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Artificial Sweeteners... Aspartame and The Dangers.

Anonymous Author (April 2007)
Aspartame... sweetener number E951

About 5 years ago my mum told me something that scared the daylights out of me and stopped our whole house eating Extra Gum...

Aspartame causes brain tumors and other side effects...

I know it sounds scary but its true. They have tested it and was actually banned in USA. I believe its been lifted now but it was once banned because of its adverse effects.

Phenylalanine and aspartic acid, 90% of aspartame, are amino acids normally used in synthesis of protoplasm when supplied by the foods we eat. But when unaccompanied by other amino acids we use [there are 20], they are neurotoxic.

That is why a warning for Phenylketonurics is found on EQUAL and other aspartame products. Phenylketenurics are 2% of the population with extreme sensitivity to this chemical unless it's present in food. It gets you too, causing brain disorders and birth defects! Finally, the phenyalanine breaks down into DKP, a brain tumor agent.

Link Here

Can you believe it? I was unsure when I heard of it because the tests were on mice and they digested a HUGE ammount of the chemical for it to cause that. But when you look at it how we did its quite scary.

My grandad died of a brain tumor. When he was in his 20's he got diabetes. He switched to artificial sugars. He died a slow and painful death. We all believe this was because of the sugars. At the time it wasn't well known that they were even testing it and it deffinately wasn't known that there was any side effects when he was in his 20's.

Dont believe it still. Check out this site and this site. A paragraph from the first one is

"Aspartame sugar substitutes cause worrying symptoms from memory loss to brain tumours. But despite US FDA approval as a 'safe' food additive, aspartame is one of the most dangerous substances ever to be foisted upon an unsuspecting public."

So what is it? It is an artificial sweetener added to more than 6,000 products including carbonated soft drinks, powdered soft drinks, chewing gum, confections, gelatins, dessert mixes, puddings and fillings, frozen desserts, yogurt, tabletop sweeteners, and some pharmaceuticals such as vitamins and sugar-free cough drops. If it says 'diet' or 'sugar free' check the label. It has to be put on the back because its such a dangerous and unhealthy chemical.

So what are the effects? Here is a list of some of the doccumented symptoms and side effects of aspartame:

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.

It is also proven that some chronic illnesses can be triggered and worsened by aspartame. Here is a list.

Brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, parkinson's disease, alzheimer's, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia, and diabetes.

The 1976 Groliers encyclopedia states cancer cannot live without phenylalanine. Aspartame contains 50% phenylalanine.

Methanol breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde, embalming fluid. Methanol is a dangerous neurotoxin, a known carcinogen, causes retinal damage in the eye, interferes with DNA replication, and causes birth defects.


Taken from this great site by someone who knows what they are talking about. Dr. Janet Hull

Is there a cover up? YES YES YES YES YES

There were a lot of independantly-funded studies that were held on the effects of aspartame using humans and animals. Out of 90, 83 of them found aspartame to cause health issues.

Check out this site... Click here


What can you use instead?

Check out this advice on Natural Sweeteners

Look into it further if you like. But whatever you do DONT give your child anything with artificial sweeteners. Aspartame, sachrine, phenylalanine are all the same. There are natural alternatives to artificial sweeteners and as a mother I BEG YOU to look into it before you give them to your child and look into the natural ones from your health food store.
Any contributed content above is the subjective opinion of that member or external author, and not of Minti.com Pty Ltd. If you are searching for health related advice we strongly suggest you seek professional medical support. View our Terms of Service for more details.

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pappas
April 18th | pappas
Re: Artificial Sweeteners... Aspartame and The Dangers.

thak-you for this article it's fantastic. i've suffered for years with alot of these problems to the point i couldn't get out of bed and was told i was depressed by my doctor. i couldn't walk, sleep properly, i felt like i was just waiting to die. i was sick for years as a teenager, until i stop drinking coke and became more awear of Aspartame. i felt fantastic after giving up sugar. people and our governments need to take this more seriously. 



