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ąÓ Óą ąIfaproductisapprovedbytheFoodandDrugAdministration(FDA)andcomposedofĻnaturalingredients,wouldyouassumeitissafetoconsume?IfthesameproductisanartificialĻsweetener,wouldyouassumeithelpscontrolyourweight?Millionsofpeopleuseaspartame,ĻtheartificialsweetenerknownasNutraSweetš)š,withtheseassumptionsinmind.AspartameĻcanbefoundinthousandsofproductssuchasdietsoda,yogurt,andoverthecountermedicinesĻtonameafew.However,aspartameš šstaintedhistoryofapprovalandpotentiallytoxicĻingredientscastaseriousdoubtonthesafetyofthissugarsubstitute.Furthermore,aspartameĻmayactuallyincreaseyourappetite(Farber52).Ģą ąWhileFDAapprovalmaysignalthegreenlightforsafeconsumption,85percentofallĻcomplaintsregisteredwiththeFDAareforadversereactionstoaspartame,includingfiveĻreporteddeaths(ņņTheDeadlyDeceptionóóla).Acloserlookattheunscientificstudies,suspiciousŠ ūK Šapprovalmethods,anditsharmfulingredients,revealthehiddendangersofthisartificialĻsweetener.Inreality,aspartameposesapublichealththreat.Letš šsexaminethefollowingthreeĻmythstoconcludewhyyoushouldavoidaspartame:first,FDAapprovalmeansaspartameissafeĻtoconsume;second,itsnaturalingredientsimplyš šnotharmfulš š;andthird,ithelpscontrolĻweightgain.ĢĢņņFDAApprovalMeansSafeŠ ń&A"% Šóóą ąš šAspartamewasthemoststudiedadditiveeverapprovedbytheFoodandDrugŠ Ė($' ŠAdministration,š šarguesMarthaStone,NutritionAdvisorandprofessoratColoradoStateŠ „*õ%) ŠUniversity.Stone,anadvocateforaspartame,claimsthatš šaspartamewouldnš šthavegottentoĻthemarketifitcausedproblemsinhumansš š(qtd.InCastrone12D).Doesš šmoststudiedš šimplyĻsafeforhumanconsumption?Moreimportantly,whatweretheresultsofthesestudiesandhowĻwasaspartameapproved?AnindepthlookatthehistoryofaspartameapprovalrevealsatrailofĻsuspiciousmethodsandpossiblecollusionbetweentheFDAandtheG.D.Searlecompany,Ļmanufacturerofaspartame.Ģą ąAspartamewasdiscoveredin1965byachemistfromtheSearlecompany(Farber53).ĻAfterresearchingtheirproducttodetermineitssafety,SearlesubmittedteststotheFDAfortheĻapprovalofaspartame.AccordingtoņņTheDeadlyDeceptionóó,compiledbytheAspartameŠ Š ŠConsumerSafetyNetwork,theFDAapprovedaspartamein1974forlimitedusebasedontheĻtestsselectedbySearle.Aftertheapproval,theFDAlearnedthatsomeofSearleš šsotherĻproductshadserioussideeffects.Also,astudydonebyDr.JohnOlney,researchpsychiatristĻfromtheWashingtonSchoolofMedicine,revealedthatholesinthebrainsofmiceappearedĻaftertheconsumptionofasparticacid,amajoringredientinaspartame.ThisstudywasĻsubmittedtotheFDAaftertheyhadalreadyapprovedaspartameforlimiteduse.ThisnewĻevidencepromptedtheFDAtoorganizeaninternalTaskForcetoinvestigateSearleš šsoriginalĻresearch(78).