Not tied to the processed food industry or any other corporate player that might taint or bias his findings, Dr. Monte’s interest in the subject of methanol toxicity comes purely from a genuine concern about protecting human health. And his many years of experience studying food ingredients for use in specialized health care food products has afforded him a wealth of knowledge on this important subject that rarely, if ever, gets publicized by the corporately-funded mainstream media.

Methanol, the chemical trojan horse responsible for many modern diseases

In his study entitledMethanol: A chemical Trojan Horse as the root of the Inscrutable U, Dr. Monte evaluates the role that methanol plays in human health. Since methanol is a relatively new addition to the human diet, thanks to processing methods and chemical syntheses that did not exist prior to 1800s, it is vitally important to determine how this chemical substance affects the human body.

What Dr. Monte discovered is that methanol is converted by the body into formaldehyde, a highly toxic substance known to cause cancer in humans. He also uncovered the fact that methanol metabolizes in organs of the body other than just the liver which, based on all available evidence, is directly responsible for causing what Dr. Monte has termed “diseases of civilization” (DOC).

“Methanol is particularly dangerous to humans, more so than any other animal,” says Dr. Woodrow C. Monte on his websiteWhileScienceSleeps.com. “When humans consume low doses of methanol it is metabolized directly into formaldehyde which is a cancer producing agent of the same level of danger as asbestos and plutonium.”

Where Dr. Monte’s research diverts from the mainstream view of methanol’s toxicity has to do with the way dietary methanol is processed by the body. Rather than dissipate as is widely believed, methanol-induced formaldehyde tends to lodge itself into certain areas of the body that avoid filtering through the liver — and these are the same areas of the body where DOCs tend to appear.

“Once methanol runs the gauntlet of first-pass metabolism, its detoxification is no longer exclusive to the liver,” writes Dr. Monte in his study. “Methanol transports its potential to become formaldehyde past normal biological barriers in the brain and elsewhere that environmental formaldehyde itself cannot usually penetrate … [formaldehyde] can then be produced within the arteries and veins, heart, brain, lungs, breast, bone, and skin.”

Aspartame, a primary source of toxic methanol in the American diet

Where is all this toxic, methanol-induced formaldehyde coming from? It turns out aspartame is one of the primary sources in the American diet today. According to Dr. Monte, every molecule of aspartame, which is also marketed under the names NutraSweet, Equal, Canderel, 951, and AminoSweet, converts into a molecule of methanol when consumed. And in its dry form, aspartame is 11 percent methanol by weight.

This means that people who regularly consume “diet” foods and beverages laced with aspartame are taking in high amounts of a formaldehyde-producing, chemical poison that is drastically increasing their risk of developing chronic illnesses.

“As aspartame eventually became a major source of methanol in the civilized human diet, the incidence of DOC gradually began to rise,” says Dr. Monte’s report. “In addition to aspartame, and canned vegetables, fruits, and their juices, a major source of the methanol entering the modern civilized human body is cigarette smoke, causatively linked to atherosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, Alzheimer’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other DOC.”

“It is my belief that diet soda has contributed to the rise of breast cancer and multiple sclerosis that has been preceded by the use of Aspartame as a food ingredient in every country that has allowed its use.”

You can view Dr. Monte’s complete study on methanol at:
http://www.whilesciencesleeps.com/methanol/

Helpful tips for avoiding methanol

Avoiding all “diet” and “low-fat” food and beverage products that contain aspartame or any other artificial sweetener chemical is an absolute must for keeping toxic methanol out of your diet. Cigarette smoke, canned fruits and vegetables, smoked meats, and overly-ripe fruits and vegetables are also major methanol culprits that you will want to avoid.

SOURCE:   http://www.naturalnews.com/035606_methanol_aspartame_toxicity.html

Strangely, diet products containing aspartame has been shown to actually cause weight gain, and the components that make up aspartame have also been found to be toxic in themselves. Why then, despite the numerous studies conducted on this substance finding it to have potentially harmful effects, is it still considered safe for human consumption?

Interview with Russell Blaylock

In an interview conducted by Betty Martini and Jon Baum over Personal Achievement Radio, Dr. Russell Blaylock, a respected neurosurgeon and author of the book “Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills,” speaks about excitotoxins and shares his thoughts on why he believes aspartame is dangerous.

According to Dr. Blaylock, excitotoxins are substances that excite brain cells or neurons to the point of exhaustion and death. Normally, these substances act as transmitters, a substance allowing brain cells to relate with one another. However, these compounds are so harmful that the body keeps them in low concentrations. Anything that alters or increases these substances can cause neurodegeneration, degeneration of the spinal cord and the brain. Excitotoxins are normally found in plant substances, and, where most people are concerned, in food additives.

One of the components of NutraSweet or aspartame is aspartic acid, a powerful excitotoxin similar to glutamate. Moreover, phenylalanine, one of its components, an amino acid and a neurotoxin at high levels in the rain, has been known to cause seizures.

Dr. Blaylock goes on to add that what makes aspartame so dangerous is that it contains three neurotoxins: methanol, phenylalanine and aspartic acid. Methanol is a powerful neurotoxin whose exposure is carefully allowed by the EPA in minute levels in food and environmental exposure. Nutrasweet, however, provides levels that are seven times the amount the EPA will allow anyone to use. It’s been known to produce blindness and cellular destruction in the brain and spinal cord, particularly the optic nerves.

Aspartic acid, on the other hand, produces cellular excitation. It
is an excitotoxin that causes cell death in the brain and significantly affects neural developments in
infants, resulting in behavioral changes and even hyperactivity in children. Phenylalanine, like aspartic acid, can also alter brain development during fetal formation and create a lowering of the seizure threshold.

Phenylalanine and aspartic acid are both well-recognized neurotoxins and according to Dr. Blaylock, three neurotoxins in one mix are just unbelievable.