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pavementcracks70
February 2008 | pavementcracks70
Re: Artificial Sweeteners... Aspartame and The Dangers.

great article

good to have a refresher here

rue



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symmaron-rose
November 2007 | symmaron-rose
Re: Artificial Sweeteners... Aspartame and The Dangers.
Wow how scary. My husband has always said artificial sweetners are really bad for you. Thanks for this article i can't wait to show him.


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pav
October 2007 | pav
Re: Artificial Sweeteners... Aspartame and The Dangers.
yes, excellent advice.
It's a shame , nowadays so many parents give their kids  low sugar or no sugar drinks, which are full of artificial sweeteners. They think it's good for their teeth!


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Blazin
5.00 (Excellent) | October 2007 | Blazin
Re: Artificial Sweeteners... Aspartame and The Dangers.

I don't believe Aspertame, in moderation , is going to hurt you.

As a matter of fact when pregnant with my son , I had gestational diabetes. Obviously all use of sugar is done away with and I had to go to a diabetic class. In the class we were told the only sweetner we COULD use was one containing aspertame , such as equal, sweet n low , ect... As other sweetners , such as  Cyclamate found in Sugar Twin cause Birth defects. When I asked about the harmfullnes of aspertame as I had heard so many bad things , I was informed by both Dr.'s and nurses that the Aspertame will not harm you unless you are drinking an access amout of 48 cans of diet pop per DAY. So unless you are a crazy mad pop drinker , I personally wouldnt be too concerned , after the birth of my son I continue to use Aspertame in replacement of sugar



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emmie
September 2007 | emmie
Re: Artificial Sweeteners... Aspartame and The Dangers.

great advice

cheers

 



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ellamia
September 2007 | ellamia
Re: Artificial Sweeteners... Aspartame and The Dangers.
As far as i know they havent had enough proof to say that it does anything, that was 10 months ago. But thats my oppionon


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angelatheart
July 2007 | angelatheart
Re: Artificial Sweeteners... Aspartame and The Dangers.
OH NO this is horrible. i mean. there are many people such as diabetic's and things that use this as they cant have sugar for there health. What a joke. Great artical.


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9wondersoftheworld
5.00 (Excellent) | June 2007 | 9wondersoftheworld
Re: Artificial Sweeteners... Aspartame and The Dangers.
Excellent article, very interesting reading, lets all be on the look out for this and why hasn't it been pulled off the shelves, I suppose profit comes before people!!


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Jodie04
June 2007 | Jodie04
Re: Artificial Sweeteners... Aspartame and The Dangers.
Wow, this is something I didn't know. If you could have seen my facw while reading this!!! Thankyou for this comprehensive article. It is very enlightening, and I will be monitoring this in my home.


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Leea
June 2007 | Leea
Re: Artificial Sweeteners... Aspartame and The Dangers.
I have known about this for quite some time. It's definitely NOT consumed in my house.


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sanersti
5.00 (Excellent) | June 2007 | sanersti
Re: Artificial Sweeteners... Aspartame and The Dangers.
Aspartame was successfully kept off the market for over ten years prior to GD Searle hiring Donald Rumsfeld as their CEO. Shortly after he was hired aspartame became approved through an unbelievable conflict of interest. Several FDA commissioners that voted against approving aspartame were replaced by those that voted for it and got it approved. Shortly after aspartame approval these FDA commissioners were given cushy jobs with quarter million dollar salaries as a reward for their help.

Interestingly enough, Donald  Rumsfeld, was the US Secretary of Defense between 2001 & 2006, and it gets even more interesting when you learn that Donald Rumsfeld is a major shareholder in the company that patented "Tamiflu" (the vaccination against Avian Bird Flu that the US Govt  decided it needed to stockpile for when the bird flu "outbreak" happened.) - but thats going off topic :p

I have long held the belief that the FDA is nothing more than a puppet on a string, manipulated by the pharmaceutical companies for their own financial gains.


