.
YOU WILL FIND THAT MOST OF THE STARBUCKS STAFF DO NOT KNOW THAT THEY SHOULD NEVER TOUCH THE DRINKING AREA OF THE CUPS/MUGS { actually this is just plain common-sense } PLUS AT TIMES YOU FIND THE STAFF USE THEIR HANDS TO SERVE TEA BAGS INSTEAD OF USING SERVING TONGS ...THEY ARE HANDLING BUCKS ALL THE TIME SO THEIR HANDS ARE CONTAMINATED...YET BUCKS MEAN MORE TO STARBUCKS.
In UK they are now introducing Starbucks vending machines
Starbucks boss Howard Schultz [ far left ]stood alongside Johnson as he met staff at the branch before serving customers.
I am very surprised that the boss of Starbucks is not aware that SWEET 'N LOW Sweetener used in Starbucks all over UK has Aspartame in it...IS HE NOT AWARE OF THE DANGERS OF ASPARTAME FOR IT SEEMS BUCKS MEAN MORE TO HIM THEN CUSTOMERS HEALTH...Those who have used this sweetener are are suffering side-affects should sue Starbucks
Aspartame is the technical name for the brand names NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure. It was discovered by accident in 1965 when James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company, was testing an anti-ulcer drug.
Aspartame was approved for dry goods in 1981 and for carbonated beverages in 1983. It was originally approved for dry goods on July 26, 1974, but objections filed by neuroscience researcher Dr John W. Olney and Consumer attorney James Turner in August 1974 as well as investigations of G.D. Searle's research practices caused the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to put approval of aspartame on hold (December 5, 1974). In 1985, Monsanto purchased G.D. Searle and made Searle Pharmaceuticals and The NutraSweet Company separate subsidiaries.
Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious including seizures and death. A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame 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, and joint pain.
According to researchers and physicians studying the adverse effects of aspartame, the following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame: Brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, parkinson's disease, alzheimer's, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia, and diabetes.
Aspartame is made up of three chemicals: aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. The book "Prescription for Nutritional Healing," by James and Phyllis Balch, lists aspartame under the category of "chemical poison." As you shall see, that is exactly what it is.
What Is Aspartame Made Of?
Aspartic Acid (40 percent of Aspartame)
Dr. Russell L. Blaylock, a professor of neurosurgery at the Medical University of Mississippi, recently published a book thoroughly detailing the damage that is caused by the ingestion of excessive aspartic acid from aspartame. Blaylock makes use of almost 500 scientific references to show how excess free excitatory amino acids such as aspartic acid and glutamic acid (about 99 percent of monosodium glutamate (MSG) is glutamic acid) in our food supply are causing serious chronic neurological disorders and a myriad of other acute symptoms.
How Aspartate (and Glutamate) Cause Damage
Aspartate and glutamate act as neurotransmitters in the brain by facilitating the transmission of information from neuron to neuron. Too much aspartate or glutamate in the brain kills certain neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells. This influx triggers excessive amounts of free radicals, which kill the cells. The neural cell damage that can be caused by excessive aspartate and glutamate is why they are referred to as "excitotoxins." They "excite" or stimulate the neural cells to death.
Aspartic acid is an amino acid. Taken in its free form (unbound to proteins) it significantly raises the blood plasma level of aspartate and glutamate. The excess aspartate and glutamate in the blood plasma shortly after ingesting aspartame or products with free glutamic acid (glutamate precursor) leads to a high level of those neurotransmitters in certain areas of the brain.The blood brain barrier (BBB), which normally protects the brain from excess glutamate and aspartate as well as toxins, 1) is not fully developed during childhood, 2) does not fully protect all areas of the brain, 3) is damaged by numerous chronic and acute conditions, and 4) allows seepage of excess glutamate and aspartate into the brain even when intact.
