| 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. Opening pages "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 interfering 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. "The Deadly Deception" cites chapter and verse of the cover-up 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 ofsaccharin was being questioned. The time seemed ripe for ASP.1971 - Dr. John Olney, a research psychiatrist, told Searle that asparticacid 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 ThomasSullivan, 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: dead lock. 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 overruled the Public Board of Inquiry's recommended ban of ASP. He said his approval was part of the Reagan administration's new reform! Through out 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.) |
 |
 |