Neurological side effects

Today, aspartame is found in over 6,000 products and consumed by 250 million people world wide. There has been more report for aspartame reactions to the FDA than all other food additives put together. In 1988, 80 percent of complaints to the FDA about food additives were aspartame related. After more than 8,000 complaints on the side effect of NutraSweet, the FDA released a list of 92 side effects associated with aspartame consumption.

This is without taking into account other findings that show what aspartame can cause:

• Destruction of kidney function- In a study conducted by scientists fromBrigham and Women’s Hospitalin Boston, it was discovered that subjects who drank more than two artificially sweetened beverages daily increased their risk of rapid kidney decline.

• Headaches/migraines- In a study published in Headache:The Journal of Head and Face Pain, it was discovered that ingestion of aspartame by those who suffer migraines caused a significant increase in headache frequency for some subjects.

• Increase of hunger and body weight- In an article published in theUT Health Science Center, it was revealed that diet soft drink consumption seemed much more related to the chances of becoming more overweight or obese.

• Increase of the risk of preterm delivery- In a study funded by theCenter for Fetal Programming, Division of Epidemiology, a connection was discovered between the intake of artificially carbonated drinks and increased risk of preterm delivery.

• Seizures and Convulsions- As early as 1987, a study was already conducted by Timothy Maher and Richard J. Wurtman who, through their work, discovered that aspartame potentially induces seizures.

• Cancer- In a remarkably recent study conducted by theRamazzini Institute, it was discovered that in rodents, aspartame was a carcinogenic agent in multiple sites with autopsies that showed a significant risk to lung and liver cancer.

Why is it still legal?

Laws were meant to protect people from harm. Despite this, the FDA has continued to ignore years of research pointing to aspartame’s negative effects and continue to declare that aspartame is safe for use. This artificial sweetener openly sold in the market has caused many recorded health issues and was never tested in humans prior to its approval. We are now the unwitting subjects in a grand experiment whose results have long been foretold by the questionable way this additive came to be approved. It’s about time we stop relying on the government and do our own thinking. Perhaps, if we are not complacent, we can choose not to be victims.

SOURCE:   http://www.naturalnews.com/035242_aspartame_side_effects_neurological.html

Aspartame: A brief history

As early as 1960 aspartame was determined to be a dangerous chemical and the emerging research years later only served to affirm the true nature of this artificial sweetener. Over the years, aspartame has been found to create holes in brain tissue, adversely affect the brain and nerve development in the fetus, cause cancer, migraines, headaches, seizures, convulsions and even retinal damage. With this amount of negative findings, aspartame should have been removed from the market years ago!

Ironically, aspartame was indeed removed from the market after it was already approved for limited use based on tests selected by Searle, the company who originally produced the artificial sweetener. This was after Dr. John Olney, a research psychiatrist fromWashington School of Medicine, revealed that consumption of aspartic acid, a major ingredient in aspartame, produced holes in the brains of animal subjects.

After two task forces that found questionable laboratory practices as well as findings, the FDA ordered a grand jury investigation of aspartame studies, but lawyers for the government failed to initiate a legal action against Searle. Time ran out, and the grand jury investigation had to be terminated. Of interest to note was that one of the lawyers for the government, U.S. attorney William Conlon, later joined the law firm representing Searle.

Unfazed by this setback, the FDA this time recommended a Public Board Inquiry which recommended that aspartame be kept off the market until further tests could prove that it did not cause tumors. This led to a formation of another team of experts brought together to look into the Public Board of Inquiry’s conclusions. This team found itself in a deadlock over aspartame approval, causing the FDA Commissioner not to approve aspartame this time.

In April 1981, Dr. Arthur Hayes was appointed the new Commissioner for the FDA and he later approved aspartame for use in dry goods. In 1983, he also approved aspartame for use in diet drinks, conveniently leaving months later to work for Searle’s advertising agency.

Warning to aspartame consumers

We can only guess and read between the lines what kind of politics it took to get aspartame approved. After more than 8,000 complaints on Nutrasweet side effects, a list of symptoms attributed to aspartame from complaints submitted to the FDA was made public. This list included among others: hallucinations, diarrhea, seizures, depression, migraine, fatigue and insomnia. Aspartame has also been linked to tumors, cancer and infertility.

Except for a brief declaration that carefully controlled clinical studies showed aspartame is not an allergen, the FDA merely issued an advisory that products containing aspartame must include a warning to phenylketonurics, people sensitive to the compound phenylalanine. It still continues to adhere to its stand that “aspartame as a carcinogen is not supported by data.”

Aspartame was never tested on humans before its approval. Now, it is found in 6,000 products and consumed by more than 250 million people, with Americans consuming around half of the world supply. By default, we have now become the test subjects for aspartame’s safety. Unwittingly we are providing evidence to aspartame’s toxicity through the devastating effects it is slowly producing among its consumers. The list of complaints submitted to the FDA as well as from anecdotal reports does not seem to end anytime soon. If the government chooses to turn a blind eye on aspartame, let us at least choose not to be a willing conspirator and suffer the consequences of being a willing victim.

SOURCE:   http://www.naturalnews.com/035195_aspartame_brain_tumors_seizures.html

Despite the dismissive stand of aspartame producers that aspartame is safe for human consumption, various studies over the years have shown that aspartame is actually linked to headaches, migraines, dizziness, tumors and even cancer. The U.S. FDA made public 92 symptoms attributed to aspartame from submitted complaints. Despite its questionable effect, aspartame was approved for use in 1981 and still continues to be so today. Ironically, aspartame was never tested in humans before its approval. Its use in over 6,000 products and by 250 million people has made the public its unwitting guinea pig in a grand experiment 40 years in the making.

