Aspartame is the chemical in the artificial sweeteners NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure, and it is found in more than 6000 products. It is composed of three chemicals: aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. It gets converted to formaldehyde in the body.
According to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), formaldehyde is a carcinogen that can seriously harm your “liver, kidney, spleen, pancreas, brain, and central nervous systems.
The occupational health hazards of formaldehyde are primarily due to its toxic effects after inhalation, after direct contact with the skin or eyes in liquid or vapor form, and after ingestion.”[1] Formaldehyde can also cause allergic sensitization.
Aspartame can cause many problems, including neurological ones. According to one study:
When the temperature of aspartame exceeds 86°F, the wood alcohol in aspartame converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis.
The methanol toxicity mimics multiple sclerosis; thus, people may be misdiagnosed with having multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis does not lead to death, whereas methanol toxicity does.[2]
According to a report from the National Institutes of Health: Methanol is extremely poisonous. As little as two tablespoons can be deadly to a child. About 2–8 ounces can be deadly for an adult. Blindness is common and often permanent, despite medical care. How well the person recovers depends on how much poison is swallowed and how soon treatment is received.[3]
Mark Gold of the Aspartame Toxicity Information Center writes:
Both the US Air Force’s magazine Flying Safety and the US Navy’s magazine Navy Physiology published articles warning about the many dangers of aspartame. They included the cumulative, deleterious effects of
methanol, and the greater likelihood of birth defects. The articles note that the ingestion of aspartame may make pilots more susceptible to seizures and vertigo (US Air Force 1992).
Countless other toxicity effects have been reported to the FDA (DHHS 1995), other independent organizations (Mission Possible 1996, Stoddard 1995), and independent scientists (e.g., 80 cases of seizures were reported to Dr. Richard Wurtman, Food in 1986).
Frequently, aspartame toxicity is misdiagnosed as a specific disease. This hasn’t been reported in scientific literature, yet it has been reported countless times to independent organizations and scientists.
In other cases, it has been reported that chronic aspartame ingestion has triggered or worsened certain chronic illnesses. Nearly 100 percent of the time, the patient and physician assume these worsening conditions are a normal progression of the illness. Sometimes that may be true, but many times it is chronic aspartame poisoning.[4]
The following is a list of chronic illnesses that may be caused or worsened by the long-term ingestion of aspartame, according to researchers studying its adverse effects. In some cases, such as MS, the symptoms mimic or worsen the disease, but do not cause it.
This list shouldn’t be considered definitive, because regular intake of a poison is bad for any chronic illness.
Brain tumors
Multiple sclerosis
Epilepsy
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Parkinson’s disease
Alzheimer’s
Mental retardation
Lymphoma
Birth defects
Fibromyalgia
Diabetes
Arthritis (including rheumatoid)
Chemical sensitivities
Attention Deficit Disorder [5]
In conclusion, think closely about ingesting this type of sweetener. I personally think a wholesome, real food, sweetener is much healthier. I use date sugar or honey for my sweetener in small amounts as necessary.
I wish you the best in your sweetener journey
Sources:
1 – Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Regulations (Standards – 29 CFR). Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/pls/
2 – Tandel, Kirtidia R. (2011, October-December). Sugar substitutes: Health controversy over perceived benefits. Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics, 2(4), 236-243.
3 – MedlinePlus. “Methanol Poisoning.” Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/
copyright@nancyaddison2015
This is an excerpt from How To Be A Healthy Vegetarian Second Edition – By Nancy Addison
I hope this helps you and your family. Please share this information with the ones you love.
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Everyone would love to hear what you think!
Great information about the effects of aspartame.
Great information, Nancy! While I work with clients here in Brazil as they see spiritual healer John of God, I have seen the effects of this poison very recently with a lady from Pennsylvania. She arrived with the (mis) diagnosis of MS – and during our de-briefing I realized she drank a specific diet soda daily – at least one or two. While here, her cravings for them totally diminished as did her vertigo as she seemed to get much more balanced on her feet and feel less out of control. One day, after a ‘spiritual intervention’ with John of God she thought she wanted a diet soda – interesting as the first taste repulsed her! This is similar to what happened to me in 2007 and I have not had one since!
Thank you for sharing this information in a simple, concise way that will reach many and help prevent or reverse the damage of this horrific poison we have all been taught won’t hurt us!
Very thorough explanation on how Aspartame affects you . Thank you very much.
Oh my goodness, I had no idea that synthetic sweeteners so toxic.