Aspartame, anti-depressants and Bush

[indigobusiness]

"When divine power plans evil for a man, it first injures his mind."—Sophocles

August 6, 2004—First we have Dr. Justin Frank, the prominent Washington psychiatrist and author of the book, Bush on the Couch, Inside the Mind of the President, characterizing George W. Bush as suffering from "character pathology," including "grandiosity" and "megalomania," seeing himself, America and God as interchangeable, a truly unholy trinity. Now we have an article by Dr. Betty Martini, Political Sanity vs. Neurotoxins: U.S. President Being Given Powerful Anti-depressants which Interact with Aspartame, published in U.N. Observer & International Report.

As Dr. Martini tells us, "The first correspondence I had with President George Bush was when he was Governor of Texas. He was about to sign into law the Dietetics Practice Act. At the time, Monsanto owned NutraSweet and I explained that the dieticians were Monsanto's media hacks and that his law granted them a monopoly, which is against most state constitutions. (They passed it anyway). I sent him a packet about aspartame, showing him that it is a deadly chemical poison and the dietitians push it and defend the manufacturer. He wrote back that he disagreed—and he also got hooked on Diet Coke."

It should be noted that Dr. Martini, while not a physician, has worked in medicine for 22 years. She's best known as the founder of Mission Possible International, which works with doctors worldwide to remove aspartame from food, drinks and medicine. Dr. Martini reports that 75 percent of all the complaints to the Food and Drug Administration are about the ill effects of aspartame.

Concerning George Bush, Dr. Martini notes, "So far, the president has exhibited memory loss to such an extent that the Atlanta Journal Constitution published that he appeared to need to be coached for each word." She refers to that scene at the end of Fahrenheit 911, in which Bush attempts to quote an old saying, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." As Dr. Martini points out, "he couldn't remember the end of it, so after saying, 'Fool me once, shame on you, he looked around and thought and then said, 'And don't do it again.' You could see he couldn't remember." Dr. Martini points out that Bush "has also had a blackout which is notorious of aspartame and he complained of joint pain. Aspartame hardens the synovial fluids and causes agonizing joint pain."


http://onlinejournal.com/Special_Reports/080604Mazza/080604mazza.html

[enough]

1. Fascinating history of the approval of aspartane and Donald Rumsfeld

snip>

Aspartame was discovered in 1965, bringing with it a raging debate over the sugar substitute's health risks. From lab testing on rats, it was learned the drug induced brain tumors. On Sept. 30, 1980, the FDA Board of Inquiry agreed and denied the petition for approval. In 1981, as the Reagan era cranked up, Arthur Hull Hayes, the new FDA Commissioner ignored the ruling and approved aspartame for dry goods. As noted in the 1985 Congressional Record, then CEO of Searle Laboratories, Donald Rumsfeld, said that he would "call in his markers" to get the drug approved. Rummy was then on President Reagan's transition team. A day after he took office, he appointed Hayes.

As Dr. Martini tells us, "When Donald Rumsfeld was CEO of Searle, that conglomerate manufactured aspartame. For 16 years the FDA refused to approve it, not only because it's not safe, but also because they wanted the company indicted for fraud. Both U.S. prosecutors hired on with the defense team and the statue of limitations expired. They were Sam Skinner and William Conlon. Skinner went on to become Secretary of Transportation, squelching the cries of the pilots who were having seizures on this seizure-triggering drug, aspartame, and then Chief of Staff under President Bush's father . . . Even Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is a former Monsanto attorney. (Monsanto bought Searle in 1985, and sold it a few years ago). When Ashcroft became attorney general, Thompson from King and Spalding Attorneys (another former Monsanto attorney) became deputy under Ashcroft (attorneys for Nutra Sweet and Coke).

"However, the FDA still refused to allow Nutra Sweet on the market . . . It interacts with all antidepressants, L-dopa, Coumadin, hormones, insulin, all cardiac medication, and many others. It also is a chemical hyper sensitization drug so that it interacts with vaccines, other toxins, other unsafe sweeteners like Splenda, which has a chlorinated base like DDT and cause autoimmune disease. . . . Despite the fact that the FDA has known this for a quarter of a century and done nothing even though it's against the law . . . Searle went on to build a Nutra Sweet factory and had $9 million worth of inventory."