Key to health: Low-Sugar, not sugar-free

Stocking up on diet foods is the best way to gain weight. Latest research on aspartame has revealed that it actually increases the risk of weight gain. Being 200 times sweeter than sugar, aspartame appears to be the perfect answer to dieting since it contains only a few calories while still having the sweet taste of sugar. Unfortunately, phenylalanine and aspartic acid, major components of aspartame, trigger the release of insulin and leptins. The latter are hormones that stimulate storage of body fat.

Moreover, large doses of phenylalanine lower serotonin levels and lead to food cravings. Since both real and artificial sweeteners stimulate the taste buds, they affect the same taste and pleasure pathways in the brain. Artificial sweeteners, however, merely activate but do not satiate the pleasure-related region of the brain, proving to be an inferior system in preventing sugar cravings. In theYale Journal of Biology and Medicine, researcher Qing Yang – a faculty at theDepartment of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology- published findings that revealed artificial sweeteners more likely to cause weight gain than weight loss.

This is over and above the fact that aspartame is also highly addictive. The phenylalanine and methanol components increase the dopamine levels in the brain and cause a certain high. This further creates an addiction that is only made worse by the release of methyl alcohol or methanol, which is considered a narcotic. Keeping this in mind, it’s time we reconsider the “health benefits” aspartame is supposed to give.

Products containing aspartame

The following are well-known products that use aspartame:

• Diet sodas

• Yogurts

• Chewing gum

• Cooking sauces

• Crisps

• Tabletop sweeteners

• Drink powders

• Flavored water

• Sugar-free products

• Cereals

The above mentioned popular products are just a few of many that contain aspartame. Despite the rising reports of aspartame’s toxicity, a re-investigation by the FDA as well as of key regulatory bodies worldwide doesn’t seem to be coming anytime soon. We can only protect ourselves by making a conscious choice to check the label of every product we buy at the grocery store.

If you have complaints regarding aspartame, don’t be shy in making your complaint known. The last thing you want to be is a face in a crowd lining up before a government office that doesn’t have your interest at heart.

Sources for this article:

http://www.naturalnews.com/022813.html
http://supersweetblog.wordpress.com
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/?tool=pubme
d

SOURCE:   http://www.naturalnews.com/035141_aspartame_worst_sources_products.html

A modified version of aspartame with even more added toxicity, neotame received quiet and unassuming FDA approval back in 2002, even though no safety studies have ever been conducted on the chemical (http://www.neotame.com/pdf/neotame_fda_US.pdf). In fact, an investigation conducted by Feingold.org found only four studies relating to neotame in the MEDLINE database.

Two of these “studies” were not studies at all, and the other two were actually one duplicate study conducted by NutraSweet, the company that produces and sells neotame.

So just like with aspartame, the FDA has once again approved for use a dangerous sweetener chemical that metabolizes into formaldehyde when consumed. Except this time, the chemical contains added 3-dimethylbutyl, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has listed as one of the most hazardous known chemicals, and it does not have to be labeled on any of the products to which it is added.

“Neotame has similar structure to aspartame — except that, from it’s structure, appears to be even more toxic than aspartame,” writes HolisticMed.com on its page about neotame. “Like aspartame, some of the concerns include gradual neurotoxic and immunotoxic damage from the combination of the formaldehyde metabolite (which is toxic at extremely low doses) and the excitotoxic amino acid” (http://www.holisticmed.com/neotame/toxin.html).

The FDA, the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), and the World Health Organization (WHO) all consider neotame to be safe for use, despite the fact that WHO actually published a paper seeking to establish acceptable daily intake levels for neotame. If neotame is so safe that it does not even have to be labeled, according to the FDA, then why do acceptable daily intake levels have to be established? And what is the point of establishing them in the first place?

This dog and pony show of special interest regulatory corruption is a travesty that will have global negative health consequences. Like most other toxins added to foods, neotame will most likely cause chronic damage over a long period of time, which means mainstream health authorities will get away with never having to admit that neotame is a dangerous toxin.

Sources for this article include:

http://articlesofhealth.blogspot.com

http://www.gaia-health.com

http://www.naturalnews.com/034915_neotame_Monsanto_sweeteners.html

Aspartame is the technical name for the brand names NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure. It was discovered by accident in 1965 when James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company, was testing an anti-ulcer drug.

Aspartame was approved for dry goods in 1981 and for carbonated beverages in 1983. It was originally approved for dry goods on July 26, 1974, but objections filed by neuroscience researcher Dr John W. Olney and Consumer attorney James Turner in August 1974 as well as investigations of G.D. Searle’s research practices caused the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to put approval of aspartame on hold (December 5, 1974). In 1985, Monsanto purchased G.D. Searle and made Searle Pharmaceuticals and The NutraSweet Company separate subsidiaries.

Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious including seizures and death. A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include: Headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain.

According to researchers and physicians studying the adverse effects of aspartame, the following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame: Brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, parkinson’s disease, alzheimer’s, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia, and diabetes.

Aspartame is made up of three chemicals: aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. The book “Prescription for Nutritional Healing,” by James and Phyllis Balch, lists aspartame under the category of “chemical poison.” As you shall see, that is exactly what it is.

What Is Aspartame Made Of?

Aspartic Acid (40 percent of Aspartame)

Dr. Russell L. Blaylock, a professor of neurosurgery at the Medical University of Mississippi, recently published a book thoroughly detailing the damage that is caused by the ingestion of excessive aspartic acid from aspartame. Blaylock makes use of almost 500 scientific references to show how excess free excitatory amino acids such as aspartic acid and glutamic acid (about 99 percent of monosodium glutamate (MSG) is glutamic acid) in our food supply are causing serious chronic neurological disorders and a myriad of other acute symptoms.

How Aspartate (and Glutamate) Cause Damage

Aspartate and glutamate act as neurotransmitters in the brain by facilitating the transmission of information from neuron to neuron. Too much aspartate or glutamate in the brain kills certain neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells. This influx triggers excessive amounts of free radicals, which kill the cells. The neural cell damage that can be caused by excessive aspartate and glutamate is why they are referred to as “excitotoxins.” They “excite” or stimulate the neural cells to death.

