Attempt to Ban Aspartame 'Poison' From Food, Drink

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Attempt to Ban Aspartame 'Poison' From Food, Drink

 

By Diane Cordemans

Epoch Times Hamilton Staff Aug 3, 2008

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Checking the label for aspartame or 951 is becoming more common

 

Checking the label for aspartame, or 951, is

becoming more common as people are concerned

about the harmful effects of aspartame poisoning. (photos.com)

Experts are attempting to ban aspartame, the

artificial food sweetener thought to mimic the

symptoms of serious illnesses such as diabetes,

multiple sclerosis and parkinsons' disease.

 

Aspartame (951), also known as nutrasweet and

equal, among other brand names, is found in over

6000 products including diet drinks, chewing gum,

children vitamins and medicines.

 

The artifical sweetener can cause a host of

problems in children, ranging from diabetes,

addiction, convulsions, as well as antisocial

behaviour, poor school performance, lowered

intelligence and brain tumours, according to

United States pediatrician, Dr Kenneth Stoller.

 

“Aspartame cannot be shown to be risk-free,” he

said in a statement to the Health Select

Committee recently. The neurotoxin is 200 times

sweeter than sugar and is cheap. Experts say that

aspartame also affects the dopamine system in the

brain and is highly addictive.

 

Safe Food Campaign spokesperson Alison White

presented a petition signed by 8000 New

Zealanders to the Health Select Committee,

stating, “We believe that exposure to this

addictive neurotoxin is causing a public health

epidemic rivalling that of tobacco.”

 

The toxic effects of aspartame experienced by a

number of New Zealanders was a catalyst for the submissions.

 

 

 

Highly Addictive

 

 

Abby Cormack, a 26 year old student from

Wellington, was consuming sugar free chewing gum

last year to keep her weight down for a body sculpting competition.

 

A one piece-a-day habit escalated to four packets

a day before she realised that she had become addicted.

 

She experienced four months of terrifying ill

health – including, depression, paranoia,

anxiety, suicidal thoughts, excruciating cramps,

and deteriorating vision. Ms Cormack underwent

tests for possible multiple sclerosis, lupus and

diabetes before discovering she had aspartame poisoning.

 

Her health improved rapidly after she removed

diet coke and sugarfree gum from her diet.

 

 

 

Aspartame and Cancer

 

 

“The methanol in aspartame is metabolised into

formaldehyde in the body­a powerful

cancer-causing agent,” retired Food Scientist, Dr Woodrow Monte warned.

 

Dr Monte, who lives between the United States and

New Zealand, has researched the effects of aspartame for over thirty years.

 

“It settles in the brain, breast and skin shortly

after it is consumed... contributing greatly to

the increased breast cancer and melanoma rates in

New Zealand since we started consuming diet soda.

 

“In the developing child methanol is known to

cause birth defects and I am of the impression

that it has led to the large increase of autism

in this country and other diet soda consuming countries throughout the world.”

 

He said his biggest concern is that methanol may

be the cause of multiple sclerosis. His research

can be found on www.thetruthaboutstuff.com

 

 

 

Children and Aspartame

 

 

Advocacy groups have also asked for diet drinks to be removed from schools.

 

It is “alarming” that children are being exposed

to even more aspartame products in schools, Ms

White said. Manufacturers tend to be replacing

calorie-laden soft drinks with sugar-free drinks

as part of the government health iniative to

control obesity. Diet drinks contain a high amount of aspartame.

 

Otorohanga mother, Robyn Hodges, said her 13 year

old son was concerned that his school cafetaria was selling diet drinks.

 

She said Jackson has suffered from irritable

bowel syndrome, migraines and gastric

disturbances that were much worse after he

consumed aspartame and msg (monosodium glutamate).

 

“Aspartame is quite tricky because it is in

mostly sugar-free things, which I have avoided,

but if he is in other people's homes you don't

know quite what he has been given.”

 

He is “uncontrollable” for two days after

ingesting the substances, Mrs Hodges said,

including vomitting, diarrhea, headaches and extreme lethargy.

 

 

 

NZ Food Safety Insists Aspartame is Safe

 

 

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority

(NZFSA) insists that aspartame has undergone

rigorous testing by safety authorities in many

countries over many years and that its

components­aspartic acid, phenylalanine and

methanol­are a natural part of everyday foods. http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/

 

However, independent researchers say that the

methanol in natural foods is antidoted by the existance of ethanol.

 

“In aspartame, the methanol is released, once in

the body, unfettered by ethanol, to be a pure poison,” Dr Stoller said.

 

In New Zealand, the average daily intake (ADI) of

aspartame has been set at 40 mg/kg.

 

NZFSA deputy executive director, Sandra Daly,

said these levels are extremely high. “For an

adult ...you would need to drink (around) 20 cans

a day every day of your life to even start to

reach the ADI... for children it was about 7 cans a day every day.”

 

Dr Stoller said the Food Safety Authority does

not take into account the methanol content in a

can of diet drink. Based on the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) daily limit of methanol,

a “25 kilo child would not be allowed to exceed

12.5 mg per day so ...even one can of diet soda

exceeds the EPA allowed methanol.”

 

Aspartame was granted approval by the American

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1981 for

dry goods and again in 1983 for carbonated soft

drinks, resulting in a storm of opposition from

its own toxicologists and scientists as well as

the American Association of Neuropathologists.

 

It is expected the Health Select Committee will

produce a report by October regarding aspartame in New Zealand's food chain.

 

Last Updated

Aug 4, 2008