Aspartame - ( Courtesy of Fitness Life Magazine NZ)
In our increasingly health conscious society, sugar has been labelled a dietary enemy. The health or weight conscious look for ways of cutting down on sugar, while still enjoying the addictive sweet taste. Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, or nutra-sweet give us the choice of sugar free chewing gum and confectionary, diet soft drinks, and sugar free jams and coffee sweeteners. Such is the allure of sweetness without the fear of dental cavities or "spare tyres", aspartame is now used in over 6000 different food products, regularly consumed by more than 200 million people around the world. Despite its widespread consumption, scientists, doctors and industry experts continue to debate the safety of human consumption. At the time of its American FDA approval in the 1980’s, the dietary use of aspartame was clouded with controversy. Twenty five years on and the controversy refuses to go away.
Aspartame has three components: the amino-acid phenylalanine (50%), the amino acid aspartic acid (40%), and methanol, also called wood alcohol (10%). Aspartame advocates point out that phenylalanine and aspartic acid are both naturally occurring amino-acids supplied by the normal diet. While this is true, consuming large quantities of these amino acids in isolation produces a different effect to consuming them in combination with other amino acids, as usually occurs in dietary consumption. On their own they enter the central nervous system in abnormally high concentrations, acting as potential neuro-toxins. Dr Russell Blaylock, a professor of Neurosurgery at the Medical University of Mississippi, has extensively studied the effects of aspartic acid from aspartame. Using 500 scientific references, Blaylock has written a book detailing how excess free excitatory amino acids such as aspartic acid in our food supply, is causing serious chronic neurological disorders and a myriad of acute symptoms.
Aspartate acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain. Too much aspartate in the brain kills neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells. This in turn produces excessive levels of free radicals, which kill the cells. Aspartate is referred to as a "excitotoxin", as it is literally able to excite or stimulate the neural cells to death. When aspartate is ingested in isolation, rather than bound to all the other amino acids that occur in protein foods, it significantly raises blood levels of aspartate, in turn leading to high brain levels, which slowly begin to destroy neurons. Damage caused by these excitotoxins is rarely dramatic. Usually the degeneration is subtle, cumulative and develops over a long period of time.
Aspartame advocates claim that the blood brain barrier, which is designed to prevent toxic substances from entering the brain, will protect the brain from any toxic effects of aspartame. Unfortunately, medical condititions such as diabetes, hypertension or even cigarette smoking reduce the effectiveness of this barrier. Prior to birth and until the age of 1, the blood brain barrier is incomplete, and ineffective at preventing excitotoxins such as aspartic acid from reaching the brain. Experimentally it has been shown that infants are 400% more sensitive to excitotoxins than adults.
Methanol (or wood alcohol) makes up 10% of aspartame. The American EPA defines safe consumption of methanol as no more than 7.8mg per day. One litre of fizzy drink sweetened with aspartame contains 56mg of wood alcohol, or eight times the EPA limit. The EPA assessment of methanol states "methanol is considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once absorbed. In the body methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde and formic acid. Both of these metabolites are toxic". It is also interesting to note that humans lack two key enzymes which make them more sensitive to methanol toxicity, than animals. Consequently, animal tests do not accurately represent the danger for humans.
When considering the possible toxic effects of aspartame it is important to consider not just the original components of aspartame, but also the breakdown products or metabolites it produces. When foods containing phenylalanine are stored for a long time, or exposed to warm temperatures, phenylalanine decomposes into diketopeperazine (DKP), a known carcinogen. Similarly worrying, numerous studies have demonstrated formaldehyde formation in the body, after consuming aspartame. Formaldehyde accumulates within the cells, and reacts with cellular proteins such as enzymes and DNA. Life Sciences journal Vol 63, no 5 (1998) contains a study demonstrating this phenomenon. Neuroscientist Russell Blaylock, commenting on the study, said
"it was a very interesting paper that demonstrates that formaldehyde formation from aspartame ingestion is very common and does indeed accumulate within the cell, reacting with cellular proteins and DNA. The fact that it accumulates with each dose, indicates grave consequences among those who consume diet drinks and foodstuffs on a daily basis".
The American FDA operates an Adverse Reaction Monitoring System, to register any adverse reactions to food stuffs. The FDA admits that less than one percent of people who experience a reaction actually report it. Nevertheless, since its introduction as a food additive in 1981, aspartame has accounted for more than 75% of all the complaints to the Monitoring board, accounting for in total 10,000 complaints. If, as the FDA claims, only 1% of reactions are reported, the actual number of consumer reactions to aspartame, totals roughly one million, since 1981!
Adverse reactions to aspartame are diverse, with over 90 different symptoms having been reported to the FDA Monitoring Board. They include: headaches, migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia (racing heart), insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss and joint pain. Some researchers studying the effects of aspartame, also believe the following chronic diseases can be triggered or worsened by consuming aspartame: brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, parkinson’s disease, alzheimers, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia and diabetes.
Airline Pilots seem to be especially sensitive to the effects of aspartame, with nearly 1000 cases of pilot reactions reported to a special pilot hotline in America. It is thought that the effects of ingesting methanol is magnified by altitude. The American Airforce consider the potential consequences of aspartame conumption while flying, serious enough to post a warning in their 1992 US Airforce Magazine.
If you experience more than your fair share of headaches, look carefully at your aspartame consumption. It could be that the sugar free gum you chew every day is the cause of your suffering. Headaches are the most frequently reported adverse reaction to aspartame products. More concerning still, is the possible connection between neurological disorders such as brain tumours, multiple sclerosis, parkinsons and aspartame.
The American National Cancer Institute recorded a 10 percent increase in the incidence of common malignant brain tumours, since 1985. This increase was noted one to two years after the licencing of aspartame for beverages. There has also been an increased occurrence of glioma among children whose mothers consumed aspartame during pregnancy.
The subject of aspartame safety has been the source of fierce controversy and debate since its inception as a food additive in the early 1980’s. While critics point to numerous studies supporting their claims that aspartame is dangerous and toxic to human health, the industry and Monsanto (producers of aspartame) claim it to be an inert substance. Similarly, supporters of the product, quote experimental studies to substantiate their claims.
In 1996 an analysis of peer reviewed medical literature using MEDLINE and other databases was conducted by Ralph G Walton, MD, Chairman, The Center for Behavioural Medicine, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Norteastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. Dr Walton analysed 164 studies relating to human safety and aspartame. 74 of the studies had aspartame industry-related sponsorship, and 90 were funded without any industry money.
Amongst the 90 studies with no industry involvement, 83 (92%) identified one or more problems with aspartame. Of the 7 studies that did not find a problem, 6 of them were conducted by the FDA. Of the 74 aspartame industry sponsored studies, all 74 (100%) claimed that no problems were found with aspartame. It is the results of these industry sponsored studies which are usually quoted in support of aspartame safety. Some independent scientists and analysts have pointed to severe design flaws in a number of these studies.
The official Aspartame Information Centre , created by the manufacturers of aspartame, features a number of positive sanctions for aspartame, from organisations such as the American Dietetic Association, Health Canada and the UK Food Standards Agency. The sanctions claim extensive review of aspartame studies and literature, and reach the conclusion that there is no evidence of adverse effects from aspartame ingestion in humans. With such wildly diverse conclusions on aspartame safety, it remains the perogative of the consumer to make up their own mind when it comes to using or avoiding aspartame.