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/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=standards&p_id=10078

 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/medlineplus/ency/article/002680.htm 4 & 5- Gold, Mark. (January,2003). Recall aspartame as a neurotoxic drug: file #4: reported aspartame toxicity reactions. Retrieved from http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/03/jan03/012203/02p-0317_emc-000199.txt

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This is an excerpt from How To Be A Healthy Vegetarian Second Edition – By Nancy Addison

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