ASPARTAME AND THE FDA –
THE FOX MINDING THE CHICKEN COOP
FDA Complaints on NutraSweet 4/20/95
There has been so much discussion on the symptoms caused by NutraSweetI
thought perhaps it would be helpful to have the actual report fromthe FDA.
They did not want to release it and I had to file under Freedom of
Information to get it. Also, in the Food Chemical News of June,the FDA
says they will no longer compile a complaint file on aspartame. Dr.
Kessler admits that only 1% report serious problems and, of course,many
do not know to associate their neurological symptoms with aspartame,un-
aware of the history or original lab tests that produced seizures and
brain tumors.
Symptoms Attributed to Aspartame: Health Hazard Evaluation Board
Headache 1847
Dizziness, Poor 736
equilibrium
Change in Mood 656
Vomiting or Nausea 647
Abdominal Pain and 453
cramps
Change in vision 362
Diarrhea 330
Seizures and Convulsions 290
Grand Mal Seizures 174
Memory Loss 255
Fatigue, Weakness 242
Other Neurologial 230
Rash 226
Sleep Problems 201
Hives 191
Change in Heart Rate 185
Itching 175
Change in Sensation 172
(Numbness, Tingling)
Local Swelling 114
Change in Activity Level 113
Difficulty Breathing 112
Oral Sensory Changes 108
Change in Menstrual Pattern 107
The NutraSweet Company and the FDA both use the excuse that methanol
occurs naturally in fruit. Here is the answer to that excusefrom the
report: ASPARTAME; METHANOL AND THE PUBLIC HEALTH, Dr. WoodrowC. Monte
Journal of Applied Nutrition, Volume 16, Number 1, 1984
“Ethanol, the classic antidote for methanol toxicity, is found in natural
food sources of methanol at concentrations 5 to 500,000 times thatof the
toxic. Ethanol inhibits metabolism of methanol and allows thebody time
for clearance of the toxin through the lungs and kidneys.”
There is no ethanol in aspartame. The FDA and the NutraSweet Company
knows this and their excuse is a smokescreen.
Dr. Monte goes on to say:” Methanol (methyl alcohol, wood alcohol),a
poisonous substance, is added as a component during the manufactureof
aspartame. This methanol is subsequently released within hoursof
consumption after hydrolysis of the methyl group of the dipeptide by
chymotrypsin and in the small intestine. Absorption in primatesis
hastened considerably if the methanol is ingested as free methanolas it
occurs in soft drinks after decomposition of aspartame during storageor
in other foods after being heated. Regardless of whether theaspartame
derived methanol exists in food in its free form or still esterifiedto
phenylalanine, 10% of the weight of aspartame intake of an individual
will be absorbed by the bloodstream as methanol within hours after
consumption.”
“Methanol has no therapeutic properties and is considered only as a
toxicant. The ingestion of two teaspoons is considered lethalin humans.”
“Methyl alcohol produces the Methyl alcohol syndrome, consistently,only
in humans and no other test animal, including monkeys. Thereis a clear
difference between “toxicity”, which can be produced in every living
thing, and the “toxic syndrome.” .. “The greater toxicity ofmethanol to
man is deeply rooted in the limited biochemical pathways availableto
humans for detoxification.”
There has been a good deal of blindness from NutraSweet because the
methanol converts to formaldehyde in the retina. Dr. Monte says:”The
localized retinal production of formaldehyde form methanol is still
thought to be principally responsible for the optic papillitis and
retinal edema always associated with the toxic syndrome in humans.”
Further: “If formaldehyde is produced from methanol and does have a
reasonable half life within certain cells in the poisoned organismthe
chronic toxilogical ramifications could be grave. Formaldehydeis a
known carcinogen producing squamous cell carcinomas by inhalation
exposure in experimental animals.”