Ģą ąIntheirinvestigation,theFDA1975TaskForcereviewedastudydoneforSearlein1969ĻbyDr.HarryWaisman,ProfessorofPediatricsattheUniversityofWisconsin.ThestudyĻinvolvedfeedingaspartamemixedwithmilktoseveninfantmonkeys.After300days,fiveĻmonkeyshadgranmalseizuresandonedied.Dr.WaismandiedbeforeallofhisstudieswereĻcompleted.TheTaskForceuncoveredthatwhenSearlehadsubmittedtheWaismanstudytotheŠ +ā&* ŠFDA,allthenegativedatahadbeenomitted(ņņTheDeadlyDeceptionóó67).Š ° Šą ąTheTaskForcealsodiscoveredthatquestionablelabpracticeshadbeenperformedbyĻresearchersfromSearle.Inasummaryoftheirinvestigation,theTaskForceconcluded:ĢÓ X ÓÓ
Ą ÓWehaveuncoveredseriousdeficienciesinSearleš šsintegrityinconductingĻhighqualityanimalresearchtoaccuratelydetermineorcharacterizethetoxicĻpotentialofitsproducts....ThecumulativefindingsofproblemswithinandĻacrossthestudiesweinvestigatedrevealapatternofconductwhichĻcompromisesthescientificintegrityofthestudies.(Qtd.inņņTheDeadlyŠ ¦ö ŠDeceptionóó89).Š Š ŠÓ X ÓÓ
Ą ÓThisinvestigationrevealedthatSearleresearchershadcutouttumorsinanimalsthathadbeenĻfedaspartameandneglectedtoreportallofthemorcheckforcancer.Also,animalsthatwereĻš šreportedasdead,werelaterreportedaliveagainš š(ņņTheDeadlyDeceptionóó9).Š ^ Šą ąOtherfindingsoftheTaskForceincludedš šfalsifieddataš šfromanotherSearleproduct,ĻtheCopper7IUD,abirthcontroldevice.ThisproducthadtobepulledofftheshelvesduetoaĻ$9,000,000lawsuit.SearlelosteventhoughtheyclaimedtheIUDwassafe(ņņTheDeadlyŠ ģ ŠDeceptionóó8).Š v Ę Šą ąAsaresultofthefindingsofthe1975TaskForce,asmallerTaskForcewasassignedinĻ1977toinvestigateSearleš šsoriginalresearchevenfurther.ThisinvestigationuncoveredthatĻSearlehadagainfalsifieddatabysubmittinginaccuratebloodtests.Apparently,theyhadĻsubstitutedunrelatedanimaltestsbecauseofinstrumentproblems.Inanotherstudy,acloserĻlookrevealedthatuterinetumorshaddevelopedinsometestanimals.Searleš šadmittedš šthatĻthesetumorswererelatedtotheingestionofabreakdownproductofaspartame,Š +ā&* ŠDiketopiperazine(ņņTheDeadlyDeceptionóó10).Š ° Šą ąDuetothe1977TaskForcefindings,FDAorderedagrandjuryinvestigationofSearleš šsĻaspartamestudies.AssistantU.S.Attorney,WilliamConlon,andU.S.Attorney,ThomasĻSullivan,failedtostartanylegalactionagainstSearleconcerningaspartametesting.ĻConsequently,timeranoutandthegrandjuryinvestigationterminated.ConlonwasthenhiredĻbythelawfirmthatrepresentedSearle.ItisinterestingtonotethatthiswasnotthefirsttimeĻSearlehadbeeninvolvedinagrandjuryinvestigation.TheyhadbeenaccusedofunreportedĻtumorsinthetestingoftheirtwodrugs,FlagylandAldactone(ņņTheDeadlyDeceptionóó1011).Š ¦ö Šą ąAccordingtoanarticleinņņTechnologyReviewóó,aspartamecameupforapprovalagaininŠ Š Š1980.ThistimetheFDArecommendedthataPublicBoardofInquirybecreatedtodetermineĻaspartameš šssafety.TheBoardwascomposedofthreescientists.Theyš šrecommendedkeepingĻaspartameoffthemarketuntilfurtheranimaltestscouldshowthatitdidnotcausetumorsš šĻ(Farber53).Ģą ąThedisapprovalofaspartamebythePublicBoardofInquirywasnš štenough.