The Dangers of Aspartame
Aug 27, 2010 Jaleesa Dorsey
Used in many well known sugarless brands, diet foods and sports drinks, aspartame is a calorie free sugar substitute. But what danger does it pose?
Aspartame, as defined by Dictionary.com, is an artificial sweetener produced from aspartic acid. It’s used in over 6,000 products that the average person consumes everyday such as soft drinks, candy, sports drinks, sugar free chewing gum, and even medicine, but what does anyone really know about this artificial sweetener?
What is Aspartame Made of?
There are three major components, aspartame includes 50% phenylalanine, an essential amino acid, 40% of aspartic acid, a nonessential amino acid, and 10% methanol, also called methyl alcohol or wood alcohol.
Methanol is a colorless poisonous liquid compound used as a solvent and fuel, but when ingested methanol breaks down to formaldehyde a chemical naturally found in the brain, but in excessive amounts it can be extremely dangerous. Although methanol can be found in some vegetables, the compounds ethanol and pectin are also found, which prevent methanol from turning into formaldehyde when ingested while aspartame does not.
How did Aspartame Gained FDA Approval?
G.D. Searle the maker of aspartame applied for approval by the Food and Drug Administration in 1975, but was denied with a stay being placed on the approval of aspartame by the commissioner of the FDA for 15 years. After that a G.D. Searle(a company purchased by Monsanto manufacturer of aspartame) CEO, named Donald Rumsfeld, in one Searle meeting vowed to “call his markers” to get aspartame approved.
About twenty days later, when Ronald Regan took office, Arthur Hull Hayes, a friend of Donald Rumsfeld, was appointed the new FDA commissioner, in 1981, Arthur Hayes then proceeded to appoint a 5-person Scientific Commissions team to review the board‘s inquiry decision. Even so, it soon became clear that the Scientific Commission, by a vote of 3 to 2, would uphold the ban on aspartame. Hayes then moved to appoint a 6th member on the commission board and the voting became deadlocked in a draw, Hayes personally broke the tie in Monsanto’s favor.
Sometime after aspartame gained FDA approval, Hayes found himself under investigation by the FDA for allegations of impropriety and stepped down from his position as FDA commissioner then he went on to serve briefly as Provost at New York Medical College, after leaving the Medical College, he accepted a position with Burston-Marsteller, the chief of public relations for Monsanto and G.D. Searle.
The Side Effects of Aspartame
This artificial sweetener has been known to cause many side effects such as problems with vision and breathing, seizures, brain tumors, and even serious pregnancy complications among other side effects. A study released by the Department of Health and Human Services showed a significant increase in malignant tumors and different forms of cancer in rats that were exposed to various levels of aspartame in their feed.
The dangers of aspartame are not to but taken lightly, over the years many serious side effects of aspartame have been discovered by the Department of Health and Human Resources, as well as other studies show that this calorie free artificial sweetener does more harm than good.
Aug 27, 2010 Jaleesa Dorsey
Used in many well known sugarless brands, diet foods and sports drinks, aspartame is a calorie free sugar substitute. But what danger does it pose?
Aspartame, as defined by Dictionary.com, is an artificial sweetener produced from aspartic acid. It’s used in over 6,000 products that the average person consumes everyday such as soft drinks, candy, sports drinks, sugar free chewing gum, and even medicine, but what does anyone really know about this artificial sweetener?
What is Aspartame Made of?
There are three major components, aspartame includes 50% phenylalanine, an essential amino acid, 40% of aspartic acid, a nonessential amino acid, and 10% methanol, also called methyl alcohol or wood alcohol.
Methanol is a colorless poisonous liquid compound used as a solvent and fuel, but when ingested methanol breaks down to formaldehyde a chemical naturally found in the brain, but in excessive amounts it can be extremely dangerous. Although methanol can be found in some vegetables, the compounds ethanol and pectin are also found, which prevent methanol from turning into formaldehyde when ingested while aspartame does not.
How did Aspartame Gained FDA Approval?
G.D. Searle the maker of aspartame applied for approval by the Food and Drug Administration in 1975, but was denied with a stay being placed on the approval of aspartame by the commissioner of the FDA for 15 years. After that a G.D. Searle(a company purchased by Monsanto manufacturer of aspartame) CEO, named Donald Rumsfeld, in one Searle meeting vowed to “call his markers” to get aspartame approved.
About twenty days later, when Ronald Regan took office, Arthur Hull Hayes, a friend of Donald Rumsfeld, was appointed the new FDA commissioner, in 1981, Arthur Hayes then proceeded to appoint a 5-person Scientific Commissions team to review the board‘s inquiry decision. Even so, it soon became clear that the Scientific Commission, by a vote of 3 to 2, would uphold the ban on aspartame. Hayes then moved to appoint a 6th member on the commission board and the voting became deadlocked in a draw, Hayes personally broke the tie in Monsanto’s favor.
Sometime after aspartame gained FDA approval, Hayes found himself under investigation by the FDA for allegations of impropriety and stepped down from his position as FDA commissioner then he went on to serve briefly as Provost at New York Medical College, after leaving the Medical College, he accepted a position with Burston-Marsteller, the chief of public relations for Monsanto and G.D. Searle.
The Side Effects of Aspartame
This artificial sweetener has been known to cause many side effects such as problems with vision and breathing, seizures, brain tumors, and even serious pregnancy complications among other side effects. A study released by the Department of Health and Human Services showed a significant increase in malignant tumors and different forms of cancer in rats that were exposed to various levels of aspartame in their feed.
The dangers of aspartame are not to but taken lightly, over the years many serious side effects of aspartame have been discovered by the Department of Health and Human Resources, as well as other studies show that this calorie free artificial sweetener does more harm than good.
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