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mel-thom-coop
5.00 (Excellent) | May 2007 | mel-thom-coop
everyone is different

three years ago my kidneys went into a tail spin because of aspartame and other preservatives found in food. over a period of four months i lost dangerous amounts of weight, couldn't keep food down, had paralysing headaches and a simple hot shower or bath could make me pass out not to mention the nose bleeds and cold sweats!! people are fooling themselves if they think the copious amounts of rubbish they consume will not affect them eventually.i was a fit twenty something imagine an elderly person with an all ready compromised immune system!! i was on a strict diet for years with some serious rules!! i was eventually allowed to reintroduce foods, having to eliminate them if a reaction occured.just because its on a supermarket shelf does not mean its a licence to indulge. simple food will always be safest. but i don't agree with scare tactics either.

safe eating everyone!! 



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sluxton
5.00 (Excellent) | May 2007 | sluxton
aspartame

thanyou for posting this - it's a great follow on from my article on Food Additives and the more people that are aware of the dangers of these types of additives, the more pressure we can put on governments to start banning them.

also, I believe, we can raise awareness to parents and help reduce behavioural disorders that may possibly be avoided



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llmunchkin
3.92 (Good) | May 2007 | llmunchkin
Well worth researching and finding out more...
This is a very interesting topic - especially since so many people are choosing to use artificial sweeteners as a way to improve their diet and health and lifestyle.  It is important to be aware of the choices available, where they originate from, and any proven scientific medical research to validate claims in regard to whether or not a product is the best choice for any individual.

I think it is great to make people aware that there are doubts about how they affect your health - as do most things when ingested excessively.  It is good to get people thinking about the options available and learning more about them.  However, this is an advice forum, and it is up to people to educate themselves by finding out more about the subject and making their own decision. 

Everyone has added valuable comments and information in regard to this subject, it is good to have food for thought - shame about slamming each other in the process.


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Kellzacar
4.77 (Excellent) | April 2007 | Kellzacar
Artificial Sweeteners

As a diabetic i really found this to be very shocking . . . So i spoke to my GP and specialist whom i trust entirely as they have never given me bad advice . . . They both led me to snopes.

I'm sorry Mel but Snopes disagrees completly with what your article is saying as do my Dr's . . .  Having had Cancer prior to my diabetes I believe my Dr's would never have asked me to take anything that could jepordize my life again . . .  I will continue to use equal daily without fear as will many other diabetics out there . .

Cheers Mate . . . Kellz



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      gorach
3.88 (Good) | April 2007 | gorach
Artificial Sweeteners

unfortunatelt kelz doctors can be very one sided on these types of issues, yes they know their stuff but when it comes to the other side of the fence they can be very conveniant about where they get info.

for instance who is behind snopes? was is it other doctors or scientists that did these studies?

as a diabetic i would be do much more investigation as even artificial sweeteners should be discouraged in your diet.



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      MadMel
4.19 (Good) | April 2007 | MadMel
Artificial Sweeteners
Hey Alana,

I do value your opinion as you know BUT I also think you are silly to listen do doctors. They are not allowed to tell you anything like that. If you had of gone and asked when it was banned in the States they might have told you a whole other story. Now because its FDA approved it's a whole other story.

You see biiiiiiiiiiig companies like those who manifacture aspartame have billions of dollars, and orginaisations like FDA can be brought out for millions. Its not fair but its life.

It's not like there is nothing out there. Please look at my Natural Sweeteners advice. How long ago did you have a tumor? How long were you on aspartame for??? Your not the first diabetic whos been using this chemical and has said they have had a tumor... and certainly wont be the last.


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           Kellzacar
5.00 (Excellent) | April 2007 | Kellzacar
Artificial Sweeteners

Hi mel,

I had cancer before developing diabetes so i was not using aspartame . . . I have checked out your Natural Sweeteners advice and even gave is 5 stars (lol) as it was great!