ņņTheDeadlyŠ Ā ŠDeceptionóóstatesthatafivememberCommissionerš šsTeamofScientistswasthenformedtoŠ ģ ŠlookattheresultsofthePublicBoardofInquiryconclusions.ThreescientistsvotedagainstĻapprovalandtwoscientistsvotedforapproval.Inexplicably,asixthmemberjoinedtheteamĻwithavoteofš šyesš štotheapprovalofaspartamecreatingadeadlock.Dr.Goyan,theFDAĻCommissioner,decidednottoapproveaspartameatthistime(13,16).Ģą ąInAprilof1981,Dr.ArthurHayesbecamethenewCommissioner.SearleappliedagainĻforapprovalofaspartame.Afewmonthslater,Dr.HayesapprovedaspartameforuseindryĻfoods.In1983,heapprovedaspartameforuseindietsoftdrinks(ņņTheDeadlyDeceptionóó1415).Š +ā&* ŠOnemonthlater,Dr.HayeslefttheFDAandwithinthreemonthshewasworkingforSearleš šsĻadvertisingagency,BursonMarsteller(Farber53).Ģą ąAspartameš šshistoryofapprovalspeaksforitself.TheSearlecompany,whosesaleswereĻ700millionin1992(Therrien42),hadmuchtogainfromtheapprovalofaspartame.AfterĻresearchingtheirownproduct,SearleselectivelychosethetestsandthensubmittedthemtotheĻFDA.HowcanSearle,thecompanywhostandstoprofit,determinewhichreportsaretobeĻgiventotheFDA?Aninstantbiasiscreatedwhenthisisallowedtohappen.EvenwhenĻindependentresearchers,suchasOlneyandWaisman,wereapproachedbySearletoconductĻsafetytests,Searlewithheldimportantinformationthattheseresearchershaddiscovered.TheĻSearlecompanyš šsefforttoproduceaclearpictureonthesafetyofaspartameisatbestaweakĻattempt.Falsifieddata,unscientificlabpractices,andahistoryofproblemswithsomeoftheirĻotherproductsmakesithardtobelievethatSearleš šsconcernforthepublicš šshealthtakesĻprecedenceoverfinancialgains.Ģą ąTheFDAshouldbetheobjectivesourcetoverifyifSearleš šsresearchisvalid.TheFDAĻhasthefinalapprovalandthepublicdependsonthemtodeterminethesafetyofaproduct.InĻthisparticularcase,therepeatedreviewingofaspartamestudiesbyformingtwotaskforces,aĻPublicBoardofInquiry,andtwoteamsofscientistsseemsredundantifnotsuspicious.TheĻresearchindicatingtumorsandfalsifyingofdataresurfacedeverytime.ItappearsthatallofĻtheseattemptsweretoultimatelygetaspartameapproved,nottodetermineitš šssafety.IftheĻFDAhadbeenreallyconcerned,theyshouldhaveinsistedonreviewingalloftheoriginalĻresearchbeforeitwasapprovedforlimitedusein1974.EveniftheFDAš šsrepeatedattemptstoĻinvestigateaspartameš šssafetywerelegitimate,ultimately,itwasCommissionerHayesš šŠ +ā&* Šresponsibilitytodetermineifthisproductshouldenterthemarket.WhenheapprovedĻaspartame,itwasmorethanquestionableifhisintentionsweresincere.HisemploymentwithĻFDAwasjustlongenoughtogetaspartameapprovedandthenheconvenientlyquitandwasĻhiredbyaSearlerelatedcompany!HowcanwerelyontheFDAtomaketherightdecisionsĻconcerningaspartameapprovalifwearesuspiciousoftheirmotives?Ģą ąHowdoesallthisrelatetothesafetyofaspartame?FirstwemustexplorewhatsafeĻmeans.TheFDAdefinessafeasaš šreasonablecertaintyofnoharmš š(Farber48).Searleš šsĻevaluationofaspartameš šssafetywascompromisedwhentheywithheldnegativedataandĻsuppliedinaccuratetestresults.Withoutvalidresearch,š šreasonablecertaintyofnoharmš šisĻdifficulttodetermine.HowcanaspartamebeonthemarketiftheFDAandSearlefailedtoĻdeterminewhetheritwassafeornot?