------------------ Mr. Mark Gold I am familiar with the world scientific literature on aspartame and have helped put together summaries for scientists and physicians in various countries. So, I would be happy to address the situation. First, let me point out that nearly 100% of the independent research (e.g., not conducted or sponsored by Monsanto or aspartame industry groups) has found problems with aspartame. When it comes to industry-funded research, abstracts are often put together like press releases (for physicians), leaving out key information. Most of the abstracts listed in the post are from severely flawed research or research not relevant to the safety of aspartame. But before I address the abstracts that were posted, I will briefly outline a subset of the problems with aspartame. Given the brievity, this outline will not be referenced. However, there are extensively- referenced FAQs in the Scientific Section of my web page. I encourage those to be read and the research to be followed up on (not just the abstracts -- which can say almost anything!). The web page is: http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/ Note: Healthier Sweetener Alternatives so you doesn't switch from one toxic sweetener to another problematic sweetener: http://www.holisticmed.com/sweet/ ------------------ Aspartame is a dipeptide, but breaks down into the following chemicals: methanol (wood alchol) -- whether aspartame is heated or not, aspartic acid, phenylalanine, aspartylphenylalanine diketopiperazine (DKP), beta-aspartame, and a few odds and ends. The methanol is absorbed and converted to formaldehyde in the body. Formaldehyde is known to cause damage to the immune system, nervous system, and irreversible genetic damage at very low-level, long-term exposure. The most recent evidence (this year) indicates that the formaldehyde from aspartame ingestion accumulates in the body as "adducts": "These are indeed extremely high levels for adducts of formaldehyde, a substance responsible for chronic deleterious effects that has also been considered carcinogenic. .... "It is concluded that aspartame consumption may constitute a hazard because of its contribution to the formation of formaldehyde adducts." [Life Sci. (scientific journal), Vol. 63, No. 5, pp. 337+, 1998] A few comments from independent research scientists regarding this and other recent aspartame research: "It was a very interesting paper, that demonstrates that formaldehyde formation from aspartame ingestion is very common and does indeed accumulate within the cell, reacting with cellular proteins (mostly enzymes) and DNA (both mitochondrial and nuclear). The fact that it accumulates with each dose, indicates grave consequences among those who consume diet drinks and foodstuffs on a daily basis." [Neuroscietist] "...following aspartame ingestion, methanol or formaldehyde is distributed all over the place. Even more striking is the fact that formaldehyde accumulates. That's scary." [Neuroscience Researcher] The independent scientists and physicians who claim that aspartame causes toxicity, base their claims on three areas: a. Significant toxicity of aspartame metabolites (e.g., formaldehyde) seen in numerous scientific studies. b. Nearly 100% of the independent research has found problems with aspartame. This includes animal studies and controlled human studies as well as double-blind studies). c. An enormous number of people have reported serious toxicity reactions from extended use of aspartame including seizures, vision loss, neuropathy symptoms, loss of blood sugar control, nausea, memory loss, depression, and other signs of gradual damage to the body's neurological and immunological systems. More detail on a. - c. follows (a bit long): a. Toxic metabolites. Aspartame breaks down into methanol (wood alcohol) -- whether it is heated or not, free-form aspartic acid, aspartylphenylalanine diketopiperazine (DKP), phenylalanine, beta-aspartame, and a few other chemicals. The methanol, free-form aspartic acid and DKP appear to represent the most significant hazards: i. Methanol -- is absorbed and converted to formaldehyde. Formaldehyde has been shown to cause gradual damage to the immune system, nervous system, and irreversible genetic damage. The manufacturer, played a number of games to convince scientists that the methanol--formaldehyde was not a problem. Addressing a few: 1) "Methanol is found in alcoholic beverages and fruits at 10 times higher levels than in aspartame" A. Both alcoholic beverages and fruits have been shown to contain protective factors which prevent methanol conversion to formaldehyde and subsequent toxicity. 2) "Methanol levels are too low to cause toxicity" A. They are only too low to cause immediate death. They are within the range necessary to cause chronic, low-level poisoning. The same can be said of the formaldehyde. 3) "Methanol levels do not rise after aspartame ingestion." A. The aspartame manufacturers funded 13 years of studies where a 1960's methanol testing procedure was used. The method used was incapable of registering any increase from normal aspartame ingestion. A properly-conducted test in the mid-1980's showed a significant increase from the equivalent of one can of soda in a 30 kg child. 