http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1019
aspartame: the world agrees it's safe: Michael C. Carakostas of
Coca-Cola 2003: Murray 8.11.3 rmforall

http://www2.coca-cola.com/ourcompany/columns_aspartame.html [photo]
Aspartame: The world agrees it's safe
By Michael Carakostas, DVM, PhD
Director, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, Coca-Cola

Any weight-conscious consumer – and there are more of them every day! –
will frequently encounter the sweetener aspartame as a sugar substitute.
Beyond dieters, controlling sugar intake can be vital for people with or
at risk for diabetes. So it's natural to consider the safety of an
ingredient found in a growing array of foods and beverages, from
low-calorie desserts to breakfast cereals to soft drinks like diet Coke
and Coca-Cola light.

In my professional career, I've worked on product safety in academic and
corporate settings. After studying the effects of hundreds of drugs,
chemicals, foods and food additives, I can say that very few substances
have been scrutinized as closely as aspartame, or yielded such
consistently positive safety results.

Government agencies, health organizations and respected centers of
science have been involved in these studies. Their conclusions are
remarkably uniform – aspartame poses no health risks to the general
population.

Rigorous study

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports that it has
reviewed over 100 toxicological and clinical studies on aspartame. Based
on this comprehensive analysis, aspartame is one of five sugar
substitutes that carries FDA approval.

That's a worldwide point of view. In late December 2002, The European
Commission's Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) published an updated
opinion on the safety of aspartame after an extensive review of more
than 500 pieces of research. The SCF concluded that there is no need to
revise its earlier risk assessment, which concluded that aspartame is
safe. Also pronouncing aspartame safe are the United Nations' Joint
Expert Committee on Food Additives; the World Health Organization; and
many, many more (some are listed at end of this article.) In all, more
than 90 countries have approved aspartame.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Clinical Research Center has
studied whether aspartame consumption leads to any physical and
psychological effects different from the effects of sugar or a placebo.
This 1998 project concluded that even large amounts of aspartame – much
more than consumers typically take in during a day – showed no adverse
impact on the health and well being of people in the study.

Experts agree that a small group of people with a rare hereditary
condition called phenylketonuria (PKU) should restrict or avoid the
ingestion of the amino acid phenylalanine, which is found in aspartame.
This recommendation covers all sources of this common amino acid, which
includes many foods that have no aspartame. The incidence of PKU is
estimated at 1 in 16,000 among Americans. PKU can be detected by a blood
test at birth, which is routinely administered to newborn babies in the
U.S. (All packages of our products with aspartame carry a PKU alert,
whether or not local law requires it.) It would be exceedingly rare for
someone to have this disease and not be aware of it from birth.

Sweet without the sugar

When it comes to adding sweetness, just a little aspartame goes a long
way. Like millions of other frequent diet Coke drinkers, I appreciate
this fact on a daily basis. A 12-ounce serving has less than one
calorie, yet still provides a satisfying sweet taste. That's because
aspartame is about 180 times sweeter than sugar. So calorie-conscious
consumers can indulge their sweet tooth without disrupting their diet.

Most of us know someone with diabetes – there are an estimated 16
million in the U.S. alone. Many use aspartame to comply with a doctor's
order to limit their carbohydrate intake. The American Diabetes
Association has said that it considers aspartame to be an acceptable
sugar substitute and a safe part of a diabetic meal plan.

Metabolic action

The name "aspartame" might sound a little exotic, but the main
ingredients are two common dietary components known as amino acids. One
is phenylalanine, mentioned above, and the other is aspartic acid. Amino
acids are the building blocks of proteins and therefore play an
essential role in nutrition for people of all ages.

The two amino acids found in aspartame occur naturally in a number of
meats, grains and dairy products. For example, eight ounces of milk will
contain over 400 mg of phenylalanine, and 3 ounces of chicken will have
more than 1,000 mg. In comparison, eight ounces of diet Coke will
contain only 62 mg.

During digestion, aspartame yields a very small amount of methanol – as
do many other food substances. The body converts this methanol to
formaldehyde, which is instantly converted to formate. Formate is
quickly eliminated as carbon dioxide and water.

