aspartameIf you’re like me, you probably heard that aspartame isn’t really that good for you but continue to be skeptical. That was me, I used aspartame in my coffee and tea for decades with no negative results.

I liked the way it tasted. I also drank it in a occasional diet soda. I guess I figured it was a necessary poison to keep me from gaining too much weight. Funny thing though, I still gained weight.

Then as my health started to fall apart around the age of 50, I began to question my lifestyle and what I could be doing different to prevent my current health meltdown. Deciding then to take a more active approach to improving my health, I finally did some research on Aspartame and it’s dangers. It was then that I discovered how really bad aspartame was.

Here are some of the facts I found out about aspartame that may shock you. Aspartame was not approved until 1981, in dry foods. For over eight years, the FDA refused to approve it because of the seizures and brain tumors this drug produced in lab animals. The FDA continued to refuse to approve it until President Reagan took office (a friend of Searle) and fired the FDA Commissioner who wouldn’t approve it. Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes was appointed as commissioner. Even then, there was so much opposition to approval, that a Board of Inquiry was set up. The Board said: “Do not approve aspartame.” Dr. Hayes OVERRULED his own Board of Inquiry.

Shortly after Commissioner Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr., approved the use of aspartame in carbonated beverages, he left for a position with G.D. Searle’s Public Relations firm. That should raise some eyebrows, but probably didn’t.

Aspartame has been shown to cause a slow and silent damage to the body that many unfortunate individuals are not aware of for many years. It seems to cause some reversible and some irreversible changes in health over long-term use.

According to researchers and physicians studying the adverse effects of aspartame, the following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame: Brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, mental retardation, lymphoma,lyme disease, birth defects, lymphoma, lyme disease, birth defects, fibromyalgia, and diabetes, attention deficit disorder (ADD), panic disorder, depression and other psychological disorders.

Do you think it is any accident that Michael J Fox a young actor has Parkinsons’s disease which usually old men get. Michael Fox star of Spin City and spokesman of diet Pepsi said he was addicted to drinking many a day. Could aspartame be responsible for his disease?

What exactly is Aspartame?

The components of Aspartame: Aspartame is composed of 40% aspartic acid, 50% phenylalanine and 10% methanol.

Although aspartic acid is produced in minute amounts by the body, the amount ingested by consuming aspartame is so excessive that it destroys neurons. It creates excessive firing of neurotransmitters in certain areas of the brain where they eventually burn out or are damaged.

Phenylalanine is also produced naturally by the body, like aspartic acid, in very small amounts. The elevated levels of phenylalanine as found in aspartame, damage the hypothalamus, the gland responsible for weight regulation, and has also been determined to cause schizophrenia and susceptibility to seizures.

Methanol [AKA wood alcohol/poison, 10% of aspartame]: Methanol/wood alcohol is a deadly poison. Methanol is gradually released in the small intestine when the methyl group of aspartame encounter the enzyme chymotrypsin.

The absorption of methanol into the body is sped up considerably when free methanol is ingested. Free methanol is created from aspartame when it is heated to above 86 Fahrenheit (30 Centigrade). This would occur when aspartame-containing product is improperly stored or when it is heated (e.g., as part of a “food” product such as Jello). Methanol breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde in the body. Formaldehyde is a deadly neurotoxin. An EPA assessment of methanol states that methanol “is considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed. In the body, methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde and formic acid; both of these metabolites are toxic.” The recommend a limit of consumption of 7.8 mg/day. A one-liter (approx. 1 quart) aspartame-sweetened beverage contains about 56 mg of methanol. Heavy users of aspartame-containing products consume as much as 250 mg of methanol daily or 32 times the EPA limit.

The most well known problems from methanol poisoning are vision problems. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, causes retinal damage, interferes with DNA replication, and causes birth defects. Due to the lack of a couple of key enzymes, humans are many times more sensitive to the toxic effects of methanol than animals.

Aspartame, Equal or NutraSweet known to be in over 6,000 foods. It’s contained in virtually all diet foods and sodas. How cruel and ironic the fact that aspartame may actually cause weight gain. Phenylalanine and aspartic acid, found in aspartame, stimulate the release of insulin. Rapid, strong spikes in insulin remove all glucose from the blood-stream and store it as fat. This can result in hypoglycemia and sugar cravings. Additionally, it has been demonstrated to inhibit carbohydrate induced synthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which signals that the body is satiated. Inhibition of serotonin leads to food cravings, increased carbohydrate consumption and, ultimately, weight gain. In a recent study, a control group switching to an aspartame-free diet resulted in an average weight loss of 19 pounds.

I think we all know someone who can’t use NutraSweet because it gives them a headache. The evidence is overwhelming but most people including myself, uniformed of aspartame dangers continued to use it on a daily basis for several years. To read more about asparatame and several research studies and their finding go to Doorway To Discovery.

So what about Splenda, it’s made from sugar that should be safe right?

“What Exactly Is Splenda?

Splenda is the trade name for sucralose, a relatively new man-made, artificial sweetener. Johnson & Johnson bought the rights in 1998 to sell sucralose in the United States as Splenda.

Its basic characteristics are: Its taste is nearly identical to sugar because it’s made from sugar

Its “trademark” inability to break down in processing or in storage. Why is Splenda potentially harmful? It contains chlorine, which is a carcinogen. The Splenda marketers insist it is chemically “bound” so it cannot be “released” in the body during digestion.

Dr Janet Hull says that she’s really not sure that this artificial chemical can safely pass through the human body. For more information check out her bookSplenda® Is It Safe Or Not?

You should also be aware that Phenylalanine commonly sold as Splenda has a chlorinated base like DDT and can cause auto-immune disease.

So what can you do if your trying to loose weight? Try a natural sweetener called Stevia. It does take some getting used but the good news it won’t kill you.

Remember you will find a ton of information that says aspartame is safe, aspartame is Big Business. Aspartame has been added to over 9,000 foods. The FDA takes things back off the market all the time that were deemed safe at once.