Ģą ąBraintumorsandseizuresinaspartamefedanimalsindicateapossiblerisktohumans.ĻThedictionarydefinitionofsafemeansš šnotpresentingorinvolvinganydangerorriskš šĻ(ņņWebsterš šsóó877).Doesthismeanaspartameisnotsafe?TheanswerliesinthehandsoftheŠ Ā Špublic.Althoughaspartamewasnottestedonhumansbeforeitsapproval,itnowhasbeenĻtestedonthepublicbydefault.Over200millionAmericansconsumeaspartameproductsĻ(Weininger1/ZZ1).WehavebeentheguineapigsinthetestingofaspartamewithoutevenĻknowingit.Alookataspartameš šsingredientsanditsdevastatingeffectsonhumanbeingsĻprovidetheevidenceforavoidingallaspartameproducts.ĢĢņņNaturalIngredientsImplyš šNotHarmfulš šóóŠ ø)%( Šą ąš šThebuildingblocksofproteinš šandš šyourbodycannotdistinguishbetweentheaminoŠ +ā&* Šacidsinaspartameandmilkš š(DeskinsG1)arecommonphrasesusedtodescribetheingredientsĻinaspartame.Theseanalogiesareusedtoconvincethepublicthataspartameisassafeasmilk,Ļorotherproteinfoods.AccordingtoDr.H.J.Roberts,whowaslistedinš šTheBestDoctorsinĻtheU.S.,š šitistruethataspartameiscomposedofthesameaminoacidsthatcanbefoundinĻproteinfoods.However,thereareonlytwoaminoacids,phenylalanineandasparticacid,thatĻareinaspartamewhileproteinfoodscontainmanydifferentaminoacids.WhenaspartameisĻingested,itfloodsthebloodstreamwiththesetwoaminoacidswhileproteinfoods,ontheotherĻhand,haveotheraminoacidswhichš šneutralizeš šandeliminatethissuddenflooding(30).LikeĻtakingwordsoutofcontext,takingaminoacidsoutoftheirnaturalformmightcauseproblems.ĻAcloserlookataspartameš šsingredientsandtheadversereactionsreportedbythousandsofĻpeoplerevealthedangersofthisartificialsweetener.Ģą ąDr.Robertsstatesinhisbook,ņņAspartameIsitSafe?óó,thataspartameš šsthreecomponentsŠ ^ Šarephenylalanine(50percent),asparticacid(40percent),andmethanol(10percent).WhenĻaspartameisexposedtoheatorprolongedstorage,itbreaksdownintometabolites.OneoftheseĻbreakdownproductsisDiketopiperazine,atoxicmetabolitethatisnotusuallyfoundinourdiet.ĻTheeffectsofthesedifferentmetabolitesareunknown(27,3840).Ģą ąAccordingtoanarticleinņņConsumerReportsóó,foodandbeveragescontainingŠ P" Šphenylalanine,themajoringredientinaspartame,mustbelabeledduetothegeneticdisorder,Ļphenylketonuria(PKU).TheU.S.carriesawarningonallaspartameproductstoalertpeopleĻwithPKU(580).PeoplewiththisgeneticdisorderlacktheenzymeneededtometabolizeĻphenylalanineandthereforeitš šaccumulatesš šinthebodyandcanš šcauseseverementalĻretardationš š(Roberts33).AccordingtoStevenFarber,Ph.D.candidateinbrainandcognitiveŠ +ā&* ŠsciencesatMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology,thereareanš šestimated10millionpeopleĻwhoarecarriersandmaynotknowit.