All of this is routine, normal human metabolism. Even so, in recent
years unfounded rumors have been spawned and spread, mainly through
anonymous Internet messages, that wrongly associate aspartame with
various health conditions.

While methanol in large doses is toxic, the small amount present in
aspartame and a number of other foods, such as tomatoes and oranges, is
easily metabolized by the body without any problems. Many of the foods
we safely eat all the time contain small amounts of naturally occurring
substances, like methanol, that in much larger amounts would not be
safe.

The real danger is in the rumors themselves. They can cause consumers
needlessly to forego the health benefits and enjoyment of foods and
beverages that meet their requirements for reduced sugar and calorie
consumption. They also cause needless worry and confusion, and provide
incorrect health information to many in the greatest need of accurate
information.

In July 2001, MayoClinic.com published an article entitled "Health
myths: Debunking medical misinformation" that countered several medical
falsehoods popularized via the Internet. Among these discredited rumors
was aspartame as a health risk.

Numerous health organizations have published statements supporting the
safety of aspartame. Information about aspartame safety can be found on
the websites of these organizations.

About.com: Urban Legends and Folklore
Aspartame Information Center
Calorie Control Council
- Aspartame Safety Review
European Food Information Council
International Food Information Council
International Sweeteners Association
Mayo Clinic
Multiple Sclerosis Foundation
United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1018
aspartame toxicity coverup increases danger of corporate meltdown:
Michael C. Carakostas of Coca-Cola: Murray 8.11.3 rmforall
************************************************************************

http://www.isrtp.org/new_members/members1.htm
The Internation Society of Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology
CARAKOSTAS, DVM, PhD
Director/Scientific & Regulatory Affairs
The Coca-Cola Company
PO Drawer 1734
Atlanta, GA 30301
T. 404/676-4234 F. 404/676-7166
E-mail: mcarakostas@...

J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2003 Aug 1; 223(3): 301.
Wants to clear up Internet misinformation regarding aspartame.
Carakostas M.
Publication Types: Letter [this usually means no peer review]
PMID: 12906221

http://www.avma.org/ memberservices@...
http://www.avma.org/publications/default.asp
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
For other questions about JAVMA, you may email the AVMA Publications
Division at cbach@... (please mention "JAVMA Online" in the Subject
line) or call Connie Bach at 800-248-2862, x6752.
Manuscripts should be submitted online at
http://avma.manuscriptcentral.com

[research co-authors since 1996]
Carakostas MC, Power RJ, Banerjee AK, Green JW.
Malley LA, Elliott GS, Alvarez L, Schroeder RE, Frame SR, Van Pelt C,
Trochimowicz HJ, Rusch GM, Colaianne JJ.
E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Inc., Quality Management and
Technology Center, P.O. Box 50, Elkton Road, Newark DE 19714.

www.fda.gov/cvm/index/fdavet/2001/Jan_Feb.PDF
FDA Veterinarian January/February 2001
Scientist Discusses Review of Clinical Pathology Data
[Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM)]

Michael Carakostas, D.V.M., Ph.D., Board Certified Pathologist, recently
visited CVM's Office of New Animal Drug Evaluation (ONADE) to update
reviewers on strategies to assess clinical pathology data for safety
studies. Dr. Carakostas is currently director of Corporate Scientific
and Regulatory Affairs for the Coca-Cola Company. He taught at Louisiana
State University, Tufts, and University of Pennsylvania. He has worked
in industry for DuPont, SmithKline Beecham Animal Health.....

http://www.cspinet.org/integrity/corp_funding.html
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Integrity in Science A CSPI Project
Non-Profit Organizations with Ties to Industry.....
JOINT INSTITUTE FOR FOOD SAFETY AND APPLIED NUTRITION
Receives core funding from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and
University of Maryland.
Receives funding for certain projects from industry and others. JIFSAN,
whose director is David Lineback, has an advisory council consisting
heavily of food manufacturers and professors (some of whom consult for
industry);
also includes three consumer representatives.
"Funding for the project [on mercury in the Seychelle Islands] was
provided by the FDA (through a supplement to the JIFSAN Cooperative
Agreement), the Electric Power Research Institute (present funding
$486,000), the National Tuna Foundation ($10,000), and the National
Fisheries Institute ($5,000)."
Members of the Advisory Council include:
Private sector industry (all of the industry members make annual
contributions in the $5,000 range to help support JIFSAN.
Additionally, some help subsidize JIFSAN conferences. CSPI telephone
interview with David Lineback, 1-29-01)

