Zero calories and tastes like sugar?! Sounds great, Aspartame! May cause brain cancer?! Maybe I'll just stick with regular sugar...
Aspartame is the zero calorie sweetner found in over 5000 products.
Wonder why the FDA took back it's initial approval?
From article by Christine Lydon, MD:
For over eight years, the FDA refused to approve aspartame because it was known to produce seizures and brain tumors in lab animals. One pivotal study by Searle's researchers, known as the "Waisman Study," initially indicated that ingestion of aspartame caused convulsions and death in primates. However, official conclusions could not be reached because the study was never completed. Searle blamed -limitations in adequately skilled laboratory personnel- for their decision to terminate the study. By Searle's own acknowledgement, his team lacked competent research staff. Two FDA investigative task forces presented scathing reports on the quality of the company's research and in 1976, the FDA's general counsel requested a federal grand jury investigation of the company. For reasons unknown, the investigation was never undertaken.
Isn't this interesting from this article:
In 1981, after over 15 years of FDA disapproval of aspartame, G.D. Searle CEO Donald Rumsfeld, in a Searle sales meeting, vowed to "call in his markers" to get aspartame approved. Twenty days later, Ronald Reagan was sworn in as 40th President of the United States, appointing Rumsfeld as Special Envoy to the Middle East and Arthur Hull Hayes Jr. - a friend of Rumsfeld's - to FDA commissioner.
On January 21, 1981, the day after Ronald Reagan's inauguration, Searle re-applied to the FDA for approval to use aspartame in food sweetener. Reagan's new FDA commissioner, Arthur Hayes, appointed a 5-person Scientific Commission to review the board of inquiry's decision.
It soon became clear that the panel would uphold the ban by a 3-2 decision, but Hayes then installed a sixth member on the commission, and the vote became deadlocked. He then personally broke the tie in aspartame's favor. Hayes later left the FDA under allegations of impropriety, served briefly as Provost at New York Medical College, and then took a position with Burson-Marsteller, the chief public relations firm for both Monsanto and GD Searle. Since that time he has never spoken publicly about aspartame.
Burson-Marsteller also handled Johnson & Johnson's Tylenol crisis publicity campaign.
In November 1983, two months after leaving the FDA, Hayes was hired under a ten-year contract with Burson Marsteller [at $1,000 a day].
Here's an interesting tidbit about Burson Marsteller's stellar history.
From another article by Dr. Michael Schachter, M.D.:
The history of the FDA approval process for this substance raises many questions about possible conflicts of interest. Suffice to say no less than 10 officials involved in the approval process took jobs with aspartame-related companies, soon after leaving their governmental posts.
But I'm sure by the time it was approved, all the problems had been taken care of, right?
Do you have any idea what percentage of all complaints received by the FDA are about aspartame? You probably will be as shocked as I was to learn that between 80 to 85% of all complaints received by the FDA are due to aspartame. By 1987, the FDA had received more than 6,000 complaints, including 250 involving epileptic seizures.
60 Minutes Piece:
Side Effects (from previous article):
Probably the most common are headaches, including migraines. As I mentioned, one can also experience seizures. Some pilots have lost their licenses after having experienced seizures from aspartame. Several articles have appeared in flying magazines.
Other neurologic or psychiatric symptoms include dizziness, unsteadiness, confusion, severe drowziness and sleepiness, numbness, hyperactivity--especially in children, severe depression, irritability, anxiety, aggression, personality changes, insomnia and phobias.
Visual changes may include blurred vision, blindness, pain and reduced tears. Ringing or buzzing in the ears, hearing impairment or noise intolerance occur in some people. Palpitations, shortness of breath or recent high blood pressure may mimic a heart condition.
Other systems that can be affected are the gastrointestinal system, including diarrhea, nausea and abdominal pain; the skin, including itching and hives; and the endocrine system, including loss of control of diabetes, menstrual changes, marked weight loss or gain and aggravated low blood sugar.
Sweet Misery - a documentary about the dangers of aspartame
Some good articles on Aspartame dangers:
http://www.mercola.com/article/aspartame/dangers.htm
http://www.mercola.com/article/aspartame/hidden_dangers.htm
http://www.321recipes.com/aspartame.html
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