Ethical Investing
Aspartame (NutraSweet) Formaldehyde Poisoning, Health Destruction, and Lawsuits
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The artificial sweetener aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal, NatraTaste, Canderel) is
without question the most toxic and health-destroying "food" sold to consumers. The number
of people who have recognized toxicity reactions or damage from chronic aspartame ingestion
is well over one million people in the U.S. (based on the reported toxicity reactions divided by
the estimated reporting rate). While many people's health has already been destroyed by
this product, the more serious concern is the long-term nervous system damage, immune system
damage, and irreversible genetic damage known to be caused by aspartame's metabolite,
formaldehyde. Formaldehyde can cause severe health problems at exceptionally low
levels of exposure.
"These are indeed extremely high levels for adducts of formaldehyde, a
substance responsible for chronic deleterious effects that has also
been considered carcinogenic.
....
"It is concluded that aspartame consumption may constitute a hazard
because of its contribution to the formation of formaldehyde adducts."
[Life Sci. (scientific journal), Vol. 63, No. 5, pp. 337+, 1998]
It can be difficult to get a sense of the widespread harm that this toxic product
has caused without printing out and reading completely through the Aspartame Toxicity
Reaction Samples that are available on the
Aspartame (NutraSweet) Toxicity Information Center web page. This document will take a
minute or two to load in web browser so please be patient.
"I know from my own experience, the levels of devastation this product are
real. I have lesions on the left temporal lobe of my brain and a series of
seizures to prove it.
....
"I drank diet coke for YEARS.... loved the stuff.. and 'tho everyone told me
(vaguely) that Aspartame was bad for me.. did I listen?? Noooooo. Annnnd
I paid the price."
Some people may ask, "Well, didn't the research prove that it is safe?" The answer is
"No!". Nearly
100% of the independent scientific research has found
problems with aspartame. Those independent research studies are cited and discussed
in detail on the
Aspartame Frequently Asked Questions web page and on several other web pages on
the Internet. Researchers and physicians are encouraged to followup on these studies.
Primarily, the only research that claims aspartame is safe is that which has been funded and/or
controlled by the manufacturer (e.g., Monsanto). They put together convincing-sounding summaries
of poorly-designed research in order to present to the public. When the research is examined
closely it is found that the testing was often done improperly, the results were often reported
inaccurately or in a biased way, and the equivalent of extremely low doses of aspartame was
often used even though the summaries reported the use of high doses.
"Corporate control of NutraSweet testing continues at Monsanto, torturing
the ethics of academic medicine."
[Prevailing Winds, Issue 1, 1995]
Sometimes, the manufacturer points to the fact that aspartame has been approved in many
countries. But none of these countries even tested aspartame. They relied on the
manufacturer's pre-approved "research" which was aptly described by an FDA Investigator:
"They [manufacturer] lied and they didn't submit
the real nature of their observations because had
they done that it is more than likely that a great
number of these studies would have been rejected
simply for adequacy. What [the manufacturer] did, they took
great pains to camouflage these shortcomings of
the study. As I say filter and just present to the
FDA what they wished the FDA to know and they did
other terrible things for instance animals would
develop tumors while they were under study. Well
they would remove these tumors from the animals."
[US Congressional Record, Volume 131, No. 106, August 1, 1985, pages S10826-S10827]
Some of the symptoms of aspartame poisong include:
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,
Joint Pain
Because aspartame metabolizes into a poison and other dangerous chemicals (despite
the claims of the manufacturer to the contrary), it is believed that it can trigger or
worsen the following conditions:
Brain tumors,
Arthritis,
Multiple sclerosis,
Epilepsy,
Chronic faigue syndrome,
Parkinson's Disease,
Alzheimer's Disease,
Mental retardation,
Lymphoma,
Birth defects,
Fibromyalgia,
Diabetes,
Thyroid Disorders
Monsanto is now preparing to release another poorly-tested, dangerous sweetener, neotame.
However, a large number of people are not waiting to be poisoned again and are using the
Healthier Sweetener Resource List to switch
to stevia and other healthier, time-tested sweeteners.
Monsanto sold its aspartame business recently to Ajinomoto of Japan and a group made up of former
Monsanto executives and Michael Dell's (of Dell Computer) consulting / investment firm. A class action
lawsuit is being prepared and should be filed against the current and previous manufacturers in late
2002. The lawsuits against Monsanto for aspartame poisoning and their other toxic products will
likely force a reorganization or put it out of business within a few years.
Other resources for aspartame/neotame information on the Internet:
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