http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1077
eight depressed people react strongly to aspartame, Prof. Ralph G. Walton,
MD, 1993 double-blind study, full text: Murray 2004.04.26 rmforall

"The eight depressed patients reported with aspartame, compared to placebo,
much higher levels of nervousness, trouble remembering, nausea, depression,
temper, and malaise. (For each symptom, p<0.01)"

When the great Tao is forgotten,
goodness and piety appear.
When the body's intelligence declines,
cleverness and knowledge step forth.
When there is no peace in the family,
filial piety begins.
When the country falls into chaos,
patriotism is born.

Tao Te Ching
Lao-tzu (abt.551-479 BCE)

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[ Comments by Rich Murray are in square brackets. Spacing added to increase
readibility; all text otherwise unchanged. ]

Adverse Reactions to Aspartame:
Double-Blind Challenge in Patients from a Vulnerable Population.
Biol. Psychiatry v.34 pp.13-17 1993.
Ralph G. Walton, Robert Hudak, and Ruth J. Green-Waite.
Department of Psychiatry, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
(RGW) and Department of Psychiatry (RGW) and Director of Research (RJG-W)
Western Reserve Care System, Youngstown, OH; and Department of Psychiatry,
University Hospitals of Cleveland, Cleveland, OH (RH).

Address reprint requests to Ralph G. Walton, MD, Department of Psychiatry,
Western Reserve Care System, 500 Gypsy Lane, Youngstown, OH 44501.
Received October 3, 1992; revised March 31, 1993.

Abstract
This study was designed to ascertain whether individuals with mood disorders
are particularly vulnerable to adverse effects of aspartame.
Although the protocol required the recruitment of 40 patients with unipolar
depression and a similar number of individuals without a psychiatric
history, the project was halted by the Institutional Review Board after a
total of 13 individuals had completed the study because of the severity of
reactions within the group of patients with a history of depression.
In a crossover design, subjects received aspartame 30 mg/kg/day or placebo
for 7 days.
Despite the small N, there was a significant difference between aspartame
and placebo in number and severity of symptoms for patients with a history
of depression, whereas for individuals without such a history there was not.
We conclude that individuals with mood disorders are particularly sensitive
to this artificial sweetener and its use in this population should be
discouraged.
Key Words: Aspartame, depression, double-blind study, adverse reactions

Introduction
Since its introduction as an artificial sweetener in July 1983, the
dipeptide aspartame (L-aspartyl L-phenylalanine methyl ester) has had an
ever-increasing market and been subject to persistent controversy.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and multiple clinical studies
(Council on Scientific Affairs 1985; Bradstock et al 1986; Garriga et al
1991; Stegink
et al 1990; Leone et al 1989) attest to its safety,
yet reports of adverse reactions abound. (Drake 1986; Walton 1986; Blundell
et a11986; Wurtman 1985; Johns 1986; Camfield et al 1992).

It has been reported that two-thirds of such reactions involve neurologic or
behavioral symptoms, particularly headaches (MMWR 1984).
Reports of adverse reactions are generally anecdotal, and double-blind
studies have most often failed to replicate these reactions.

Two such widely quoted studies (Leon et al 1989; Schiffman et al 1987) have
been criticized both on methodological grounds, (Lipton et al 1988;
Steinmetzer and Kunkle 1988) and because they were supported by grants from
the NutraSweet Company, Deerfield, Illinois (Watts 1991).

[ Lipton RE, Newman LC, Solomon S (1988):
Aspartame and headache.
N Engl J Med 318: 1200.

Steinmetzer RV, Kunkle RS (1988):
Aspartame and headaches.
N Engl J Med 318: 1201.

Watts RS (1991):
Aspartame, headaches and beta blockers.
Headache 31(3): 181-182. ]

It has been demonstrated that aspartame can significantly increase rat brain
phenylalanine levels (Wurtman 1983), and that aspartame-carbohydrate
combinations can raise brain tyrosine levels and suppress the usual increase
in tryptophan that follows a carbohydrate-rich meal (Stegink et al 1979).

An increase in norepinephrine precursors, coupled with a simultaneous
decrease in serotonin precursors, could potentially have a significant
impact on central nervous system catecholamine/indoleamine balance.

The primary author's clinical experience that patients with affective
disorder appear particularly prone to adverse reactions to aspartame seems
consistent with this data.
Patients with clinical syndromes in which a disturbance in monoamines is
implicated could be especially vulnerable to adverse consequences to
aspartame-induced changes in precursor availability.

To date, double-blind studies have not addressed the question of whether
patients with mood disorders are especially vulnerable to adverse reactions
to aspartame.
This question forms the basis of the present study.

Subjects
The project design called for the recruitment of 40 patients with a history
of treatment for recurrent major depression, currently doing wall with a
Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (RPRS) rating of no greater than 6 at the
time of the study.
Subjects were recruited by word of mouth, and by a posting and distribution
of the study protocol and informed-consent statements among patients,
attending physicians, administrative and nursing staff, and medical students
at the Western Reserve Care System.
All patients were to be over the age of 18, not pregnant, capable of
providing informed consent, and free of any history of diabetes,
phenylketonuria (PKU), or hypoglycemia.
A similar pool of individuals without any psychiatric history, some of whom
reported adverse reactions to aspartame and some who did not, was also
recruited.

After eight patients with a psychiatric history and five individuals without
such a history had completed the study, the Western Reserve Care System
Institutional Review Board (IRB) halted the project because of the severity
of some of the adverse reactions (see Results).

The group of eight patients, ranging in age from 24-60, was comprised of
five women and three men.
Each had been treated for a recurrent major depression-six on an outpatient
basis only and two also receiving inpatient care.
Five were receiving an antidepressant at the time of the study:
three individuals were on Prozac (Dista Products Co., Div. of Eli Lilly &
Co., Indianapolis, IN), 20 mg per day;
one was on protriptyline, 40 mg per day; and
one on amitriptyline, 250 mg per day.

The nonpatient volunteers--three men and two women--ranged in age from
24-56.
Three individuals in this group believed that they were prone to adverse
reactions to aspartame (primarily headaches);
two knew of no such problems.
All are employed at the hospital where the research was conducted.

Study Design
The clinical trial lasted 20 days, with patients and nonpatient volunteers
acting as their own controls.
After selection, participants were instructed to discontinue all aspartame
intake. A 3-day "washout" period followed, after which the trial was
initiated.
This trial was divided into two 7-day segments, with a second 3-day
"washout" interposed.
Participants were randomly assigned to receive either aspartame or placebo
during the initial 7-day phase, then "crossed over" to receive during the
second week whichever was not given during the first.

NutraSweet Company denied the request from the authors to purchase
aspartame.
Therefore, analytically certified USP grade aspartame was purchased form
Schweizerhall, Inc., Piscataway, NJ.
Aspartame capsules (300 mg) and placebos of identical appearance containing
confectioners sugar were prepared by the hospital pharmacy.
The identity code was maintained by the hospital research office, but broken
at the request of the chairman of the IRB when the project was interrupted.

Subjects received a daily dose of aspartame as close as possible to 30 mg/kg
of body weight.
For a 70-kg individual this was seven capsules per day during both phases of
the trial.
Depending on individual dosage, capsules were given on a BID or TID regimen.
Approximate equivalence in cans of diet soda would be 10-12 per day.

Each participant monitored his own symptoms using a checklist, one of which
was provided for each week of the study.
Listed symptoms were:
headache, nervousness, dizziness, trouble remembering, binge eating, lower
back pain, nausea or upset stomach, feeling blue or depressed, insomnia,
uncontrollable temper outburst, and other (to be specified by the subject).

For each symptom the participant had to assign the following point value on
a daily basis:
0 = not present;
1 = mild (symptom occurs but does not disrupt activities);
2 = moderate (symptom occurs but can be controlled whether by medication or
other means;
3 = severe (symptom occurs and disrupts daily activities).

Statistical analyses were performed using Student's t-test, paired t-test,
and Fisher's Exact Test.

