Dangers of Aspartame

Greetings Gang!!!
I know it has been a long, long time. Even though I get email from time to time from people missing the weekly newsletter and inquiring about restarting my group, still I am STUNNED to see that this many people are still with the group. As such, I need to press on and make every attempt to provide the most accurate and
timely information that I possibly can.
Where have I been? Let's just say nothing institutional (medical, legal or correctional). It's just that when one is trying to live – life keeps getting in the way. But I sorta' like the fact that LIFE (existence) is interfering with my vastly more important plans (laff)
But I am older and wiser and more gray in my beard. Did I ever tell you guys that my beard is has pretty much always been white? But I think I have grown in knowledge and have a keener perspective than I did back in 2004 when I first started this group. Or… I could just be fooling myself. You be the judge!!! A famous person once said that if you have the same beliefs and opinions that you had 10 years ago than you have wasted 10 years.
So without further adieu, let's get on with the Newsletter: This week ASPARTAME
As always, I pray that God blesses me to provide accurate and timely information and that He blesses each and every one of us (Nothing has changed with my requests for a blessing upon you!!)
I pray that God blesses you spiritually in such a way where a physical blessing is a direct manifestation AND blesses you physically/materially in such a way where a spiritual blessing is the end result.
More importantly, I pray that God blesses us all in such a way, whereby His name is glorified. Where the Source of the blessings is
as plain as the nose on our faces.
I am observing that as people are increasingly becoming more health conscious and are paying more real attention to what they eat (i.e. counting the sodium, sugar and fat content) and the usual counting of calories and choosing "lite" this and "low fat" that without paying much attention the ingredients in processed and refined food that could potentially cause some real harm or damage. Many are still hanging on to their aspartame (synthetic sweeteners). Not calling any names, but you know which ones…. the ones that come in the little one serving square packages in coffee shops across the country. I am thinking that many, if not most people, are not aware of the research concerning these products.
Right off the bat, if the bulk of our food were more fibrous, the fibers would expand in our bellies, giving us a more FULL feeling thus causing us to eat less. That's a much safer version of "lite". Less is lite. But less is no fun. Also less will not produce that full feeing that one would derive from a more fibrous diet. The ration of veggies to meat should be at or around 8 to 1. Oh yeah, I
know that's hard. But I just call it like it is. Not being a
vegetarian it is hard for me too. Very. But I try.
Back to ASPARTAME. Many people are thinking right at this very moment that sugar is bad and that aspartame would be the lesser of two evils.
Not so fast! I am not all that sure. Breaking your left hand would be better than breaking your right hand if you were right handed. Neither is good – but one is worse. Using that analogy of "better" - Table sugar might be a "better" choice.
But to be fair, let's review sugar real quick. Sugar has been called the "sweetest poison of all". We have all heard the same reports….
Sugar can suppress the immune system.
Sugar can upset the body's mineral balance.
Sugar may lead to chromium deficiency. (diabetics have no chromium!!)
Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
Sugar can increase fasting levels of blood glucose.
Sugar can promote tooth decay.
Sugar can produce an acidic stomach.
Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
Sugar leads to decreased glucose tolerance.
Sugar can aggravate food allergies.
Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
Sugar can overstress the pancreas, causing damage.
Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance.
Etc. etc. etc.
Yeah, yeah yeah….. Sugar can wreck you credit rating and destroy your marriage - in an indirect way!!
My point is that in knowing how bad excessive amounts of sugar is - aspartame is a much worse choice. Let that sink in. Let's take a closer look at aspartame:
First and foremost - like other "refined" substances, it represents a health threat to the general public. It's a man-made substance manufactured by a chemical company!! I'm sorry, but I am not that trusting of chemical and/or pharmaceutical companies whose main concern seems to be profits. Aspartame was once on a Pentagon list of biological warfare chemicals. A weapon of mass destruction! It is about 200 times sweeter than the refined sugar that it is meant to
replace, and it is known to erode intelligence and affect short-term
memory. It is essentially a chemical weapon designed to impact
populations en masse.
It was "approved" by the FDA in 1974 as a "food additive". Approval was followed by a retraction based on demonstrated public concern over the fact that the substance produced brain tumors in rats. According to the 1974 FDA task force set up to examine aspartame and G.D.Searle, "we have uncovered serious deficiencies in Searles operations and practices, which undermine the basis for reliance on Searle's integrity in conducting high quality animal research to accurately determine the toxic potential of its products." The task force report concluded with the recommendation that G.D. Searle should face a Grand Jury "to identify more particularly the nature of the violations, and to identify all those responsible." In 1976, an FDA "task force" brought into question all of G.D. Searle's aspartame testing procedures conducted between 1967 and 1975. The final FDA report noted faulty and fraudulent product testing, knowingly misrepresented product testing, knowingly misrepresented findings, and instances of irrelevant animal research. In other word, illegal criminal activity. Understandably scared, Searle officials sought to suppress the FDA findings and obstruct justice. They turned to Nixon and Ford administration operative Donald Rumsfeld and elected him "chairman of the Searle organization." In 1977, the Wall Street Journal detailed the fact that Rumsfeld made efforts to "mend fences" by asking "what Searle could do" in the face of the changes. Also in 1977, Dr. Adrian Gross, a pathologist working for the FDA, uncovered evidence that G.D.Searle might have committed criminal fraud in withholding adverse data on aspartame.
Obviously the story drags on and on and on… until aspartame eventually finds itself in our kitchen and indeed
the tables of almost every restaurant in the United States.
In July 1983 it was approved for use in soft drinks in the United States, followed three months later by approval in Britain by the Ministry of Agriculture. All this was done despite the fact that the Department of Defense knew that aspartame was neurotoxic and harmful to human health.
