stevia herbal sweetener to be sold as Truvia (rebiana) by Cargill and Coca-Cola,
if blitz of 12 studies wins FDA approval in 30-90 days: Murray 2008.05.24
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.htm
Saturday, May 24, 2008
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1540
____________________________________________________


As a volunteer medical layman information activist for aspartame toxicity and
related issues for nine years, during the last 5 years I have reviewed over two
dozen quality positive abstracts on stevia safety, and daily use about 1 tsp
green stevia powder myself, with no problems.

Reports of symptoms by users are extremely rare on the Net, while some reject
the taste.

Years ago, I encouraged the use of sucralose, only to find that its safety has
never been confirmed by adequate studies on humans, a substantial fraction of
its complex metabolites remains in the body, and there are increasing reports on
the Net of alarming symptoms.

Are these dozen studies science or yet another consummate industry propaganda
blitz, as has been the case for aspartame, neotame, sucralose, and Acesulfame-K?

If science, then financing has to be explicit, the authors, their resumes, and
full contact details listed, and, all texts put for free in the public domain.

All evidence and research re aspartame, stevia, and other sweetener toxicity
should be made fully and conveniently available for free.

The huge corporations and government agencies responsible for the major public
health debacle and cover up re aspartame rightfully should set up a hundred
billion dollar fund for compensation of injured citizens.

The evidence shows that stevia affects blood pressure and glucose. Therefore,
this is a drug. Few drugs indeed have no bad effects for some or many users.

All toxicity research has to be subject to fierce, reason and evidence based
public scrutiny and debate, open to all citizens, fully archived and searchable,
along with a perpetual record of all citizen and expert negative reports.

The authors of the dozen studies have strong conflicts of interest:

AG Renwick, AR Boobis, and GW Williams are defenders of aspartame, while many of
these authors work for Coca-Cola, Cargill, and Cantox, a dedicated industry
consultancy.

DJ Brusic ( an "independent toxicologist" ) and GW Williams are authors, both
members of Cantox and on the International Editorial Board of Food and Chemical
Toxicology.

AR Boobis is editor of Food Chemical Toxicology.

BA Magnuson and GW Williams of Cantox were authors of a massive, spurious review
in 2007, financed by Ajinomoto, that exonerated aspartame:

two detailed critiques of industry affiliations and biased science in 99
page review with 415 references by BA Magnuson, GA Burdock
and 8 more, Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 2007 Sept.: Mark D
Gold 13 page: also Rich Murray 2007.09.15: 2008.03.24
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.htm
Monday, March 24, 2008
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1531

"Nearly every section of the Magnuson (2007) review has research
that is misrepresented
and/or crucial pieces of information are left out.

In addition to the misrepresentation of the research,
readers (including medical professionals) are often not told that
this review was funded by the aspartame manufacturer, Ajinomoto,
and the reviewers had enormous conflicts of interest."
____________________________________________________



www.foodweek.com.au/main-features-page.aspx?articleType=ArticleView&articleId=19\
43

New artificial sweetener to go global
4:17 PM : 0 Comments :

Global agribusiness and ingredients giant Cargill is set to shake up the
artificial sweeteners sector with a new product made from the leaves of the
stevia plant.

The sweetener will be called Rebiana and marketed under the brand name Truvia.

It has been developed in partnership with Coca-Cola which has exclusive global
rights to use it in beverages.

It will be marketed as a natural alternative to artificial sweeteners such as
Equal, Nutrasweet and Splenda and sold through natural foods retailers as a
tabletop sugar alternative, the president of Cargill's health and nutrition
unit, Marcelo Montero told Reuters.

Formal approval has yet to be received from the US FDA to date, although
applications have been lodged and it can be sold in the meantime as a dietary
supplement.

It has been approved as a food additive by about a dozen countries including
Japan, China and Brazil.

Meanwhile, the company is already in talks with a number of unnamed food
manufacturers to use the product as a substitute for sugar or artificial
sweeteners in processed food products.

Coke has yet to announce when its first Rebiana-sweetened products will hit
supermarket shelves.

The stevia plant is native to Paraguay and Cargill is overseeing commercial
cropping to ensure ongoing supply.

“This new, natural sweetener leverages Cargill’s expertise in specialty food
ingredients, agronomy, food science and safety as well as consumer insight and
marketing capabilities,” said Steve Snyder, vice president, Cargill Health &
Nutrition. “The company is positioned to manage the development of this new
sweetener from the first plantings in the field to formulation for foods and
beverages, all the way to the product that will sweeten your morning coffee.”