Aspartic acid is an amino acid. Taken in its free form (unbound to proteins) it significantly raises the blood plasma level of aspartate and glutamate. The excess aspartate and glutamate in the blood plasma shortly after ingesting aspartame or products with free glutamic acid (glutamate precursor) leads to a high level of those neurotransmitters in certain areas of the brain.

The blood brain barrier (BBB), which normally protects the brain from excess glutamate and aspartate as well as toxins, 1) is not fully developed during childhood, 2) does not fully protect all areas of the brain, 3) is damaged by numerous chronic and acute conditions, and 4) allows seepage of excess glutamate and aspartate into the brain even when intact.

The excess glutamate and aspartate slowly begin to destroy neurons. The large majority (75 percent or more) of neural cells in a particular area of the brain are killed before any clinical symptoms of a chronic illness are noticed. A few of the many chronic illnesses that have been shown to be contributed to by long-term exposure to excitatory amino acid damage include:

The risk to infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and persons with certain chronic health problems from excitotoxins are great. Even the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), which usually understates problems and mimics the FDA party-line, recently stated in a review that:

“It is prudent to avoid the use of dietary supplements of L-glutamic acid by pregnant women, infants, and children. The existence of evidence of potential endocrine responses, i.e., elevated cortisol and prolactin, and differential responses between males and females, would also suggest a neuroendocrine link and that supplemental L-glutamic acid should be avoided by women of childbearing age and individuals with affective disorders.”

Aspartic acid from aspartame has the same deleterious effects on the body as glutamic acid.

The exact mechanism of acute reactions to excess free glutamate and aspartate is currently being debated. As reported to the FDA, those reactions include:

One common complaint of persons suffering from the effect of aspartame is memory loss. Ironically, in 1987, G.D. Searle, the manufacturer of aspartame, undertook a search for a drug to combat memory loss caused by excitatory amino acid damage. Blaylock is one of many scientists and physicians who are concerned about excitatory amino acid damage caused by ingestion of aspartame and MSG.

A few of the many experts who have spoken out against the damage being caused by aspartate and glutamate include Adrienne Samuels, Ph.D., an experimental psychologist specializing in research design. Another is Olney, a professor in the department of psychiatry, School of Medicine, Washington University, a neuroscientist and researcher, and one of the world’s foremost authorities on excitotoxins. (He informed Searle in 1971 that aspartic acid caused holes in the brains of mice.)

Phenylalanine (50 percent of aspartame)

Phenylalanine is an amino acid normally found in the brain. Persons with the genetic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU) cannot metabolize phenylalanine. This leads to dangerously high levels of phenylalanine in the brain (sometimes lethal). It has been shown that ingesting aspartame, especially along with carbohydrates, can lead to excess levels of phenylalanine in the brain even in persons who do not have PKU.

This is not just a theory, as many people who have eaten large amounts of aspartame over a long period of time and do not have PKU have been shown to have excessive levels of phenylalanine in the blood. Excessive levels of phenylalanine in the brain can cause the levels of seratonin in the brain to decrease, leading to emotional disorders such as depression. It was shown in human testing that phenylalanine levels of the blood were increased significantly in human subjects who chronically used aspartame.

Even a single use of aspartame raised the blood phenylalanine levels. In his testimony before the U.S. Congress, Dr. Louis J. Elsas showed that high blood phenylalanine can be concentrated in parts of the brain and is especially dangerous for infants and fetuses. He also showed that phenylalanine is metabolised much more effeciently by rodents than by humans.

One account of a case of extremely high phenylalanine levels caused by aspartame was recently published the “Wednesday Journal” in an article titled “An Aspartame Nightmare.” John Cook began drinking six to eight diet drinks every day. His symptoms started out as memory loss and frequent headaches. He began to crave more aspartame-sweetened drinks. His condition deteriorated so much that he experienced wide mood swings and violent rages. Even though he did not suffer from PKU, a blood test revealed a phenylalanine level of 80 mg/dl. He also showed abnormal brain function and brain damage. After he kicked his aspartame habit, his symptoms improved dramatically.

As Blaylock points out in his book, early studies measuring phenylalanine buildup in the brain were flawed. Investigators who measured specific brain regions and not the average throughout the brain notice significant rises in phenylalanine levels. Specifically the hypothalamus, medulla oblongata, and corpus striatum areas of the brain had the largest increases in phenylalanine. Blaylock goes on to point out that excessive buildup of phenylalanine in the brain can cause schizophrenia or make one more susceptible to seizures.

Therefore, long-term, excessive use of aspartame may provid a boost to sales of seratonin reuptake inhibitors such as Prozac and drugs to control schizophrenia and seizures.

Methanol (aka wood alcohol/poison) (10 percent of aspartame)

Methanol/wood alcohol is a deadly poison. Some people may remember methanol as the poison that has caused some “skid row” alcoholics to end up blind or dead. Methanol is gradually released in the small intestine when the methyl group of aspartame encounter the enzyme chymotrypsin.

The absorption of methanol into the body is sped up considerably when free methanol is ingested. Free methanol is created from aspartame when it is heated to above 86 Fahrenheit (30 Centigrade). This would occur when aspartame-containing product is improperly stored or when it is heated (e.g., as part of a “food” product such as Jello).

Methanol breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde in the body. Formaldehyde is a deadly neurotoxin. An EPA assessment of methanol states that methanol “is considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed. In the body, methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde and formic acid; both of these metabolites are toxic.” They recommend a limit of consumption of 7.8 mg/day. A one-liter (approx. 1 quart) aspartame-sweetened beverage contains about 56 mg of methanol. Heavy users of aspartame-containing products consume as much as 250 mg of methanol daily or 32 times the EPA limit.