In 1984, the Arizona Department of Health began testing soft drinks to ascertain the level of toxic deterioration by-products in soft drinks. It was determined that soft drinks stored in elevated temperatures promoted more rapid deterioration of aspartame into poisonous methyl alcohol (methanol). The FDA decided to ignore these results. Public complaints about the effects of aspartame began to come in. People complained of headaches, dizziness, vomiting, nausea, blurred vision, seizures, convulsions and a host of other reactions to aspartame.
When a human consumes "Nutra-Sweet", it breaks down above 85° not only into its constituent amino acids, but into methanol, which further breaks down into formaldehyde, (embalming fluid!) which is carcinogenic and
very toxic, as well as formic acid and a brain tumor agent called diketopiperazine (DKP).
In 1989, the FDA received over 4,000 complaints from people who described adverse reactions. Because the FDA conveniently lists aspartame as a "food additive", it removes the legal requirement for adverse effect reporting to any Federal agency and the necessity for safety monitoring processes. Research also indicates that aspartame, when combined with glutamine products (such as MSG, widely used in foods) increase the likelihood of brain damage occurring in children.
During the 1991 Gulf War, all military personnel were provided free supplies of aspartame-laced soft drinks together with experimental vaccines, nerve gas antidotes and personal insecticides. They were also treated to direct biochemical warfare compounds. The result is Gulf War Syndrome, which is communicable and deadly, and 50,000 military personnel and their dependents are wasting away before our eyes.
AND THE BIG ONE (literally)
Interestingly, even the American Cancer Society confirmed that users of artificial sweeteners gained more weight than those who didn't use the products, further undermining the supposed "purpose" for the existence of aspartame in the food. The major selling point of aspartame is as a diet aid, and it has been demonstrated that the use of this product actually causes people to consume more food. Complaints about aspartame represent 80-85% of all food complaints registered with the FDA.
Monsanto's profit from its NutraSweet Division was $993 million in 1990.
Symptoms of Aspartame Intoxication:
The symptoms of aspartame intoxication include severe headaches, nausea, vertigo, insomina, loss of control of limbs, blurred vision, blindness, memory loss, slurred speech, mild to severe depression often reaching suicidal levels, hyperactivity, gastrointestinal disorders, seizures, skin lesions, rashes, anxiety attacks, muscle and joint pain, numbness, mood changes, loss of energy, menstrual cramps out of cycle, hearing loss or ringing in the ears, loss or change of taste, and symptoms similar to those in a heart attack. In addition, aspartic acid chelates (combines) with chromium - which is a necessary element for proper operation of the thyroid gland. People who Aspartame is the only biochemical warfare product on grocery
shelves. And, so it goes….. the love of money (greed) is the root of
all evil.
Yet for those trying to lose weight and for diabetics… there is a much, much, much safer alternative. It's called STEVIA of course. If
you decide to try stevia don't go out and by the grocery store brand
"Truvia" because of course it is not 100% stevia, and consequently
not nearly as healthy or sweet.
Stevia is VERY sweet, but it is not a sugar. It is a zero calorie all natural sweetener that has been used as a sweetener by Indians in Paraguay for hundreds of years. The leaves of the stevia plant are 25 times sweeter than sugar. Stevia doesn't adversely affect blood glucose levels and is thought by many to actually HELP REGULATE sugar levels and may be used freely by diabetics. As healthful, helpful, useful and "needful" as it is, the chemical companies lobbied for it not to be sold as a sweetener and our good friends at the FDA passed laws that up until recently (when the American consumer became more aware of the alternatives to aspartame) it could not even be sold on the same grocery store shelf as sugar and aspartame products. The
good old FDA is always looking out to protect us.
Think….. that's how good it is. A definite threat to a multimillion dollar industry. But you can find out more about STEVIA at www.stevia.com or http://www.steviabenefits.org/ or http://www.replacesugar.com/benefits.htm
But I digress… it might be wise to avoid aspartame and sugar free products with weird chemical additives. An old adage states that regarding food ingredients, "if you cannot pronounce it – don't eat it!!!
But why take my word for it? IT'S YOUR HEALTH. You can research anything mentioned on this site yourself. Some good search engines
are www.mamma.com and www.dogpile.com as well as Google.
Enter one or more keywords to do your own research. I like to use "benefits of WHATEVER".
Until next time remember, most illness (upwards of 80% according to experts) can be attributed to FOUR important factors that can weaken your immune system and your ability to fight off disease. In this order:
1. INADEQUATE REST - Research continues to prove, that no two ways
about it, good quality sleep has proven to be the single-most
important factor in determining or influencing your health.
2. INABILITY TO DEAL WITH STRESS - If you run around all day like a
chicken with it's head cut off, it will increase your chances of
getting ill and will aggravate, tremendously, any illness that you
already have, no matter what it is. Anxiety, depression, anger, guilt
or also STRESS factors. LEARN TO FORGIVE AND LET GO.
3. INADEQUATE OR IMPROPER NUTRITIONAL HABITS. There are a lot of
practicing vegetarians lately and some load up on the white sugar,
white flour, starches, processed and refined foods. Many whole
foods/alternative medicine type practitioners believe we should be
eating at least 5 times as many fruits and vegetables as meats. Most
experts agree that most diets are seriously deficient in the amounts
of fruits and vegetables that we should be eating to remain healthy.
4. INADEQUATE EXCERCISE - A sedentary lifestyle that does not include
enough excercise will catch up with you. FIND SOME KIND OF PHYSICALLY
ENGAGING ACTIVITY EVEN IF IT'S ONLY WALKING!
LEGAL DISCLAIMER - Required by the FDA.
The statements on this page have not been evaluated by the Food and
Drug Administration and these statements are not intended to
diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.