SweetenersHeadache

Sweeteners and Headaches

The sugar-free food business is certainly booming, increasing by as much as 24% since 1999. In 2002, 6% of Americans were diabetic, with 60% being overweight. Three years later, in 2005, $5.9 billion on sugar-free foods alone were spent by consumers, which means that aspartame is big business where low-calorie and sugar-free foods are concerned.

However, recent reports show that 64% of Americans are concerned about the safety of artificial sweeteners, particularly aspartame, that are commonly found in a variety of sugar-free foods and drinks. This is because a huge 90% of migraine attacks are mostly triggered by allergic reactions to food or additives, and one of the most common ingredients believed to cause allergies is aspartame, which lowers the levels of serotonin, thereby triggering a migraine.

Effects of Aspartame

When aspartame is broken down in the digestive tract, a substance called DKP is released. As the stomach acids work on DKP, it in turn makes something similar to a chemical known as N-nitrosourea, a chemical that is believed to cause brain tumors.

Brain Tumors and More

Equal’s website mentions that linking aspartame use to tumors is an ‘urban myth’, specifically arguing that testing was not done on humans, but instead on rats. While that may be true, the results could shock you. Brain tumors in laboratory rats are known to be rather rare before the age of eighteen months.

However, lab rats that were fed Aspartame developed
· 2 tumors by the age of 60 weeks
· 5 tumors by the age of 70 weeks

And there's more. Aspartame also contains methanol, which is converted by the body into formic acid and formaldehyde, a known preservative that is pumped into corpses by morticians during the embalming process.

Aspartame's Future

Hearings on the safety of aspartame will be held by the Environmental Improvement Board of New Mexico. Evidence about the damaging effects of aspartame will be shown as well as personal accounts from people whose health may have been affected by its use. If the hearing turns out well, it could result in aspartame being banned for use in New Mexico, which would be considered a landmark decision, possibly leading to a country-wide ban on aspartame.

Why Aspartame was Approved by the FDA

In September 1980, the use of aspartame was not endorsed by a public Board of Inquiry, citing that “The Board has not been presented with proof of a reasonable certainty that aspartame (NutraSweet) is safe for use as a food additive under its intended conditions of use."

But in 1981, 92 symptoms that included seizure and death were believed to be caused by aspartame, as stated in reports from the FDA’s own internal agency. Despite this, Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes, who was the FDA Director at the time, approved aspartame, and eventually went to work for the company that made, distributed and owned the patent for aspartame.

Alternatives to Aspartame

A possible substitute for aspartame is Stevia, which is a natural sweetener derived from herbs. Stevia is generally considered as safe, widely-used, and contains no calories. But strangely enough, the FDA does not recognize Stevia as safe, and even ordered all history and recipe books advising its use to be destroyed during the 1990s.