Scientific Studies Supporting Truvia Natural Sweetener

Research published electronically today in the peer-reviewed, scientific journal
Food and Chemical Toxicology clearly establishes the safety of rebiana for use
as a natural, zero-calorie sweetener in food and beverages.
A rigorous safety evaluation program -- the first of its kind to evaluate
rebiana -- addressed unresolved questions and verified the safety of the product
for use as a general purpose sweetener.
The research program included metabolism, safety, intake, stability and human
studies that complement the body of previously published research on purified
steviol glycosides, the sweet components of the stevia leaf.

Background on Stevia

The stevia plant has been grown, harvested and used in South America to sweeten
foods and beverages for more than 200 years.
The plant was discovered by the Guarani natives of Paraguay who used its leaves
to sweeten drinks.
In 1931, two French food-researchers isolated the sweet components of the stevia
leaf.

Consumers in Japan have been using stevia commercially for more than three
decades, and today, stevia represents 40 percent of the country’s low- or
zero-calorie sweetener market.

Because rebiana begins with a leaf, supply is contingent upon the strength of
the stevia crop.
Over many years, Cargill has built a strong and consistent stevia supply chain
in anticipation of launching TRUVIA natural sweetener, and has a dedicated staff
on the ground and partner companies in key regions around the world supervising
production and ensuring good stewardship of land and water.
Today, one stevia plant yields enough rebiana for 30 six-ounce cups of coffee.

About TRUVIA Natural Sweetener

TRUVIA natural sweetener is a great-tasting, natural, zero-calorie product, made
from rebiana, the best-tasting part of the stevia leaf.

For more information, visit
www.allaboutrebiana.com
or www.TRUVIA.com

About Cargill

Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., Cargill is a privately held international
provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services.
As a global leader in nourishing people, Cargill offers a wide range of
sweetness solutions based on consumer demand and tastes.
With 158,000 employees in 66 countries, the company is committed to using its
knowledge and experience to collaborate with customers to help them succeed.

© 2007 Cargill, Incorporated. All Rights Reserved
Cargill, Inc., PO Box 9300, Minneapolis, MN 55440-9300
800-227-4455
Ann Tucker 952-742-4057 ann_tucker@...


www.twincities.com/ci_9275122?IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com

Stevia a sweet bet for Cargill
Sugar substitute shows promise
By Tom Webb twebb@...;
Tom Webb can be reached at 651-228-5428.
Article Launched: 05/16/2008 12:01:00 AM CDT

Finding a no-calorie sweetener that's safe, natural and appetizing has been
dubbed the holy grail of the food industry.
On Thursday, Cargill Inc. moved a big step closer to unlocking the secret.

The Wayzata-based food giant announced publication of 12 peer-reviewed
scientific studies that affirmed the safety of rebiana, a refined extract of a
South American herb called stevia, which it hopes someday will be used widely in
food and beverages.

Cargill said it has christened the sweetener "Truvia," and revealed plans to
introduce it to consumers later this year.

Coca-Cola Co. has an exclusive partnership with Cargill to use Truvia in
beverages.

The substance is about 200 times as sweet as sugar, contains no calories and has
some advantages to the food industry because it doesn't degrade when heated or
when mixed with other foods.

Stevia is commonly used in Japan and parts of South America, but it's rare in
this country outside of health-food circles.

The scientific studies -- four years in the making -- are a major step because
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not now recognize stevia as a safe
food additive.

In 1991, FDA restricted its importation based on a handful of previous studies
suggesting possible liver damage and other problems.

The new studies were funded by Cargill, reviewed by independent scientists and
published Thursday in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology.

They found that a high-purity extract of the stevia leaf -- different from what
was tested earlier -- does not affect organ function, reproductive health, blood
pressure or general health.

Leslie Curry, director of regulatory and scientific affairs for Cargill's food
ingredients unit, noted the role independent experts played in the process.

"What this group does, individually and collectively, is evaluate the full
dossier of old studies and newer works, with the aim of understanding whether
the ingredient is acceptable for its intended use. ... Their conclusion is that
rebiana is safe for use in food and beverages."

Cargill formally notified the FDA on Thursday of the findings, but company
officials were reluctant to discuss what route to acceptance they're seeking
from the agency.

Ted Labuza, professor of food science and engineering at the University of
Minnesota, said that under a newer and expedited process, companies are able to
assemble their own panel of experts to analyze data.

"But they still have to go to FDA, and the FDA may address it within 30 to 90
days," Labuza said. "And because it's Coca-Cola and Cargill, which are big,
they'll probably be pushed to move faster on this."