Bestfoods (Dr. Diani Santucci)
Coca-Cola Company (Dr. Michael Carakostas)....
************************************************************************

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/935
Comet assay finds DNA damage from sucralose, cyclamate, saccharin in
mice: Sasaki YF & Tsuda S Aug 2002: Murray 1.1.3 rmforall
[Also borderline evidence, in this pilot study of 39 food additives,
using a test group of 4 mice, for DNA damage from for stomach, colon,
liver, bladder, and lung 3 hr after oral dose of 2000 mg/kg aspartame--
a very high dose.]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/961
genotoxins, Comet assay in mice: Ace-K, stevia fine; aspartame poor;
sucralose, cyclamate, saccharin bad: Y.F. Sasaki Aug 2002:
Murray 1.27.3 rmforall [A detailed look at the data]
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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1012
brief aspartame review: formaldehyde toxicity: Murray 8.11.3 rmforall

Rich Murray, MA Room For All rmforall@...
1943 Otowi Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505 USA 505-986-9103

[NutraSweet, Equal, Canderel, Benevia, E951]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1002
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartame/message/15477
aspartame review: methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid toxicity:
Murray 8.11.3 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/983
aspartame & formaldehyde toxicity: Murray 8.10.3 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/messages 1019 articles
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartame/ 15667 posts 687 members

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/989
EU votes 440 to 20 to approve sucralose, limit cyclamates & reevaluate
aspartame & stevia: Murray 4.12.3 rmforall

http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/scf2002-response.htm
Mark Gold exhaustively critiques European Commission Scientific
Committee on Food re aspartame (12.4.2): 59 pages, 230 references

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1016
President Bush & formaldehyde (aspartame) toxicity: Ramazzini Foundation
carcinogenicity results Dec 2002: Soffritti: Murray 8.3.3 rmforall

p. 88 "The sweetening agent aspartame hydrolyzes in the gastrointestinal
tract to become free methyl alcohol, which is metabolized in the liver
to formaldehyde, formic acid, and CO2. (11)" Medinsky MA & Dorman DC.
1994; Assessing risks of low-level methanol exposure. CIIT Act. 14: 1-7.

Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2002 Dec; 982: 87-105.
Results of long-term experimental studies on the carcinogenicity of
formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in rats.
Soffritti M, Belpoggi F, Lambertin L, Lauriola M, Padovani M, Maltoni C.
Cancer Research Center, European Ramazzini Foundation for Oncology and
Environmental Sciences, Bologna, Italy. crcfr@...

"Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were found to produce an increase in
total malignant tumors in the treated groups and showed specific
carcinogenic effects on various organs and tissues. PMID: 12562630"

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/910
formaldehyde from methanol in aspartame: Murray: 12.9.2 rmforall

It is certain that high levels of aspartame use, above 2 liters daily
for months and years, must lead to chronic formaldehyde-formic acid
toxicity, since 11% of aspartame (1,120 mg in 2L diet soda, 5.6 12-oz
cans) is 123 mg methanol (wood alcohol), immediately released into the
body after drinking (unlike the large levels of methanol locked up in
molecules inside many fruits), then quickly transformed into
formaldehyde, which in turn becomes formic acid, both of which in
time are partially eliminated as carbon dioxide and water.

However, about 30% of the methanol remains in the body as cumulative
durable toxic metabolites of formaldehyde and formic acid-- 37 mg daily,
a gram every month. [J. Nutrition 1973 Oct; 103(10): 1454-1459.
Metabolism of aspartame in monkeys. Oppermann JA, Muldoon E, Ranney RE.]
If 10% of the methanol is retained as formaldehyde, that would give 12
mg daily formaldehyde accumulation, about 60 times more than the 0.2 mg
from 10% retention of the 2 mg EPA daily limit for formaldehyde in
drinking water.