š šHestatesthatthesePKUcarriersarealsoatriskbecauseĻš štheycannotdegradephenylalanineaseffectivelyasnormalindividualsandmaybesensitivetoĻincreasedlevelsintheirdietsš š(48).Ģą ąPhenylketonuricsandPKUcarriersarenottheonlypeoplethatshouldavoidĻphenylalanine.Dr.LouisJ.Elsas,II,DirectorofMedicalGeneticsatEmoryUniversitySchoolĻofMedicine,š šrecommendsthatpregnantwomenavoidaspartamesweetenersš šbecauseitisĻunknownwhatquantityisconsideredsafe(qtd.ņņInAssc.OfBirthDefectChildrenóó2).Dr.Š ¦ö ŠRobertsalsosuggeststoavoidaspartameproductsduringpregnancyduetoincreasedlevelsofĻphenylalanineontheš šfetalsideoftheplacenta.š šIncreaseslevelsofphenylalaninemayĻš šinterferewiththegrowthofthefetusbrainš š(181).Ģą ąInanarticlepublishedintheņņAssociationofBirthDefectChildrenóó,KarenMillsarguesŠ ^ Šthataspartamemayberesponsibleforhersonš šshealthproblems.UnawareofthedangersofĻaspartame,sheconsumedfourtosixdietsodasadayandalsotookphenylalaninecapsulestoĻrelievefatigueduringherpregnancy.ShewasingoodhealthanddidnotsmokeordrinkduringĻthistime.HerpregnancywasconsiderednormalandprenataltestingruledoutanygeneticbirthĻdefects.Herdeliverywasalsonormal.WhenhersonBrandonwasborn,hewasseverelyń öń,ńöńĻretardedwithseriousneurologicalproblems.Allofhisxrays,geneticstudies,andbloodtestsĻcamebacknormal.Karenstates,š šIamsuspiciousthatNutraSweetš)šcouldbeacontributingĻfactorinBrandonš šssituationsincetherearenophysicalorgeneticcausesrevealedforhisĻneurologicalproblemsš š(2).Ģą ąAsparticacid(aspartame)andglutamate(ingredientinmonosodiumglutamate)haveŠ +ā&* Šbeenlabeledasexcitotoxins,whichDr.RussellBlaylock,authorofņņExcitotoxins:TheTasteThatŠ ° ŠKillsóó,definesasš šagroupofexcitatoryaminoacidsthatcancausesensitiveneuronstodieš šŠ Ś Š(226).AnarticleintheņņOrlandoSentinelTribuneóóstates,š šaccordingtoBlaylock,asinglemealŠ d“ Šmaycontainseveraloftheseadditives...givenahighenoughdosecanincludebrainlesions.š šĻBlaylockisconcernedthatš šhundredsofmillionsofinfantsandyoungchildrenareatgreatriskĻandtheirparentsarenotevenawareofitš š(qtd.InBonvieandBonvieG1).Ģą ąThelastcomponentofaspartameismethanol,betterknownaswoodalcohol,aš šdeadlyĻpoison,š šclaimsDr.Roberts.TheEnvironmentalProtectionAgencyrecommendslessthaneightĻmilligramsperdayofmethanol.AtypicalliterofanaspartamedietsodacontainsĻapproximately55milligrams.Complicationsofmethanolpoisoningincludeblindness,brainĻswelling,pancreatitis,numbness,shootingpains,cardiacchanges,anddeath(28,4245).ĻAccordingtoAspartameConsumerSafetyNetwork,wheningested,methanolbreaksdownintoĻformaldehyde,š šknowntocausecancer,accumulatingslowlywithoutdetectioninthebodyš šĻ(ņņTheDeadlyDeceptionóó2).