The excess glutamate and aspartate slowly begin to destroy neurons. The large majority (75 percent or more) of neural cells in a particular area of the brain are killed before any clinical symptoms of a chronic illness are noticed. A few of the many chronic illnesses that have been shown to be contributed to by long-term exposure to excitatory amino acid damage include:
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The risk to infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and persons with certain chronic health problems from excitotoxins are great. Even the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), which usually understates problems and mimics the FDA party-line, recently stated in a review that:
"It is prudent to avoid the use of dietary supplements of L-glutamic acid by pregnant women, infants, and children. The existence of evidence of potential endocrine responses, i.e., elevated cortisol and prolactin, and differential responses between males and females, would also suggest a neuroendocrine link and that supplemental L-glutamic acid should be avoided by women of childbearing age and individuals with affective disorders."
Aspartic acid from aspartame has the same deleterious effects on the body as glutamic acid.
The exact mechanism of acute reactions to excess free glutamate and aspartate is currently being debated. As reported to the FDA, those reactions include:
- Headaches/migraines
- Nausea
- Abdominal pains
- Fatigue (blocks sufficient glucose entry into brain)
- Sleep problems
- Vision problems
- Anxiety attacks
- Depression
- Asthma/chest tigShtness.
One common complaint of persons suffering from the effect of aspartame is memory loss. Ironically, in 1987, G.D. Searle, the manufacturer of aspartame, undertook a search for a drug to combat memory loss caused by excitatory amino acid damage. Blaylock is one of many scientists and physicians who are concerned about excitatory amino acid damage caused by ingestion of aspartame and MSG.
A few of the many experts who have spoken out against the damage being caused by aspartate and glutamate include Adrienne Samuels, Ph.D., an experimental psychologist specializing in research design. Another is Olney, a professor in the department of psychiatry, School of Medicine, Washington University, a neuroscientist and researcher, and one of the world's foremost authorities on excitotoxins. (He informed Searle in 1971 that aspartic acid caused holes in the brains of mice.)
Phenylalanine (50 percent of aspartame)
Phenylalanine is an amino acid normally found in the brain. Persons with the genetic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU) cannot metabolize phenylalanine. This leads to dangerously high levels of phenylalanine in the brain (sometimes lethal). It has been shown that ingesting aspartame, especially along with carbohydrates, can lead to excess levels of phenylalanine in the brain even in persons who do not have PKU.
This is not just a theory, as many people who have eaten large amounts of aspartame over a long period of time and do not have PKU have been shown to have excessive levels of phenylalanine in the blood. Excessive levels of phenylalanine in the brain can cause the levels of seratonin in the brain to decrease, leading to emotional disorders such as depression. It was shown in human testing that phenylalanine levels of the blood were increased significantly in human subjects who chronically used aspartame.
Even a single use of aspartame raised the blood phenylalanine levels. In his testimony before the U.S. Congress, Dr. Louis J. Elsas showed that high blood phenylalanine can be concentrated in parts of the brain and is especially dangerous for infants and fetuses. He also showed that phenylalanine is metabolised much more effeciently by rodents than by humans.
One account of a case of extremely high phenylalanine levels caused by aspartame was recently published the "Wednesday Journal" in an article titled "An Aspartame Nightmare." John Cook began drinking six to eight diet drinks every day. His symptoms started out as memory loss and frequent headaches. He began to crave more aspartame-sweetened drinks. His condition deteriorated so much that he experienced wide mood swings and violent rages. Even though he did not suffer from PKU, a blood test revealed a phenylalanine level of 80 mg/dl. He also showed abnormal brain function and brain damage. After he kicked his aspartame habit, his symptoms improved dramatically.
As Blaylock points out in his book, early studies measuring phenylalanine buildup in the brain were flawed. Investigators who measured specific brain regions and not the average throughout the brain notice significant rises in phenylalanine levels. Specifically the hypothalamus, medulla oblongata, and corpus striatum areas of the brain had the largest increases in phenylalanine. Blaylock goes on to point out that excessive buildup of phenylalanine in the brain can cause schizophrenia or make one more susceptible to seizures.
Therefore, long-term, excessive use of aspartame may provid a boost to sales of seratonin reuptake inhibitors such as Prozac and drugs to control schizophrenia and seizures.
