Aspartame: an inconvenient truth
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Posted in Health | Tagged Health
Groups campaigning about the dangers of the artificial sweetener aspartame are disappointed that the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) is shooting the messenger rather than listening to the message.
The Soil & Health Association and the Safe Food Campaign have been hosting international aspartame expert Betty Martini at media and public meetings in New Zealand. Betty Martini has been researching the artificial sweetener for over 15 years and has the authoritative 1000 page medical text Aspartame: An Ignored Epidemic by Dr HJ Roberts dedicated to her.
“The NZFSA say they want to scrutinise evidence-based research on this controversial sweetener, yet they refused to meet Betty Martini who has every bit of evidence they publicly ask for, and who had already supplied relevant references to the authority, ahead of her New Zealand visit,” said Soil & Health spokesperson, Steffan Browning. �”It seems NZFSA would rather dodge an inconvenient truth by attempting to discredit the expert.”
“Aspartame has never been proven safe,” stated Alison White of the Safe Food Campaign. “On the contrary, very reputable scientists and doctors have testified their grave concerns about the range of adverse health effects this dangerous and addictive neurotoxin is associated with. The corruption and scandal associated with the registration of aspartame in the US and UK is a matter of public record. It remains on the market today because of addiction, profit and greed.”
Aspartame was first registered in the US in 1981 because a political appointee overruled the objections of scientists. It was only registered in the UK in 1984 because the manufacturers made a deal with Professor Paul Turner of Food Standards, who pushed it through without approval. The subsequent eruption of a scandal in parliament did not, however, result in aspartame being withdrawn. Several of the EU panel of scientists reviewing aspartame in 2004 have connections to the manufacturers, and as a result, ignored many independent studies showing harm.
“NZFSA continues to claim that aspartame is one of the most studied substances in the world, yet they conveniently brush aside the fact that all industry-funded studies do not show a problem, but the overwhelming majority of independent studies do,” added Steffan Browning.
“Of 166 studies felt to have relevance for questions of human safety, 74 had Nutrasweet (an aspartame brand) industry related funding and 92 were independently funded. One hundred percent of the industry funded research attested to aspartame’s safety, whereas 92% of the independently funded research identified a problem.”
“Should sugar be undesirable, Soil & Health recommends natural alternatives such as stevia, rather than the neurotoxic synthetic sweeteners such as aspartame.”
“Because of the publicity given to Abby Cormack and her poisoning with sugar free chewing gum, many similar harrowing and heart-rending stories from other aspartame sufferers have come to light,” said Alison White. “All of them have noted a marked improvement in their health once they have come off aspartame.� Because of our concern over the unnecessary suffering of people who are often unknowingly taking in this addictive drug, we have launched a petition that calls for restrictions and warning labels ahead of a ban.”
ENDS
Notes:
Aspartame (951, Equal, Nutrasweet) is an artificial sweetener found in over 6000 products including diet drinks, sugar free products, dietary supplements, sports drinks and medications.
Betty Martini had responded to a July 5 NZFSA media release that expressed confidence in aspartame. Both are found at� http://indymedia.org.nz/newswire/display/73297/index.php
In this link there is also a UK Guardian article from 1984 detailing the industry links of Paul Turner of Food Standards.
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Comments RSS 2.0aspartame bans, tis more an avalanche than a trend…: Rich Murray 2007.08.04
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1457
[ see also:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1458
ASDA, Wal-Mart's UK supermarket chain, bans artificial colors, trans
fats, MSG and aspartame, Marguerite Kelly, The Washington Post: Murray
2007.08.03 ]
So far, USA print and broadcast media are deaf, blind, and dumb, regarding recent major bans of aspartame and MSG in the UK and EU.
The EU Parliament voted July 12 to ban artificial sweeteners in newly born and infant foods.
On May 15 four huge UK supermarket chains announced bans of aspartame and MSG, food dyes, and many additives to protect kids from ADHD — Sainsbury, Tesco, Marks & Spencer, and ASDA, a unit of WalMart.
May 31: Coca-Cola and the much larger Cargill Inc., after years of secret development, with 24 patents, will soon sell rebiana (stevia) in drinks and food in the many nations where it is approved as a sweetener — for decades a major sweetener in Japan, China , Korea, Taiwan , Thailand, Malasia, Saint Kitts, Nevis, Brazil, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Israel, and an approved supplement in USA, Australia, and Canada, according to Wikipedia.
recent research and news re aspartame and stevia: Murray 2007.08.04
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1454
“Of course, everyone chooses, as a natural priority,
to actively find, quickly share, and positively act
upon the facts about healthy and safe food, drink,
and environment.”