Results
The symptoms reported are summarized in Table 1.
The severity of some of the reactions is noteworthy;
three study participants spontaneously reported that they felt they had been
"poisoned."
One of the three to use this term felt that her symptoms were so severe that
she had to discontinue the capsules-after 3 days of her second week
[aspartame].
One patient, a 42-year-old PhD psychologist with a history of
recurrent major depression, reported pain in his left eye, followed by
retinal detachment requiring emergency surgery.
On the day of his surgery (day 4 of his second [placebo] week) he
discontinued his capsules and symptoms reporting.
Although this event occurred during the placebo week, 6 days after the
aspartame had been discontinued, another individual-- one of the three to
use the term "poisoned" experienced a conjunctival

Table 1. Summary of Data from Symptom Checklist'
Patients
with history ************ Nondepressed
of depression ************ volunteers .
Placebo*** Aspartame ************ Placebo*** Aspartame

Headache 63% (5) 88% (7) ****** 80% (4) 20% (1)

Nervousness 25% (2) 63% (5) ****** 0% 0%

Dizziness 13% (1) 25% (2) ****** 40% (2) 0%

Trouble remembering 0% 63% (5) ****** 0% 20% (1)

Binge eating 13% (1) 13% (1)****** 0% 0%

Lower back pain 25% (2) 25% (2) ****** 20% (1) 0%

Nausea 25% (2) 100% (8) ****** 40% (2) 20% (1)

Depression 38% (3) 75% (6) ****** 40% (2) 0%

Insomnia 38% (3) 50% (4) ****** 20% (1) 20% (1)

Temper 0% 25% (2) ****** 20% (1) 0%

Other

More energy 0% 25% (2) ****** 20% (1) 20% (I)

Fatigue 0% 25% (2) ****** 0% 20% (1)

Malaise 0% 38% (3) ****** 0% 20% (1)

Weight loss 13% (1) 0%****** 0% 0%

Pain in eye 13% (1) 0% ****** 0% 0%

Negative thoughts 0% 13% (1)****** 0% 0%

Bad taste in mouth 0% 13% (1)****** 0% 0%

Swollen lips 0% 13% (1)****** 0% 0%

Facial numbness 0% 13% (1)****** 0% 0%

Conjunctival hemorrhage 0% 13% (1)****** 0% 0%

Weight gain 0% 13% (1)****** 0% 0%

Irritability 0% 25% (2) ****** 0% 0%

Less sleep 0% 0% ****** 20% (1) 0%

Diarrhea 0% 0% ****** 20% (1) 20% (1)

Nightmares 0% 0% ****** 0% 40% (2)

More sleep 0% 0% ****** 0% 20% (1)

Any symptom for which there is a point value of 1 (mild) or greater on at
least one of the 7 days.

hemorrhage for the first time in her life during the aspartame week.
These events led the Chairman of the IRB to halt the project.
At this time 11 individuals had taken all the prescribed capsules and
reported symptoms for the entire 14 days of the study.
The two individuals mentioned as withdrawing from the study had each taken
capsules and reported symptoms for a total of 10 days.
Their two 3-day periods of symptom reporting were included in the data.

Despite the small number in the study (13), there were several significant
findings.
The total point values for reported symptoms and number of reported symptoms
are summarized in Table 2.

For patients with a history of major depression the difference between the
total point values for aspartame and placebo is significant (p < 0.01),
whereas for the volunteers without such a history it is not.

There is a similar significant difference for the number of reported
symptoms for the patient group (p < 0.01) and no difference for the
nondepressed volunteers.

Mean total point values for the three patients with histories of depression
not receiving antidepressants at the time of the study compared to those who
were are represented in Table 3.

There is no significant difference between those who were receiving
medication and those who were not.
Although the incidence of headaches within the patient group between the
placebo week and aspartame week was not significant, the difference in
incidence of headaches between those with a history of depression and those
without while receiving aspartame was significant (p < 0.05).

Discussion
The lack of validation of the extensive anecdotal reports of adverse
reactions to aspartame by double-blind studies may reflect the fact that, to
date, such studies have not been performed on what we feel is an especially
vulnerable population-individuals with mood disorders.
In this study even people who believed that they had problems with aspartame
(three of the nondepressed volunteers) did not demonstrate significant
differences from placebo, whereas patients with a history of depression and
no awareness of aspartame intolerance did demonstrate significant adverse
reactions.

Although there are some long-term studies, (Leone et al 1989) 1- or 2-day
challenges, such as those of Schiffman et al (1987), may not be long enough
for difficulties to emerge.

In this study, patients most often began to report significant symptoms
after day 2 or 3.
A 1- or 2-day challenge also does not replicate common patterns of daily
consumption.

Table 2. Total Point Values and Number of Reported Symptomsa
Patients with history of************ Nondepressed volunteers
depression (n = 8) ************ (n = 5) .
Placebo *** Aspartame****** Placebo*** Aspartame

Mean total point value for symptoms (all
symptoms across 7 day period)
9.8 40.3 ****** 14.4 12.8
SD 13.02 23.47****** 10.01 8.73
Mean number of reported symptoms
5.8 22.5****** 10.0 8.0
SD 6.56 12.34 ****** 6.63 6.12

"Two of the patients had a 3-day rather than 7-day second "week."
For one this was during aspartame, for the other, during placebo.

Student's t-test used for significance levels reported in results.

Table 3. Comparison of Total Symptom Points"
Patients not on ***************** Patients on
medication (n = 3)************ *** medication (n = 5)
Placebo *** Aspartame ************ Placebo*** Aspartame

Mean 14 38.8****** 2.8 42.7
SD 15.28 29.59****** 3.01 12.74

Student's t-test used for significance levels reported in results.

The fact that two patients developed significant eye problems entered into
the decision to halt the study.
Although for statistical purposes the eye pain, and subsequent retinal
detachment, were recorded as adverse events occurring during the placebo
week, there was concern that the process may have been initiated by the
preceding week's aspartame trial.

There are precedents for concern:
Fernstrom et al (1991) demonstrated very large increments in rate retinal
phenylalanine concentration after aspartame administration, and in 1988
Roberts reported that in a group of 505 aspartame reactors eye pain or
visual changes represented 35% of all complaints (Wurtman 1988).
On the basis of this study, one certainly cannot make any definitive
statement about aspartame and the eye.
We do suggest, however, that further studies be undertaken.

Despite the fact that adverse events led to a very small N, a significant
pattern of reactions to aspartame emerged in patients with a history of
major depression.
It would appear that individuals with mood disorders are particularly
sensitive to this artificial sweetener;
its use in this population should be discouraged.

The authors would like to thank Paul Witkowski, Pharm. D., for his technical
advice and assistance with the preparation of the aspartame capsules,
Patricia Flamino, RN, Director of Nursing, Department of Psychiatry, for her
help with data collection, and
Melissa Schreiner Himes for editorial assistance.

References

Blundell JE, Hill AJ (1986):
Paradoxical effects of an intense sweetener (aspartame) on appetite.
Lancet 1: 1092-1093.

Bradstock MK, Serdula MK, Marks JS, et al (1986):
Evaluation of reactions to food additives: the aspartame experience.
Am J Clin Nutr 43: 464-469.

Camfield PR, Camfield CS, Dooley JM, Gordon K, Jollymore S, Weaver DF
(1992):
Aspartame exacerbates EEG Spikewave discharge in children with generalized
absence epilepsy: A double-blind controlled study.
Neurology 42: 1000-1003.

Council on Scientific Affairs (1985):
Aspartame: review of safety issues.
JAMA 254: 400-402.

Drake ME (1986): Panic attacks and excessive aspartame ingestion.
Lancet 2(8507): 631.

Evaluation of consumer complaints related to aspartame use. (1984):
MMWR 33: 605-607.

Fernstrom JD, Fernstrom MH, Massoudi MS (1991):
In vivo tyrosine hydroxylation in rat retina: Effect of aspartame ingestion
in rats pretreated with p-chlorophenylalanine.
Am J Clin Nutr 53: 923-929.

Garriga MM, Berkebile C, Metcalfe DD (1991):
A combined single-blind, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to determine
the reproducibility of hypersensitivity reactions to aspartame.
J Allergy Clin Immunol 87: 821-827.

Johns DR (1986):
Migraine provoked by aspartame.
N Engl J Med 315(7): 456.

Leon AS, Hunninghake DB, Bell C, Rassin DK, Tephly TR (1989):
Safety of long term large doses of aspartame.
Arch Intern Med 149: 2318.

Lipton RE, Newman LC, Solomon S (1988):
Aspartame and headache.
N Engl J Med 318: 1200.

Roberts HJ (1988):
Neurological, psychiatric, and behavioral reactions to aspartame in 505
aspartame reactors.
In Wurtman RJ, Walker ER (eds), Dietary Phenylalanine and Brain Function.
Boston: Birkhauser, pp 373-376.

[ 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://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/669
1038-page medical text "Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic"
published May 30 2001 $ 60.00 postpaid data from 1200 cases
available at http://www.amazon.com
over 600 references from standard medical research

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/790
Moseley: review Roberts "Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic":
Murray 2002.02.07 rmforall

Roberts, Hyman J., 1924- ,
Useful insights for diagnosis, treatment and public heath: an updated
anthology of original research, 2002, 798 pages,
aspartame disease, pages 627-685, 778-780

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/859
Roberts: the life work of a brilliant clinician: aspartame toxicity:
Murray 2002.08.02 rmforall ]

Schiffman SS, Buckley CE, Sampson HA, et al (1987):
Aspartame and susceptibility to headache.
N Engl J Med 317: 1181-1185.

Stegink LD, Filer LJ, Baker GL (1979):
Effects of aspartame loading upon plasma and erythrocyte amino acid levels
in phenylketonuria heterozygotes and normal adult subject.
J Nutr 109: 708-717.

Stegink LD, Filer LJ, Bell EF, Ziegler EE, Tephly TR, Krause L (1990):
Repeated ingestion of aspartame-sweetened beverages: Further observations in
individuals heterozygous for phenylketonuria.
Metabolism 39(10): 1076-1081.

Steinmetzer RV, Kunkle RS (1988):
Aspartame and headaches.
N Engl J Med 318: 1201.