Symptoms from methanol poisoning include headaches, ear buzzing, dizziness, nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances, weakness, vertigo, chills, memory lapses, numbness and shooting pains in the extremities, behavioral disturbances, and neuritis. The most well known problems from methanol poisoning are vision problems including misty vision, progressive contraction of visual fields, blurring of vision, obscuration of vision, retinal damage, and blindness. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, causes retinal damage, interferes with DNA replication and causes birth defects.

Due to the lack of a couple of key enzymes, humans are many times more sensitive to the toxic effects of methanol than animals. Therefore, tests of aspartame or methanol on animals do not accurately reflect the danger for humans. As pointed out by Dr. Woodrow C. Monte, director of the food science and nutrition laboratory at Arizona State University, “There are no human or mammalian studies to evaluate the possible mutagenic, teratogenic or carcinogenic effects of chronic administration of methyl alcohol.”

He was so concerned about the unresolved safety issues that he filed suit with the FDA requesting a hearing to address these issues. He asked the FDA to “slow down on this soft drink issue long enough to answer some of the important questions. It’s not fair that you are leaving the full burden of proof on the few of us who are concerned and have such limited resources. You must remember that you are the American public’s last defense. Once you allow usage (of aspartame) there is literally nothing I or my colleagues can do to reverse the course. Aspartame will then join saccharin, the sulfiting agents, and God knows how many other questionable compounds enjoined to insult the human constitution with governmental approval.” Shortly thereafter, the Commissioner of the FDA, Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr., approved the use of aspartame in carbonated beverages, he then left for a position with G.D. Searle’s public relations firm.

It has been pointed out that some fruit juices and alcoholic beverages contain small amounts of methanol. It is important to remember, however, that methanol never appears alone. In every case, ethanol is present, usually in much higher amounts. Ethanol is an antidote for methanol toxicity in humans. The troops of Desert Storm were “treated” to large amounts of aspartame-sweetened beverages, which had been heated to over 86 degrees F in the Saudi Arabian sun. Many of them returned home with numerous disorders similar to what has been seen in persons who have been chemically poisoned by formaldehyde. The free methanol in the beverages may have been a contributing factor in these illnesses. Other breakdown products of aspartame such as DKP (discussed below) may also have been a factor.

In a 1993 act that can only be described as “unconscionable,” the FDA approved aspartame as an ingredient in numerous food items that would always be heated to above 86 degree F (30 degree C).

Diketopiperazine (DKP)

DKP is a byproduct of aspartame metabolism. DKP has been implicated in the occurrence of brain tumors. Olney noticed that DKP, when nitrosated in the gut, produced a compound that was similar to N-nitrosourea, a powerful brain tumor causing chemical. Some authors have said that DKP is produced after aspartame ingestion. I am not sure if that is correct. It is definitely true that DKP is formed in liquid aspartame-containing products during prolonged storage.

G.D. Searle conducted animal experiments on the safety of DKP. The FDA found numerous experimental errors occurred, including “clerical errors, mixed-up animals, animals not getting drugs they were supposed to get, pathological specimens lost because of improper handling,” and many other errors. These sloppy laboratory procedures may explain why both the test and control animals had sixteen times more brain tumors than would be expected in experiments of this length.

In an ironic twist, shortly after these experimental errors were discovered, the FDA used guidelines recommended by G.D. Searle to develop the industry-wide FDA standards for good laboratory practices.

DKP has also been implicated as a cause of uterine polyps and changes in blood cholesterol by FDA Toxicologist Dr. Jacqueline Verrett in her testimony before the U.S. Senate.

 

SOURCE:  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/06/aspartame-most-dangerous-substance-added-to-food.aspx

1. Causes Diabetic Complications: Diet sodas are often recommended to diabetics, who have to reduce their sugar intake. However, research suggests that the artificial sweetener, aspartame, may actually cause negative side effects for diabetics. Aspartame may cause diabetic complications or worsen them, such as retinopathy, cataracts and metabolic disorders. The artificial sweetener can also make it harder for diabetics to properly control their insulin levels, in addition to affecting appetite or causing weight gain.
2. Dissolves Tooth Enamel: Even though diet sodas do not directly cause cavities like the sugar in regular sodas, the acid in diet sodas may contribute to enamel breakdown, which makes you more susceptible to tooth decay when sugar is consumed. Diet sodas are very acidic. For example, Diet Coke, Diet Dr. Pepper and Diet 7-Up have pH values ranging from 3.39 to 3.67. Acid starts to dissolve tooth enamel at pH value of 5.5 or less.
3. Contains a High Caffeine Amount: One 12oz can of diet soda contains anywhere from 23 to 54 mg of caffeine. The amount of caffeine varies by diet soda brands, but most diets sodas contain more caffeine than regular sodas. If you’re caffeine intake exceeds 500 to 600 mg a day, your health could be in risk. High caffeine consumption may cause headaches, restlessness, anxiety and other potential health problems.
4. Leaches Calcium from Bones: Diet sodas leach calcium from your bones in several ways. The phosphoric acid in diet sodas can increase calcium excretion in urine, therefore promoting calcium loss. Caffeine can also zap calcium from bones and weaken them if the body is not replaced with enough calcium. Getting an adequate amount of calcium and vitamin D every day, as well as limiting caffeine intake to 300 mg or less a day, will help diet soda drinkers maintain strong and healthy bones.
5. Increases Stroke Risk: Recent medical studies have determined a link between diet soda consumption and an increased risk of stroke and heart attack. The study used 2,500 participants to analyze the health effects of daily diet soda consumption. It found that 61 percent of people who drank a diet soda daily had an increased risk of heart problems compared to non-soda drinkers. It also accounted for smoking, exercise, alcohol consumption and calories consumed per day.
6. Causes Weight Gain: Diet sodas have been linked to causing weight because sugar substitutes, such as saccharin, sucralose, aspartame, neotame and acesulfame-K, may actually increase people’s cravings for more food to feel satisfied. Research shows that artificial sweeteners are hundreds of times sweeter than real sugar and can be addictive. This may increase cravings and consumption of larger and sweeter desserts to get your sweets fix, which may result in weight gain.
7. Causes Dehydration: Diet soda is a diuretic, which increases the flow of urine and calcium excretion. Depending on how many diet sodas you drink and how much water you consume, this process can cause dehydration. Excessive diet soda consumption can also cause a laxative effect and shed some water weight, but it’s very important to be aware of the signs of dehydration and stay replenished with water.
8. Increases Risk of Developing Metabolic Syndrome: Research suggests that drinking diet soda may increase one’s chances of developing metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is characterized by a group of risk factors that could lead to heart disease, stroke and type 2diabetes. Abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, insulin resistance or glucose intolerance and high cholesterol are some of the known risk factors. Daily diet soda drinkers, who don’t exercise and eat unhealthy foods, are increasing their chances of developing metabolic syndrome at a faster rate than those who don’t drink sodas but eat the same way.
9. Inceases Risk of Cell Damage: A preservative found in diet sodas, called sodium benzoate, has been linked to an increase in cell damage. Sodium benzoate is added to sodas to prevent mold. When mixed with the additive vitamin C, it produces a carcinogenic substance called benzene. Studies also show that sodium benzoate may damage the mitochondria, a very important part of DNA within cells. The cells might malfunction when damaged, causing a number of diseases like Parkinson’s, cirrhosis of the liver and neuro-degenerative diseases.
10. Soda Used to Contain Cocaine: When Coca-Cola was first created by pharmacist John Pemberton in 1886, it contained cocaine, which was thought to cure various diseases and ailments. The “feel good” drink was said to cure morphine addiction, neurasthenia, headache and dyspepsia. Coca-Cola may have taken out cocaine from the recipe in the early 1900s, but both regular and diet Coca-Cola still use a cocaine-free coca extract in the recipe.