Ann Tucker, a Cargill spokeswoman, said Truvia will make its debut in "tabletop
and beverage applications, over a period of time."
Precisely when, she wouldn't say, citing competitive issues.

But Cargill has big dreams for Truvia. The company, which has reported earnings
of $2.9 billion for the first nine months of its current fiscal year, is now
ramping up production of the natural herb in South America and China.
Someday, it hopes to see it in ice cream, cereals, cookies and other many
products.


Dr. Ted Labuza tplabuza@...;
Prof. of Food Science Dept. of Food Science & Nutrition
136 ABLMS U of Minn St Paul, MN 55108
Voice 612-624-9701 Fax 612-625-5272 home fax 651-483-3302
cellemail 6126697885@...
http://fscn.che.umn.edu/Ted_Labuza/tpl.html


Apparent lack of pharmacological effect of steviol glycosides used as sweeteners
in humans.
A pilot study of repeated exposures in some normotensive and hypotensive
individuals and in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics.
Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2008 Jun; 51(1): 37-41. Epub 2008 Mar 5.
Luis A. Barriocanal a, Corresponding Author
Mafalda Palacios a,
Gilda Benitez a,
Sussam Benitez a,
Jorge T. Jimenez a,
Nora Jimenez b
and Vicenta Rojas
Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, 3rd Internal Medicine Unit, Faculty of
Medicine, Clinical Hospital, National University Asunción, Mayor Bullo 315,
Asuncion, Paraguay.

Abstract

Steviol glycosides, isolated from the plant Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) Bertoni,
have been used as safe sweetening agents for more than 30 years.

Beneficial effects of high doses of steviol glycosides on hyperglycemia and
hypertension have been previously described when these abnormalities are
present.

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of steviol glycosides on blood
glucose and on blood pressure (BP) in 3 groups of individuals.

This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, long-term study in
three groups of patients:
Group 1: subjects with Type 1 diabetes;
Group 2: subjects with Type 2 diabetes;
and Group 3: subjects without diabetes and with normal/low-normal BP levels.

The subjects in each group were randomly allocated to active treatment (the
steviol glycoside stevioside: 250mgt.d.s.) or to placebo treatment and
followed-up for 3 months.

Post-treatment systolic BP, diastolic BP, glucose and glycated hemoglobin
(HbA(1c)) were not significantly different from baseline measurements, except
for the placebo Type 1 diabetics group where a significant difference was
observed for systolic BP and glucose.

No side effects were observed in the two treatment groups.

This study shows that oral steviol glycosides, taken as sweetener are well
tolerated and have no pharmacological effect. PMID: 18397817
Keywords: Steviol glycosides; Hypotension; Type 1 diabetes mellitus; Type 2
diabetes mellitus
doi:10.1016/j.yrtph.2008.02.006
Copyright © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


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Food and Chemical Toxicology, Article in Press, Accepted Manuscript - Note to
users
Purchase PDF (636 K)

Related Articles in ScienceDirect

Microbial hydrolysis of steviol glycosides
Food and Chemical Toxicology,
In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 16 May 2008
A.G. Renwick,
S.M. Tarka
Purchase PDF (243 K)

Pharmacokinetics of rebaudioside A and stevioside after single oral doses in
healthy men
Food and Chemical Toxicology
In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 16 May 2008
A. Wheeler, A.C. Boileau, P.C. Winkler, J.C. Compton, I. Prakash, X. Jiang, D.A.
Mandarino
Purchase PDF (296 K)


The hemodynamic effects of rebaudioside A in healthy adults with normal and
low-normal blood pressure
Food and Chemical Toxicology,
In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 16 May 2008
K.C. Maki, L.L. Curry, M.C. Carakostas, S.M. Tarka, M.S. Reeves, M.V. Farmer,
J.M. McKenney, P.D. Toth, S.L. Schwartz, B.C. Lubin, M.R. Dicklin, A.C. Boileau,
J.D. Bisognano
Purchase PDF (314 K) Leslie_Curry@...;

doi:10.1016/j.fct.2008.05.003 Copyright © 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Overview: the history, technical function and safety of rebaudioside A, a
naturally occurring steviol glycoside, for use in food and beverages
M.C. Carakostas a, Corresponding Author
L.L. Curry b, Leslie_Curry@...;
A.C. Boileau b
and D.J. Brusick c
a The Coca-Cola Company, Atlanta, GA
b Cargill, Incorporated, Wayzata, MN
c Independent toxicologist, Bumpass, VA
[ D. J. Brusick, B. C. Myhr, D. G. Stetka, J. 0. Rundell, Genetic and
Transforming Activity of. Formaldehyde (Litton. Bionetics. Report,. Litton,...]
Received 6 May 2008; accepted 6 May 2008. Available online 16 May 2008.
Corresponding Author: Tel.: +001 404 676 4234; fax: +001 404 598 4234.