Rumsfeld, as Dr. Martini pointed out, was on Reagan's transition team. And the day after Reagan took office, he selected FDA Commissioner Arthur Hayes to approve aspartame. Despite the FDA setting up a Board of Inquiry of top scientists, who pointed out the drug's dangers and revoked the approval, Hayes overruled the board and then went to work for the manufacturer's PR agency, Burson-Marstellar. He's never spoken to the press since.

snip>

[Eloriel]

16. You forgot the link n/t

[andy15]

2. betty martini

is one the biggest frauds in the alt med scene today. There is no proof whatsoever of any of her claims.

andy

[newyawker99]

3. Hi andy15!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[andy15]

28. Proof

Betty Martini is not a Medical or any kind of Doctor. Betty Martini and many others have made millions of dollars scaring people with all sorts of fairy tales about all sorts of conspiracies. Check these people out, as most you will find their credentials lacking or outright fraudulent.

Try attending one her meetings and see what kind of reception you receive if you ask the wrong questions. Think G.W. Bush is bad...she has a gent named Mr. Bolen who will ensure you are unable to ask any form or question as you will be on the street. Keep it up and the process servers will start delivering summons to appear to answer for your misguided thoughts.

[Lindacooks]

4. Any links or proof to that statement?

I mean, anybody can say anything about anyone if they want to.

I do know that, in Food Science classes in 1982 at the University of Minnesota, my Food Chem prof told us he couldn't believe aspartame had been approved because there were so many problems associated with it. This story matches my experience AND education.

[indigobusiness]

6. I'd be interested in any personal insight

you might have.

The Nutrasweet story is horrific, and unfolds like a novel if industrial corruption.

Why has the use Stevia been suppressed in this country? It could easily be a safe, and natural, sweetener for industrial use. But is has met with amazing dificulties in surmounting the Aspertame machine.

Money.

[Lindacooks]

23. I've got a degree in Food Science

and in my classes in the early 1980s at the University of Minnesota, professors, especially my Food Chemistry professor, could not believe that aspartame had been approved. He said there were so many problems with it in trials, including carcinogenesis. But then Reagan got in, decimated the FDA, and viola! it was approved.

I wouldn't eat or drink that crap if you paid me.

[KC]

7. Someone at my son's school

won 1st place in a science project.. basically showing that if you put the powder in something like an ant farm, the ants would eat it and they died.

KC

[indigobusiness]

8. No kidding?

That's fascinating. Wish there was some documentation of that.

[smirkymonkey]

11. What is your experience? I would be interested

not only because of the political angle, but also because I have been trying to wean myself off coffee by drinking diet coke, but now finding myself getting addicted to that and having mood swings.

I am on a small dose of an SSRI, so I wonder if it reacts w/ that as well.

[SOS]

15. Personal experience

I used Equal in my coffee and drank Diet Coke. I was a pretty heavy user of aspartame.
My heart developed an arrhythmia. I would "shock awake" every time I dozed off to sleep.
Passed out on a city bus. Had panic attacks so severe I had to go home and lie down.
Doctors had no idea what was wrong with me.
Found info about Rumsfelds NutraSweet on the internet and realized that all of my symptoms were listed as NS toxicity effects. After about two years of of fear and failing health I decided to quit all NS.
Within 10 days I felt fine and have been OK since.
Suggestions: for thirst try iced tea or spakling water. For caffeine drink coffee sweetened with a little raw sugar.
I feel certain you will feel better once off the NS.
Take care,
sos

[indigobusiness]

17. Interesting...thanks.

That is quite a testimonial. Glad you're better. Now if you can get off the sugar, you'll really be ahead of the game. Have a look at sugar and free radicals, almost as bad as aspartame.

Once I shifted from sugar to stevia in coffee and tea and lemonade etc, I made great strides in limiting sugar in my diet, and feel much better.

Sugar is better than artificial sweeteners, but free radicals are a serious issue.

[smirkymonkey]

26. Wow, I have had arrythmias and weird sensations as well...

thank you for your post! Fortunately I like water and iced tea without sweetener.

I appreciate your suggestions! :)

[sam sarrha]

30. Ive gone to Iced Green tea, i get Extremely High Quality Japanese Green

tea at Asian markets for $12 a pound..thay is 6 months worth at 4 to 6 cups a day.. very powdered, actually the ceremony tea, it sinks to the bottom NO problem.. it is SO mild and one of the highest antioxidant levels around.. this stuff kill tooth decay bacteria.. so much good about it.. I bake with it .. tea biscuits and scones.. Tea cake..yum the package label is lawn green stuck on a Hard foil brick

[indigobusiness]

33. Naturally high in fluoride...which is not good.

Have a look at the fluoride controversy.