Methanol (aka wood alcohol/poison) (10 percent of aspartame)
Methanol/wood alcohol is a deadly poison. Some people may remember methanol as the poison that has caused some "skid row" alcoholics to end up blind or dead. Methanol is gradually released in the small intestine when the methyl group of aspartame encounter the enzyme chymotrypsin.
The absorption of methanol into the body is sped up considerably when free methanol is ingested. Free methanol is created from aspartame when it is heated to above 86 Fahrenheit (30 Centigrade). This would occur when aspartame-containing product is improperly stored or when it is heated (e.g., as part of a "food" product such as Jello).
Methanol breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde in the body. Formaldehyde is a deadly neurotoxin. An EPA assessment of methanol states that methanol "is considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed. In the body, methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde and formic acid; both of these metabolites are toxic." They recommend a limit of consumption of 7.8 mg/day. A one-liter (approx. 1 quart) aspartame-sweetened beverage contains about 56 mg of methanol. Heavy users of aspartame-containing products consume as much as 250 mg of methanol daily or 32 times the EPA limit.
Symptoms from methanol poisoning include headaches, ear buzzing, dizziness, nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances, weakness, vertigo, chills, memory lapses, numbness and shooting pains in the extremities, behavioral disturbances, and neuritis. The most well known problems from methanol poisoning are vision problems including misty vision, progressive contraction of visual fields, blurring of vision, obscuration of vision, retinal damage, and blindness. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, causes retinal damage, interferes with DNA replication and causes birth defects.
Due to the lack of a couple of key enzymes, humans are many times more sensitive to the toxic effects of methanol than animals. Therefore, tests of aspartame or methanol on animals do not accurately reflect the danger for humans. As pointed out by Dr. Woodrow C. Monte, director of the food science and nutrition laboratory at Arizona State University, "There are no human or mammalian studies to evaluate the possible mutagenic, teratogenic or carcinogenic effects of chronic administration of methyl alcohol."
He was so concerned about the unresolved safety issues that he filed suit with the FDA requesting a hearing to address these issues. He asked the FDA to "slow down on this soft drink issue long enough to answer some of the important questions. It's not fair that you are leaving the full burden of proof on the few of us who are concerned and have such limited resources. You must remember that you are the American public's last defense. Once you allow usage (of aspartame) there is literally nothing I or my colleagues can do to reverse the course. Aspartame will then join saccharin, the sulfiting agents, and God knows how many other questionable compounds enjoined to insult the human constitution with governmental approval." Shortly thereafter, the Commissioner of the FDA, Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr., approved the use of aspartame in carbonated beverages, he then left for a position with G.D. Searle's public relations firm.
It has been pointed out that some fruit juices and alcoholic beverages contain small amounts of methanol. It is important to remember, however, that methanol never appears alone. In every case, ethanol is present, usually in much higher amounts. Ethanol is an antidote for methanol toxicity in humans. The troops of Desert Storm were "treated" to large amounts of aspartame-sweetened beverages, which had been heated to over 86 degrees F in the Saudi Arabian sun. Many of them returned home with numerous disorders similar to what has been seen in persons who have been chemically poisoned by formaldehyde. The free methanol in the beverages may have been a contributing factor in these illnesses. Other breakdown products of aspartame such as DKP (discussed below) may also have been a factor.
In a 1993 act that can only be described as "unconscionable," the FDA approved aspartame as an ingredient in numerous food items that would always be heated to above 86 degree F (30 degree C).
Diketopiperazine (DKP)
DKP is a byproduct of aspartame metabolism. DKP has been implicated in the occurrence of brain tumors. Olney noticed that DKP, when nitrosated in the gut, produced a compound that was similar to N-nitrosourea, a powerful brain tumor causing chemical. Some authors have said that DKP is produced after aspartame ingestion. I am not sure if that is correct. It is definitely true that DKP is formed in liquid aspartame-containing products during prolonged storage.
G.D. Searle conducted animal experiments on the safety of DKP. The FDA found numerous experimental errors occurred, including "clerical errors, mixed-up animals, animals not getting drugs they were supposed to get, pathological specimens lost because of improper handling," and many other errors. These sloppy laboratory procedures may explain why both the test and control animals had sixteen times more brain tumors than would be expected in experiments of this length.