4) "The body contains methanol and formaldehyde already" A. Metabolism does create an extremely low level of methanol and formaldehyde in the body. However, these levels are very tightly controlled. Even as little as 0.75 mg of formaldehyde exposure in children (daily for several months) has been shown to cause chronic toxicity. 5) "Formaldehyde is found in some foods" A. Formaldehyde is extremely toxic once it makes it into the bloodstream and the rest of the body. The digestive system can break down formaldehyde before it reaches the bloodstream. With aspartame, however, it is absorbed as methanol and breaks down into formaldehyde after it is already in the bloodstream. (Actualy, methanol is break down into formic acid in other areas such as the eye, for example.) 6) "People ingesting aspartame do not have increases in formic acid levels" A. Formaldehyde breaks down into formic acid (aka formate) in the body. However, it appears that with aspartame, the formaldehyde accumulates in the body as "adducts." Even if it didn't though, having excess levels of formaldehyde passing through the body is a significant toxicity hazard. The manufacturers used urine formic acid measurements. It has recently been shown that such measurements are not reliable for low-level, chronic formaldehyde poisoning. The technique they used for plasma formic acid measurements was flawed and has been called "notoriously inaccurate" by one formic acid researcher. ii. Aspartic acid. It is well-known that excitotoxic amino acids such as aspartic acid can be used in conjunction with formaldehyde to increase pain and adverse effects on the nervous system. The aspartic acid is in "free-form" (unbound to protein), so unike food, it is absorbed suddently, bypassing the normal absorption and metabolism process. Combining this with formaldehyde from aspartame is bound to increase the gradual damage. iii. Aspartylphenylalanine diketopiperazine (DKP) The DKP is suspected to be converted in the gut into a potential brain tumor agent. One of the most reknowned neuroscientists in the world called this an "enormously complex subject" so this piece won't go into too many details. There were two pre-approval studies which showed (upon *independent* review) to cause dose-related brain tumors in the test animals. DKP appears to be able to cause mutations (although I think the formaldehyde could be a candidate as well). A recent review of the epidemiological data shows a rise in certain types of brain tumors (the same in the animals) in the most susceptible population group within several years after aspartame came on the market. 1) "A recent study (Gurney) did not show a rise in brain tumors" A. That study looked at children. Children would be considered to be the least likely population group to experience the aspartame-caused brain tumor. The study by Olney focused on the middle aged and older population group. 2) "Brain tumors rates have been increasing since before aspartame was approved." A. A brain tumor in adults can take many years or decades to become large and easily detectable. Aspartame couldn't have been the original cause of these brain tumors because it wasn't on the market long enough. However, it is known that certain less deadly brain tumors can transform into more deadly and larger forms in a shorter period of time. If aspartame was a brain tumor agent, that is what we would see first. Olney showed that in the most susceptible population group, there has been an enormous increase in these deadly types of brain tumors since within a few years after aspartame appeared on the market. Of course, there has been a corresponding decrease in the less deadly types of brain tumors during that time. That is why the *overall* brain tumor rate looks somewhat stable. So, whenever some government official talks about *overall* brain tumor rates, they clearly didn't read the Olney study. 3) "Ishii study in Japan showed that aspartame didn't cause brain tumors" A. The study was conducted by a close business partner of the manufacturer. At the time, this company who was leading the International Technical Glutamate Committee and sponsoring research with aspartame hidden in the beverages given to the control group during double-blind MSG "research." There is a long history of what I think is clearly scientific fraud on the part of this group who sponsored the research. Still, even if the study is accepted, there are two pre-approval studies with opposite results. 4) "The animals were given high doses of aspartame" A. The metabolites of aspartame are anywhere from 5 to 60 times more toxic in humans than in rodents (dependent upon the metabolite). So high doses are required to simulate human ingestion. b. Independent studies find problems Please see: Survey of the Scientific Literature by Researcher http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/100.html The reason the manufacturers studies never find problems (at least never report them in the abstract) is that they play games (not unlike the tobacco industry). For example, nearly 100% of the subjects in their aspartame and seizure studies were on anti-seizure medication. Another study found that aspartame caused more problems than placebo, so they split up the reactions into enough tiny categories so they could claim