He passed away on January 26 and was buried on January 31^st with full military honors, a veteran of WWII

There was another war Jerome fought that still drags on.  He battled to prevent approval of the deadly addictive excitoneurotoxic, genetically engineered, carcinogenic drug aspartame.  (NutraSweet/AminoSweet/Spoonful/Naturtaste/Canderel/E951 among other aliases).  This chemical was developed by the troubled G. D. Searle Co., which was swamped by lawsuits from women injured by its intrauterine device.  Broke Searle hired Don Rumsfeld to fix the problem and get aspartame on the market to bring in some cash.  Honest FDA Commissioner Jeri Goyan refused FDA approval because of its toxicity and was about to sign the order banning aspartame.  Rumsfeld had the political clout, was on Ronald Regans transition team, so the night after Reagan was inaugurated Goyan was fired and  a new bought-and-paid-for- Commissioner, Arthur Hull Hayes, could take over. Reagan wrote an executive order making FDA powerless to do anything on aspartame, to keep  Dr. Goyan from signing the revoked petition into law.  Linda Hart who became Mrs. Goyan,  was with him when  the 3:00 AM termination call from  the Reagan team came in according to her letter to me..  http://www.rense.com/general79/aspar.htm Hayes overruled the Board of Inquiry Report and approved aspartame. http://www.mpwhi.com/fda_petition1.doc He then took a ten year consultant contract with NutraSweet PR outfit.

Approved by politics because it never could  be approved by science G. D. Searle had survived the FDAs demand for indictment.  Their defense team hired US Prosecutors, Sam Skinner and William Conlon.  When the district attorney hires on with the godfather expect acquittal.  She the whole story in the aspartame documentary Sweet Misery:  A Poisoned World. http://www.soundandfury.tv/pages/rumsfeld.html

Jerome Bressler belonged to the old FDA who tried so hard to keep the chemical poison aspartame off the market.  When Jerome  retired from FDA I called to thank him for the Bressler Report.  He let me know immediately that the worst 20%, two mice studies, had been removed by FDA.  He was very disturbed that the FDA had deleted these studies and told me the public had the right to know.  He asked me to find them, because they were so important.  It was obvious from his conversation how worried he was that the public is consuming this poison, and had no idea what these studies had shown.  The new FDA today, since Hayes had taken over, tells the public its safe and hides and seals important documents that would warn us aspartame is deadly.  Jerome told me how hard it was to live with the fact that the public was consuming a poison and had no way to get the truth.  For this reason I notified Dr. H. J. Roberts and Dr. Russell Blaylock so they would know as well, and they called and verified.  Dr. Roberts tried to get these missing documents through his senator but FDA refused to release them.

That was about 8 years ago.  Mr. Bressler lived in Chicago and Lane Shore, Mission Possible Chicago contacted him.  They had many conversations and became friends.  Lane felt like Jerome did that it was vital to get all the data because of epidemics of this poison, especially since in his own family he had lost 8 from aspartame.  One relative used aspartame during pregnancy, had twins and one died.  The other was hanging on to life at the time of birth but did survive. Lane said the one thing Jerome told him that stood out was that he told his family and close friends not to touch this stuff, but there was no way to warn the public.  Jerome also spoke of times when he was denied access to certain material.  He became angry and threatened to get a court order.

In Chicago Lane and I went to see Jerome.  Over and over again Jerome said you have to get those studies. Lane had with him the Bressler Report and Jerome said, is Collins name on the report? When Lane said no, he said, then you dont have a complete report!  Dr. Thomas F. X. Collins was a lead scientist and his name had been stricken evidently so he couldnt be contacted.  I know that Lane called Dr. Collins and spoke to his wife but she said there was no way he would speak out.