In an ironic twist, shortly after these experimental errors were discovered, the FDA used guidelines recommended by G.D. Searle to develop the industry-wide FDA standards for good laboratory practices.
DKP has also been implicated as a cause of uterine polyps and changes in blood cholesterol by FDA Toxicologist Dr. Jacqueline Verrett in her testimony before the U.S. Senate.
This article was brought to you by Dr. Mercola.Founder of the world's #1 natural health site, he gives you the low-down on cholesterol. Discover why you actually need Cholesterol in this FREE report.
Replies
simple fact is that aspartein is used widely in majority if not all sweet products sold on the market. It is a dengerous substance, period.
Only way to stop this food and beverage madness is ; don't buy junk food , don't drink sweetened sodas and juices. Start eating vegetables, natural sugar fruits and be healthy not junk consumer.
yes ALL these products which DONT use aspartame, as opposed to 3 brands using it, this is only in the sweetners not all the other things which dont use aspartame.
again simply the facts that it is not good for us will do, no need to lie about it and say it causes aids and is in ALL foods with sugar. Seriously get a grip.
I do not know of anyone that does not know that Sweet n Low tastes like bitter crap hours after you first taste it and I am unaware of anyone that does not know it is that poisonous aspartame. Here in the US it is usually offered with other sweeteners, including brown sugar and splenda and stevia. I am diabetic so I use stevia both at home and abroad. I first saw brown sugar as an alternative in Starbucks and I would hope that aspartame is by choice and not anything else in the UK. I have found that the UK bans a lot of things harmful to people's health ( Bactrim, Avandia, etc.) and would hope for the day that aspartame is on that list!
Uriel sugest that we use Stevia. Stevia is a natural sweetener.
AA Uriel say that Aspartame and xylitol is poison that damage
the immune system. Fluoride is also poison. To get rid of Fluoride from drinking
water heat it up to 55+ celcius.
Good work Brother Kalki!
i went to america and to starbucks & they had that pinkAspartame suger too ( cos i went to buy a cappachino) when i was out travelling there...for 3 months...
so yes america too from my own experience use aspartame too...
i dont take that stuff, its definately poisonous and good info to know :)
i like stevia <3
The point is that there are lots of innocents who want to diet so they use this sugar without even reading the ingredients as they trust Starbucks would have done their research and would not sell anything that may harm the health of customers ...BUT BIG MISTAKE AS BUCKS MEAN MORE TO STARBUCKS THEN PEOPLES HEALTH
Well, if you want to diet, the first thing you should do (actually for everybody who desire optimal health) is to completely remove sugar from your diet. If you want to diet and go to starbucks and drink stuff with "fake' sugar, then you are just an idiot. And you won't lose weight.
And, by the way, stevia isn't that healthy either...unless you grow the plant yourself and use its leaves in their natural form...otherwise you are just using another highly processed food. I mean, coca leaves are not the same thing as cocaine...
Sweet and low contains sacharin not aspertame, just as a clarification. I do have to agree with some of the data on this. My roommate dam near died from drinking diet soda that had aspertame in it. He had never drank diet soda before and started drinking a store brand diet soda that had aspertame in it. Three weeks later he was unable to even stand up. He was drinking about 6-7 sodas a day. In the hospital they were still giving him diet soda with aspertame, and he got worse and worse. They could not come up with a diagnosis and when his insurance said that they would not pay for the hospital anymore, they sent him, sicker than ever and he could not even stand up. He was home for a day (still drinking the diet soda with aspertame, and he kept falling to the floor so I sent him back to the hospital for another two weeks where they could not diagnose what was wrong with him although the did a bunch of tests. I had been doing a lot of research on aspertame because I had figured out what he had been doing differently before he took ill, and it was the drinking of massive amounts of diet sodas. So when he came home from the hospital on the second trip, I told him it was the aspertame that was making him so ill and he said I had rocks in my head but he would appease me to prove I was wrong! So he stopped drinking the diet soda because he had been hospitalized the month of January and did not want to go back. Within a week of stopping the soda drinking and we made sure nothing else he consumed contained it he was back to normal and could stand up without falling down and stopped being extremely dizzy, stopped having the horrible headaches, and his blood sugars went back to normal. So he had to concede that it was the aspertame. After about a month he decided it was just a fluke and he had ONE can of the same diet soda, and he was back to sick and dizzy and unable to stand again. He now knows I was right along about the aspertame.