Rich Murray, MA Room For All rmforall@comcast.net
505-501-2298 1943 Otowi Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/messages
group with 78 members, 1,458 posts in a public,
searchable archive http://RMForAll.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1395
Aspartame Controversy, in Wikipedia democratic
encyclopedia, 72 references (including AspartameNM # 864
and 1173 by Murray, brief fair summary of much more research:
Murray 2007.01.01
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1453
Souring on fake sugar (aspartame), Jennifer Couzin,
Science 2007.07.06: 4 page letter to FDA from 12 eminent
USA toxicologists re two Ramazzini Foundation
cancer studies 2007.06.25: Murray 2007.07.18
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNMmessage/1451
Artificial sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose) and coloring
agents will be banned from use in newly-born and baby foods,
the European Parliament decided: Latvia ban in schools 2006:
Murray 2007.07.12
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNMmessage/1437
stevia to be approved and cyclamates limited by
Food Standards Australia New Zealand:
JMC Geuns critiques of two recent stevia studies by Nunes:
Murray 2007.05.29
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1427
more from The Independent, UK, Martin Hickman, re ASDA
(unit of Wal-Mart Stores) and Marks & Spencer ban of
aspartame, MSG, artificial chemical additives and dyes
to prevent ADHD in kids: urray 2007.05.16
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article2548747.ece
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1426
ASDA (unit of Wal-Mart Stores WMT.N) and Marks & Spencer
will join Tesco and also Sainsbury to ban and limit
aspartame, MSG, artificial flavors dyes preservatives additives,
trans fats, salt “nasties” to protect kids from ADHD:
leading UK media: Murray 2007.05.15
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1438
Coca-Cola and Cargill Inc., after years of development,
with 24 patents, will soon sell rebiana (stevia)
in drinks and foods: Murray 2007.05.31
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1277
50% UK baby food is now organic - aspartame or MSG
with food dyes harm nerve cells, CV Howard 3 year study
funded by Lizzy Vann, CEO, Organix Brands,
Children’s Food Advisory Service: Murray 2006.01.13
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1271
combining aspartame and quinoline yellow, or MSG and
brilliant blue, harms nerve cells, eminent
C. Vyvyan Howard et al, 2005 education.guardian.co.uk,
Felicity Lawrence: Murray 2005.12.21
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1417
formaldehyde as a potent unexamined cofactor in cancer research –
sources include methanol, dark wines and liquors,
aspartame, wood and tobacco smoke: IARC Monographs on the Evaluation
of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans implicate formaldehyde
in #88 and alcohol drinks in #96: some related abstracts:
Murray 2007.05.15
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1286
methanol products (formaldehyde and formic acid)
are main cause of alcohol hangover symptoms
[same as from similar amounts of methanol, the 11% part of aspartame]:
YS Woo et al, 2005 Dec: Murray 2006.01.20
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1143
methanol (formaldehyde, formic acid) disposition:
Bouchard M et al, full plain text, 2001: substantial sources
are degradation of fruit pectins, liquors, aspartame, smoke:
Murray 2005.04.02
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1455
FEMA slow to safety test Katrina toxic trailers,
Charles Babington, Associated Press — 1 ppm formaldehyde in air
is about half the daily dose from 3 cans aspartame diet soda
and ten times the 1999 EPA alarm level for drinking water:
Murray 2007.07.23
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNMmessage/1447
second study by expert Greek team of neurotoxicity
in infant rats by aspartame (or its parts, methanol,
phenylalanine, aspartic acid), KH Schulpis et al,
Toxicology 2007.05.18: Murray 2007.07.04
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNMmessage/1444
expert Greek group finds aspartame (or its parts,
methanol, phenylalanine, aspartic acid) harm infant rat
brain enzyme activity, KH Schulpis et al,
Pharmacol. Res. 2007.05.13: Murray 2007.06.23
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1414
effect of aspartame on oncogene and suppressor gene
expressions in mice, Katalin Gambos, Istvan Ember, et al,
University of Pecs, Hungary, In Vivo 2007 Jan;
scores of their relevant past studies since 1977: Murray 2007.04.14
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1373
aspartame rat brain toxicity re cytochrome P450 enzymes,
especially CYP2E1, Vences-Mejia A, Espinosa-Aguirre JJ et al,
2006 Aug, Hum Exp Toxicol: relevant abstracts re formaldehyde
from methanol in alcohol drinks: Murray 2006.09.29
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1340
aspartame groups and books:
updated research review of 2004.07.16: Murray 2006.05.11
Dark wines and liquors, as well as aspartame,
provide similar levels of methanol,
above 120 mg daily, for long-term heavy users,
2 L daily, about 6 cans.
Within hours, methanol is inevitably largely turned into formaldehyde,
and thence largely into formic acid — the major causes
of the dreaded symptoms of “next morning” hangover.
Fully 11% of aspartame is methanol — 1,120 mg aspartame
in 2 L diet soda,
almost six 12-oz cans, gives 123 mg methanol (wood alcohol).
If 30% of the methanol is turned into formaldehyde,
the amount of formaldehyde, 37 mg, is 18.5 times the
USA EPA limit for daily formaldehyde in drinking water,
2.0 mg in 2 L average daily drinking water.
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