Walton RG (1986):
Seizure and mania after high intake of aspartame.
Psychosomatics 27: 218-220.

Watts RS (1991):
Aspartame, headaches and beta blockers.
Headache 31(3): 181-182.

Wurtman RJ (1985):
Aspartame: Possible effects on seizure susceptibility.
Lancet 2(8463): 1060.

Wurtman RJ (1983):
Neurochemical changes following high dose aspartame with dietary
carbohydrates.
N Engl J Med 309: 429-430.

[ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/31
Murray: Wurtman: aspartame & seizures 1985.11.09 1999.10.30
Wurtman RJ Aspartame: possible effect on seizure susceptibility.
Lancet 1985 Nov 9; 2(8463): 1060.
Richard J. Wurtman, Ph.D. dick@... 617-253-3091
Professor of Neuroscience
Prof. of Health Sciences and Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technlogy Cambridge, Mass. 02139 ]

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Gold: Koehler: Walton: Van Den Eeden: Leon:
aspartame toxicity: Murray 2001.06.04 rmforall four double-blind studies

Walton, RG, "Adverse reactions to aspartame: double-blind challenge in
patients from a vulnerable population," 1993, with Robert Hudak and
Ruth J. Green-Waite, Biological Psychiatry, 34 (1), 13-17.
Ralph G. Walton, MD, Prof. of Clinical Psychology, Northeastern Ohio
Universities, College of Medicine, Dept. of Psychiatry, Youngstown,
OH 44501, Chairman, The Center for Behavioral Medicine,
Northside Medical Center, 500 Gypsy Lane, P.O. Box 240 Youngstown,
OH 44501 330-740-3621 rwalton193@...
http://www.neoucom.edu/DEPTS/Psychiatry/walton.htm

Eight depressed patients, ages 24-60, and five non-depressed controls,
ages 24-56, employed at the hospital, were given for 7 days either
aspartame or a placebo, and then after a 3 day break, given the
opposite.
Each got 2100 mg aspartame daily, 30 mg/kg bodyweight,
equal to 10-12 cans of diet soda daily, about a gallon.
Despite the very small number of subjects, the results were dramatic and
statistically significant.
The eight depressed patients reported with aspartame, compared to placebo,
much higher levels of nervousness, trouble remembering, nausea, depression,
temper, and malaise. (For each symptom, p<0.01)
The five normals did not report strong enough
differences between aspartame and placebo to be significant.
Initially, the study was to be on a group of 40, but was halted by the
Institutional Review Board because of severe reactions among 3 of the
depressed patients.

Again, statistical significance with only 8 depressed patients:
"In this study, patients most often began to report significant symptoms
after day 2 or 3."
The incidence rate is very high, indeed, about 1/3.
The most common symptoms are entirely typical of thousands of case
histories.

"Survey of aspartame studies: correlation of outcome and funding
sources," 1998, unpublished: http://www.dorway.com/peerrev.html
Walton found 166 separate published studies in the peer reviewed
medical literature, which had relevance for questions of human safety.
The 74 studies funded by industry all (100%) attested to aspartame's
safety, whereas of the 92 non-industry funded studies, 84 (91%)
identified a problem.
Six of the seven non-industry funded studies that were favorable to
aspartame safety were from the FDA, which has a public record that shows a
strong pro-industry bias.
Ralph G. Walton, MD, Prof. of Clinical Psychology, Northeastern Ohio
Universities, College of Medicine, Dept. of Psychiatry, Youngstown,
OH 44501,
Chairman, The Center for Behavioral Medicine,
Northside Medical Center, 500 Gypsy Lane, P.O. Box 240 Youngstown,
OH 44501 330-740-3621 rwalton193@...
http://www.neoucom.edu/DEPTS/Psychiatry/walton.htm

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/857
www.dorway.com: original documents and long reviews of flaws in
aspartame toxicity research: Murray 2002.07.31 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/858
Samuels: Strong: Roberts: Gold: flaws in double-blind studies re
aspartame and MSG toxicity: Murray 2002.08.01 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/623
Simmons: Gold: Schiffman: Spiers:
aspartame toxicity: Murray 2001.06.04 rmforall two double-blind studies
*************************************************************

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1071
research on aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid) toxicity:
Murray 2004.04.26 rmforall

Rich Murray, MA Room For All rmforall@...
1943 Otowi Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505 USA 505-501-2298

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/927
Donald Rumsfeld, 1977 head of Searle Corp., got aspartame FDA approval:
Turner: Murray 2002.12.23 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1039
three-page review: aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde) toxicity:
Murray 2003.11.22 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1026
brief aspartame review: formaldehyde toxicity: Murray 2003.09.11 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1025
aspartame & formaldehyde toxicity: Murray 2003.09.09 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1067
eyelid contact dermatitis by formaldehyde from aspartame, AM Hill & DV
Belsito, Nov 2003: Murray 2004.03.30 rmforall [ 150 KB ]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1070
critique of aspartame review, French Food Safety Agency AFSSA 2002.05.07
aspartamgb.pdf (18 pages, in English), Martin Hirsch:
Murray 2004.04.13

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/957
safety of aspartame Part 1/2 12.4.2: EC HCPD-G SCF:
Murray 2003.01.12 rmforall EU Scientific Committee on Food, a whitewash

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1045
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/scf2002-response.htm
Mark Gold exhaustively critiques European Commission Scientific
Committee on Food re aspartame ( 2002.12.04 ): 59 pages, 230 references

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/989 On 2003.04.10
the European Union Parliament voted 440 to 20 to approve sucralose,
limit cyclamates & reevaluate aspartame & stevia: Murray 2003.04.12 rmforall

http://www.eatright.org/Nutritive(1).pdf
J Am Diet Assoc. 2004 Feb; 104(2): 255-75.
Position of the American Dietetic Association: use of nutritive and
nonnutritive sweeteners. American Dietetic Association.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1068
critique of aspartame review by American Dietetic Association Feb 2004,
Valerie B. Duffy & Madeleine J. Sigman-Grant: Murray 2004.04.03 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/messages
119 members, 1077 posts in a public searchable archive

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartame/messages
788 members, 16,823 posts in a public, searchable archive

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.

Fully 11% of aspartame is methanol-- 1,120 mg aspartame in 2 L diet soda,
almost six 12-oz cans, gives 123 mg methanol (wood alcohol).
The methanol is immediately released into the body after drinking--
unlike the large levels of methanol locked up in complex molecules inside
many fruits and vegetables.
Within hours, the liver turns much of the methanol into formaldehyde, and
then much of that into 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, accumulating in and affecting every tissue.

If only 10% of the methanol is retained daily 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.

Bear in mind that the EPA limit for formaldehyde in drinking water is
1 ppm, or 2 mg daily for a typical daily consumption of 2 L of water.

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ATSDR: EPA limit 1 ppm formaldehyde in drinking water July 1999:
Murray 2002.05.30 rmforall

This long-term low-level chronic toxic exposure leads to typical patterns of
increasingly severe complex symptoms, starting with headache, fatigue, joint
pain, irritability, memory loss, rashes, and leading to vision and eye
problems, and even seizures. In many cases there is addiction. Probably
there are immune system disorders, with a hypersensitivity to these toxins
and other chemicals.

J. Nutrition 1973 Oct; 103(10): 1454-1459.
Metabolism of aspartame in monkeys.
Oppermann JA, Muldoon E, Ranney RE.
Dept. of Biochemistry, Searle Laboratories,
Division of G.D. Searle and Co. Box 5110, Chicago, IL 60680
They found that about 70% of the radioactive methanol in aspartame put into
the stomachs of 3 to 7 kg monkeys was eliminated within 8 hours, with little
additional elimination, as carbon dioxide in exhaled air and as water in
the urine.
They did not mention that this meant that about 30% of the methanol must
transform into formaldehyde and then into formic acid, both of which must
remain as toxic products in all parts of the body.
They did not report any studies on the distribution of radioactivity in body
tissues, except that blood plasma proteins after 4 days held 4% of the
initial methanol.
This study did not monitor long-term use of aspartame.

The low oral dose of aspartame and for methanol was 0.068 mmol/kg, about 1
part per million [ppm] of the acute toxicity level of 2,000 mg/kg, 67,000
mmol/kg, used by McMartin (1979).
Two L daily use of diet soda provides 123 mg methanol, 2 mg/kg for a 60 kg
person, a dose of 67 mmole/kg, a thousand times more than the dose in this
study.
By eight hours excretion of the dose in air and urine had leveled off at
67.1 +-2.1% as CO2 in the exhaled air and 1.57+-0.32% in the urine, so 68.7
% was excreted, and 31.3% was retained.
This data is the average of 4 monkeys.
"...the 14C in the feces was negligible."
"That fraction not so excreted (about 31%) was converted to body
constituents through the one-carbon metabolic pool."
"All radioactivity measurements were counted to +-1% accuracy..."
This indicates that the results could not be claimed to have a precision of
a tenth of a percent. OK, so this is a nit-pick-- but I believe espousing
spurious accuracy is a sign of scientific insecurity.