It really upsets me that the hospital was giving diet sodas with aspertame to the patients....Nothing I can do about it, but it really isn't right.
I do not think however that there is any link with aids other than maybe making someone's resistance really low, but a lot of this information I believe very much. As far as addiction, I don't know if that is true, but people really like the sweetness and some people do overdo, like my roommate.
Marique the one in UK contains Aspertame ...it is clearly written in the ingredients at the back of the pink packet
Hard Facts About Aspartame That All Should NOT Ignore
If you have not read my previous 6 articles about Aspartame you can
read each article by clicking on the links below.
http://worldtruth.tv/what-is-aspartame-2/
http://worldtruth.tv/8-dangers-of-diet-soda/
http://worldtruth.tv/aspartame-what-you-dont-know-can-hurt-you/
http://worldtruth.tv/is-pepsi-coke-more-dangerous-then-you-think/
http://worldtruth.tv/aspartame-sweet-killer-it-puts-the-die-in-diet...
http://worldtruth.tv/aspartame-has-been-renamed-and-is-now-being-ma...
The top 10 worst Sources of Aspartame
If you think you are making a healthier option because you chose to have diet soda over a regular soda drink, its time to think again. Crafty advertising may have given the term “sugar free” an impression of healthy alternative, but the truth of the matter is that chemical sweeteners are far from healthy.
Despite the dismissive stand of aspartame producers that aspartame is safe for human consumption, various studies over the years have shown that aspartame is actually linked to headaches, migraines, dizziness, tumors and even cancer. The U.S. FDA made public 92 symptoms attributed to aspartame from submitted complaints. Despite its questionable effect, aspartame was approved for use in 1981 and still continues to be so today. Ironically, aspartame was never tested in humans before its approval. Its use in over 6,000 products and by 250 million people has made the public its unwitting guinea pig in a grand experiment 40 years in the making.
Key to health: Low-Sugar, not sugar-free
Stocking up on diet foods is the best way to gain weight. Latest research on aspartame has revealed that it actually increases the risk of weight gain. Being 200 times sweeter than sugar, aspartame appears to be the perfect answer to dieting since it contains only a few calories while still having the sweet taste of sugar. Unfortunately, phenylalanine and aspartic acid, major components of aspartame, trigger the release of insulin and leptins. The latter are hormones that stimulate storage of body fat.
Moreover, large doses of phenylalanine lower serotonin levels and lead to food cravings. Since both real and artificial sweeteners stimulate the taste buds, they affect the same taste and pleasure pathways in the brain. Artificial sweeteners, however, merely activate but do not satiate the pleasure-related region of the brain, proving to be an inferior system in preventing sugar cravings. In the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, researcher Qing Yang – a faculty at the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology- published findings that revealed artificial sweeteners more likely to cause weight gain than weight loss.
This is over and above the fact that aspartame is also highly addictive. The phenylalanine and methanol components increase the dopamine levels in the brain and cause a certain high. This further creates an addiction that is only made worse by the release of methyl alcohol or methanol, which is considered a narcotic. Keeping this in mind, it’s time we reconsider the “health benefits” aspartame is supposed to give.
Products containing aspartame
The following are well-known products that use aspartame:
Tango no added sugar (all varieties)
7up Free (all varieties)
Lucozade Sport (all varieties)
Schweppes Slimline Drinks (all varieties)
Fanta Zero (all varieties)
Fanta Orange
Dr Pepper Zero
Oasis Summer Fruits Extra Light
Oasis Citrus Punch
Muller Light Cherry
Muller Light Blueberry
Muller Light Raspberry
Muller Light Banana and Custard
Danone Activia Cherry
Weight Watchers Fromage Frais
Weight Watchers Toffee and Vanilla
Wrigleys Airwaves (all varieties)
Wrigleys Orbit (all varieties)
Wrigleys Extra (all varieties)
Uncle Ben’s Sweet and Sour Light
Walkers Sensations Sweet Thai Chilli
Walkers Sensations Lime and Thai Spices
Walkers Prawn Cocktail
The above mentioned popular products are just a few of many that contain aspartame. Despite the rising reports of aspartame’s toxicity, a re-investigation by the FDA as well as of key regulatory bodies worldwide doesn’t seem to be coming anytime soon. We can only protect ourselves by making a conscious choice to check the label of every product we buy at the grocery store.
