinking ASP loaded drinks and just quit the stuff. When the symptoms
disappear, we would not necessarily call Searle or the FDA. Many people
cannot drink red wine, or eat chocolate, but they do not call the companies
or sue the grocer.
"The Deadly Deception" cites chapter and verse of the coverup by Searle and
the FDA. Here are some highlights from the book "The Deadly Deception":
1969 - Dr. Harry Waisman fed ASP mixed with milk to monkeys. One died
after 300 days of ASP and five others had grand mal seizures. Searle
deleted this negative study when the company submitted safety evidence to
the FDA.
1970 - The FDA banned cyclamate during the time that the safety of
saccharin was being questioned. The time seemed ripe for ASP.
1971 - Dr. John Olney, a research psychiatrist, told Searle that aspartic
acid caused "holes in the brains of mice."
1974 - Searle people said these studies raised "no health problems."
Searle told the FDA about these findings after approval was granted.
1975 - Many of the test animals fed ASP developed large TUMORS. These were
NOT reported to the FDA.
1977 - Despite the many complaints about ASP, William Conlon and Thomas
Sullivan, the US attorneys, took no action, in five years the statute of
limitations for a grand jury investigation expired. A year later Conlon
took a position with the law firm that represents Searle. (U.S. Attorney,
Samuel Skinner did the same and ended up Chief of Staff in Bush's White
House. ed.)
1980 - A Public Board of Inquiry of three scientists was activated. These
(2 MDs and one PhD) voted to ban ASP. Because of those negative findings a
five member Commissioner's Team of Scientists was impaneled: Three said
ban; two said it was safe. Another member was added. You guessed it:
deadlock. Dr. Jacqueline Verrett, PhD, toxicologist on the team said,
"Bureau officials were working up to a whitewash. Safety questions remain
unanswered."
1981 - Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr. was appointed the new FDA Commissioner
and overuled the Public Board of Inquiry's recommended ban of ASP. He said
his approval was part of the Reagan administration's new reform! Throughout
the 1980's Searle has pointed out that the best evidence of ASP's safety
was the fact that it had been approved in more than 60 countries. But
these foreign approvals had been based on these controversial test, and the
questionable approval of the FDA. It was approved as a "food additive," and
hence, exempt from continued safety monitoring. (Searle is not obligated to
monitor any adverse reactions.)
1983 - THE NATIONAL SOFT DRINK ASSOCIATION wrote to the FDA that ASP was
breaking down in warm climates. But the Association later accepted ASP.
Dr. Hayes office approved the use of ASP in soft drinks just two months
before he quit his job as FDA chief. He then obtained a job with a public
relations firm who represents NutraSweet.
1984 - Seven million pounds of NutraSweet are swallowed by about 100,000 peo=
ple.
1985 - Reports of side-effects mount.
1987 - ACSN is founded by Mary Nash Stoddard and consumer advocate, James
Turner. They believe ASP should be recalled and retested as a drug.
(Also, former US Atty. prosecuting G.D. Searle for falsifying original
tests, recused himself at the last minute, taking a position with Sidley &
Austin, Searle's lawfirm. He was later appointed head of the Dept. of
Transportation, over the FAA, and then moved into position of Chief of
Staff in Bush's White House. Skinner was honored by the Epilepsy Foundation
in Chicago as their man-of-the-year. Former MONSANTO ATTORNEY, JUDGE
CLARENCE THOMAS was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, amidst swirling
controversy. Ed.)
A grass-roots effort to stop the use of ASP would be like us common folk
trying to get Columbia to stop producing heroin. If we can't get Searle to
stop (because it is big bucks for them) we can at least ask our patients
and friends to STOP USING IT IF THEY HAVE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING SYMPTOMS:
Headaches
Nausea
Vertigo
Hearing Loss
Tinnitus
Insomnia
Numbness of Extremities
Blurred Vision
Blindness/Eye Problems
Memory Loss
Slurred Speech
Mild to Suicidal Depression
Personality Changes
Mood Changes
Anxiety Attacks
Hyperactivity (child or adult)
Gastrointestinal Disorders
Seizures
Skin Lesions
Muscle Cramps
Joint Pain
=46atigue
PMS
Menstrual Irregularities
Chest Pain
Arrythmia
Edema
Increased Appetite
Sensitive people would more likely notice the connection between ingestion
and symptoms. Some people do not notice anything until they stop taking
ASP in any form, and then they feel marvelous.
Death is also listed as a symptom.
ASPARTAME MAY TRIGGER OR MIMIC THE FOLLOWING ILLNESSES:
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Epstein-Barr
Post-Polio Syndrome
Lyme Disease
Meniere's Disease
Alzheimer's Disease
ALS
Epilepsy
Multiple Sclerosis
EMS
Hypothyroidism
Mercury Sensitivity from Amalgam Fillings
(add: Fibromyalgia, Graves, Lupus, non Hodgkins Lymphoma, ADD as well. Ed.)
These are more than allergies or sensitivities. We're talking about ASP
actually producing diseases, or disease syndromes.How does one take Searle
to court for damages? Are there more suicides now because tryptophan is not
available? ASP causes a blockage of levels of serotonin which is the brain
chemical made from tryptophan. We get tryptophan and its end product,
serotonin, if we eat a decent diet, but if we add ASP, we may not be able
to make enough serotonin to keep us from the above symptoms. It was
discovered long ago that serotonin is lower in the brains of the depressed
than in the brains of those not so. Mary Coleman, MD, in the Jr Peds, 78:
985-990, wrote way back in 1971 that the serotonin concentration in the
blood platelets of hyperactive kids was lower than in the not so active.
The hyperactivity of the children became less as the serotonin levels rose.
Vitamin B6 will help to raise the serotonin.
What about this connection: The National Cancer Institute has discovered
an increased incidence of malignant brain tumors in the years following the
1983 licensing of ASP for beverages. In the research on rats ingesting ASP
back in the early 1970's, brain tumors were observed.Doctors are not
helpful to their patients who complain of the above symptoms because the
connection with symptoms and aspartame are anecdotal and there are no tests
for the condition except the improvement when ASP is discontinued. Dr. Paul
Toft, a chiropractor from Alexandria, Minnesota, felt awful until he
stopped ASP. He finds that the media will not touch this controversy,
because, as we all might suspect, it will definitely hurt advertising
revenue.Can you get your patients and friends to write for "The Deadly
Deception," and then do what you can to stop this menace? The Nutrasweet
people have a commercial on TV bragging that they now have 200,000,000
people consuming the ASP in over 4,000 different products. ("That many
people couldn't be wrong!") Next time you're mugged ask the perpetrator if
he is getting ASP; or when you see someone sitting on the sidewalk, tired,
alone and depressed, ask him if he is drinking soft drinks. Chances are,
ASP IS RESPONSIBLE FOR A LOT OF SICKNESS AND CRIME. It is not what Mother
Nature wants us to eat.
(reprinted with permission)
Dr. Lendon Smith's "The Facts", October 1991
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