What Dr. Monte wrote back in l984 and saw coming is what we are seeingin
the population. He said about chronic human exposure: “Manyof the
signs and symptoms of intoxication due to methanol ingestion are not
specific to methyl alcohol. For example, headaches, ear buzzing,
dizziness, nausea and unsteady gait (inebriation), gastrointestinal
disturbances, weakness, vertigo, chills, memory lapses, numbness and
shooting pains in the lower extremities, hands and forearms, behavioral
disturbances, and neuritis. The most characteristic signs andsymptoms
of methyl alcohol poisoning in humans are the various visual
disturbances which can occur without acidosis although they unfortunately
do not always appear. Some of these symptoms are the following: misty
vision, progressive contraction of visual fields (vision tunneling),mist
before the eyes, blurring of vision, and obscuration of vision.”
While this report was written in 1984 please note that the FDA admits
they are receiving complaints on exactly what is mentioned in the above
paragraph on its recent report. Please folks take it seriously.
To my private email I get case histories like the above and we havethe
classic ones we see over and over again listed on the auto-responderto
warn the public. If you want instructions to the auto-responderplease
let me know by private email and I’ll forward it with other information
that is requested.
Prior to the flyers that Mission Possible started distributing worldwide
about a year and a half ago many people did not know to associate their
symptoms with this culprit. They keep on consuming aspartameand
perished never knowing the problem. Today some of the 92 documented
symptoms are listed and the diseases triggered. If you rememberbut one
case history remember this one:
“Aspartame killed my wife. No words can express the agony andhorror
sweet Joyce endured. This poison destroyed her brain, ravagedall her
organs and blinded her. She died at age 46 in 1991.
When we filed suit we were harassed and threatened. Our gung ho
attorneys with a medically documented case suddenly seemed scared away.
The case had to be dropped. Joyce deteriorated so quickly shewould not
have been able to participate in the legal proceedings anyway.
Don’t listen to the paid Judas-goats and TV celebrities who say its
safe. Save your life and those you love, and avoid the griefI endured.
The makers of this poison considered her death an acceptable cost of
business. I’m a man without a wife because the NutraSweet Companyis as
business without a conscience. April is Anti-Aspartame month. Take dead
serious the warnings you will hear. The life you save may beyour own.”
Richard Wilson (written in a local Atlanta paper in April, 1994)
I spoke to Richard only a couple of days ago. He lives in Stockbridge,
Georgia. Joyce testified before Congress before she died hopingto ban
this product from the marketplace so this wouldn’t happen to another
human being. The power of Searle/Monsanto (who bought Searle)and the
FDA is too powerful. The only way we could warn the public wasto go
directly to the people.
In September Joyce Wilson’s son married and on her empty chair was along
stem rose. On October 1 when MISSION POSSIBLE exposed the American
Diabetic Assn. here in Atlanta for taking money from Monsanto and
endorsing this for diabetics with full knowledge of the consequences,we
dedicated the day to Joyce. Press packs were garnished with asingle
yellow rose and were covered with black lace for mourning.
Today the patent has expired and aspartame is in 5000 products and climbing.
Be warned! As Richard said: “The life you save may be your own.”
Betty Martini
e-mail: BettyMartini <[email protected]>
From Michael Evangelisia, former FDA investigator –
CREATIVE LOAFING MAGAZINE – 2/4/95
LETTER TO THE EDITOR..
BITTER
SWEET
The Editors:
I am a former FDA Investigator. Alongwith my investigative
experience, my background in the medical sciences, training and education
have led me to write to you and uncover some facts. I have nostake in
this debate, except to clear the air about NutraSweet, objectivelyand
logically, and raise some serious questions about this issue.
Referring to the letter from Dr. Robert Moser[Jan.14], one has to
question Dr. Moser’s objectivity. To begin with, as he is undercontract
to the NutraSweet Co., it would be safe to assume that anything inDr.
Moser’s article would support NutraSweets claims to being safe. After
all, that’s his job. As such, there are serious doubts as tothe
objectivity and accuracy of his letter, and that’s just for starters.
In my opinion, NutraSweet is a poisonous neurotoxin.
