The creation, and subsequent introduction, of the man-made “poison” called Aspartame is one of the greatest downfalls of mankind over the last 50 years! That is quite a bold statement but it’s true.

I wanted to share this “whistle blower” information with you because it is a subject that has negatively impacted many people I know. Aspartame is deadly and highly political and you’re about to find out why…

Similar to MSG, Aspartame has been pushed onto the market to satisfy the wallets of key individuals and organizations with a vested interest in its success. 

It is the hallmark ingredient of many diet sodas including Diet Coke. After this 2-part series on Aspartame’s side effects you may reconsider ever drinking another diet soda. It definitely has no place in a healthy diet.

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that is marketed under a number of trademark names, including Tropicana Slim, Equal, NutraSweet, Spoonful, and Canderel. In the European Union, it is also known under the E number (additive code) E951.

Millions of people have reported symptoms and ill effects after ingesting Aspartame. In fact, in 1995, FDA Epidemiology Branch Chief Thomas Wilcox reported that Aspartame complaints represented 75% of all reports of adverse reactions to substances in the food supply from 1981 to 1995.

Aspartame Side Effects

Here are some of the wonderful symptoms that have been reported: seizures and convulsions, dizziness, tremors, migraines and severe, headaches, memory loss, slurred of speech, confusion, numbness or tingling of extremities, chronic fatigue, depression, insomnia, irritability, panic attacks, rapid heart beat, tachycardia, asthma, chest pains, hypertension, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, swallowing pain, itching, hives, allergic reactions, menstrual problems, impotency and sexual problems, food cravings and weight gain, hair loss / baldness or thinning of hair, burning urination & other urination problems, bloating, joint pain and brain tumours.

But wait, there’s more! Keep reading to discover the scary ones.

Considering Aspartame’s detrimental effects on the body, it is shockingly still found in more than 6,000 consumer foods and beverages sold worldwide; including, sugar-free chewing gums, some brands of chewable vitamins, and many table condiments.

Most commonly, though, it is the acclaimed artificial sweetener in diet soft drinks, originally gaining mass appeal because its caloric yield is negligible, while still providing a great deal of sweetness. Aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar, without the high energy value of sugar. Food manufacturers instantly saw this as an opportunity to put traditional sugar on the backburner and jump on the “low sugar” bandwagon in response to the growing obesity epidemic beginning in the 1980s. Aspartame is, unfortunately, also one of the sugar substitutes used by people with diabetes.

Shady Science

It should be noted that not all scientific studies have shown Aspartame to be dangerous to humans. Of 164 Aspartame studies relevant to human safety, 74 have had aspartame industry-related sponsorship, while 90 have been funded without any industry money.

Not surprisingly, of the 90 non-industry-sponsored studies, 83 (92%) have identified one or more problems with Aspartame, with 6 of the studies that showed no problems being conducted by the FDA. Shortly, you will learn why even FDA-conducted studies should be considered with caution.

Ironically, of the 74 Aspartame industry-sponsored studies, all 74 (100%) claimed that no problems were found with Aspartame!

The Birth of a Monster

Aspartame was discovered accidentally in 1965 by James M. Schlatter, a chemist working for pharmaceutical giant G.D. Searle & Company (now Pfizer, Inc.). Schlatter had synthesized Aspartame in the course of producing an anti-ulcer drug and discovered its sweet taste mistakenly when he licked his finger, which had accidentally become tainted with a touch of the new chemical.

However, it wasn’t until several years later, in 1981, that Aspartame was approved for use in dry foods. For several years, the FDA refused to approve it because of the seizures and brain tumors the harmful sugar substitute was producing in lab animals.

In 1980, the FDA convened a Public Board of Inquiry (PBOI) consisting of independent advisors whose responsibility it was to examine the reported relationship between Aspartame and brain cancer. The PBOI concluded that Aspartame does not cause brain damage, but it did recommend against approving aspartame at that time, citing unanswered questions about cancer in laboratory rats.

Shortly after, The Bressler Report, which compared all the available raw data and summary data on Aspartame against the manufacturer’s FDA submission, found missing raw data, numerous errors, and discrepancies in the available data. Regardless, the FDA chose to ignore Bressler’s report.