If you have complaints regarding aspartame, don’t be shy in making your complaint known. The last thing you want to be is a face in a crowd lining up before a government office that doesn’t have your interest at heart.
Our research demonstrated the lack of conclusive evidence as to the danger or safety of aspartame, and the necessity for more independent studies to ensure the health and wellbeing of consumers.
This topic is of significant interest because of the popularity of artificially-sweetened products within Western markets, and in particular the high consumption of aspartame in diet carbonated drinks within Australia. We chose this item as it had broad links to different areas studied within the course, including seizures, depression and pharmacological effects on the brain, but also because of its pertinence to our group: young women being the second highest consumers of aspartame-laden beverages (second only to sufferers of diabetes).
Aspartame is an white, odourless, powdered methyl ester comprised of aspartic acid and phenylalanine; hence its IUPAC name N-(L-α-Aspartyl)-L-phenylalanine,1-methyl ester (Figure 1). It is ~200 times sweeter than sucrose. While having a similar caloric profile to sucrose, its intensity of sweetness renders calorie intake negliable. It is slightly soluble in water (3×10-2 g mL-1 at ph 3 and 25oC). Solubility increases with high and low pH and heating, but various types of degredation also occur- in particularly strong acidic or alkaline conditions, aspartame may be used to produce methanol, or free amino acids via hydrolysis.
Aspartame was ‘discovered’ in 1965 when chemist James Schattler, while using aspartame in the development of an anti-ulcer drug, found it had a sweet flavour (ibid, p. 1806). At the time, Schattler was working for the G.D. Searle & Co. (now owned pharmaceutical giant Pfizer), who quickly patented it and put it up for approval for the consumable market by the Food and Drug Administration. While made legal in 1974, it was not until 1981 that Searle were permitted to market Aspartame in dry goods, and then in carbonated drinks in 1983 (GOA 1987, p. 2).
During the delay in marketing-approval, the FDA assessed the quality of Searle’s findings, as well as those of a 1975-1980 Public Board of Inquiry. While the PBI concluded that “aspartame did not cause brain damage… studies did not conclusively show that aspartame did not cause brain tumours” (ibid, p. 3). In the 1987 United States General Accounting Office’s review of Aspartame’s approval, scientists indicated “neurological function, brain tumours, seizures, headaches, and adverse effects on children and pregnant women” (ibid, p. 3) as being key areas which needed further investigation before approval could be given. While approval was given without addressing these concerns, research in all aforementioned issues continues.