It is a by-product of uranuim processing, etc.

Maybe i'll go start a thread on that.

[Eloriel]

18. Oh, PLEASE don't consume aspartame

It's horrible stuff. Did you know too that if it's stored at higher than 85 degrees it breaks down into other chemicals, one of which is formaldehyde? (This article from one of the links upthread goes into some detail on the subject: http://www.dorway.com/badnews.html This one too: http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/98-3/issue2/sweet.html (

BAD stuff. Bad, bad stuff.

You don't even want to support the industry by consuming it, even if it may not seem to be negatively affecting you at present. (Besides which, the wide ranging symptoms make it very difficult to "diagnose.")

Here are some additional links:

Aspartame: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You
http://mercola.com/article/aspartame/hidden_dangers.htm

Aspartame: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You
http://mercola.com/article/aspartame/hidden_dangers.htm

Aspartame Victims Support Group
http://presidiotex.com/aspartame/

MERCOLA (has numerous articles)
Aspartame: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You
http://mercola.com/article/aspartame/hidden_dangers.htm


How Aspartame Became Legal
http://www.rense.com/general33/legal.htm

Janet Starr Hull's website
http://www.sweetpoison.com/

Aspartame Toxicity Info Center
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/


World Natural Health Organization LINKS (includes some links re Splenda's dangers) http://www.wnho.net/aspartamenews.htm

[Lindacooks]

24. Please don't consume any aspartame if you're on SSRIs

It will mess with your seratonin levels no end. If you're drinking diet coke, you might as well not be taking SSRIs.

[smirkymonkey]

25. Thank you for that, I am weaning

myself off the diet coke (not the SSRI) as we speak.

[Politicub]

31. Glad I stumbled across this thread

I take an SSRI and I'm a diet coke fiend. Yet another great reason for me to wean myself off of diet coke.

[sam sarrha]

29. I just went to doctor with FLAMING GOUT, test was negative for gout,,got

gout prescription anyway... didn't work.

I had spent the weekend with my Mother drinking Diet Root beer because it was so hot,,,,

Got to tell you this was the most painful experience i ever had...

[indigobusiness]

5. That's quite an accusation, for your first post, and with nothing

backing it up.

There is plenty of quality documentation of aspertame poisoning available:


Listing of the 92 FDA acknoledged symptoms of aspartame poisoning... that includes death ... known problems from methanol poisoning are vision problems ... against chronic methanol poisoning and are often consumed ... of chronic methanol poisoning when ingesting aspartame-containing ...
http://rds.yahoo.com/S=2766679/K=Aspertame+poisoning/v=2/SID=w/TID=PRVT_101/l=WS1/R=5/H=0/SHE=0/*-http://www.dorway.com/badnews.html

... doctors world-wide have misdiagnosed Aspertame poisoning as multiple sclerosis (MS), a fatal ... with very similar symptoms. Aspertame poisoning can also mimic or worsen fibromyalgia ...
http://rds.yahoo.com/S=2766679/K=Aspertame+poisoning/v=2/SID=w/TID=PRVT_101/l=WS1/R=7/H=0/SHE=0/*-http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/98-3/issue2/sweet.html

http://rds.yahoo.com/S=2766679/K=Aspertame+poisoning/v=2/SID=w/TID=PRVT_101/l=WS1/R=9/H=0/SHE=0/*-http://diabeticgourmet.com/forum/sweeteners/index.cgi?read=1151

http://rds.yahoo.com/S=2766679/K=Aspertame+poisoning/v=2/SID=w/TID=PRVT_101/l=WS1/R=17/H=0/SHE=0/*-http://jassekhmet.tripod.com/healthm.htm

Equal, Nutrasweet, Equal Measure, Spoonful, Canderal (E951)
Aspartame was not approved until 1981, in dry foods. For over eight years the FDA refused to approve it because of the seizures and brain tumors this drug produced in lab animals. The FDA continued to refuse to approve it until President Reagan took office (a friend of Searle) and fired the FDA Commissioner who wouldn't approve it. Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes was appointed as commissioner. Even then there was so much opposition to approval that a Board of Inquiry was set up. The Board said: "Do not approve aspartame". Dr. Hayes OVERRULED his own Board of Inquiry.
Shortly after Commissioner Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr., approved the use of aspartame in carbonated beverages, he left for a position with G.D. Searle's Public Relations firm.
Long-Term Damage. It appears to cause slow, silent damage in those unfortunate enough to not have immediate reactions and a reason to avoid it. It may take one year, five years, 10 years, or 40 years, but it seems to cause some reversible and some irreversible changes in health over long-term use.

