The dangers of consuming excess sugar have been highlighted in recent years but the effects of artificial sweeteners have been shown to be even more harmful. Sweeteners that are added to food are consumed in good faith by people wanting to avoid sugar and cut calories, little realizing that in doing so they may be stacking up even further health problems for themselves. Weight gain, for instance, was a particular problem as a result of the lockdowns imposed during the pandemic, when people were confined indoors for long periods of time.
Aspartame, also known as Nutrasweet or E951, is believed to be carcinogenic and accounts for more reports of adverse reactions than all other foods and food additives combined. Despite this knowledge, it has been revealed that “this artificial sweetener continues to be used in more than 6,000 products (often sugar-free or "diet" versions), and millions of people consume this toxic chemical daily, believing it to be a healthy alternative to sugar.” Neotame E961, closely related to aspartame is the most potent sweetener known, being 7000–13,000 times sweeter than sucrose.
Aspartame, also known as Nutrasweet or E951, is believed to be carcinogenic and accounts for more reports of adverse reactions than all other foods and food additives combined. Despite this knowledge, it has been revealed that “this artificial sweetener continues to be used in more than 6,000 products (often sugar-free or "diet" versions), and millions of people consume this toxic chemical daily, believing it to be a healthy alternative to sugar.” Neotame E961, closely related to aspartame is the most potent sweetener known, being 7000–13,000 times sweeter than sucrose.
LETTER FROM A READER
"I was warned that my health problems - difficulty walking, thinking and hearing -could be due to aspartame. I had been ill from early May and recently could only get around in a wheelchair I was so weak. I didn't believe it could be aspartame but stopped eating the (diet) yoghurts because I had tried everything else. All medical tests came up negative. Within days of avoiding aspartame I was so strong and fit I could garden and go shopping in the supermarket (unthinkable before as it is so big). So, look at all labels if you want to stay fit and healthy.
Yours truly
C.N.
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SYNTHETIC CHEMICAL
When you look at the composition of this product it is not difficult to understand why there has been so much controversy. In his book, ‘Aspartame (Nutrasweet). Is it Safe?’, Dr.H.J.Roberts, a diabetic specialist and world expert on aspartame poisoning, describes it as a synthetic chemical made up of three components, two of which are amino acids, phenylalanine and aspartic acid. The third is methyl alcohol, also known as methanol or wood alcohol. He explains that methanol is the first component to be separated from the aspartame molecule during digestion. It is synonymous with wood alcohol which is a deadly poison even when consumed in relatively modest amounts. Methanol can have potentially adverse effects on the brain, optic nerves and retina. Phenylalanine, normally a beneficial amino acid, is known to be toxic at high intake levels with possible adverse effects on a developing foetus. LINKS TO WEIGHT GAIN Aspartame, is linked with weight gain, particularly on the hips and thighs. Dr Roberts stated that when he got patients off aspartame, their average weight loss was 19 pounds (8.6 kg) per person. Many symptoms disappear quite dramatically, especially chronic headaches, when aspartame is totally eliminated from the diet. It is of special interest that some of Dr.Roberts’ patients reported the sudden recurrence of headaches within minutes or hours when aspartame products were resumed. DIABETICS AT RISK Aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sugar and is in nearly every product that at one time might have contained sugar, from chewing gum and toothpaste to fruit yoghurt and certainly in some cola and fruit drinks, especially those labelled ‘diet’ or ‘light’. Dr. Roberts warns that aspartame is particularly dangerous for diabetics. The aspartame keeps the blood sugar level out of control, causing some patients to go into a coma and unfortunately, many have died. EARLY SUSPICIONS Aspartame was first introduced into the European food supply over 30 years ago, and has been under suspicion with regard to its effect on health ever since. Some of the possible side effects that have been claimed as a result of consuming aspartame include:
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CUMULATIVE POISON
In a report on ‘Aspartame: Methanol and the Public Health’, that appeared in a peer reviewed journal, Dr. Woodrow Monte wrote, “When diet sodas and soft drinks sweetened with aspartame are used to replace fluid loss during exercise and physical exertion in hot climates, the intake of methanol can exceed 250 mg/day or 32 times the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended limit of consumption for this cumulative poison.” The effects of aspartame are documented by the FDA’s own data. In 1995 the agency was forced, under the Freedom of Information Act, to release a list of aspartame symptoms reported by thousands of victims. From 10,000 consumer complaints, the FDA compiled a list of 92 symptoms from coma to death. The majority of symptoms are neurological because aspartame can destroy the nervous system. Aspartame is said to worsen or mimic the symptoms of diseases and conditions such as fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, lupus, attention deficit disorder, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, chronic fatigue and depression. In 2007, some supermarkets in the UK were sufficiently concerned that retailing chains such as Sainsbury’s, M&S, and Wal-Mart subsidiary Asda, announced that they would no longer use aspartame in their own label products. Yet, in early 2013, European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) experts, using available information on aspartame and its breakdown products, concluded in draft that they were safe at levels currently set in Europe. AUTHORITIES TURN A BLIND EYE Dr. Betty Martini, who has campaigned against these artificial sweeteners for many years, says NutraSweet is a “deadly, neurotoxic drug masquerading as an additive. It interacts with all antidepressants, L-dopa, Coumadin, hormones, insulin, all cardiac medication, and many others. It is also a chemical hyper sensitization drug so that it interacts with vaccines, other toxins, other unsafe sweeteners like Splenda which has a chlorinated base like DDT and can cause auto immune disease. The FDA has known this for a quarter of a century and done nothing, even though it’s against the law.” NEOTAME is similar to Aspartame except that, from its structure, it appears to be even more toxic than Aspartame. This potential increase in toxicity will make up for the fact that less will be used in diet drinks. 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. The food labelling requirements for Aspartame have now been dropped for Neotame, and no one is clear why this was allowed to happen. Neotame has thus been ruled acceptable and because it is used in such small quantities it does not have to be included in ANY list of ingredients! So, if you buy processed food, that food could well contain Neotame because it is so cost-effective and since no one knows it is there, there is no public backlash similar to what is happening with Aspartame. Medical advice is that it is better to use a little sugar rather than resort to harmful artificial sweeteners. A product called “Sweetos,” which is actually composed of Neotame, is being substituted for molasses in animal feed. Sweetos is an economical substitute for molasses. Sweetos guarantees the masking of unpleasant tastes and odour, improves the palatability of feed and is economical for farmers and manufacturers of cattle feed. |