I am one of the lucky ones as far as my GP goes, he is also my friend and has even risked his own job once to help me so i have no worries with trusting advice. I have also shown him your natural sweeteners article and he is going to look into it more.

I guess my concerns lay with ppl out there whom dont have ppl they can rely on and have serious medical issues such as diabetes and after reading your article they may freak and go back to sugar. This could very very serious and life threatening for them.

Perhaps you could add a bit to your article saying that you DO NOT recomeded people to go back to sugar without first seeing their doctor or specialist.

Cheers Kellz



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                MadMel
3.92 (Good) | April 2007 | MadMel
Artificial Sweeteners
I see your concern. That is why I wrote this on the end

What can you use instead?

Check out this advice on Natural Sweeteners


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pinkninjaprincess
5.00 (Excellent) | April 2007 | pinkninjaprincess
fantastic advice
We were told about this only a few months ago by a friend with a neurological condition who will not allow it in her house. she noticed my kids drinking fruit shoots and told me about the dangers. We have cut it out but it is difficult - ice pops contain heaps, i am making my own this summer from real fruit juice. The `high juice` dilutable squash is the only alternative to squash I beleive. Thankyou.


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Tadexpress
5.00 (Excellent) | April 2007 | Tadexpress
Excellent
I heard this as a hypothesis  many, many years ago when diet drinks became popular, fortunately for me I could never handle the taste so diet drinks, artifical sugars werent a problem for me however my youngest begain using diet drinks and I told her now I can share facts. As someone who bought her children up on low fat, low salt, low sugar I firmly believe in sticking to whats natural and having watched society changing its ideas over the past 10 or so years I can only applaud people who go to the extra efforts of getting the facts out there.


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      MadMel
5.00 (Excellent) | April 2007 | MadMel
Excellent
Thanks Tad :)


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Deborahsc2203
5.00 (Excellent) | April 2007 | Deborahsc2203
good information
i was shell shocked to read this ,, great article i have to thankyou very much for letting us all know about the dangours and cover ups ,, its all about the money with the products ,, they dont care as long as the money flows in ,,,even know i dont buy any of it that i know of ,, im more alerted to read the back of the packs now , thankyou


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      MadMel
5.00 (Excellent) | April 2007 | MadMel
good information
Thanks Deb :)
We all need to be more aware!


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VioletsAreNotBlue
4.00 (Good) | April 2007 | VioletsAreNotBlue
Asparatame NOT!

I am allergice to this, but my former boss gave me a pamphlet (book actually) on all the dire results of using asparatame.  I absolutely refuse to allow my children to eat anything with artificial sweeteners in it.  It is amazing that everything that says low calorie or 50% less sugar now has some form of artificial sweetner in it.  For the few extra calories that sugar has, I will give this too my children over "diet" products anyday, including diet pop. 

Most products have natural sugars in them anyway, so why do they add more.  I don't understand.  For example flavored waters. I don't really like plain water so when I went looking for a flavored water,  I don't want sugar I just want the flavor of the water to taste good.  Most of the flavored waters have asparatame in them which I found made them have a wierd aftertaste.  Can't they just add the flavoring without the sugar substitute. 

 



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      madmelsBACK
5.00 (Excellent) | April 2007 | madmelsBACK
Asparatame NOT!
Thanks for your comment! Whats the book called? I would love to get a hold of a copy.


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           VioletsAreNotBlue
5.00 (Excellent) | April 2007 | VioletsAreNotBlue
Asparatame NOT!
Im not sure If I still have it at work or not.  It was something he printed off the internet that was like 100 pages.  I will take a look for you to see if I can find it.


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                MadMel
5.00 (Excellent) | April 2007 | MadMel
Asparatame NOT!
Great! Thanks a lot :)


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