The truth about aspartame's toxicity is far different than what the NutraSweet Company would have you readers believe. In February of 1994, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the listing of adverse reactions reported to the FDA (DHHS 1994). Aspartame accounted for more than 75% of all adverse reactions reported to the FDA's Adverse Reaction Monitoring System (ARMS). By the FDA's own admission fewer then ONE PERCENT of those who have problems with something they consume ever report it to the FDA. This balloons the almost 10,000 complaints they once had to around a million. However, the FDA has a record keeping problem (they never did respond to the certified letter from the WEBMASTER of this site... a major victim!) and they tend to discourage or even misdirect complaints, at least on aspartame. The fact remains, though, that MOST victims don't have a clue that aspartame may be the cause of their many problems! Many reactions to aspartame were very serious including seizures and death. Those reactions included:

Abdominal Pain
Anxiety attacks
arthritis
asthma
Asthmatic Reactions
Bloating, Edema (Fluid Retention)
Blood Sugar Control Problems (Hypoglycemia or Hyperglycemia)
Brain Cancer (Pre-approval studies in animals)
Breathing difficulties
burning eyes or throat
Burning Urination
can't think straight
Chest Pains
chronic cough
Chronic Fatigue
Confusion
Death
Depression
Diarrhea
Dizziness
Excessive Thirst or Hunger
fatigue
feel unreal
flushing of face
Hair Loss (Baldness) or Thinning of Hair
Headaches/Migraines dizziness
Hearing Loss
Heart palpitations
Hives (Urticaria)
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
Impotency and Sexual Problems
inability to concentrate
Infection Susceptibility
Insomnia
Irritability
Itching
Joint Pains
laryngitis
"like thinking in a fog"
Marked Personality Changes
Memory loss
Menstrual Problems or Changes
Migraines and Severe Headaches (Trigger or Cause From Chronic Intake)
Muscle spasms
Nausea or Vomiting
Numbness or Tingling of Extremities
Other Allergic-Like Reactions
Panic Attacks
Phobias
poor memory
Rapid Heart Beat
Rashes
Seizures and Convulsions
Slurring of Speech
Swallowing Pain
Tachycardia
Tremors
Tinnitus
Vertigo
Vision Loss
Weight gain

Aspartame Disease Mimics Symptoms or Worsens the Following Diseases

Fibromyalgia
Arthritis
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Parkinson's Disease
Lupus
Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS)
Diabetes and Diabetic Complications
Epilepsy
Alzheimer's Disease
Birth Defects
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Lymphoma
Lyme Disease
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
Panic Disorder
Depression and other Psychological Disorders

--------

Betty Martini is no fraud.

[depakid]

9. Most of the Aspartame claims are urban Myths

See, e.g. http://www.snopes.com/toxins/aspartame.asp

While there may be some drug interactions (there are drug interaations with all sorts of common foods and beverages) and there are some sensitive individuals who shouldn't consume it (people with PKU come to mind) to my knowledge, there aren't credible, peer reviewed studies that back up the vast majority of these claims.

The methanol claim is also misleading. While aspartame does contain methanol, a 12 oz soda breaks down into about 20 mg. The average diet naturally contains around 10 mg of methanol from fruit and vegetables. A liter of wine can contain up to 300 mg.

So the fact is that you'd have to consume a lot of aspartame in a very short amount of time to do any significant damage (methanol and its toxic metabolites are eliminated from the body fairly quickly).


btw: the reason Stevia isn't more widely used is that it tastes like shit... not that I care much for aspartame, either.

[indigobusiness]

10. I've never tasted shit, so I will defer to you on that.

But, while Stevia can taste quite bad if used incorrectly, it is virtually indistinguishable from sugar if used correctly. It just cannot be used exactly the same way as sugar.

Research excitotoxins and see where aspartic acid takes you.