In 1965, while searching for an anti-ulcerdrug, NutraSweet’s
producer, G.D. Searle, found that it had a strong sweet taste. A few
years later, at the manufacturer’s request, Dr. Harry Waisman (physician
and biochemist) from the University of Wisconsin conducted a studyof
aspartame and its PKU (pheylketonuria) effects. Although therewere
reports of negative findings, Searle deleted this information before
sending the report to the FDA.
In 1971, another doctor, from Washington UniversitySchool of
Medicine, informed Searle Co. that aspartic acid caused holes in the
brains of the animals he was testing. A researcher, hired bySearle
itself, confirmed these findings. Searle had submitted 13 tests. FDA
scientists who reviewed these tests found serious deficiencies in allof
them. Despite these major concerns (and, in my opinion, a needfor
further investigation), FDA managers decided that the tests could be
relied upon.
In July of 1974, aspartame was approved foruse in dry goods,
including chewing gum.
Just one month later, an objection to FDA’sapproval of aspartame was
filed. The objection cites brain lesions and neuro-endocrinedisorders in
test animals. A hearing was requested on the purported safetyof
aspartame. An investigation was ordered in July of 1975 to determineif
Searle submitted false information to the FDA.
By December 1975, FDA investigators concludedthat Searles research
practices were so severely flawed, they were basically unreliable.
Contradicting the findings of their own investigators, the FDAupheld the
aspartame approval.
On April 8, 1976, at a U.S. Senate subcommitteehearing regarding G.
D. Searle Co. and the FDA, it was stated that an astonishing, almost
unbelievable scope and range of abuses or deficiencies uncovered bythe
FDA on several Searle products was profoundly disturbing>
Even more disturbing, many people associatedwith this issue had
questionable motives. One U.S. Attorney left the case and thenreceived a
position with the law firm Sidley and Austin, of which Searle is aclient.
This happened with the assistant U.S. Attorney, too. Amember of Congress
became Searle’s president.
The bureaucratic whitewash went on like thisfor three more years,
until, in direct contradiction to accumulated evidence, aspartame was
approved for many food types, including a packaged, tabletop sweetenerin
1981. Just a year before, a Public Board of Inquiry concludedthat it had
not been shown any proof that aspartame was safe as a food additive. A
six-person review panel was established to review these issues. Three of
the six advised against approval. The FDA commissioner approvedaspartame
for its proposed uses, citing a study to support that fact. Thestudy, by
the was, was conducted by Ajinomoto, the Japanese manufacturer of
aspartame.
NutraSweet, a.k.a. aspartame, is a compoundof the following
chemicals: methanol (wood alcohol); aspartic acid; and phenylalanine.
Aspartame readily breaks down into its component parts, and this
decomposition is hastened by heat. Methanol breaks down furtherinto
formaldehyde and formic acid (ant sting poison).
In 1983, a warning that phenylalanine is presentwas placed on some
labels of aspartame-containing products for individuals with
phenylketonuria. During this period, the Arizona Dietetic Associationand
the Central Arizona District of the Association filed a suit seekingto
order the FDA to hold a hearing regarding adverse effects of aspartame.
Supported by too-numerous-to-ignore consumer complaints, reports about
aspartame poured in.
By early 1994, the federal government reported6,888 complaints
concerning the adverse effects of aspartame. As a matter of fact,
aspartame accounted for 75 percent of all complaints in the Adverse
Reaction Monitoring System.
Hardly a counter-placebo effect, Dr. Moser. how much did they pay
you for that psychological cow-chip?
NutraSweet adverse reactions suggested thiswas a strong neurotoxin.
Some of these symptoms are: aggressive behavior, disorientation;
hyperactivity; numbness of the extremities; excitability; memory loss;
visual impairments and loss of depth perception; liver dysfunction;
seizures; tumors; severe mood swings; and major neurological degeneration.
If we carefully scrutinize Dr. Moser’s letter,we can see that he
clearly name-calls those people who have spoken out against aspartame,yet
cannot offer any evidence or rationale to support the product itself.
A. Michael Evangelisia
Consultant, F.D.A. Regulatory Affairs
Atlanta