The abstract ends, "It was concluded that aspartame was digested to its
three constituents that were then absorbed as natural constituents of the
diet."
Thus, the concept is very subtly insinuated that methanol, as a
constituent of aspartame, is absorbed as a natural constituent of the diet.
"Dietary methanol is derived in large part from fresh fruits and
vegetables."
This is a serious error, since the large amounts of methanol in fresh fruits
and vegetables are not readily released by human digestion. (W. C. Monte,
1984)
Nowhere in this report are mentioned the dread words, "formaldehyde" and
"formic acid".

Of course, methanol and formaldehyde toxicity studies are highly relevant to
the issue of aspartame toxicity. [ Aspartame has to be turned into its
toxic products, formaldehyde and formic acid, in the body, before it is
toxic, so some pro-aspartame reseach studies test aspartame outside the
body, and then proclaim that they have proved that it is not toxic. ]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/915
formaldehyde toxicity: Thrasher & Kilburn: Shaham: EPA: Gold:
Wilson: CIIN: Murray 2002.12.12 rmforall

Thrasher (2001): "The major difference is that the Japanese demonstrated
the incorporation of FA and its metabolites into the placenta and fetus.
The quantity of radioactivity remaining in maternal and fetal tissues
at 48 hours was 26.9% of the administered dose." [ Ref. 14-16 ]

Arch Environ Health 2001 Jul-Aug; 56(4): 300-11.
Embryo toxicity and teratogenicity of formaldehyde. [100 references]
Thrasher JD, Kilburn KH. toxicology@...
Sam-1 Trust, Alto, New Mexico, USA.
http://www.drthrasher.org/formaldehyde_embryo_toxicity.html full text

http://www.drthrasher.org/formaldehyde_1990.html full text Jack Dwayne
Thrasher, Alan Broughton, Roberta Madison. Immune activation and
autoantibodies in humans with long-term inhalation exposure to formaldehyde.
Archives of Environmental Health. 1990; 45: 217-223. "Immune activation,
autoantibodies, and anti-HCHO-HSA antibodies are associated with long-term
formaldehyde inhalation." PMID: 2400243

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: 2002.12.09 rmforall

Environ Health Perspect. 2003 Sep; 111(12): 1461-4.
Elevated nitric oxide/peroxynitrite theory of multiple chemical sensitivity:
central role of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in the sensitivity mechanism.
Pall ML.
School of Molecular Biosciences, 301 Abelson Hall, Washington State
University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA. martin_pall@...

The elevated nitric oxide/peroxynitrite and the neural sensitization
theories of multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) are extended here to propose
a central mechanism for the exquisite sensitivity to organic solvents
apparently induced by previous chemical exposure in MCS.
This mechanism is centered on the activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)
receptors by organic solvents producing elevated nitric oxide and
peroxynitrite, leading in turn to increased stimulating of and
hypersensitivity of NMDA receptors.
In this way, organic solvent exposure may produce progressive sensitivity to
organic solvents.
Pesticides such as organophosphates and carbamates may act via muscarinic
stimulation to produce a similar biochemical and sensitivity response.
Accessory mechanisms of sensitivity may involve both increased blood-brain
barrier permeability, induced by peroxynitrite, and cytochrome P450
inhibition by nitric oxide.
The NMDA hyperactivity/hypersensitivity and excessive nitric
oxide/peroxynitrite view of MCS provides answers to many of the most
puzzling aspects of MCS while building on previous studies and views of this
condition. PMID: 12948884

Prof. Pall describes processes by which an initial trigger exposure, such as
carbon monoxide or formaldehyde, can generate hypersensitivity to many
substances. He himself had recovered from a sudden, debilitating attack of
multiple chemical sensitity in June/July 1997.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1055
hormesis: possible benefits of low-level aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde)
use: Calabrese: Soffritti: Murray 2004.03.11 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1056
disorders of NMDA glutamate receptors in brain range from high activity
(MCS, CF, PTSD, FM, from carbon monoxide or formaldehyde (methanol,
aspartame)-- Pall)
to low activity (schizophrenia-- Coyle, Goff, Javitts):
Murray 2004.03.13 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/946
Functional Therapeutics in Neurodegenerative Disease Part 1/2:
Perlmutter 1999.07.15: Murray 2003.01.10 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/97
Lancet website aspartame letter 1999.07.29:
Excitotoxins 1999 Part 1/3 Blaylock: Murray 2000.01.14 rmforall
The Medical Sentinel Journal 1999 Fall; (95 references)
http://www.dorway.com/blayenn.html

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1034
Brain cell damage from amino acid isolates (aspartame releases
phenylalanine, aspartate, methanol [formaldehyde, formic acid] Bowen &
Evangelista May 6 2002: Murray 2003.11.10 rmforall

http://www.aspartame.ca/Brain%20Cell%20Damage.pdf
Brain cell damage from amino acid isolates 5.6.2 41 references
detailed 22 page review by James D. Bowen, MD and Arthur M. Evangelista,
former FDA Investigator orwilly@...

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/628
Professional House Doctors: Singer: EPA: CPSC:
formaldehyde toxicity: Murray 2001.06.10 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1047
Avoiding Hangover Hell 2003.12.31 Mark Sherman, AP writer: Robert Swift, MD:
[ formaldehyde from methanol in aspartame ]:
Murray 2004.01.16 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1048
hangovers from formaldehyde from methanol (aspartame?):
Schwarcz: Linsley: Murray 2004.01.18

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1052
DMDC: Dimethyl dicarbonate 200mg/L in drinks adds methanol 98 mg/L
( becomes formaldehyde in body ): EU Scientific Committee on Foods
2001.07.12: Murray 2004.01.22 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/782
RTM: Smith, Terpening, Schmidt, Gums:
full text: aspartame, MSG, fibromyalgia 2002.01.17 rmforall
Jerry D Smith, Chris M Terpening, Siegfried OF Schmidt, and John G Gums
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.
BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia is a common rheumatologic disorder that is
often difficult to treat effectively.
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.

Siegfried O. Schmidt, MD Asst. Clinical Prof. siggy@...
Community Health and Family Medicine, U. Florida, Gainesville, FL
Shands Hospital West Oak Clinic Gainesville, FL 32608-3629
352-376-5071

Debbie J. Hypes painfreeliving@... 304-872-4141 (Case # 1 of 4)
P.O Box 25 Lookout, WV 25868-0025 She has about 1,000 on her local
mailing list, and has been a volunteer activist since 1997. Her guide
first came out in 1997: http://www.Pain-Free-Living.net
"The Food Plan: How To Do It" $ 5 by mail, free by email.
Her sister Darlene, now 47, cured her own severe fibromyalgia in 1995
by using an elimination diet, and then Debbie also cured herself by
1997. Their doctor, Siegfried Schmidt, paying attention, tried it on
two more patients, who got well, and are his third and fourth cases.

http://www.perque.org/Fibromyalgia.pdf
A Novel Treatment for Fibromyalgia Imrpoves Clinical Outcomes in a
Community-Based Study.
Patricia A. Deuster, Russell M. Jaffe. RJaffe@...
Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain. 1998; Vol. 6(2): 133-149.
http://www.perque.com/ info@... 800-525-7372

Using blood tests, the researchers ran a panel of 350 antigens including
environmental chemicals, food additives and preservatives, crustaceans,
diary products, fish, fruits, grains, meats, mollusks, and oils.

Normal, healthy people react to only two or less of this panel. The greatest
offenders were:

MSG 42.5 % (17 out of 40 patients)
Candida albicans 37.5
Caffeine 37
Chocolate/cocoa 37
Food colorings 37
Cola beverages 37
Cow Dairy Products 25
Sulfite/metabisulfite 22.5
Xylene 22.5
Yogurt 22.5
Aspartame 20
BHA 20
Cadmium 20
Lead 20
Tylenol 20
Yeast 20
Sodium benzoate 20
Orange 20

C. Trocho (1998):
"In all, the rats retained, 6 hours after administration, about 5% of the
label, half of it in the liver."

They used a very low level of aspartame ingestion, 10 mg/kg, for rats, which
have a much greater tolerance for aspartame than humans.
So, the corresponding level for humans would be about 1 or 2 mg/kg.
Many headache studies in humans used doses of about 30 mg/kg daily.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/925
aspartame puts formaldehyde adducts into tissues, Part 1/2
full text, Trocho & Alemany 1998.06.26: Murray 2002.12.22 rmforall

http://ww.presidiotex.com/barcelona/index.html full text
Formaldehyde derived from dietary aspartame binds to tissue components in
vivo.
Life Sci June 26 1998; 63(5): 337-49.
Departament de Bioquimica i Biologia Molecular,
Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.
http://www.bq.ub.es/cindex.html Línies de Recerca: Toxicitat de
l'aspartame http://www.bq.ub.es/grupno/grup-no.html
Sra. Carme Trocho, Sra. Rosario Pardo, Dra. Immaculada Rafecas,
Sr. Jordi Virgili, Dr. Xavier Remesar, Dr. Jose Antonio
Fernandez-Lopez, Dr. Mariā Alemany [male]
Fac. Biologia Tel.: (93)4021521, FAX: (93)4021559
Sra. Carme Trocho "Trok-ho" Fac. Biologia Tel.: (93)4021544,
FAX: (93)4021559
alemany@... bioq@... josefer@...
rafecas@... remesar@...