Are you going to tell me monosodium glutamate is harmless as well?

The Nutrasweet Lobby is powerful, indeed...but shame on Snopes for not digging a little deeper.

http://www.dorway.com/blaymsg.txt

Peer Reviewed Studies:

SURVEY OF ASPARTAME STUDIES:
CORRELATION OF OUTCOME
AND FUNDING SOURCES

http://www.dorway.com/peerrev.html

RAO Report (pivotal study)

http://www.dorway.com/raoreport.pdf

CDC Report

http://www.dorway.com/cdctext.txt

After reading this "full" report you can decide for yourself if
the summary was adequate, correct, or a whitewash. Keep in mind that some
of the studies that approved aspartame were the target of an indictment for
fraud never carried out because two U.S. prosecutors went to work for the
law firm defending the case, which let slip the hounds of disease and death
on an unwarned public. On 60-Minutes (Dec. 29, 1996) Dr. Ralph Walton
admitted that 83 of 90 INDEPENDENT studies on aspartame showed problems.
The 60-Minute spokesman chided the aspartame representitives that 70 of 70
Searle funded tests seemed to show aspartame to be OK (however, it seems
that Searle submitted around 112 documents and two of those studies were
submitted to the Department of Justice for an indictment for fraud). Of
Searle's many reports the FDA selected fifteen they termed as "pivotal"
to their decision to approve aspartame as safe.

However, Dr. Moser (the Nutrasweet spokesman) admitted to Jennifer Cohen
(http:/www.dorway.com/jcohen.html) that:

"..the study should never have been undertaken, much less submitted as
legitimate observation. This particular (RAO) experiment represents an
unpardonable breach in methodology."

If this motivates the reader to action...

http://www.dorway.com/congress.html is a good starting point for locating
someone in authority to complain to.

The President
DHHS
FDA
and your congressional representatives.


The Bressler Report (FDA on Searle)

http://www.dorway.com/bressler.txt

Nexus Article

http://www.dorway.com/nexus.txt

NSDA Protest

http://www.dorway.com/nsda.txt

[depakid]

13. I'll look into the studies

just because I wasn't aware of them, doesn't mean that they don't exist... or that there aren't problems that haven't been or shouldn't be independently researched. If i implied otherwise, I was wrong. As I said, there are sensitive individuals who shouldn't be consuming aspartame- PKU was only one example off the top of my head. There are doubtlessly others. Even so, I bet that the list of symptoms and disease conections you posted is overly broad.

Notice I also didn't disagree with you in the slightest about the nature of the industry, the FDA or the nutrasweet lobby. All of that rings true- and is reflected in the practices of the food additive and pharmaceutical industry in general. I also don't disagree with you with respect to MSG- if for no other reason that I so happen to get nasty symptoms myself- including a certain type of splitting headache. This has happened when I hadn't even realized I'd ingested the stuff until I asked- so the empirical evidence in that case is very convincing- at least to me!

As far as Stevia is concerned, I used to be a caregiver for a diabetic parent, and I tried it several times with poor results. So far I recall, I followed the instructions and recipes carefully, though of course there may have been tips or tricks that I didn't know about.

[indigobusiness]

14. Stevia does have a bit of a licorice

undertone to it that is lost after a few uses. This a curious aspect that puts some people off. But, if you stick with it, it is the healthiest, and best all around sweetener IMHO.

If you sweeten coffee, try stevia for a week, you'll never go back to what you were using. Buy it in bulk, where it is ground fine, like confection sugar. Swanson's Vitamins is a good source for 4 oz jars.

on edit- Be carefull, a little bit goes a long way. Too much is a drag.

[Eloriel]

20. Good advice. I've recently started using Stevia and am very pleased

with it. There are several forms. There's white extract powder, extract liquid, green powdered leaf (the most "herby" taste of them all), with fillers (maltodextrin) added so you can go one-on-one in recipes calling for sugar or Splenda, and one with a filler called FOS added. I use the white powder and liquid extracts.

If you try to use it in baked goods, the results are going to be quite disappointing unless you use specially developed Stevia recipes from the (single?) Stevia cookbook, probably.

There are several sources online with conversion charts (how much Stevia to replace how much sugar, how much Stevia to replace Splenda or NutriSweet, etc.).

