Most people consider an artificial sweetener like aspartame to be a healthy substitute for sugar, making it the most widely used artificial sweetener in the country.
Aspartame is one of the most hazardous food additives on the market, which some people are unaware of. Aspartame has been discovered to cause brain tumours (2) in addition to being connected to heart attacks and strokes (1), as well as a few other neurological conditions.
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References in Emails from WikiLeaks Burning Holes In The Brain From Aspartame
Now, WikiLeaks made a John Podesta email public, which provided information on the artificial sweetener aspartame. He emphasized the risks associated with NutraSweet as well as the gritty process required to get the sweetener approved as a “food” ingredient.
Wendy Abrams forwarded the email chain to Podesta, in which she states (3) the following:
The doctors at the University of Chicago, which has a highly regarded neurology department, claimed that when they gave NutraSweet to lab mice, it literally blew holes in their brains. I also have a friend who worked for the researchers there. They claimed that because NutraSweet is so harmful, they will advise pregnant women to drink any amount of alcohol before consuming any.
Don Kennedy provides the following explanation in correspondence with Abrams about how aspartame became accepted:
He explains that on January 21, 1981, the day after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated, Searle, the inventor of aspartame, submitted an application to the FDA seeking permission to use the substance as a food sweetener for the second time (aspartame had previously been outlawed).
Reagan’s newly appointed FDA commissioner, Arthur Hayes Hull Jr., then went on to appoint a five-person scientific commission to examine the board of inquiry’s verdict. When it became apparent that the panel would affirm the ban with a 3-2 vote, Hull appointed a sixth member to the commission to ensure a tie. Hull then personally broke the tie in favour of aspartame.
The Incredible History of Aspartame’s Legalisation
The FDA twice banned aspartame before it was allowed.
Aspartame: a sordid history
Aspartame underwent testing following its unintentional discovery in the middle of the 1960s, and the company G.D. Searle eventually received FDA approval. Sadly, the testing was among the worst the investigators had ever witnessed, and the product was actually dangerous to use.
Soon after Aspartame’s approval, G.D. Searle came under intense criticism due to its risks. In fact, aspartame sparked the FDA’s first criminal investigation into a manufacturer in 1977.
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Aspartame and Brain tumours
The FDA then prohibited the use of aspartame in 1980 after commissioning three separate scientific studies on the artificial sweetener. Why? Since they discovered that there was a high risk that aspartame would result in brain tumours. Not to mention the numerous other health problems the chemical caused.
But this did not last for very long. Donald Rumsfeld, the chairman of Searle and the former secretary of defence, promised to “call in his markers” to get it approved at the beginning of 1981. Searle reapplied to the FDA for aspartames’ re-use the day following Ronald Reagan’s inauguration.
Arthur Hayes Hull, Jr., the FDA’s new commissioner under Ronald Reagan, chose a five-person Scientific Commission to examine the board of inquiry’s verdict. Keeping the aspartame ban in place received a 3-2 majority of the vote. It was not until Hull added a sixth board member that there was a 3-3 tie in the vote. In order to break the tie, Hull chose to personally approve the use of aspartame in food products. Monsanto made the decision to buy the aspartame patent from G.D. Searle in 1985.
Aspartame would not be used today if the product had not been illegally unbanned.
Aspartame would not be used today if the product had not been illegally unbanned.
Aspartame health risks: NOT Suitable For Human Consumption
The Safe Food Campaign in New Zealand claims that aspartame is more closely associated with health risks and issues than MSG. Aspartame is a known contributor to over 90 serious health issues, including cancer, leukaemia, headaches, seizures, fibromyalgia, and epilepsy, to name a few (4, 5, 6, 7, 8).
The most complete source of information on artificial sweeteners, like aspartame is World Health International. Its founder, Dr. Betty Martini, has devoted a lot of time to highlighting the risks associated with aspartame. According to the website, aspartame and its numerous should not be a part of our diets because it is addictive, neurotoxic, teratogenic, carcinogenic, and excitotoxic. Yes, the aspartame health risks are that bad.
The website lists 92 documented aspartame-related symptoms, including depression, anxiety, memory loss, fatigue, headaches, vertigo, irritability, insomnia, weight gain, palpitations, sexual dysfunction, loss of taste, weakness, joint pain, numbness, dizziness, tinnitus, blurry vision, rashes, seizures, and blindness.
Among the illnesses connected to aspartame are multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, Gulf War syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, Grave’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, mental retardation, lymphoma, lupus, DNA damage, birth defects, and even death.
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Where in Your Diet Is Aspartame Hiding?
That does not mean aspartame is not present in your diet just because you are not actively seeking out artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners like aspartame are actually concealed in almost all diet foods and products with low or no sugar labels. This artificial sweetener may be present in low-fat products as well.
Here is a list of common foods that you should never eat. Never forget to look at the ingredient list before purchasing any food items:
- Sucking on gum
- Flavoured water (also known as vitamin water)
- Products without sugar
- Drinking powders
- Cooking condiments
- Medicines for children
- Yoghurt, diet sodas, and cereals
- Sweeteners used on tables