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Aspartame and Artificial Sweeteners: Sweet or Toxic?

[ Posted On: 2007-05-22 ]

How many people believe that everything you read in writing is the truth? Well here is a prime example of it. I was fortunate enough to become apart of the Citizen's Leadership Academy for the city in which I live in. One Saturday the Academy hosted a field trip that included a tour of the City. That day, as a courtesy, the City provided its volunteers and Academy members with a lunch and during lunchtime; I elected to have a Diet Coke to go with my meal. One of the Academy members noticed that I was drinking Diet Coke and when we returned to the bus after finishing our lunch, he approached me wanting to know if I always drank that product. I said, yes! And asked him why? He stated that he had some information that he wanted to share with me. Therefore, when the field trip was over and we got off the bus, he asked me for my email address because he wanted to send me an article on Diet Coke. I gave it to him and when I received the email, this is what the article read:

DO YOU DRINK DIET COKE/ PEPSI/DIET DRINKS OR USE ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS?

You will not after reading this! If you consume anything with the wording 'diet' or sugar free, then this applies to you!

A Letter from a Friend:

In October of 2001, my sister started getting very sick. She had stomach spasms and she was having a hard time getting around. Walking was a major chore. It took everything she had just to get out of bed; she was in so much pain.

By March 2002, she had undergone several tissue and muscle biopsies and was on 24 various prescription medications. The doctors could not determine what was wrong with her. She was in so much pain, and so sick, she just knew she was dying. She put her house, bank accounts, life insurance, etc., in her oldest daughter's name, and made sure that her younger children were to be taken care of. She also wanted her last hooray, so she planned a trip to Florida (in a wheelchair) for March 22.

On March 19, I called her to ask how her most recent tests went, and she said they did not find anything on the test, but they believe she had MS. I recalled an article a friend of mine e-mailed to me and I asked my sister if she drank diet soda? She told me that she did. In fact, she was getting ready to crack one open that moment. I told her not to open it, and to stop drinking the diet soda! I e-mailed her the article my friend, a lawyer, had sent.

My sister called me within 32 hours after our phone conversation and told me she had stopped drinking the diet soda AND she could walk! The muscle spasms went away. She said she did not feel 100% but she sure felt a lot better. She told me she was going to her doctor with this article and would call me when she got home. Well, she called me, and said her doctor was amazed! He is going to call all of his MS patients to find out if they consumed artificial sweeteners of any kind. Briefly, she was being poisoned by the Aspartame in the diet soda... and literally dying a slow and miserable death. When she got to Florida March 22, all she had to take was one pill, and that was a pill for the Aspartame poisoning! She is well on her way to a complete recovery. In addition, she is walking, no wheelchair! This article saved her life.

If it says 'SUGAR FREE' on the label, DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

This person spent several days lecturing at the WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE on "ASPARTAME," marketed as 'NutraSweet,' 'Equal,' and 'Spoonful.' In the keynote address by the EPA, it was announced that in the United States in 2001 there is an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. It was difficult to determine exactly what toxin was causing this to be rampant. I stood up and said that I was there to lecture on exactly that subject. I will explain why Aspartame is so dangerous: When the temperature of this sweetener exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants. The methanol toxicity mimics, among other conditions, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus.

Many people were being diagnosed in error. Although multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, Methanol toxicity is! Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis, especially with Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers. The victim usually does not know that the Aspartame is the culprit. He or she continues its use; irritating the lupus to such a degree, that it may become a life-threatening condition. We have seen patients with systemic lupus become asymptotic, once taken off diet sodas. In cases of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, most of the symptoms disappear.

We have seen many cases where vision loss returned and hearing loss improved

markedly. This also applies to cases of tinnitus and fibromyalgia. During a lecture, I said, "If you are using ASPARTAME (NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc) and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting, pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, unexplainable depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss, you probably have ASPARTAME poisoning!" People were jumping up during the lecture saying, "I have some of these symptoms.” Is it reversible?" Yes! Yes! Yes! STOP drinking diet sodas and be alert for Aspartame on food labels! Many products are fortified with it!