Most of us have no business eating as much sweetened foods as most of us do in the first place. As a result of a better (higher quality diet), the need for adding sweeteners of any kind is greatly reduced. And, with such a diet, lightly sweetened foods are what they should be, a treat rather than a way of life.

Almost all sweeteners, whether white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, honey, molasses, corn syrup, dextrose, maltrose, fructose (and all the other "oses"), or any of the artificial sweeteners (Stevia EXcluded) have deleterious effects on our blood sugar, insulin, etc. Prolonged use (i.e., abuse) really takes its toll with such conditions as prediabetes, insulin resistance, obesity, food cravings (leading to obesity and further obesity), bad cholestorl and triglyceride levels, high blood pressure, and perhaps other problems. Artificial sweeteners can also negatively affect these conditions. Our bodies simply weren't intended for such high consumption of added sugars to our foods. And eventually, their ability to successfully tolerate these levels erodes.

[indigobusiness]

21. Thanks. BTW Stevia is pronounced Stehvia not Steeevia

but I'm sure you know this. Latin rules of pronunciation apply.

There are too many folks mispronouncing this (even Dr.s, who should know latin) and it is driving me up the wall. Next thing you know, people will be calling pizza peeeeza, or garage gay rage.

Thank you for indulging my petty little rant. I'm much better now...just one thing that gets to me.

[The Zanti Regent]

12. My Kaiser doctor says stay away from Nutrasweet

He also told me that internal Kaiser Studies are showing an epidemic of brain tumors from NutraSweet addicts!

[watercolors]

19. Doctor informed my daughters

to stay away from all artificial sweeteners when they were pregnant. They have never used them any how. For sweetener we use honey or molasses, great in coffee.

[mbee]

22. Has anyone every heard of links between aspartame and

Parkinson's Disease? I always think of M.J.Fox and how he appeared in Diet Coke commercials and wondered if he drank a lot of Diet Coke?

[twoggle]

27. Hi

Many people have reported Parkinson's-like tremors from long-term aspartame ingestion. The manufacturer funded a one-day study which of course after one day found no effect, but there has really been no serious research specifically on aspartame and Parkinson's. M.J. Fox still downs tons of Diet Coke from what I've been told. Too bad. He's one of my favorite actors, though.

Cooking with stevia takes some practice as there are several forms of stevia -- some forms are better in some dishes than others. I'm no expert on cooking with it, but there are lots of cookbooks available. Also, some brands tend to have a bad aftertaste while others tend to have very little aftertaste. Instead of using stevia, some people are trying the low carb sweeteners, "lo han fruit extract" and ki-sweet.

Couple of other comments regarding posts:

It's not unusual for people to get headaches from MSG. MSG is an "excitotoxin." Ingestion spikes plasma glutamate (and sometimes
aspartate) levels to an extent not seen when ingestion proteins
from foods. High levels of excitotoxins can damage or kill cells
in the nervous system. That is why MSG was voluntarily removed
from baby foods in the 1970's. Many years ago, acute symptoms from ingestion of MSG was accepted ... but then the manufacturer started getting involved in the research. They mixed MSG with large amounts of sugar to change the way it is absorbed. When that was discovered, they hid aspartame in the drinks given to the placebo groups. 40% of aspartame is an excitotoxin similar to the effects of MSG. Much more details on the how the industry can manipulate the research can be found in an article published in the journal, Accountability in Research:

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/l-manuscript.htm

As far as the methanol in aspartame goes. Back in the early 1980's, it was shown that while alcoholic beverages and fruit juices contain methanol, these traditionally-ingested substances contain larger amounts of ethanol. Ethanol prevents the conversion of methanol to formaldehyde (to a large extent). Fruit juices contain other protective factors as well. Since then, we know from European research in the late 1990's that aspartame ingestion leads to the accumulation of significant amounts of formaldehyde in the brain, liver, and kidneys -- something never seen with ingestion of fruit juices or alcoholic beverages. More information about aspartame and formaldehyde can be found at: http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/abuse/methanol.html
& the formaldehyde section of
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/scf2002.html

Finally, you may find it interesting to know that Donald Rumsfeld was the one who ran the company that pushed aspartame approval through the FDA despite the FDA's own scientists voting against approval.

Twog

[indigobusiness]

32. Spectacular first post,, twoggle...thanks

And welcome to DU.

[twoggle]

34. Thanks! I'm enjoying my visit to the forum and articles sections. :D

Twoggle