My doctor has continually begged me not to use any artificial sweeteners because they promote insulin resistance, contributing to weight gain and diabetes.
Today, I happened onto this documentary called Sweet Misery with delves into the details of aspartame. Below are the notes I took while watching the documentary. At the bottom, I have provided all the links to the 10-minute segments of the documentary.
Notes:
Increase in specific brain cancers since 1985, possibly even 1984 has also possibly been linked with aspartame, which hit the market in 1983. Consumption doubled by the following year and climbed into the '90's.
It was fully marketed for pop July-August 1983, six months later, by 1984, the brain tumor rate jumped by 10% in the U.S. and diabetes by 30% and incidence of a very aggressive and unusual lymphoma jumped 60%.
In 1988 80% of food additive complaints submitted to the FDA were of products containing aspartame products. "92 Symptoms" http://www.dorway.com/92symptomsfotocopy.html
Most of the symptoms are neurological (headache, dizziness, change in vision, memory loss, fatigue, rash, etc.). Aspartame affects protein synthesis, brain synapse, and DNA.
It has been known for a long time that consumption of aspartame combined with carbohydrates decreases the availability of L-tryptophan (which is the building block of seratonin).
Research on MSG was found to cause holes in the brains of rats and mice in lab tests and thus, MSG was removed from all baby food products. The same doctor who did that study found that aspartic acid (a component of aspartame) did the exact same thing.
If aspartame is so bad, how did it get approved by the FDA?
In 1965 an ulcer drug substance research led to discovery of aspartame.
First safety tests on aspartame in 1970 was for 52 weeks on monkeys to determine the effects. Seven fed aspartame with milk, five had grand mal seizures and one died. In the same year, Dr. John Olney found that aspartic acid caused brain tumors in mice and reported the evidence to Searle. Regardless of findings, in mid-’73 Searle applied to the FDA to use aspartame as a food sweetener.
FDA, Searle, General Foods and Turner met to go over studies. Searle didn’t provide FDA evidence of negative aspartame studies and thus aspartame was approved in ’74 by FDA with limited use. Dr. Olney and Turner filed a petition attacking approval. FDA said they’d look into it and have a public hearing.
In 1975, FDA appointed a special task force to examine 11 of the pivotal studies. Of 113 done on aspartame, 90 were conducted in early to mid ‘70’s. Every one of the 11 “pivotal” tests was part of the 90. In March ’76, FDA completed their investigation report. FDA knew they had a terrible situation and hired a pathologist group to review the studies …. FINANCED BY SEARLE!!!
In ’77 Richard Merrill suggested a grand jury investigate Searle for fraud, deletion, and falsification of records. The U.S. Prosecutor, Sam Skinner, took a job as an attorney with Searle’s legal department during this process and the statue of limitations ran out on prosecution. Seven of the key FDA employees who kept approving the use of aspartame, getting it passed through the system, went on to take jobs with Searle, soft drink and other industries who profited from the use of aspartame.
Searle was crumbling when Donald Rumsfeld took over as President of Searle in 1977.
In 1981, the day after Reagan took office as U.S. President, Searle re-applied for approval of aspartame. Three of the five FDA senior scientists who reviewed the brain tumor studies were against approval. The new FDA Commissioner, Arthur Hull Hayes, the panel lawyer assigned a new panel member which gave a three-to-three split. Hayes then overruled for approval in dry foods.
In 1983, FDA approved for use in carbonated beverages. Under charges of improprieties, left FDA and hired as a public relations consultant at $1,000/day by Searle.
All segments of the documentary (some of them repeat a few seconds of the end of one video at the beginning of the next):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-usbGZez40
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX1dIxEtcs8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93cngrjLt4A&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTHojtXKXKU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YspXm89awf0&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyXSFe8OCwM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdvXaeqRGXw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdizV26jUBM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo0iMoxyxtM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUdZ68CV4I0&NR=1
Additional Reading:
http://www.dorway.com/
http://www.newswithviews.com/NWVexclusive/exclusive15.htm
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