Lane asked Jerome to help get aspartame off the market, saying, It started in Illinois and it should end in Illinois!  Jerome agreed and said the best way was to get an investigation by the Chicago Tribune.  I mentioned this to a friend. Jack Samuels, who told me to call Monica Eng, a reporter with the Tribune who had done an excellent article on MSG.

The next time I was in Chicago it was for a health expo and Lane and I went to see Jerome again. While Jerome said again the Chicago Tribune should do the investigation he didnt want to be interviewed. Monica Eng said for her paper to do an investigation she had to have an interview.    .  He wanted the Chicago Tribune to do an investigation but didnt want to be interviewed.  Jerome had not been interviewed for years and told us with some humor about the time one media representative had left an apple pie at the front door with a note saying all they wanted to do was ask some questions.  Dr. Russell Blaylock was speaking at the expo and Monica Eng came to hear him.  I had asked Dr. Blaylock if he would call on Jerome and he said he would just as soon as he could make time while he was there. We were hopeful that Dr. Blaylock could get Jerome to agree to the interview.   As it turned out, Monica suggested that we go see him that night and we did.  A friend, Diane Murphy , Mission Possible Illinois, also went with us.

Of interest is that Jerome told us it was Dr. Adrian Gross, scientist and toxicologist, with the FDA who decided to put his name on the report saying, €˜Heres your claim to fame.  Indeed, Dr. Gross was right.  The 76 page report remains a key document against aspartame and was the culmination of a priority investigation of G. D. Searles laboratory in Skokie, Illinois.  Barbara Mullarkey, a reporter and health activist, said it compared all the available raw and summary data of a 115 week oral tumorgenicity rat study, against the manufacturers FDA submission.  Barbara said that before the Bressler Report was handed over to her the FDA blanked out some of the attached charts and memos, as if they were some sort of state secrets. I remember when Dave Rietz and I started his web site, www.dorway.com and added this report.  He said there was definitely something missing and it must be very important.  Dave in the end lost his life to aspartame.

Monica Eng taped about a two hour conversation with Jerome.  He changed his mind about an interview after he met her.  She has a very professional manner, very charming and attractive.  It was obvious he was enjoying the visit and actually smiling from his bed. He began to reminisce about the years of battling Searle. At the end Monica asked if she could come back again as his friend and he agreed.

While the Editors at the Chicago Tribune had promised Monica she could do the investigation if she got an interview they changed their mind.  They said they would start the investigation when we could obtain the two studies Bressler mentioned.  It was a slick way of getting out of doing the story.   Then a strange thing happened.  Lane received a call from a man saying he worked for the Tribune.  He appeared hostile and said to Lane, I dont even think you know Jerome Bressler!  When I told Monica about the call she said it was odd since nobody knew about this but her.

Lane worked tirelessly looking for the studies.  Finally Dr. Madelon Price, a biochemist, who worked with Dr. John Olney until her retirement found them. The studies were teratology and showed aspartame causes birth defects.  In another document that was missing from the records recently received indeed there was this statement..  http://www.mpwhi.com/thomas_f_x_collins_file.pdf So the FDA has known for 30 years that aspartame causes birth defects and have covered it up.

The European Environmental Association has projected that with the rise of autism caused by toxic foods like Aspartame, MSG, Fluoride, and environmental degradation, by 2013 no one will be born in the Western World that does not to some degree have autism. Our board of AAEM, American Academy of Environmental Medicine and Dr. William Rae, director of the Dallas Environmental Clinic agreed in open discussion at the October 2010 annual meeting.”  This was quoted by Bill Deagle, M.D..  This could have been avoided if the FDA had done their job and warned the public, and taken it off the market.  Think of all these children all over the world with birth defects that could have been avoided. Aspartame is also an abortifacient so think of the hundreds of thousands or more that have been lost.  According to Dr. James Bowen this is genocide and comes under Title 18 of the domestic genocide code:  http://www.rense.com/general/asp.htm Dr. John Olney in his report to the Board of Inquiry let the FDA know that birth defects are a given and in combination with MSG could harm the brains of the unborn even more. http://www.wnho.net/dr_olney1.doc In fact, FDA had told Dr. Olney babies and children would never get aspartame.  Again, this was the old FDA.  Today anything goes.

Recently in a Paris meeting, Dr. Morando Soffritti discussed his last study showing aspartame causes liver and lung cancer, and his others showing aspartame is a multipotential carcinogen causing everything from leukemia and lymphoma to kidney cancer.  He said  that at least aspartame should be removed from childrens drugs.  Nobody seems to care and many of the SIDS deaths could be aspartame related.

Lane Shore was very happy the day he handed over the missing studies to Monica Eng of the Chicago Tribune.  Finally an investigation from the beginning was going to be done as Jerome Bressler had asked.  We were shocked when the editors flipped again and said the story could not be done.  This time they agreed when a new study was done they would publish.  When Dr. Soffritti published his last study on aspartame and liver and lung cancer they backed down again. .  http://www.mpwhi.com/new_study_shows_aspartame_causes_cancer.htm
What is the relationship of this newspaper with the aspartame producers?  The public has the right to know but not if a big time corporate poison is killing them!.

Through the tireless efforts of Lane Shore we have received abundant more damning records.  It was a happy day for Lane Shore to hand over to Jerome Bressler his report with the missing studies, and Dr. Thomas Collins name restored.  Lane and Jerome talked often and  Lane constantly went to see him.  He probably would have died 6 months ago if it hadnt been for Lane.  He walked in and found Jerome gasping for breath because the respiratory tube had fallen out. and got the nurse just in time.

