http://rockcreekfreepress.tumblr.com/post/35324640/aspartame-sweet-but-dange rous
Washington, DC The Rock Creek Free Press: A fiercely independent newspaper, not afraid to print the truth. Contact us at: [email protected] May 19 <http://rockcreekfreepress.tumblr.com/post/35324640/aspartame-sweet-but-dang erous> Permalink _____ <http://rockcreekfreepress.tumblr.com/post/35324640/aspartame-sweet-but-dang erous> Aspartame: Sweet But Dangerous BY ELAINE SULLIVAN / RCFP Aspartame is one of the most controversial food additives in history. Aspartame, a combination of two amino acids phenylalanine and aspartic acid, is sold commercially under names like Nutrasweet, Equal and Candereal, and can be found in more than 5,000 foods, including sodas, chewing gum, tabletop sweeteners, diet and diabetic foods, breakfast cereals, jams, sweets, vitamins, prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Approximately 2/3 of the adult population and 1/3 of children regularly ingest this artificial sweetener. Aspartame was approved as a food additive by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1981, but the debate about its safety continues. Aspartame chemistryAspartame was discovered by a chemist working at the pharmaceutical manufacturer GD Searle in December 1965. Searle began safety tests for FDA approval in 1967. The first study conducted by Dr. Harry Waisman, director of the University of Wisconsin's Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Memorial Laboratory of Mental Retardation Research and a respected expert in the toxicity of phenylalanine, studied the effects of aspartame on primates. Of seven monkeys fed aspartame mixed with milk, one died and five others had grand mal epileptic seizures. Dr. John Olney, professor of neuropathology and psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine informed Searle in 1971 that his studies show that aspartic acid, one of the main components of aspartame causes holes in the brains of infant mice. This is confirmed by one of Searle's own researchers, Ann Reynolds. In spite of negative results, in 1973 Searle applied for FDA approval and submitted studies claiming aspartame to be safe, with no mention of the dead monkeys or the holes in the brains of the mice. From 1973 to the present numerous studies by independent researchers have found not only that aspartame is unsafe but that Searle's research has been faulty, at best. An FDA task force concluded in a 1976 report that they found "faulty and fraudulent product testing, knowingly misrepresented product testing, knowingly misrepresented and manipulated test data and instances of irrelevant animal research in all the products reviewed." FDA commissioner Dr. Alexander Schmidt stated "Searle's studies were incredibly sloppy science. What we discovered was reprehensible." But this did not stop Searle from continuing to try to push aspartame through the FDA approval process. In 1977, for the first time in the FDA's history, it requested a criminal investigation of a manufacturer. The FDA chief counsel Richard Merrill formally requested the US Attorney's office to begin grand jury proceeding against Searle. While the grand jury investigation was underway, Sidley & Austin, the law firm representing Searle, began recruitment negotiations with Samuel Skinner, the US attorney in charge of the investigation. Skinner removed himself from the investigation, and was hired by Searle's law firm six months later. Other conflicts of interest have followed including the hiring of Donald Rumsfeld who used political favors to help push through approval of aspartame. In 1981, as a member of the Reagan transition team Rumsfeld was instrumental in promoting Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr. to the post of FDA commissioner. Hayes then ignored the recommendations of his own internal FDA team and gave initial approval for aspartame to be used in dry products. The FDA website gives aspartame only two short paragraphs and states: "To date, FDA has not determined any consistent pattern of symptoms that can be attributed to the use of aspartame, nor is the agency aware of any recent studies that clearly show safety problems." Yet, an April, 1995 report by the Dept. of Health and Human Services reports that the FDA received almost 10,000 complaints attributed to aspartame, enumerating 92 different side effects. These side effects include: headache, dizziness, change in mood, vomiting, abdominal pain/ cramps, change in vision, diarrhea, seizures and convulsions, memory loss, and fatigue, to name just the top ten. A quick search on "aspartame" on the website www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov will provide a researcher with a long list of articles about the health effects of aspartame. One of these articles is "Life-Span Exposure to Low Doses of Aspartame Beginning during Prenatal Life Increases Cancer Effects in Rats", by Morando Soffritti, Fiorella Belppoggi, et al. in Environmental Health Perspective, 2007 September; 115(9): 1293-1297. This article is the result of a second study to better quantify the carcinogenic risk of aspartame. The researchers concluded that the results of the study confirmed and reinforced the first experimental demonstration of aspartame's ".multipotential carcinogenicity at a dose close to the acceptable daily intake for humans. Futhermore, the study demonstrates that when life-span exposure to aspartame begins during fetal life, its carcinogenic effects are increased." The last paragraph of this article reads; "On the basis of the present findings, we believe that a review of the current regulations governing the use of aspartame cannot be delayed. This review is particularly urgent with regard to aspartamecontaining beverages, which are heavily consumed by children." Aspartame proponents consistently gloss over or out right ignore any studies showing adverse health effects from aspartame. Even in the medical journals, you will find researchers defending aspartame. In a response to the Soffritti article, Eyassu Abegaz wrote in "Apartame Not Linked to Cancer", that "The study by Soffritte et al. (2006) has major flaws that bring into question the validity of the findings." But the beginnings of the two articles may shed some light on the disagreement. The Soffritti article states that "The authors declare they have no competing financial interests." The Abegaz article, on the other hand, states that "The author is emploed by Ajinomoto USA, which sells aspartame." So the fight continues. Aspartame was approved by the FDA in 1981 and is with us still today but the process has been full of fraudulent research, conflicts of interest and manipulation of the political process. The FDA has demonstrated once again that they are more interested in the financial health of the drug companies than the health and well being of the American people. Elaine Sullivan is health editor for the Rock Creek Free Press in Washington, DC. For more information: "Aspartame - The Shocking Story of the World's Bestselling Sweetener", The Ecologist, by Pat Thomas, September 2005 *** exposing the hidden truth for further educational research only *** CAVEAT LECTOR *** In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. NOTE: Some links may require cut and paste into your Internet Browser. 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