Š Ā Šą ąEricSotowasavictimofmethanolpoisoning.In1989,whenEricwasdiagnosedwithĻdiabetes,hestartedconsumingaspartameproductstoavoidsugar.Soonafter,EriccomplainedĻofnumbnessinhisfingers.Afterseeingadoctorforthisproblem,itwassuggestedthathehaveĻsurgerytocorrectawristnerve.Beforehewentinforsurgery,ablackspotappearedoverhisĻlefteye.Afterbeingexaminedbyanopthamologist,EricwasadmittedtothehospitalforĻpossiblemethanolpoisoning.HedecidedtostopusingaspartameproductsafterhearingaboutĻthedangersfromafriend.ThedamagetoEricš šseyeswaspermanent,butthenumbnessinhisĻfingersstoppedeventhoughdoctorssaiditcouldonlybecorrectedbysurgery(ņņTheDeadlyŠ +ā&* ŠDeceptionóóB4).Š ° Šą ąEricSotoisnottheonlypersontosufferfromaspartamerelatedhealthproblems.MaryĻStoddard,presidentofAspartameConsumerSafetyNetwork,claimsthatnearly10,00ń÷ń0ń÷ńĻcomplaintshavebeenreportedtothisnonprofitorganization.ThefollowingsymptomsareĻlistedontheAspartameConsumerSafetyNetworkFactSheet:ĢÓ
Ą ÓÓ X Óheadaches,nausea,vertigo,insomnia,numbness,blurredvision,blindnessĻandothereyeproblems,memoryloss,slurredspeech,depression,personalityĻchanges,hyperactivity,stomachdisorders,seizureńųńsńųń,skinlesions,rashes,Ļanxietyattacks,musclecrampingandjointpain,lossofenergy,symptomsĻmimickingheartattacks,hearinglossandearringing,andlossorchangeofĻtaste.(ņņTheDeadlyDeceptionóó1).Š 4 ŠÓ X
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ĄwK ÓIncludedinthesecomplaintsareš šhundredsofpilotswhohavereportedlifethreateningadverseĻreactionsduetoaspartame,š šaccordingtoAspartameConsumerSafetyNetwork,inanarticleĻfromņņGeneralAviationNewsóó.MichaelCollins,formerpilot,sufferedfromseizureswheneverheŠ Ā Šdrankdietsoda.Whenhestoppedusingaspartameproducts,heremainedseizurefree.ĻUnfortunately,helosthismedicalcertificationandcannolongerfly(qtd.inHicks2).Ģą ąWhileseizuresarecommonamongaspartameusers,headachesarethemostcommonĻcomplaint(Roberts95).AccordingtoCarolineB.Kline,nutritionconsultant,eighteenmillionĻAmericanssufferfrommigraines.Inhermagazinearticle,š šMigraineMakeńłńrńłńs,š šshesuggeststhatĻdietcouldbeoneofthecausesofthesesevereheadaches.AspartamewaslistedaspossibleĻculprit(207).Ģą ąAmericansarenottheonlypeopleworriedaboutthesafetyofaspartame.In1988,theŠ +ā&* ŠMexicangovernmentissuedadetailedwarningtobeputondietsodasthatcontainaspartameĻ(Bouleau66).Thelabelonthesedietsodasreads:ĢÓ
Ą ÓÓ X ÓThisproductshouldnotbeconsumedbyindividualswhoareallergictoĻphenylalanine.Consumptionbypregnantwomenandchildrenunder7isnotĻrecommended.Usersshouldfollowabalanceddiet.ConsumptionbyĻdiabeticsmustbeauthorizedbyaphysician,(Bouleau66).ĢÓ XR ÓÓ
ĄR ÓIfaproducthastohavethismanywarnings,howcanitpossiblybeonthemarket?Ģą ąTheFDAhastheanswer.ThomasWilcox,FDAspokesman,claimsthatš šsomepeopleĻdonš šttolerateaspartame,butthereportstotheFDAarenš štsufficienttowarrantachangeintheĻproductš šsclassification....Unlessthereisshowntobesomeverycommonseriouseffect...Ļyoudonš štwanttodeprivetheentirepopulationoftheproductš š(qtd.inBonvieandBonvieG1).