Many scientific studies and case histories report: * headaches
* many body and joint pains (or burning, tingling, tremors, twitching,
spasms, cramps, or numbness) * fever, fatigue
* "mind fog", "feel unreal", poor memory, confusion, anxiety,
irritability, depression, mania, insomnia, dizziness, slurred speech,
ringing in ears, sexual problems, poor vision, hearing, or taste
* red face, itching, rashes, hair loss, burning eyes or throat,
dry mouth or eyes, mouth sores * obesity, bloating, edema, anorexia,
poor or excessive hunger or thirst * breathing problems
* nausea, diarrhea or constipation * coldness * sweating
* racing heart, high blood pressure, erratic blood sugar levels
* seizures * birth defects * brain cancers * addiction
* aggrivates diabetes, autism, allergies, ADHD, fibromyalgia,
chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivity, multiple
sclerosis, and interstitial cystitis (bladder pain).

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/782
RTM: Smith, Terpening, Schmidt, Gums:
full text: aspartame, MSG, fibromyalgia 1.17.2 rmforall
Jerry D Smith, Chris M Terpening, Siegfried OF Schmidt, and John G Gums
Siegfried O. Schmidt, MD Asst. Clinical Prof. siggy@...
Relief of Fibromyalgia Symptoms Following Discontinuation of Dietary
Excitotoxins. The Annals of Pharmacotherapy 2001; 35(6): 702–706.
Malcolm Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Gainesville, FL, USA.
CASE SUMMARY: Four patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia syndrome
for two to 17 years are described. All had undergone multiple treatment
modalities with limited success. All had complete, or nearly complete,
resolution of their symptoms within months after eliminating monosodium
glutamate (MSG) or MSG plus aspartame from their diet. All patients
were women with multiple comorbidities prior to elimination of MSG.
All have had recurrence of symptoms whenever MSG is ingested.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/846
aspartame in Merck Maxalt-MLT worsens migraine: Murray 7.16.2 rmforall
Migraine MLT-Down: an unusual presentation of migraine
in patients with aspartame-triggered headaches.
Newman LC, Lipton RB Headache 2001 Oct; 41(9): 899-901.
[Merck 10-mg Maxalt-MLT, for migraine, has 3.75 mg aspartame,
while 12 oz diet soda has 200 mg.]
Headache Institute, St. Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY
Department of Neurology newmanache@...
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
Innovative Medical Research RLipton@...

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/925
aspartame puts formaldehyde adducts into tissues, Part 1/2
full text, Trocho & Alemany 6.26.98: Murray 12.22.2 rmforall
Formaldehyde derived from dietary aspartame binds to tissue
components in vivo. Life Sci 1998 Jun 26; 63(5): 337-49.
Maria Alemany, PhD (male) alemany@...

Confirming evidence and a general theory are given by Pall (2002):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/909
testable theory of MCS type diseases, vicious cycle of nitric oxide &
peroxynitrite: MSG: formaldehyde-methanol-aspartame:
Martin L. Pall: Murray: 12.9.2 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/946
Functional Therapeutics in Neurodegenerative Disease Part 1/2:
Perlmutter 7.15.99: Murray 1.10.3 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/915
formaldehyde toxicity: Thrasher & Kilburn: Shaham: EPA: Gold: Murray:
Wilson: CIIN: 12.12.2 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/934
24 recent formaldehyde toxicity [Comet assay] reports:
Murray 12.31.2 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/935
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/961
genotoxins, Comet assay in mice: Ace-K, stevia fine; aspartame poor;
sucralose, cyclamate, saccharin bad: Y.F. Sasaki Aug 2002:
Murray 1.27.3 rmforall [A detailed look at the data]

http://www.dorway.com/tldaddic.html 5-page review
Roberts HJ Aspartame (NutraSweet) addiction.
Townsend Letter 2000 Jan; HJRobertsMD@...
http://www.sunsentpress.com/ sunsentpress@...
Sunshine Sentinel Press P.O.Box 17799 West Palm Beach, FL 33416
800-814-9800 561-588-7628 561-547-8008 fax

http://www.HolisticMed.com/aspartame 603-225-2100
Aspartame Toxicity Information Center Mark D. Gold
mgold@... 12 East Side Drive #2-18 Concord, NH 03301
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/abuse/methanol.html
"Scientific Abuse in Aspartame Research"
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