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Jul 27, 2009 00:38

Type your cut conAspartame
(Artificial sweetener: Trade Name Equal and NutraSweet)

As a natural health consultant I’m always trying to convince people to eat less sugar. But sometimes a little big of sugar is much healthier than some of the artificial alternatives.

There are far worse things than sugar hiding in your food.

Aspartame, the artificial sweetener also known as Equal and NutraSweet was first approved for use in dry foods in 1981. Its approval by the American FDA which paved the way for approval throughout the rest of the world was highly controversial. The FDA commissioner, Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes who approved its use over ruled his departments own board of enquiry who recommended against approving aspartame for use in food. Shortly after approving aspartame, Dr. Hayes left the FDA to take up a very well paid position in public relations for the pharmaceutical giant, Searle, who produced aspartame and pushed hard for its approval. For more info on the checkered past of aspartame and dirty politics visit Sound and Fury Productions the makers of the documentary Sweet Misery

Why is aspartame so bad for you?
  • Aspartame is broken down or metabolised into the well known toxin, methanol (wood alcohol).
  • Methanol is then converted to formaldehyde and formic acid (which is responsible for the pain caused by ant stings).
  • Formaldehyde is a potent neurotoxin and causes damage to the nervous system.

Other documented effects of methanol poisoning include vision problems and problems with DNA replication which can cause cancer and birth defects. The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) classes’ methanol as an ‘accumulative poison’ as it is excreted slowly once absorbed into the body. This means that even very small amounts of aspartame can be toxic if taken on a daily basis. When taken on an empty stomach, the metabolism of aspartame to these toxic byproducts is accelerated - ironic when you consider that most people who use this artificial sweetener are in fact dieters eating aspartame laced unhealthy foods and meal replacements.

When aspartame is heated to temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, large amounts of free methanol are produced resulting in greater toxic reactions due to faster absorption. Despite this, in 1993 it was approved for use in foods that would be heated to high temperatures such as jelly, cakes, biscuits and puddings. Aspartame toxicity is believed to be responsible for ‘Gulf War Syndrome’ caused by diet cordial and soft drinks consumed by troops that had been heated to temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius in the Saudi Arabian sun.

Some of the toxic reactions caused by Aspartame and acknowledged by the FDA include:
• ADHD
• Anxiety attacks
• Asthma
• Birth defects
• Blood sugar control problems
• Chronic cough
• Chronic fatigue
• Depression
• Headaches and Migraines
• Facial flushing
• Heart palpitations
• Hearing loss
• Insomnia
• Numbness or Tingling of extremities
• Seizures and convulsions
• Tinnitus
• Vertigo
• Vision loss
• Weight gain

Aspartame can also mimic or worsen the following disease:

• Fibromyalgia
• Multiple sclerosis
• Lupus
• Diabetes
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Multiple chemical sensitivity
• Epilepsy
tents here.
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