Abstract:
Adult male rats were given an oral dose of 10 mg/kg aspartame,
14C-labeled in the methanol carbon.
At timed intervals of up to 6 hours, the radioactivity in plasma and several
organs was investigated.
Most of the radioactivity found (>98% in plasma, >75% in liver) was bound to
protein.
Label present in liver, plasma and kidney was in the range of 1-2% of total
radioactivity administered per g or mL, changing little with time.
Other organs (brown and white adipose tissues, muscle, brain, cornea and
retina) contained levels of label in the range of 1/12th to 1/10th of that
of liver.
In all. the rats retained, 6 hours after administration, about 5% of the
label, half of it in the liver.

The specific radioactivity of tissue protein, RNA and DNA was quite uniform.
The protein label was concentrated in amino acids, different from
methionine, and largely coincident with the result of protein exposure to
labeled formaldehyde.
DNA radioactivity was essentially in a single different adduct base,
different from the normal bases present in DNA.
The nature of the tissue label accumulated was, thus, a direct consequence
of formaldehyde binding to tissue structures.

The administration of labeled aspartame to a group of cirrhotic rats
resulted in comparable label retention by tissue components, which suggests
that liver function (or its defect) has little effect on formaldehyde
formation from aspartame and binding to biological components.
The chronic treatment of a series of rats with 200 mg/kg of non-labeled
aspartame during 10 days results in the accumulation of even more label when
given the radioactive bolus, suggesting that the amount of formaldehyde
adducts coming from aspartame in tissue proteins and nucleic acids may be
cumulative.

It is concluded that aspartame consumption may constitute a hazard because
of its contribution to the formation of formaldehyde adducts. PMID: 9714421

[ Extracts ]
"The high label presence in plasma and liver is in agreement with the
carriage of the label from the intestine to the liver via the portal vein.
The high label levels in kidney and, to a minor extent, in brown adipose
tissue and brain are probably a consequence of their high blood flows (45).
Even in white adipose tissue, the levels of radioactivity found 6 hours
after oral administration were 1/25th those of liver.
Cornea and retina, both tissues known to metabolize actively methanol
(21,28) showed low levels of retained label.
In any case, the binding of methanol-derived carbon to tissue proteins was
widespread, affecting all systems, fully reaching even sensitive targets
such as the brain and retina....

The amount of label recovered in tissue components was quite high in all the
groups, but especially in the NA rats.
In them, the liver alone retained, for a long time, more than 2 % of the
methanol carbon given in a single oral dose of aspartame, and the rest of
the body stored an additional 2 % or more.
These are indeed extremely high levels for adducts of formaldehyde, a
substance responsible of chronic deleterious effects (33), that has also
been considered carcinogenic (34,47).
The repeated occurrence of claims that aspartame produces headache and other
neurological and psychological secondary effects-- more often than not
challenged by careful analysis-- (5, 9, 10, 15, 48) may eventually find at
least a partial explanation in the permanence of the formaldehyde label,
since formaldehyde intoxication can induce similar effects (49).

The cumulative effects derived from the incorporation of label in the
chronic administration model suggests that regular intake of aspartame may
result in the progressive accumulation of formaldehyde adducts.
It may be further speculated that the formation of adducts can help to
explain the chronic effects aspartame consumption may induce on sensitive
tissues such as brain (6, 9, 19, 50).
In any case, the possible negative effects that the accumulation of
formaldehyde adducts can induce is, obviously, long-term.
The alteration of protein integrity and function may needs some time to
induce substantial effects.
The damage to nucleic acids, mainly to DNA, may eventually induce cell death
and/or mutations.
The results presented suggest that the conversion of aspartame methanol into
formaldehyde adducts in significant amounts in vivo should to be taken into
account because of the widespread utilization of this sweetener.
Further epidemiological and long-term studies are needed to determine the
extent of the hazard that aspartame consumption poses for humans."

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/864
Butchko, Tephly, McMartin: Alemany: aspartame formaldehyde
adducts in rats: Murray 2002.09.08 rmforall
Prof. Alemany vigorously affirms the validity of the Trocho study
against criticism:
Butchko, HH et al [24 authors], Aspartame: review of safety.
Regul. Toxicol. Pharmacol. 2002 April 1; 35 (2 Pt 2): S1-93, review
available for $35, [an industry paid organ]. Butchko:
"When all the research on aspartame, including evaluations in both the
premarketing and postmarketing periods, is examined as a whole, it is
clear that aspartame is safe, and there are no unresolved questions
regarding its safety under conditions of intended use."
[ They repeatedly pass on the ageless industry deceit that the methanol
in fruits and vegetables is as as biochemically available as that in
aspartame-- see the 1984 rebuttal by W.C. Monte. ]
In the same report, Schiffman concludes on page S49, not citing any
research after 1997, "Thus, the weight of the scientific evidence
indicates that aspartame does not cause headache."
Dr. Susan S. Schiffman, Dept. of Psychiatry, Duke University
sss@... 919-684-3303, 660-5657

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/911
RTP ties to industry criticized by CSPI: Murray: 2002.12.09 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/846
aspartame in Merck Maxalt-MLT worsens migraine,
AstraZeneca Zomig, Eli Lilly Zyprexa,
J&J Merck Pepcid AC (Famotidine 10mg) Chewable Tab,
Pfizer Cool Mint Listerine Pocketpaks: Murray 2002.07.16 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/855
Blumenthall & Vance: aspartame chewing gum headaches Nov 1997:
Murray 2002.07.28 rmforall

Harvey J. Blumenthal, MD, Dwight A Vance, RPh
Chewing Gum Headaches. Headache 1997 Nov-Dec; 37(10): 665-6.
Department of Neurology, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine,
Tulsa, USA. neurotulsa@...
Aspartame, a popular dietetic sweetener, may provoke headache in some
susceptible individuals. Herein, we describe three cases of young women
with migraine who reported their headaches could be provoked by chewing
gum sweetened with aspartame. [ 6-8 mg aspartame per stick chewing gum ]

Subject: Re: Murray: Butchko:
Tephly: critique of Trocho report Apr 2002 8.29.2
Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2002 09:49:56 +0200
From: Mariā Alemany <alemany@...>
To: "Rich Murray" <rmforall@...>
References: 1

Dear Rich,

Thank you for the opportunity to say something about the "paper" by Tephly
that followed our study on the incorporation of aspartame-derived methanol
label into DNA and protein of rats.
I don't know if responding to that publication is worth the effort.

Surprisingly, a serious journal, such as Life Sciences published a rebuttal
of our previous paper as a normal "research paper", but including no new
information neither experimental work.
This is only a sample of the "scientific" power of the advocates of
aspartame.

Anybody can extract conclusions from this anomaly, but it seems to me that
there was nothing new in that pamphlet that may add information to what we
already explained in our paper.
The responses to the questions raised by Tephly are already in our paper,
which means that either that it was not read or, worst, it was misread.

The presence of aspartame-derived label in DNA and protein adducts is
unquestionable and unquestioned, and agrees with previous studies.
Then, what importance has the mechanism of incorporation?
There were adducts, and they represent loss of function and mutation.
That was our thesis.

The reference to previous studies showing very low levels of formaldehyde in
blood do not refute our data.
First of all, measuring formaldehyde is tricky,
and in any case, the circulating levels would be below the current limit of
detection for most of the methods used.
That is the current explanation for the low levels of methanol in plasma
after aspartame loading: they are zero, using most of the methods available
for methanol, since the expected levels are currently below the limit of
detection...

In addition, it is not logical to expect to find measurable levels of
formaldehyde in a medium (blood) containing a huge amount of protein.
Formaldehyde reacts immediately with proteins because it is highly reactive:
that is the reason why we have found it in cell protein and DNA.
It is absurd to expect it to forfeit binding with cell proteins and go all
the way into the bloodstream!
Remember that formaldehyde is used to preserve corpses precisely because it
binds protein (including those of putrefactive bacteria) and prevents its
degradation.

The "alternative" point expressed by Tephly, suggesting that aspartame
methanol-label goes all the way into formic acid and the C1 pathway was
thoroughly refuted by us, using experimental data.
There was no labelled methionine nor thymine in protein and DNA respectively
in the rat protein we recovered from rats treated with aspartame.
This means--unequivocally-- that the label present in DNA and protein
adducts was NOT incorporated into amino acids or nucleic acid bases.
The only explanation for our data was that the label was in the form of
formaldehyde adducts.

If this explanation does not satisfy other scientists, they are free to
repeat the experiment and show where we went wrong, or to probe and prove
experimentally their hypotheses.
Otherwise, our results stand unchecked and, consequently, should be deemed
true.

I hope that this information will help any attentive reader understand why
we have left for good this field of study.