This is a serious problem. Dr. Espart (one of my speakers) remarked that so many people seem to be symptomatic for MS and during his recent visit to a hospice. A nurse stated that six of her friends, who were heavy Diet Coke addicts, all were diagnosed with MS. This is beyond coincidence! Diet soda is NOT a diet product! It is a chemically altered, multiple SODIUM (salt) and ASPARTAME containing product that actually makes you crave carbohydrates. It is far more likely to make you GAIN weight! These products also contain formaldehyde, which stores in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs. Formaldehyde is an absolute toxin and is used primarily to preserve "tissue specimens." Many products we use every day contain this chemical but we SHOULD NOT store it IN our body!

Dr. H. J. Roberts stated in his lectures that once free of the "diet products" and with no significant increase in exercise; his patients lost an average of 19 pounds over a trial period. Aspartame is especially dangerous for diabetics. We found that some physicians, who believed that they had a patient with retinopathy, in fact, had symptoms caused by Aspartame. The Aspartame drives the blood sugar out of control. Thus, diabetics may suffer acute memory loss because aspartic acid and phenylalanine are NEUROTOXIC when taken without the other amino acids necessary for a good balance. Treating diabetes is all about BALANCE. Especially with diabetics, the Aspartame passes the blood/brain barrier and it then deteriorates the neurons of the brain; causing various levels of brain damage, seizures, depression, manic depression, panic attacks, uncontrollable anger and rage. Consumption of Aspartame causes these same symptoms in non-diabetics as well.

Documentation and observation also reveal that thousands of children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD have had complete turnarounds in their behavior when these chemicals were removed from their diet. So called "behavior modification prescription drugs" (Ritalin and others) are no longer needed. Truth be told, they were never NEEDED in the first place! Most of these children were being "poisoned" on a daily basis with the very foods that were "better for them than sugar."

It is also suspected that the Aspartame in thousands of pallets of diet Coke and diet Pepsi consumed by men and women fighting in the Gulf War, may be partially to blame for the well-known Gulf War Syndrome. Dr. Roberts warns that it can cause birth defects, i.e. mental retardation, if taken at the time of conception and during early pregnancy. Children are especially at risk for neurological disorders and should NEVER be given artificial sweeteners. There are many different case histories to relate of children suffering grande mal seizures and other neurological disturbances due to the use of NutraSweet. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to convince people that Aspartame is to blame for their child's illness.

Stevia, which is a sweet herb, NOT A MANUFACTURED ADDITIVE, helps in the metabolism of sugar, which would be ideal for diabetics. It has now been approved as a dietary supplement by the FDA. It is known that for many years the FDA outlawed this true sweet food," due to their loyalty to MONSANTO Chemical Company."

Books on this subject are available: EXCITOTOXINS: THE TASTE THAT KILLS written by Dr. Russell Blaylock (Health Press 1-800-643-2665) AND DEFENSE AGAINST ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE - written by DR H. J. Roberts, also a diabetic specialist. These two doctors will soon be posting a position paper on the Internet with case histories on the deadly effects of Aspartame. According to the Conference of the American College of Physicians, "We are talking about a plague of neurological diseases directly caused by the use of this deadly poison."

Herein lays the problem: There were Congressional Hearings when Aspartame was included 100 different products and strong objections were made concerning its use. Since this initial hearing, there have been two subsequent hearings, and still nothing has been done. The drug and chemical lobbies have very deep pockets. Sadly, MONSANTO'S patent on Aspartame has EXPIRED! There are now over 5,000 products on the market that contains this deadly chemical and there will be thousands more introduced. Everybody wants a "piece of the Aspartame pie." I assure you that MONSANTO, the creator of Aspartame, knows how deadly it is. In addition, isn't it ironic that MONSANTO funds, among others, the American Diabetes Association, the American Dietetic Association and the Conference of the American College of Physicians? This has been recently exposed in the New York Times. These [organizations] cannot criticize any additives or convey their link to MONSANTO because they take money from the food industry and are required to endorse their products.

Senator Howard Metzenbaum wrote and presented a bill that would require label warnings on products containing Aspartame, especially regarding pregnant women, children and infants. The bill would also institute independent studies on the known dangers and the problems existing in the general population regarding seizures, changes in brain chemistry, neurological changes and behavioral symptoms. The bill was killed. It is known that the powerful drug and chemical lobbies are responsible for this, letting loose the hounds of disease and death on an unsuspecting and uninformed public.

=========================================

Well, you are informed now! YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW!