ĻHowseriousdothesideeffectshavetobeandhowmanypeoplehavetobeaffectedbeforethisĻproductispulledoffthemarket?WhenyoustarttoaddupthePhenylketonurics,the10millionĻPKUcarriers,migrainesufferers,diabetics,children,andpregnantwomen,whoareallpossibleĻvictimsofaspartamepoisoning,itseemssignificantenoughtobantheuseofaspartame.Donš štĻthesepeoplewhoareatriskorhavealreadysufferedcount?DeprivingpeopleoftheirhealthĻseemsmoreseriousthanš šdeprivingtheentirepopulationš šofasugarsubstitute.Ģą ąWhataboutthepeoplewhoassumeaspartameissafe?IsitfairtoputthesepeopleatĻrisk?EvencigarettesanddrugshavewarningsonthemtoalertthepublicofpossiblesideĻeffectsanddangers.AspartameonlyhasonewarningforPKU.HowcanpeoplemakeawiseĻchoiceiftheyarenš števenwarnedofthedangers?ThewarninglabelwouldhavetobeaveryĻlengthytoproperlywarnallpeople.TheonlysolutionistostopaspartameconsumptionbyŠ +ā&* Špullingitoffthemarket.Thiswouldpreventpeoplefromunnecessaryharm,especiallythoseĻwhoareunawareofthedangers.Ģą ąEvenifyouareawareofthedangersandaretryingtoavoidaspartame,youmighthaveĻtospendmoretimereadinglabels.ThefamiliarNutraSweetš)šlogomightnotappearonallĻaspartameproducts.ThepatentonaspartameheldbySearleexpiredinDecemberof1992,ĻallowingothercompaniesbesidestheNutraSweetš)šCompanytoproduceaspartame(TherrienĻ42).(NutraSweetš)šCo.andG.D.SearlearedivisionsoftheMonsantoCompany).TheonlyĻcluenowonsomeproductsisš šaspartameš šlistedintheingredientsandaphenylalaninewarning.Ģą ąIfyouš šrestillnotconvincedbythetaintedhistoryofaspartameoritsharmfulingredientsĻandareusingittohelpcontrolyourweight,thinkagain.StudiesshowthatthismaynotbetheĻcase.ĢĢņņHelpsControlWeightGainóóŠ č8 Šą ąš šIdrankdietsodafortheobviousreasontoavoidsugarandtoavoidweightgainš šĻclaimsabusinesswomaninacasereportedtoDr.Roberts(qtd.InRoberts147).Itš šsnotunusualĻforpeoplewhoaredietingtoreachforanaspartameproductversesaproductcontainingsugar.ĻAspartameisš š200timessweeterš šthanordinarysugarsofewercaloriesareconsumed(DeskinsĻG1).Withaweightconscioussociety,fewercaloriescanbeattractive.However,acloserlookĻshowsthataspartamemaynothelpcontrolweightgain.Ģą ąOutlinedinthefollowinglistaresomereasonswhyaspartamemightnotbeeffectiveinĻcontrollingweight:ĢÓ H ÓÓ ’ Ó1.AccordingtoanarticleinņņTechnologyReviewóó,š šaspartamemayactuallystimulateŠ +ā&* Šappetiteandbringonacravingforcarbohydratesš š(Farber52).Ģ2.AnarticleinņņUtneReaderóóclaims,š šresearchersbelievethatanykindofsweettasteŠ Ś Šsignalsbodycellstostorecarbohydratesandfats,whichinturncausesthebodytoĻcravemorefoodš š(Lamb16).Ģ3.FromtheņņSanFranciscoChronicleóó,JeanWeiningerstatesthatš šstudieshaveshownŠ h Šthatpeoplewhouseartificialsweetenersdonš štnecessarilyreducetheirconsumptionĻofsugarortheirtotalcalorieintake....HavingadietsodamakesitokaytoeataĻdoublecheeseburgerandachocolatemoussepieš š(1/ZZ1).Ģ4.š šTheAmericanCancerSociety(1986)documentedthefactthatpersonsusingĻartificialsweetenersgainmoreweightthanthosewhoavoidthemš š(Roberts150).