in the abstract that there was no significant difference within the categories (e.g., 1 reaction to aspartame in a tiny category is not a significant difference (statistically) than 0 reactions to placebo in that category). (Note: this severely flawed study is often passed around on the Net. It is: "Safety of Long-Term Large Doses of Aspartame," Archives of Internal Medicine, Volume 149, page 2318-2324) c. Number of and types toxicity reactions. Please see the following for an analysis: Reported Aspartame Reactions http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/suffer.faq and the following page for samples of cases: Samples of Reported Toxicity Reactions http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/adverse.txt ------------------ Now, let's get to these manufacturer-sponsored studies. There are many more than what was listed. Nearly all of them are badly flawed (but sound convincing as abstracts). Am J Clin Nutr 1998 Sep;68(3):531-7 Aspartame: neuropsychologic and neurophysiologic evaluation of acute and chronic effects. Spiers PA, Sabounjian L, Reiner A, Myers DK, Wurtman J, Schomer DL This is typical of the Monsanto-sponsored research in that it was a relatively short study. Severe reactions to aspartame poisoning usually do not occur for many weeks, months, or sometimes years after exposure begins. As shown in the previous post, formaldehyde accumulates and leads to gradual neurological, immunological, and genetic damage. In addition, the overwhelming majority of the aspartame was taken in capsules. Capsules dissolve slowly. Instead of the quick absorption of methanol (wood alcohol), excitotoxin, DKP, etc. from aspartame as normally occurs, the breakdown chemicals are absorbed slowly giving the body more of a chance to handle to toxic substances. Independent research tends to be designed and conducted with the intention of actually testing the substance. Unfortunately, this was not done by these Monsanto-sponsored researchers. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1998 May;63(5):580-93 Treatment of osteoarthritis with aspartame. Edmundson AB, Manion CV This study lasted less than *one day*! Free-form phenylalanine (which is a breakdown product from aspartame) has been shown to have some ability to temporarily relieve pain. But this study has nothing to do with regular doses of formaldehyde, excitotoxins, and DKP from aspartame. It should also be noted that the researcher is a patent holder on the [mis]use of aspartame to "treat" osteoarthritis. The reality is that arthritis symptoms are common from medium-term and long-term use of aspartame. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1998 Jan;83(1):165-8 Aspartame ingestion increases urinary calcium, but not oxalate excretion, in healthy subjects. Nguyen UN, Dumoulin G, Henriet MT, Regnard J Not relevant to aspartame toxicity. Age Ageing 1996 May;25(3):217-20 Aspartame pharmacokinetics - the effect of ageing. Puthrasingam S, Heybroek WM, Johnston A, Maskrey V, Swift CG, Turner P, Abrams SM, Jackson SH These researchers attempted to determine safety from a single dose of aspartame! They measured little that is relevant to aspartame toxicity issues. Am J Clin Nutr 1995 Dec;62(6):1206-11 Erythrocyte L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine hydrolase activity and plasma phenylalanine and aspartate concentrations in children consuming diets high in aspartame. Stegink LD, Lindgren SD, Brummel MC, Stumbo PJ, Wolraich ML This study gave *sugar-sensitive* children aspartame in addition to saccharin and sucrose. The study averaged the results of cognitive tests. The problem with that is that some children report hyperactivity symptoms from aspartame while others report that is makes them sleepy: Re: are fat-free foods just as good as regular foods? Date 8 Jan 1996 06:51:00 -0500 Newsgroups alt.food.fat-free I do not use sugar substitutes, I just regulate the amount of sugar I use period. I also have found that if I eat Nutrasweet it affects me like a sleeping pill. Every so often I have a craving for ice cream. My favorite is Breyer's, but one time, I decided to go "healthy" and get Healthy Choice. It put me to sleep. I thought it only affected me, so I fed it to my niece and nephew. They knocked out cold. Now if they ask for ice cream at my house, they always ask not to be given the "sleepy ice cream". ------------------ AOL Post Subj: Allergy? Date: 97-02-02 13:07:24 EST My son, who is 7, developed an allergy to nutrasweet when he was about 3. It alters his behavior. It is like Jekyl and Hyde right before your eyes. He gets so aggressive and hyper and he can not be controlled. Any one else have this problem? I thought it was sugar that was making him hyper and we put him on a sugar frre diet when he was 3. About 30 minutes after ingesting it, he went crazy. We tried this off and on for about a week and had the same results. He has had nutrasweet since then and it still makes him crazy. So, when you average the results (and use sugar-sensitive children), it may appear that there where not statistical changes even though some children got more hyper and some slowed down. Of course, sleepiness and hyperactivity is not the major concern with slow poisoning from aspartame! Best Wishes, - Mark mgold@tiac.net