Robert & Joy Arthur
Isagenix "Success Team"
3902 Bandera Dr.
Granbury, Texas 76049

Cell: 817.894.0743 or Hm: 817.736.8022
Email: mentor4321@aol.com
Website: http://www.wellnessnow911.com

I could not believe the article that I just read! My mind began to wonder is it sweet or toxic? In addition, just because it is in writing does not make it the gospel! I got the impression that this person thought that just because he gave me an article I was suppose to stop drinking the product. My first impression of him after reading the article was he was brainwashed! Therefore, I did what most people would do; I went directly to the source (Coca-Cola). Coke responded to me immediately, and this was what they stated:

Thank you for contacting The Coca-Cola Company. We appreciate your interest in Coca-Cola brand products and welcome the opportunity to respond to the concerns of a valued consumer.

We want you to know that every reliable piece of reliable scientific information we have identified shows that aspartame is a safe and suitable sweetener. Aspartame is a low-calorie sweetener used in hundreds of foods and beverages in more than 90 countries around the world. Prior to its approval, aspartame underwent one of the most thorough scientific reviews ever conducted. National and international regulatory bodies consider it one of the most widely tested ingredients in the food supply. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and virtually every major independent health group in the United States have affirmed the safety of Aspartame. Leading health groups who have formally recognized the safety of aspartame includes the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Diabetes Association; the Epilepsy Institute, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation; the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization; The European Union's Scientific Committee for Food, Health Canada, and the World Health Organization of the United Nations.

When aspartame is digested, it breaks down into the original amino acids and methanol. Many commonly consumed beverages and foods also break down to methanol when digested. The body then converts the methanol to formaldehyde, which is instantly converted to a metabolite called formate. Formate is then quickly eliminated by the body in the form of carbon dioxide and water.

Most of us are unaware of the processes our bodies go through to digest the various foods we consume. This process occurs whether or not the methanol is naturally occurring or found in aspartame-containing foods. Methanol is an abundant, naturally occurring compound found in such foods as fruits and vegetables. For example, four to five times more methanol is obtained from a serving of tomato juice than from an equivalent amount of a soft drink sweetened with aspartame. The methanol in fruits and fruit juice is metabolized the same way as products containing small amounts of methanol from aspartame. There is no reliable scientific evidence to indicate any difference.

Again, we want to assure you that there is no reliable scientific information linking aspartame to any specific symptoms or diseases.

If you would like to learn more about aspartame and/or obtain facts about the low-calorie sweetener, we encourage you to contact the following organizations via telephone or the Internet:

U.S. Food and Drug Administration - www.fda.gov | Telephone (888) 463-6332

International Food Information Council - www.ific.org | Telephone (202) 296-6540

NutraSweet Company - www.nutrasweet.com | Telephone (312) 873-5000

American Beverage Association - www.ameribev.org | Telephone (202) 463-6732

Multiple Sclerosis Foundation - www.msfocus.org | Telephone (800) 441-7055

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society - www.nationalmssociety.org | Phone (800) 344-4867

American Diabetes Association - www.diabetes.org | Phone (800) 342-2383

American Cancer Society – www.cancer.org | Phone (888) ACS 2345

Calorie Control Council - www.caloriecontrol.org

www.aspartame.org

We have attached a brochure from IFIC regarding Aspartame that you may find informative. Please note that the information has been reviewed and approved by the American Academy of Family Physicians. For any specific health concerns, you may have, we suggest you check with your health care provider.

We hope this information is helpful and reassures your confidence in our products. If you should have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us again. Best wishes.

Lesley
Industry and Consumer Affairs
The Coca-Cola Company

When I received Coke's response to the article that he gave me, I sent a copy of it to him. His response was short and brief. He stated:

The article you sent me was very interesting. I will forward it to the friend of mine who sent me the one I forwarded to you. My apology for not responding sooner, I was out of town. I see you Thursday if you are at the Academy. By the way, did you contact Coke for the info?

Well, I have not heard from this person since. Weeks have gone by and he is no longer attending the Academy. My question is for anyone who has read this article; tell me what you think – is it sweet or toxic?

Yvette Long, MBA

CEO, Borders International, LLC
http://www.bordersinternational.com

Article Source: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard

About The Author: Yvette Long, MBA is CEO, Borders International, LLC: www.bordersinternational.com

| View Profile & All Articles By: Yvette Long |

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