ĢÓ ’Ä_ ÓÓ H¶_ Óą ąWhetheryouaretryingtolosepoundsormaintainyourweight,usinganartificialĻsweetenersuchasaspartamedoesnotseemtohaveanysignificanteffectonweightcontrol.ĻThoseextracaloriesyousavedbydrinkingadietpopwonš štmakemuchofadifferenceifyouĻstillneedtosatisfyyourhungerandindulgeinseveralcookieslater.IfitisactuallyincreasingĻńśńyourńśńappetite,whyuseit?CommonsensetellsyouthatproperdietandexercisearemoreĻbeneficial.Evenifyoubelievethataspartamemayaidindieting,isthisworthriskingyourĻhealth?Ģą ąFDAapprovalandnaturalingredientsmaysignalsafetyatfirst,butthemountingĻevidenceagainstaspartamerevealsmanyhiddendangersandpossiblerisks.IfyouareĻexperiencinganyoftheadversereactions,stopusingaspartameandseeifthesymptomsĻdisappear.Nowthatyouareawareoftheproblemswithaspartame,informothersoftheĻsymptomsofaspartamepoisoning.NotifytheFDAofanyadversereactionsthatyoumayŠ +ā&* Šexperienceandencourageotherstodothesame.Donš štjuststopusingaspartame,butmakeaĻdifferencebyreturninganyaspartameproductsyoumaynowhave.Ifsalesgodown,hopefullyĻaspartamewillbepulledoffthemarketandputanendtotheaspartamedilemma.Š d“ ŠÓ ÓńńÓ fę Óńńń ńń ńÓ 3ó Óń ńńńBIBLIOGRAPHYĢÓ Óą0 ąą ° ąņņAssociationofBirthDefectChildrenóó.š šTheAspartameControversy.š š14Fall1989:12.Š rĀ (#(# Šą0 ąą ° ąBlaylock,RussellL.ņņExcitotoxins:TheTasteThatKillsóó.SantaFe:HealthPress,1994.Š 4 (#(# Šą0 ąą ° ąBonvie,BillandLinda.š šWhatš šsEatingKids?MaybeItš šsTheirDiets.š šņņOrlandoSentinelŠ ö F ŠTribuneóó12Mar.1995:G1.Š ø (#(# Šą0 ąą ° ąBouleau,Cecilia.š šDietCokeChangesasMexicoOfficialsSouronSaccharin.š šņņAdvertisingŠ z
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(#(# Šą0 ąą ° ąCastrone,Linda.š šFavorableResearchSweetensAspartame.š šņņRockyMountainNewsóó24Aug.Š žN Š1994,ņņEd.F:12D.Š Ą (#(# Šą0 ąą ° ąConsumeróóReports.š šAQuestionofHealth.š šSept.1993:580.Š Ņ (#(# Šą0 ąą ° ąņņTheDeadlyDeceptionóó.AspartameConsumerSafetyNetwork.Dallas:1994.Š D (#(# Šą0 ąą ° ąDeskins,Barbara.š šAspartameIsnš štLinkedtoCancer.š šņņPittsburghPostGazetteóó21Aug.1994;Š V ŠG1.Š
(#(# Šą0 ąą ° ąFarber,StevenA.š šThePriceofSweetness.š šTechnologyReviewJan.1990:4653.Š
(#(# Šą0 ąą ° ąHicks,Megan.š šNutraSweetš)š...TooGoodtobeTrue?š šņņGeneralAviationNewsóó31Jul.1989:Š L Š2.Š
(#(# ŠKline,CarolineB.š šMigraineMakers.š šņņLadiesHomeJournalóóOct.1994:207.Š Š Šą0 ąą ° ąLamb,Lynette.š šJustaSpoonfulofAspartame.š šņņUtneReaderóóJuly/Auń ūńfńūńńüńgńüń.1988:1617.Š "ā " (#(# ŠRoberts,H.J.ņņAspartame(NutraSweetš)š)IsitSafe?óó.Philadelphia:TheCharlesPress,1990.Š T$¤ $ ŠStoddard,Mary.Personalphoneinterview.March1995.Ģą0 ąą ° ąTherrien,Lois.š šHowSweetitIsnš štatNutraSweet.š šņņBusinessWeekóó14Dec.1992:42.Š Ų'(#( (#(# Šą0 ąą ° ąņņWebsterš šsDictionaryóó.EncyclopedicEdition.NewYork:LexiconPublications,Inc.,1989.Š )ź$* (#(# ŠWeininger,Jean.š šSweetTalk.š šņņTheSanFranciscoChronicleóó4Jan.1995,finaled.:1/ZZ1.