Wow, what a surprise!

Amazingly, at that point in time, there was no requirement in place in FDA regulations to include brain research in the approval process! Only cancer research was deemed important enough to be considered by the FDA during the approval process.

Prior to 1981, then FDA commissioner, Jere E. Goyan would not approve the use of aspartame due to several studies documenting increase cancers in rats. However, his reign quickly ended on the first day of Ronald Reagan’s presidency in 1981.

Here’s What Happened…

Upon Reagan’s introduction to the White House, Donald Rumsfeld (former congressman, former White House chief of staff, and former secretary of defense) joined the Reagan transition team. At that time, and from 1977 to 1985, Rumsfeld was the president and CEO of G.D. Searle, mainly because of his influence within the White House!

In January 1981, Rumsfeld expressed that his mission was to get Aspartame approved by the end of the year. On January 25th, the day the new president took office, the previous FDA commissioner’s authority was suspended, and the next month, the commissioner’s job went to Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes.

Hayes was a medical doctor, a professor, and a Defense Department contract researcher.
In July 1981, Hayes approved Aspartame as a food additive despite a strong recommendation from an FDA Public Board of Inquiry (PBOI) to do otherwise.

Two years later, Hayes’ last decision was the approval of Aspartame for soft drinks and carbonated beverages.

As a Congressional Record, Senate, S5497, May 7, l985 states:

“Hayes’ decisions to approve Aspartame for use in dry foods such as cereals in l981 and soft drinks in l983 does not square with the role the FDA is supposed to play. The FDA is the government agency that reviews and approves all tests submitted by companies before allowing food additives on the market. The law requires a manufacturer – in this case Searle – to prove to the satisfaction of the FDA that there is a “reasonable certainty” that a food additive is safe. The government does not have to prove that it is harmful – an important distinction. If tests are inconclusive, an additive is not supposed to be approved by the FDA.”

Following the approval of Aspartame in soft drinks and after being under fire for accepting corporate gifts, Hayes left the FDA and went to Searle’s public relations firm (Burston-Marsteller) as senior medical advisor where he was allegedly paid $1,000 per day!

Shortly after the FDA soft-drink approval (1983), Searle began test marketing aspartame, and complaints began to arrive at the FDA of such reactions as dizziness, blurred vision, headaches, and seizures. The complaints were more numerous and more serious than the agency had ever received on any food additive.

In 1985, the FDA asked the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to review the first 650 complaints (there are now over 10,000). The CDC found that the more than 92 symptoms in approximately 25% of the complainants had stopped and then restarted, corresponding with a respective stop and then restart, either purposely or by accident, of Aspartame consumption.

Considering Aspartame’s economic potential (more than $1 billion/year in profit), Monsanto, the world’s largest conventional seed and agricultural biotechnology company, purchased Searle late in 1985 (although later selling it in 2000). In this merger, Searle’s Aspartame business became a separate Monsanto subsidiary, the NutraSweet Company – a name coined by Searle lawyer, Robert Shapiro, who subsequently became president and CEO of Monsanto.

Donald Rumsfeld reportedly earned $12 million from increased stock value when G. D. Searle & Company was sold to Monsanto!

By 1993, Aspartame had outrageously been approved for use in other beverages, baked goods, and confectionary goods. In 1996, the FDA removed all restrictions from Aspartame allowing it to be used in all foods!

Amazingly, Aspartame has also been investigated and approved by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization and by the World Health Organization.

STAY TUNED FOR PART 2 (coming tomorrow) where we’ll look at the dangers of aspartame. You won’t want miss it!

 

References:

Food Chemical News, June 12, 1995, Page 27.

http://presidiotex.com/bressler/

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/answers/ans00772.html

http://www.wnho.net/aspartame_interacts.htm

Mark Mazzetti; Richard J. Newman; Kenneth T. Walsh; Kevin Whitelaw; Jeff Glasser (2001-12-17). “Rumsfeld Way”, U.S. News & World Report, p. 20.

Debunking the “Official Aspartame Myth, http://www.dorway.com/offasprt.html

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