Best regards.
------------------------------
Prof.Dr. Mariā Alemany
Grup de Recerca Nitrogen-Obesitat
Departament de Nutriciķ i Bromatologia
Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona
Av. Diagonal, 645; 08028 Barcelona Espanya/Espaņa/Spain
tel. +34 93 403 4606; fax: +34 93 403 7064; E-mail: alemany@...

Life Sci 1999; 65(13): PL157-60. [ letter, usually not peer reviewed ]
Comments on the purported generation of formaldehyde and adduct
formation from the sweetener aspartame.
Tephly TR Thomas R. Tephly 319-335-7979 thomas-tephly@...
ttephly@... Department of Pharmacology
The University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242, USA.

A recent paper by Trocho et al. (1) describes experiments meant to show that
formaldehyde adducts are formed when rats are administered the sweetener
aspartame.
These authors assume that the methanol carbon of aspartame generates
formaldehyde which then forms adducts with protein, DNA, and RNA.
Doses employed range widely.
In this letter, studies which have been published previously and which were
not cited by these authors are reviewed in order to put into perspective the
disposition of methanol and formaldehyde in monkeys and humans, species
relevant to the toxicity of methanol and its toxic metabolite, formic acid.
PMID: 10503962, UI: 99431287

[ A number of pro-aspartame studies by Tephly and associates, invariably
funded by the aspartame industry (Monsanto, NutraSweet) are criticized in
detail at:

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

Gold points out that industry methanol assays were too insensitive to
properly measure blood methanol levels. ]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1016
President Bush & formaldehyde (aspartame) toxicity: Ramazzini Foundation
carcinogenicity results Dec 2002: Soffritti: Murray 2003.08.03 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 was administered for 104 weeks in drinking water supplied
ad libitum at concentrations of 1500, 1000, 500, 100, 50, 10, or 0 mg/L
to groups of 50 male and 50 female Sprague-Dawley rats beginning at
seven weeks of age.
Control animals (100 males and 100 females) received tap water only.
Acetaldehyde was administered to 50 male and 50 female Sprague-Dawley
rats beginning at six weeks of age at concentrations of 2,500, 1,500,
500, 250, 50, or 0 mg/L.
Animals were kept under observation until spontaneous death.
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

Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2002 Dec; 982: 46-69.
Results of long-term experimental studies on the carcinogenicity of
methyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol in rats.
Soffritti M, Belpoggi F, Cevolani D, Guarino M, Padovani M, Maltoni C.
Cancer Research Center, European Ramazzini Foundation for Oncology and
Environmental Sciences, Bologna, Italy. crcfr@...

Methyl alcohol was administered in drinking water supplied ad libitum at
doses of 20,000, 5,000, 500, or 0 ppm to groups of male and female
Sprague-Dawley rats 8 weeks old at the start of the experiment.
Animals were kept under observation until spontaneous death.
Ethyl alcohol was administered by ingestion in drinking water at a
concentration of 10% or 0% supplied ad libitum to groups of male and
female Sprague-Dawley rats; breeders and offspring were included in the
experiment.
Treatment started at 39 weeks of age (breeders), 7 days before mating,
or from embryo life (offspring) and lasted until their spontaneous death.
Under tested experimental conditions, methyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol
were demonstrated to be carcinogenic for various organs and tissues.
They must also be considered multipotential carcinogenic agents.
In addition to causing other tumors, ethyl alcohol induced malignant
tumors of the oral cavity, tongue, and lips.
These sites have been shown to be target organs in man by epidemiologic
studies. Publication Types: Review Review, Tutorial PMID: 12562628

Surely the authors deliberately emphasized that aspartame is well-known
to be a source of formaldehyde, which is an extremely potent, cumulative
toxin, with complex, multiple effects on all tissues and organs.

This is even more significant, considering that they have already tested
aspartame, but not yet released the results:

p. 29-32 Table 1: The Ramazzinni Foundation Cancer Program
Project of [200] Long-Term Carcinogenicity Bioassays: Agents Studied

No. No. of Bioassays Species No. Route of Exposure
108. "Coca-Cola" 4 Rat 1,999 Ingestion, Transplantal Route
109. "Pepsi-Cola" 1 Rat 400 Ingestion
110. Sucrose 1 Rat 400 Ingestion
111. Caffeine 1 Rat 800 Ingestion
112. Aspartame 1 Rat 1,800 Ingestion

http://members.nyas.org/events/conference/conf_02_0429.html
Soffritti said that Coca-Cola showed no carcinogenicity.

It may be time to disclose these important aspartame results.

Finally, an intripid and much published team in Japan has found DNA damage
in 8 tissues from single non-lethal doses of aspartame (near-significant
high levels of DNA damage in 5 tissues) and many other additives in groups
of just 4 mice:

Mutat Res 2002 Aug 26; 519(1-2): 103-19
The comet assay with 8 mouse organs: results with 39 currently used food
additives.
Sasaki YF, Kawaguchi S, Kamaya A, Ohshita M, Kabasawa K, Iwama K,
Taniguchi K, Tsuda S.
Laboratory of Genotoxicity, Faculty of Chemical and Biological
Engineering, Hachinohe National College of Technology,
Tamonoki Uwanotai 16-1, Aomori 039-1192, Japan.
yfsasaki-c@... s.tsuda@...

We determined the genotoxicity of 39 chemicals currently in use as food
additives.
They fell into six categories-dyes, color fixatives and
preservatives, preservatives, antioxidants, fungicides, and sweeteners.

We tested groups of four male ddY mice once orally with each additive at
up to 0.5xLD(50) or the limit dose (2000mg/kg) and performed the comet
assay on the glandular stomach, colon, liver, kidney, urinary bladder, lung,
brain, and bone marrow 3 and 24 h after treatment.

Of all the additives, dyes were the most genotoxic.
Amaranth, Allura Red, New Coccine, Tartrazine, Erythrosine, Phloxine, and
Rose Bengal induced dose-related DNA damage in the glandular stomach, colon,
and/or urinary bladder.
All seven dyes induced DNA damage in the gastrointestinal organs at a
low dose (10 or 100mg/kg).

Among them, Amaranth, Allura Red, New Coccine, and Tartrazine induced
DNA damage in the colon at close to the acceptable daily intakes (ADIs).

Two antioxidants (butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated
hydroxytoluene (BHT)), three fungicides (biphenyl, sodium
o-phenylphenol, and thiabendazole), and four sweeteners (sodium
cyclamate, saccharin, sodium saccharin, and sucralose) also induced DNA
damage in gastrointestinal organs.

Based on these results, we believe that more extensive assessment of
food additives in current use is warranted. PMID: 12160896

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/934
24 recent formaldehyde toxicity [Comet assay] reports:
Murray 2002.12.31 rmforall

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 2003.01.01 rmforall
[ Also borderline evidence, in this pilot study of 39 food additives,
using test groups 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 2003.01.27 rmforall [A detailed look at the data] ]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1018
aspartame toxicity coverup increases danger of corporate meltdown:
Michael C. Carakostas of Coca-Cola: Murray 2003.08.11 rmforall
http://www.isrtp.org/new_members/members1.htm
The International Society of Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology
Carakostas, Michael C., 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@...
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

It is commendable that Carakostas mentions the core problem, albeit
disparagingly, and overlaid with multiple untruths: "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."

Carakostas deceptively make claims, unsupported by research, that the amount
of methanol from aspartame is "very small", that many foods release as much,
and that little of the inevitable formaldehyde or formic acid toxic products
accumulate in body tissues. This executive, with a PhD in veterinary
science, is deceiving people about very serious multiple toxicities.

Thus, there is evidence here cited from 1973 to 2004 that research and
reviews by immense vested interests about aspartame must be scrutinized with
the greatest skepticism. The greatest Internet myth about aspartame is
this: "Aspartame is the most thoroughly tested food additive in history."

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/857
www.dorway.com: original documents and long reviews of flaws in
aspartame toxicity research: Murray 2002.07.31 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/858
Samuels: Strong: Roberts: Gold: flaws in double-blind studies re
aspartame and MSG toxicity: Murray 2002.08.01 rmforall

"Survey of aspartame studies: correlation of outcome and funding
sources," 1998, unpublished: http://www.dorway.com/peerrev.html
Walton found 166 separate published studies in the peer reviewed
medical literature, which had relevance for questions of human safety.
The 74 studies funded by industry all (100%) attested to aspartame's
safety, whereas of the 92 non-industry funded studies, 84 (91%)
identified a problem. Six of the seven non-industry funded studies
that were favorable to aspartame safety were from the FDA, which
has a public record that shows a strong pro-industry bias.
Ralph G. Walton, MD, Prof. of Clinical Psychology, Northeastern Ohio
Universities, College of Medicine, Dept. of Psychiatry, Youngstown,
OH 44501, Chairman, The Center for Behavioral Medicine,
Northside Medical Center, 500 Gypsy Lane, P.O. Box 240 Youngstown,
OH 44501 330-740-3621 rwalton193@...
http://www.neoucom.edu/DEPTS/Psychiatry/walton.htm

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/622
Gold: Koehler: Walton: Van Den Eeden: Leon:
aspartame toxicity: Murray 2001.06.04 rmforall four double-blind studies

