Posted on June 6, 2008 in Latest News
Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure) is marketed as a boon for poor diabetics who are deprived of sweets. Now that it is approved by both the FDA and ADA, diabetics are going quite off the board in its consumption. Not only diabetics, anyone who wants to replace 18 calories of a teaspoon of sugar with Zero Calorie Aspartame are on the border of potential health hazards.
What is Aspartame made up of?
Aspartame is made up of 40% Aspartic Acid, 50% of Phenylalanine and 10% of Methanol/Wood Alcohol. All the three components of Aspartame are hazardous to human health.
Aspartic acid is an amino acid. Once it enters our body it acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain. It affects the transmission from neuron to neuron. If taken in large quantities Aspartic acid may result over excitement of neural cells and that can end up killing them. It causes problems like fatigue, nausea, abdominal pains, anxiety attacks, depression, sleep problems, vision problems, asthma/chest tightness, and headaches/migraines.
Phenylalanine is also an amino acid which is also found in the brain. Taking Aspartame with Carbohydrates leads to high levels of Phenylalanine. High levels of Phenylalanine can decrease seratonin levels. This can lead to emotional disorders like depression.
Methanol or Wood Poison is a deadly poison. Methanol is oxidized down into Formic Acid or Formaldehyde in the body. Formaldehyde is also known as a Carcinogen. It causes retinal damage in people. Methanol Poisoning leads to wide range of health problems from gastrointestinal disturbances, headaches, ear buzzing, dizziness, nausea, weakness, vertigo, chills, behavioral disturbances, memory lapses, numbness and shooting pains in the extremities, and neuritis to problems like blurring of vision, progressive contraction of visual fields misty vision, and blindness.
Aspartame is deadly for diabetics. It causes
* Causes convulsions.
* precipitation of clinical diabetes.
* poorer diabetic control in diabetics on insulin or oral drugs
* aggravation of diabetic complications such as retinopathy, cataracts, neuropathy and gastro paresis.
Why has FDA and ADA approved Aspartame?
You may ask me, when Aspartame is so harmful why has the FDA approved it? Lets look at Aspartame’s eventful history for that –
Aspartame was discovered by accident in 1965 when James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company, was testing an anti-ulcer drug.
Aspartame was not approved until 1981, in dry foods. FDA tested Aspartame on lab animals and found out that it led to seizures and brain tumors. The FDA was firm on its decision. But when President Reagan took office and fired the FDA Commissioner who wouldn’t approve it. Reagan was a dear friend of the owner of Searle Company.
President Reagan appointed Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes as commissioner of the FDA. When Hayes wanted to approve Aspartame he faced a lot of opposition. A Board of Inquiry was set up. The Board said: “Do not approve aspartame”. Dr. Hayes overruled his own Board of Inquiry.
Once Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes as the Commissioner of FDA approved the use of aspartame in carbonated beverages, he left for a his job for a high ranking position in G.D. Searle’s Public Relations firm.
The choice is yours… whether you chose health or taste… its up to you!
Comments
Leave a Reply
