The Dangers of Aspartame
by David Rietz
There are over 200 million unsuspecting victims in over 100 countries ingesting any number of over 5000 products containing aspartame (a.k.a. Equal©, NutraSweet©, Spoonful©, Equal Measure©, etc.). The FDA "daily limit" was set before it was approved for use in beverages, and since June of 1996 it has been approved for use just like sugar, even in heated and baked goods where it breaks down much more rapidly into a toxic brew of poisons and tumor agents.
All consumers using aspartame acquire damage with each and every use, and that damage is cumulative. Some people have almost immediate reactions, but most people take years to develop incapacitating arthritis-like pains and other major problems.
Why should users who don't believe they have a problem with aspartame worry about it? For starters, there are three main components to L-Aspartyl-l-phenylalanine methyl ester, 98% (aspartame, C14H18N2O5):
10% Methanol (when in solutions such as Kool Aid©, coffee, tea, pop, etc.). 40% Aspartic Acid (an isolated amino acid not found solo in nature). 50% Phenylalanine (another isolated amino acid in an abnormally high concentration, and the reason for the warning label "Phenylketonurics: Contains phenylalanine").
Facts to bear in mind are that aspartic acid and phenylalanine do occur in nature, but in combination with other naturally occurring substances in a natural balance. In aspartame, these items are unnaturally isolated, and in larger quantities.
All packaged beverages using aspartame have an approximate 270 day shelf life if they are stored at or below 85 degrees F (because additional heat accelerates its decomposition). This is because the 10% methanol converts to formaldehyde (yes, embalming fluid) in the original unopened container.
Those are two toxic poisons that nobody needs in their body. However, any free methanol from fresh beverages (with no inhibiting Ethanol such as exists in fruit) will be converted by the liver, and then the body has a significant problem on how to eliminate the formaldehyde. Some of it is combined with water and stored in the fat (termed "weight gain"), and some of it is further converted to formic acid (the poison found in ant stings). The aspartic acid is known to play a role in triggering seizures (by as little as one stick of sugar-free gum in some people). The phenylalanine readily converts to diketopiperazine (DKP), which is a known tumor agent, and this was perhaps the primary suspect in 12 of the 320 animal test subjects who developed brain tumors. The FDA's "Bressler" report (http://www.dorway.com/bressler.txt) confirms the brain tumors, and added mammary, ovarian and uterine tumors to the list. So … just those three components readily create three poisons (formaldehyde and formic acid cause cumulative damage and are known carcinogens) along with at least one seizure agent and one tumor agent. Here is a more complete list of
conversion products from the methanol, aspartic acid and phenylalanine that make up all aspartame:
- Formaldehyde (embalming fluid)
- Formic Acid (ant poison)
- Beta Aspartame
- Aspartylphenylalanine
- Aspartylphenylalanine amide
- Tyrosine
- L-Dopa Dopamine
- Norepinephrine
- Epinephrine
- Phenylethylamine
- Phenylpyruvate
- Phenylactic acid
- Phenylacetic acid
- Diketopiperazine (DKP)
The following are documented symptoms caused by aspartame ingestion (compiled by the FDA):
Abdominal pain, anxiety attacks, arthritis-like pain, asthmatic reactions, bloating, blood sugar control problems, brain cancer (pre-approval studies in animals), breathing difficulties, burning eyes or throat, burning urination, chest pains, chronic cough, chronic fatigue, confusion, death, depression, diarrhea, dizziness, excessive thirst or hunger, fatigue, feel unreal, flushing of face, hair loss (baldness) or thinning of hair, headaches/migraines, hearing loss, heart palpitations, hives (urticaria), hypertension (high blood pressure), impotency and sexual problems, inability to concentrate, infection susceptibility, insomnia, irritability, itching, joint pains, laryngitis, marked personality changes, memory loss, menstrual problems or changes, muscle spasms, nausea or vomiting, numbness or tingling of extremities, other allergic-like reactions, panic attacks phobias, poor memory, rapid heart beat, rashes, seizures and convulsions, slurring of speech, swallowing pain, tachycardia, tremors, tinnitus, vertigo, vision loss, and weight gain.
(Yes … the FDA listed death as a symptom)
Aspartame disease mimics symptoms or makes worse the following diseases:
Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's Disease, Lupus, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS), Diabetes and Diabetic Complications, Epilepsy, Alzheimer's Disease, Birth Defects, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Lymphoma, Lyme Disease, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Panic Disorder, Depression and other Psychological Disorders.
These are listed on the FDA's list of 92 documented symptoms of aspartame poisoning (http://www.dorway.com/badnews.html) that required a Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) request to obtain.
Aspartame was never, and cannot be, proven to be safe. It is not and cannot be a diet aid because the formaldehyde (from the breakdown of the 10% methanol) gets stored in the fat along with some water. The National Soft Drink Association did a 30-page protest in the 1980’s that mentioned the fact that aspartame was unstable, and that aspartame reduced the levels of serotonin (a substance that gives one that "full" feeling) which often induces a craving for carbohydrates. Diminished serotonin is also linked to behavioral problems.
Perhaps the phrase that best applies is "Aspartame is a Pandora's box of chameleon-like toxins and tumor agents that have 92 FDA acknowledged ways to ruin your life, death being one of them."
Forty percent of Americans are obese. According to a recent national TV program, at the rate we are fattening ourselves up, by the year 2020 or so that number will be 100% (seems impossible, but that is what they said). Of
primary note is that aspartame is in so many products, many of which are classed as "diet" products. In reality, if one wants to get fat, aspartame is where it's at. I gained 60 pounds over the fifteen years I used only Equal© in my coffee. During the first year back to four spoons of sugar in each 12 ounce mug of coffee I lost 30 pounds.
I have been stuck on a plateau for months. I have posted the list of reasons that the National Soft Drink Association read into the Congressional Record (Senate S5511, 5/7/85) as part of their protest at the attempt to approve aspartame for beverages. There are two versions, one HTML and the other plain text: http://www.dorway.com/nsda.html and http://www.dorway.com/nsda.txt .
Salient points are: “Aspartame is inherently, markedly and uniquely unstable in aqueous media." (readily breaks down from 10% methanol to formaldehyde, and from phenylalanine to diketopiperazine (DKP), a known tumor agent)
"The demonstrated ability of aspartame to inhibit the glucose induced release of serotonin has the potential to affect important serotonin-mediated behaviors, such as satiety, food choice and sleep."
"Aspartame has been demonstrated to inhibit the carbohydrate-induced synthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin (Wurtman affidavit). Serotonin blunts the sensation of craving carbohydrates and thus is part of the body's feedback system that helps limit consumption of carbohydrate to appropriate levels. Its inhibition by aspartame could lead to the anomalous result of a diet product causing increased consumption of carbohydrates."
David Rietz was misdiagnosed by 21 doctors for eleven years. At his darkest hour he discovered the single cause of his many painful and expensive problems – in the FDA's list of 92 symptoms of aspartame poisoning on the Internet. Realizing that if someone had mentioned aspartame years prior he might not have suffered so, his inner voice urged him to be that "someone" for somebody else and created the 200 plus page website on aspartame (http://www.DORway.com) to help the 200 million unsuspecting consumers in some stage of aspartame disease. Dave can be reached via email at dorietz@awod.com . Information about the toxicity of aspartame, sucralose and acesulfame-k can also be found on the Aspartame Toxicity Information Center web page at: http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/.
Public comments and questions may be sent to:
Dr. Michael Friedman
Acting FDA Commissioner
US Food & Drug Administration
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857