Headache 1988 Feb; 28(1): 10-4
The effect of aspartame on migraine headache.
Koehler SM, Glaros A PMID: 3277925, UI: 88138777
Shirley M. Koehler, PhD 904-858-7651 skoehler@...
http://www.med.umich.edu/abcn/alpha/alpha-K.html#Koehler
Alan Glaros glarosa@... 816-235-2074

They conducted a double-blind study of patients, ages 18-55, who had
a medical diagnosis of classical migraines (normally having 1-3
migraines in 4-weeks), who were not on medications (other than
analgesics), and who suspected that aspartame had a negative effect on
their migraine headaches. The subjects were given 1200 mg daily,
aspartame or placebo, for four weeks, about 17 mg/kg. The placebo
group had no increase in headaches. Approximately half of the subjects
(5 of 11) who took aspartame had a large, statistically significant
(p = 0.02), increase in migraine headache frequency, but not in
intensity or duration, compared to baseline or placebo. Only 11 of
25 subjects completed the program: 8 dropped out, 4 began new
medications, 2 had incomplete records. They were at home.
Since 1/3 of the subjects dropped out, they may have been choosing
to avoid headaches-- were they unpaid? To achieve statistical
signifance with only 11 subjects hints that the incidence rate from
aspartame is very high, about 1/2, for migraine cases who believe
that they are hurt by aspartame.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1077
eight depressed people react strongly to aspartame, Prof. Ralph G. Walton,
MD, 1993 double-blind study, full text: Murray 2004.04.26 rmforall

Walton, RG, "Adverse reactions to aspartame: double-blind challenge in
patients from a vulnerable population," 1993, with Robert Hudak and
Ruth J. Green-Waite, Biological Psychiatry, 34 (1), 13-17.
Ralph G. Walton, MD, Prof. of Clinical Psychology, Northeastern Ohio
Universities, College of Medicine, Dept. of Psychiatry, Youngstown,
OH 44501, Chairman, The Center for Behavioral Medicine,
Northside Medical Center, 500 Gypsy Lane, P.O. Box 240 Youngstown,
OH 44501 330-740-3621 rwalton193@...
http://www.neoucom.edu/DEPTS/Psychiatry/walton.htm

Eight depressed patients, ages 24-60, and five non-depressed controls,
ages 24-56, employed at the hospital, were given for 7 days either
aspartame or a placebo, and then after a 3 day break, given the
opposite. Each got 2100 mg aspartame daily, 30 mg/kg bodyweight,
equal to 10-12 cans of diet soda daily, about a gallon. Despite the
very small number of subjects, the results were dramatic and
statistically significant. The eight depressed patients reported with
aspartame, compared to placebo, much higher levels of nervousness,
trouble remembering, nausea, depression, temper, and malaise. (For each
symptom, p<0.01) The five normals did not report strong enough
differences between aspartame and placebo to be significant.
Initially, the study was to be on a group of 40, but was halted by the
Institutional Review Board because of severe reactions among 3 of the
depressed patients.

Again, statistical significance with only 8 depressed patients:
"In this study, patients most often began to report significant
symptoms after day 2 or 3." The incidence rate is very high,
indeed, about 1/3. The most common symptoms are entirely typical
of thousands of case histories.

Stephen K. Van Den Eeden, T.D. Koepsell, W.T. Longstreth, Jr,
G. van Belle, J.R. Daling, B. McKnight, "Aspartame ingestion and
headaches: a randomized crossover trial," 1994, Neurology, 44, 1787-93
Steven K. Van Den Eeden,PhD 550-450-2202 skv@...
Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program
3505 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94611-5714
http://www.dor.kaiser.org/dorhtml/investigators/Stephen_Van_Den_Eeden.html

In their introduction, they comment:

"In addition, the FDA had received over 5,000 complaints as of July,
1991 in a passive surveillance system to monitor adverse side effects.
(17) Neurologic problems constitute the primary complaints in these
and several other case series, with headaches accounting for
18 to 45 %,depending on the case series reported. (17-19)"

Subjects, ages 18-57, were recruited who believed they got headaches
from aspartame, but were otherwise mentally and physically healthy.
They were paid $ 15 total, and were at home. Of the 44 subjects, 32
contributed data to the 38-day trials: a week of inert placebo, a week
of either aspartame or placebo, followed by a week of the opposite, and
then this two-week cycle repeated. The daily dose was about 30 mg/kg.
"The proportion of days subjects reported having a headache was
higher during aspartame treatment compared with placebo treatment
(aspartame = 0.33, placebo = 0.24; p = 0.04) (table 5)".
Of the 12 subjects not included in the data, 7 reported adverse
symptoms before withdrawing.

Again, statistical significance with a moderate number of healthy
subjects, willing to be recruited by a newspaper ad, who believed
aspartame hurt them. The number of headaches for each subject
for each treatment week are given: it appears that 4 subjects
had the strongest increase in headaches from the run-in week
or placebo week to their first week on aspartame, jumping from 0 to 5,
1 to 6, 1 to 4, 0 to 5 headaches per week. So, about 4 of the 44
healthy people recruited for the study, who believed aspartame hurt
them, had a stong increase in headaches from the first week of daily
asparame exposure, while 7 reported adverse symptoms before leaving,
a total of 11 out of 44, an incidence ratio of 1/4.

This is sky high, if we consider that, if the incidence ratio for the
about two hundred million users in the USA is 1 of 100, that is 2
million cases. It is plausible that the incidence ratio lies between 1
and 10 out of 100 for continuous daily exposure. These three flames
should have set off alarm bells, with extensive follow-up studies and
much more careful study of thousands of case histories. But these
little flares were adroitly smothered by thick blankets of industry
funded fluff:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/623
Simmons: Gold: Schiffman: Spiers:
aspartame toxicity: Murray 2001.06.04 rmforall two double-blind studies

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://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/669
1038-page medical text "Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic"
published May 30 2001 $ 60.00 postpaid data from 1200 cases
available at http://www.amazon.com
over 600 references from standard medical research

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/790
Moseley: review Roberts "Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic":
Murray 2002.02.07 rmforall

Roberts, Hyman J., 1924- ,
Useful insights for diagnosis, treatment and public heath: an updated
anthology of original research, 2002, 798 pages,
aspartame disease, pages 627-685, 778-780

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/859
Roberts: the life work of a brilliant clinician: aspartame toxicity:
Murray 2002.08.02 rmforall

http://www.dorway.com ( David O. Rietz, died 2003 )
over 12,000 print pages
Mission-Possible-USA Betty Martini 770-242-2599
Bettym19@... dorietz@...
http://www.dorway.com/asprlink.html many links
http://www.dorway.com/nslawsuit.txt Jeff Martin, Attorney
http://www.dorway.com/doctors.txt
What many informed doctors are saying/have said about aspartame

Aspartame Consumer Safety Network and Pilot Hotline
Mary Nash Stoddard P.O. Box 780634 Dallas, TX 75378
214-352-4268 marystod@ai(rmail.net
http://web2.airmail.net/marystod/index.html
http://web2.airmail.net/marystod/espanol.htm
Toxicology Sourcebook: "Deadly Deception: Story of Aspartame"

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/802
700.club.com: CBN:
Totheroh & Robertson: aspartame expose : Murray 2002.02.13 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/805
Ive: UK Daily Mirror Magazine: aspartame toxicity:
Murray 2002.02.18 rmforall

http://www.dorway.com/upipart1.txt
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/262
aspartame expose 96K Oct 1987 Part 1/3: Gregory Gordon, UPI reporter:
Murray 2000.07.10 rmforall

http://www.dorway.com/enclosur.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/53
aspartame history Part 1/4 1964-1976: Gold: Murray 1999.11.06 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/928
revolving door, Monsanto, FDA, EPA: NGIN: Murray 2002.12.23 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/841
RTM: Merisant Co., MSD Capital, Dell Computer Corp., NutraSweet Co.,
JW Childs Assc.: aspartame-neotame toxicity 2002.07.10 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/876
hyperthyroidism (Graves disease) in George and Barbara Bush, 1991--
aspartame toxicity? Roberts 1997: Murray 2002.10.09 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/874
re "dry drunk": Bisbort: danger to President Bush from aspartame
toxicity: Murray: 2002.02.24 2002.09.29 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1065
politicians and celebrities hooked on diet sodas (aspartame):
Murray 2004.03.24 rmforall

http://google.com gives 239,000 websites for "aspartame" , with the top
9 of 10 listings being anti-aspartame, while
http://groups.google.com finds on 700 MB of posts from 20 years of
Usenet groups, 89,600 posts, the top 10 being anti-aspartame.
http://news.google.com 33 recent aspartame items from 4500 sources.
http://www.AllTheWeb.com gives 43,913, the top 8 of 10 anti.
http://teoma.com/index.asp gives 78,200 websites, top 8 of 10 anti.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed lists 753 aspartame items.
**************************************************************

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

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/870
Aspartame: Methanol and the Public Interest 1984: Monte:
Murray 2002.09.23 rmforall

Dr. Woodrow C. Monte Aspartame: methanol, and the public health.
Journal of Applied Nutrition 1984; 36 (1): 42-54.
(62 references) Professsor of Food Science [retired 1992]
Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287 woodymonte@...
The methanol from 2 L of diet soda, 5.6 12-oz cans, 20 mg/can, is
112 mg, 10% of the aspartame.
The EPA limit for water is 7.8 mg daily for methanol (wood alcohol), a
deadly cumulative poison.
Many users drink 1-2 L daily.
The reported symptoms are entirely consistent with chronic methanol
toxicity. (Fresh orange juice has 34 mg/L, but, like all juices, has 16
times more ethanol, which strongly protects against methanol.)