Neurotoxicity:
After consumption, aspartame metabolises into two common amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine, and methanol. While these can be harmful in large amounts, they are also naturally occurring in many of the foods we eat. In fact, foods such as milk, tomato juice and chicken have much higher amounts of these chemicals than aspartame. The chemical which has had the most focus from a neuroscientific perspective is phenylalanine, which is a Large Neutral Amino Acid (LNAA). Studies have focused on how consumption of it impacts upon the ratio of phenylalanine to other LNAAs, and whether this leads to inhibition of other important LNAAs and enzymes in the brain, such as decreased catecholamine, serotonin and dopamine concentrations. There are two fates for phenylalanine: firstly, some is metabolized in the liver to tyrosine, essential for the synthesis of important neurotransmitters such as dopamine (Figure 2a); secondly, phenylalanine readily crosses the blood brain barrier (BBB) by competing for binding on the NAAT, a co-transporter of phenylalanine, tryptopahn (precursor for serotonin) and other amino acids (Figure 2b and 2c). At high concentrations, the competitive binding of phenylalanine results in lower concentrations of dopamine hence disturbing its negative feedback pathway (Figure 2d). However, studies such as those by Stegink et al. (1996), show that while consumption of aspartame leads to a small increase in phenylalanine to LNAA ratio, it is not significant enough to cause any adverse effects. (Humphries, Pretorius & Naude, 2008)
High concentrations of phenylalanine will bind more effectively to NAAT, rather than tyrosine, hence leading to lower concentrations of dopamine. There are two pathways of uptake of phenylalanine in the body: (a) firstly, some phenylalanine is hydrolysed into tyrosine in the liver; and (b) secondly, phenylalanine will compete with tyrosine, methionine and other amino acids for binding on the NAAT and transported across the BBB. (c) Tyrosine must enter the BBB via NAAT since it cannot be synthesized in the brain. (d) Inside the brain, tyrosine is converted to dopamine. (Humphries, Pretorius & Naude, 2008, p. 453)
Aspartame also releases aspartate during digestion, a type of excitatory amino acid and neurotransmitter used by the neurons in the brain. Aspartate is purported to act on the NMDA receptors on the glutamate binding sites, causing calcium ion influx into the cell (Figure 3), thereby promoting greater chances of depolarization or increased firing of action potentials. This high rate of neuron depolarization can potentiate neurodegeneration (Humphries, Pretorius & Naude, 2008). Therefore, when such excitatory neurotransmitters are in excess, the potential toxicity may lead to the neuronal death in the CNS. Additionally, excess aspartame in extracellular space will pump back into glial cells by using enormous amounts of ATP; as the level of ATP stores decrease, the synthesis of glutamate and GABA also falls, thus affecting the functionality of glutamate. In essence, disrupting the balance of neurotransmitters potentially affects a wide range processes in the CNS and the rest of the body, such as amino acid metabolism.
It is purported that aspartate may act directly on the glutamate binding sites on the NMDA receptor, causing calcium ion influx and hence excitation. (“Neuroactive steroids: Synthesis of positive and negative modulators of NMDA receptor”, n.d.)
Headaches:
A headache is a common ailment in the general population due to pain caused by structures within the cranium (e.g. blood vessels, meninges), or structures outside the cranium (e.g. nerves, muscles). Aspartame has been accused of being a precipitant of headaches in consumer reports and questionnaires (Butchko et al., 2002). Yet, the unreliability of these studies have prompted further research using a double-blind crossover method. A double-blind crossover study conducted by Schiffman et al. (1987) did not find significance in the incidence of headaches in subjects who took aspartame compared to placebo. On the contrary, another study showed a subset of the study group were indeed more vulnerable to headaches (Van Den Eeden et al., 1994). However, this study only comprised a small sample of 33 subjects leading to potential statistical issues. Therefore, the answer to whether aspartame provokes headaches is still unclear given such variable reports.
Depression:
Depression is a mood disorder characterized by many symptoms, including: depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, guilt, loss of appetite or overeating, and cognitive problems affecting concentration, memory or decision making. The ingestion of aspartame is suggested to increase the ratio of phenylalanine to other large neutral amino acids, possibly altering central neurotransmitter concentrations (Butchko et al., 2002). These alterations might modify brain function, such as mood or cognition. Walton, Hudak and Green-Waite (1993) conducted a study which examined the effect of aspartame on subjects already suffering from mood disorders; however, this study was cancelled due to severity of reactions in the initial 13 subjects. On the contrary, a completed study on healthy volunteers showed no significant effects of aspartame on mood or cognitive function (Spiers et al., 1998).