Im happy that at least before Jerome died that he received his report in full.  For those who havent seen it:.  http://www.mpwhi.com/fda_hid_research_that_damned_aspartame.htm

Aspartame causing birth defects and cancer has been known from the beginning.  As soon as aspartame got on the market so many complaints came into  FDA they started referring them to the AIDS Hotline.  Senator Howard Metzenbaum was able to get congressional hearings in 1985.  Dr. Adrian Gross, FDA toxicologist and scientist testified that aspartame violated the Delaney Amendment because of the brain tumors and brain cancer, and that FDA should not have been able to even set an ADI, allowable daily intake.  His last words will never be forgotten, If the FDA violates its own laws who is left to protect the public.  FDA toxicologist, Dr. Jacqueline Verrett testified in 1987 that even then aspartame had not been proven safe.  It had been on the market 6 years with complaints pouring into the FDA.  She said that all studies were built on a foundation of sand and should be thrown out.  Her testimony and Dr. Gross testimony can be found on www.mpwhi.com

Ten years ago H. J. Roberts, M.D. wrote the 1000 page medical text with hundreds of case histories on the plague, Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic: www.sunsentpress.com Many call Aspartame Disease Rumsfeld Plague for when Rumsfeld called in his markers  to get it on the market he knew he was condemning  the population  to disability and death.  Russell Blaylock, M.D. wrote about aspartame in Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills, www.russellblaylockmd.com In 1996 60 Minutes did an expose when Dr. Olney made world news on the aspartame and brain tumor issue.  At that time Dr. Ralph Walton did research on aspartame and funding and showed that 92% of independent studies shows the problems aspartame causes, and he said if you eliminate 6 studies the FDA had something to do with and one pro-aspartame summary 100 % of independent studies shows the problems.  Searle couldnt get the studies to show safety before approval and the aspartame industry cant do it now as independent study after independent study+ continues to show the problems that are causing disability and death to the population.  Only studies funded or controlled by industry ever said it was safe, and these are not acceptable.  History shows the cover-up.

The word is out now so Ajinomoto has changed the name of aspartame to AminoSweet.  Be warned.  They are also trying to get Advantame approved, another aspartame product.  Will the FDA do it to us again?  Probably.  Already a more potent form of aspartame called Neotame has been approved.  No longer can anyone eat processed food with safety, with aspartame many times hidden in artificial and natural flavors. Stuart Pape from the National Yogurt Association has petitioned the FDA to allow aspartame in yogurt and dairy products without labeling.  The FDA has yet to respond on whether this was allowed.

The world should honor Jerome Bressler; a modest man who said credit should be given to the lead scientist, Dr. Collins.  He said it was a team effort, not just his.  He did not seek praise or fame, but wanted the FDA to do its job and remove a poison from the market and save the people.. Even in a nursing home he tried to stop people from using it.  It bothered him for three decades and its hoped that in his memory mainstream media will finally come forth and warn the public, and tell corporations enough is enough.

Dr. Betty Martini, D.Hum, Founder
Mission Possible International
9270 River Club Parkway
Duluth, Georgia 30097
770 242-2599
www.mpwhi.com, www.dorway.com, www.wnho.net
Aspartame Toxicity Center, www.holisticmed.com/aspartame

The “caramel coloring” used to color all the top cola brands isn’t natural caramel coloring at all. Instead, it’s made by reacting sugars with ammonia and sulfites at high temperatures. This reaction results in the formation of2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole, both of which are chemicals documented by the U.S. government to cause cancer in mammals.

This is all coming to light thanks to an effort by the CSPI, which has now filed a regulatory petition to ban these chemicals from colas (http://www.cspinet.org/new/20110216…).

The National Toxicology Program has conducted animal studies on these toxic chemicals found in colas, concluding there is “clear evidence” that 2-MI and 4-MI are animal carcinogens.

The call to ban these chemicals from use in foods was joined by five carcinogenesis experts who said, “The American public should not be exposed to any cancer risk whatsoever as a result of consuming such chemicals, especially when they serve a non-essential, cosmetic purpose.” (http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/experts-…)

That letter explains:

4-methylimidazole (4-MI) causes lung tumors in male and female mice and mononuclear cell leukemia in female rats. Other NTP studies found that 2-methylimidazole caused liver tumors in male and female mice,thyroid tumors in male mice, and precancerous thyroid changes in female mice. In rats, 4-MI caused an increased rate of tumors in thyroid follicular cells in females and an increased rate of hyperplasia in thyroid follicular cells in males.

Even the term “caramel coloring” is extremely misleading to consumers, because most people think it’s related to caramel candy, which is made by browning sugar under heat. But the “caramel coloring” used in colas is made by exposing sugars to industrial chemicals (ammonia and sulfites), resulting in a cocktail of cancer-causing chemicals.

Coke and Pepsi products may soon bear cancer warnings in California

California’s Proposition 65 law limits the consumption of 4-MI to no more than 16 micrograms per day from a single product. Yet colas contain roughly200 microgramsof 4-MI in a 20-ounce bottle.

That’s over 12 times the allowable limit under Proposition 65, and that’s in every bottle! Many people drink several bottles a day, further multiplying their exposure to this potential carcinogen.

If cola companies are going to continue to sell their products in California, then, they must now carrycancer warning labelsin order to be in compliance with Prop 65. You can bet that a desperate effort is now under way by the cola industry to lobby California regulators and make sure 4-MI gets removed from any enforcement of Prop 65.

The cola industry wants everybody to think its products are wholesome and natural while forgetting about the health effects of phosphoric acid, aspartame and high-fructose corn syrup. Now, with 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazolein the picture, there’s yet another potentially cancer-causing chemical to worry about in colas.

Obviously, 2-MI and 4-MI can be avoided by drinking non-colored soft drinks, but those still contain phosphoric acid, high-fructose corn syrup, caffeine and even aspartame in diet sodas.

It turns out,there’s no such thing as a perfectly safe soda. All sodas and soft drinks carry health risks related to their ingredients. I have no doubt that this era of diabetes, obesity and cancer we’re living through right now is due in large part to the widespread consumption of sodas and soft drinks.