"Fruit and vegetables contain pectin with variable methyl ester content.
However, the human has no digestive enzymes for pectin (6, 25) particularly
the pectin esterase required for its hydrolysis to methanol (26).

Fermentation in the gut may cause disappearance of pectin (6) but the
production of free methanol is not guaranteed by fermentation (3).
In fact, bacteria in the colon probably reduce methanol directly to formic
acid or carbon dioxide (6) (aspartame is completely absorbed before
reaching the colon).
Heating of pectins has been shown to cause virtually no demethoxylation;
even temperatures of 120 deg C produced only traces of methanol (3).
Methanol evolved during cooking of high pectin foods (7) has been accounted
for in the volatile fraction during boiling and is quickly lost to the
atmosphere (49).
Entrapment of these volatiles probably accounts for the elevation in
methanol levels of certain fruits and vegetable products during canning (31,
33)."

Recent research [see links at end of post] supports his focus on the
methanol to formaldehyde toxic process:

"The United States Environmental Protection Agency in their Multimedia
Environmental Goals for Environmental Assessment recommends a minimum
acute toxicity concentration of methanol in drinking water at 3.9 parts
per million, with a recommended limit of consumption below 7.8 mg/day (8).
This report clearly indicates that methanol:

"...is considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion
once it is absorbed. In the body, methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde
and formic acid; both of these metabolites are toxic." (8)...

Recently the toxic role of formaldehyde (in methanol toxicity) has been
questioned (34).
No skeptic can overlook the fact that, metabolically, formaldehyde must be
formed as an intermediate to formic acid production (54).

Formaldehyde has a high reactivity which may be why it has not been found in
humans or other primates during methanol posisioning (59)....

If formaldehyde is produced from methanol and does have a reasonable half
life within certain cells in the poisoned organism the chronic toxicological
ramifications could be grave.

Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen (57) producing squanous-cell carcinomas
by inhalation exposure in experimental animals (22).
The available epidemiological studies do not provide adequate data for
assessing the carcinogenicity of formaldehyde in man (22, 24, 57).

However, reaction of formaldehyde with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) has
resulted in irreversible denaturation that could interfere with DNA
replication and result in mutation (37)..."

http://www.dorway.com/barua.html
Dr. J. Barua (ophthalmic surgeon), Dr. Arun Bal (surgeon)
Emerging facts about aspartame.
Journal Of The Diabetic Association Of India 1995; 35 (4):
(79 references) barua@...
"...the total amount of methanol absorbed will be approximately 10% of
aspartame ingested. An EPA assessment of methanol states that methanol, 'is
considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is
absorbed. The absorbed methanol is then slowly converted to
formaldehyde...'"
"Reaction of formaldehyde with DNA has been observed, by spectrophotometry
and electron microscopy, to result in irreversible denaturation."
"DKP [from aspartame] has been implicated in the occurence of brain
tumors."
**************************************************************

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/939
aspartame (aspartic acid, phenylalanine) binding to DNA:
Karikas July 1998: Murray 2003.01.05 rmforall
Karikas GA, Schulpis KH, Reclos GJ, Kokotos G
Measurement of molecular interaction of aspartame and
its metabolites with DNA. Clin Biochem 1998 Jul; 31(5): 405-7.
Dept. of Chemistry, University of Athens, Greece
http://www.chem.uoa.gr gkokotos@...
"K.H. Schulpis" <inchildh@...> "G.J. Reclos" <reklos@...>

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/960
aspartame & MSG: possible role in autoimmune hepatitis:
Prandota Jan 2003: Murray 2003.01.15 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/938
aspartame harms mice brain cells: Hetle & Eltervaag: 2001 thesis
abstract: Sonnewald 1995 study, full text: Murray 2003.01.05 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/346
WebMD: Barclay: Barth:
survey shows aspartame hurts memory in students 2000.11.09
http://www.psy.tcu.edu/psy/barth.htm
Timothy M. Barth Department of Psychology t.barth@...
Texas Christian University TCU Box 298920 Fort Worth, TX 76129
Chairman, Physiological Psychology 817-921-7410

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/760
Kovatsi L, Tsouggas M
The effect of oral aspartame administration on the
balance of magnesium in the rat.
Magnes Res 2001 Sep;14(3): 189-94.
Laboratory of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece kovatsi@...

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/943
aspartame, cell phones, brain cancer July 1999 Hardell:
Murray 2003.01.09 rmforall
http://www.medscape.com/MedGenMed/braintumors
Lennart Hardell, M.D., PhD, in 1999 reported in Sweden that both
cell phone use and heavy aspartame use correlate with increased
brain cancers lennart.hardell@... +46 19 602 15 46

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/31
Wurtman: aspartame & seizures 1985.11.09: Murray 1999.10.30
Wurtman RJ Aspartame: possible effect on seizure susceptibility.
Lancet 1985 Nov 9; 2(8463): 1060.
Richard J. Wurtman, Ph.D. dick@... 617-253-3091
Professor of Neuroscience
Prof. of Health Sciences and Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technlogy Cambridge, Mass. 02139

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/32
Murray: Drake: aspartame & panic attacks 1986.09.13 1999.10.30 rmforall
Miles E. Drake, MD
Panic attacks and excessive aspartame ingestion.
Lancet 1986 Sep 13; 2(8507): 631.
Department of Neurology and Psychiatry,
Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/ Truth in Labeling Campaign [MSG]
Adrienne Samuels, PhD The toxicity/safety of processed
free glutamic acid (MSG): a study in suppression of information.
Accountability in Research 1999; 6: 259-310. 52-page review
P.O. Box 2532 Darien, Illinois 60561
858-481-9333 adandjack@...

Russell L. Blaylock, MD 601-982-1175 Madison, Mississippi
"Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills", 1977, 298 p., 493 references.
"Health and Nutrition Secrets that can save your life", 2002, 459 p.,
558 + 30 references, $ 30 http://www.russellblaylockmd.com/

George R. Schwartz, MD "In Bad Taste: The MSG Syndrome", 1988
http://www.healthpress.com/ goodbooks@...
PO Box 37470 Albuquerque, NM 87176 505-888-1394
Kathleen Frazier, Publisher
**************************************************************

http://www.readthelabel.org.uk/ Additives Survivors' Network (UK)
Geoff Brewer <geoffbrewer@...>
http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/mom/aspartame/aspartame.html
http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/webprojects2000/srogers/sarah.html
Sarah Rogers <sr8442@...>
http://www.react.ie/Health/Nutrition/Aspartame.htm Ireland
http://members.tripod.com/~mission_possible/scotland_branch.html
http://www.aspartame.ca/indexa.html John T. Linnell <admin@...>
http://www.cybernaute.com/earthconcert2000/AspartaMalcache.htm
http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/ Australia FAILSAFE diet
http://www.bradymax.com/nzaa/ New Zealand
http://www.reseauproteus.net/therapies/nutritio/aspartame.htm France
http://ww2.grn.es/avalls/aspa1.htm Spain
http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Falls/8669/ Brazil
http://www.phd.com.br/aspartame.htm
http://hem.passagen.se/mission.possible.sweden/
http://home.online.no/~dusan/foods/aspartame.html Norway
http://www.ostara.org/aspartam/#menue Germany
http://www.aspartaam.nl/info/product.html Holland, in Dutch
http://www.laleva.org/ <archimede@...> Italy 9 languages
http://www.laleva.cc/alimenti/alimenti.html aspartame vs stevia 4.17.03
http://users.westnet.gr/~cgian/aspartame.htm Greece
http://www.cseindia.org/html/cola-indepth/index.htm India
**************************************************************

http://www.vegsource.com extensive vegan information

htttp://www.drmcdougall.com practical, delicious healthy diet guidance

http://www.vegsource.com/articles/kradjian_milk.htm
Robert Kradjian MD Discusses Milk

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/971
Joel Fuhrman critique of Atkins diet in "Eat To Live":
Murray 2003.03.01 rmforall

Substitute stevia (at health food stores).
Avoid all products with aspartame and MSG. Gradually reduce alcohol, sugar,
caffeine (coffee, cocoa, and teas), meat, fish, eggs, milk, butter, and
cheese, food additives and colors, fluoride, city water. Enjoy organic
rice, beans, nuts, almond butter, vegetables, fruits, with modest use of soy
products and sprouted grain breads, flax seed and olive oils, vitamins and
minerals, 4-8 1,000 mg fish oil capsules, and fill your jugs with deionized
water.
**************************************************************