Phenylketonuria:
Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an autosomal recessive disease resulting in dysfunction in metabolism caused by deficiency of the enzyme, phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH). PAH is essential for converting phenylalanine consumed in food to tyrosine, which is the precursor for dopamine, noradrenaline and adrenaline. As a consequence to deficient or inactive PAH, the concentration of phenylalanine in patients suffering from PKU can become toxic (“Pheylketonuria”, n.d.) since phenylalanine is hydrophobic, and competes with large, neutral amino acids to cross the blood brain barrier. Some common symptoms of PKU are neurological comprising of seizures, behavioural problems, psychiatric disorders and mental retardation. Therefore, aspartame consumption is theorized to cause adverse effects on vulnerable individuals, such as the heterozygous parents of PKU sufferers (PKUH). Despite this studies have once more produced inconclusive evidence, as some studies found high phenylalanine concentrations caused generalized EEG slowing (Epstein et al., 1989); whereas other data show no medical and biochemical changes (Koch, Shaw, Williamson, & Haber, 1976); nor significant effects on cognitive performance and EEGs (Trefz, et al., 1994). Further, a review by Butchko et al. (2002) on the vulnerability of PKUH to aspartame shows that several studies have demonstrated the tolerance of high levels of aspartame in PKUH, and studies employing more sophisticated EEG analysis found no statistically significant differences.
Brain Tumours:
A brain tumour is an abnormal growth of cells within the brain or the central canal of the spinal cord, causing neurologic symptoms which are focal or generalised (DeAngelis, 2001). Generalized symptoms are due to intracranial hypertension leading to headaches, nausea and vomiting. Focal symptoms indicate the location of the tumour and can include weakness on one side of the body (hemiparesis) and impairment of producing or comprehending language (aphasia). One of the most controversial purported adverse effects of aspartame use is that it causes brain tumours. Investigations conducted in the 1970s showed a high occurrence of brain tumours in rats exposed to aspartame (Reynolds, Butler & Lemkey-Johnston, 1976). A more recent rat study showed a statistically significant increase in malignant schwannomas (cancer of Schwann cells on peripheral nerves), in addition to other cancers (Soffritti et al., 2006). Thus, suggesting that aspartame is a potential carcinogenic agent, particularly affecting the central nervous system.
Consequently, there is much controversy regarding whether aspartame may be a causative factor in human brain tumours. The incidence of human brain tumours increased significantly in the United States within 1-2 years following the approval of aspartame by the FDA (Roberts, 1991). A comparison of total CNS tumour trends showed a substantial fluctuation pre- and post-aspartame introduction in the US (Olney, Farber, Spitznagel & Robins, 1996). Given results from rat studies and the correlation between aspartame approval and brain tumour incidences, it is highly suggestive that aspartame causes brain tumours.
However, the same experimental procedure which found hypothalamic lesions in neonatal mice had no effect on infant monkeys (Reynolds, Butler & Lemkey-Johnston, 1976), indicating that primates may manage high amino acid loads better than rats, metabolically or at the level of the blood brain barrier. Furthermore, recent research found no risk associated with aspartame and brain cancer (Lim et al., 2006).
Seizures:
A seizure generally manifests in physical convulsions or other physical signs and the underlying mechanism is due to uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain. Given that aspartame is a purported excitotoxin, consumption may cause disturbance to the balance of central neurotransmitters, hence provoking seizures. In animal models aspartame promoted an increase in seizure frequency in those that were already at risk, yet it is unclear whether these results translate to humans (Maher & Wurtman, 1987). Although self reports of aspartame induced seizures may appear to be significant, a double-blind crossover model applied to such individuals did not cause seizures even though phenylalanine concentrations were found to be significantly higher with aspartame consumption (Spiers et al, 1998).
A study by Helali et. al (1996) suggested that aspartame played an antagonistic role against anti-epileptic drugs possibly through decreased epinephrine and norepinephrine levels and increased GABA levels. Some studies (i.e. Sze, 1989) have shown that doses of 1000 mg aspartame/kg body weight (bw) or greater did enhance chemically induced seizures, however according to the review by Magnusson et. al. (2007), these results were not consistent, as another study (Reynolds et. al., 1984) claimed that doses of 2000 mg/kg bw had no effect on inducing seizures. There has been a general consensus amongst nearly all studies that doses of under 1000 mg/kg bw have no effect on inducing seizures. Considering that the average amount of aspartame consumed by the top-consuming 90th percentile of society is around 2-3 mg/kg bw, there should be very little concern for seizures as a symptom of aspartame consumption.
As becomes clearly apparent from our research, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that aspartame is dangerous or safe for consumption. It would be our recommendation that more studies with improved methodologies commence so as to ensure the safety of the public.
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