[ 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 [ no longer on the
Net ]
[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",
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

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

"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 four double-blind studies ]


http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?
_ob=ArticleListURL&_method=list&_ArticleListID=744319304&_sort=v&_st=17&view=c&_\
acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=9a474db4552e5e6f4532c2ef\
c3120c5d

1. Microbial hydrolysis of steviol glycosides
Food and Chemical Toxicology, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 16
May 2008
A.G. Renwick,
S.M. Tarka
Purchase PDF (243 K)
[ Nature. 2002 Jul 18; 418(6895): 289-90.
Cacao usage by the earliest Maya civilization.
Hurst WJ, Tarka SM Jr, Powis TG, Valdez F Jr, Hester TR.
Hershey Foods Technical Center, PO Box 805, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA.
whurst@...;

Food Chem Toxicol. 1991 Jan; 29(1): 7-19.
Chronic toxicity/carcinogenicity studies of cocoa powder in rats.
Tarka SM Jr, Morrissey RB, Apgar JL, Hostetler KA, Shively CA.
Hershey Foods Corporation Technical Center, PA 17033-0805. ]


2. Pharmacokinetics of rebaudioside A and stevioside after single oral doses in
healthy men
FCT, Available online 16 May 2008
A. Wheeler, A.C. Boileau, P.C. Winkler, J.C. Compton, I. Prakash, X. Jiang, D.A.
Mandarino
Purchase PDF (296 K)
[ Experimental Biology and Medicine 227: 914-919 (2002)
© 2002 Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine
SYMPOSIA
Bioavailability of all-trans and cis-Isomers of Lycopene
Thomas W.-M. Boileau*,
Amy C. Boileau{dagger}
and John W. Erdman, Jr{ddagger},1 jwerdman@...;
* Department of Human Nutrition and Food Management, The Ohio State University,
Columbus, Ohio 43210;
{dagger} Ross Products Division, Abbott Laboratories, Inc., Columbus, Ohio
43215; and
{dagger} Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois,
Urbana-Champaign, Illinois 61801 ]


3. The hemodynamic effects of rebaudioside A in healthy adults with normal and
low-normal blood pressure
FCT, Available online 16 May 2008
K.C. Maki, L.L. Curry, M.C. Carakostas, S.M. Tarka, M.S. Reeves, M.V. Farmer,
J.M. McKenney, P.D. Toth, S.L. Schwartz, B.C. Lubin, M.R. Dicklin, A.C. Boileau,
J.D. Bisognano
Purchase PDF (314 K)
[ Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol 16, Issue 6 578-583,
Copyright © 1997 by American College of Nutrition
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Age-dependence of the relationship between adiposity and serum low density
lipoprotein cholesterol in men
K. C. Maki, K. Kritsch, S. Foley, I. Soneru and M. H. Davidson
Chicago Center for Clinical Research, Illinois 60610, USA.
[ www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/19/1/23
Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 19, No. 1, 23-30 (2000)
Published by the American College of Nutrition
Original Research
Low-Density Lipoprotein Subclass Distribution Pattern and Adiposity-Associated
Dyslipidemia in Postmenopausal Women
Kevin C. Maki, PhD, Michael H. Davidson, MD, Mary Sue Cyrowski, RD, Ann C. Maki,
MS, RD and Phyllis Marx, MD
Chicago Center for Clinical Research, Chicago, Illinois
Kevin C. Maki, PhD, Chicago Center for Clinical Research, 515 North State
Street, 27th Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60610

http://www.providentcrc.com/
http://www.providentcrc.com/newsletter.php
Provident has a team of research professionals with extensive experience in the
design and conduct of clinical trials to evaluate pharmaceuticals, medical and
functional foods, dietary supplements and medical devices.
For more information, visit our web site: http://www.providentcrc.com.
Kevin C. Maki, PhD, President/Chief Science Officer kmaki@...;
Tia M Rains, PhD, Director, Medical Writing/Principal Scientist
trains@...;, Director of Medical Writing / Principal Scientist

Administrative Office
Research Clinic Locations
489 Taft Avenue
1000 West 1st Street
907 West 2nd Street
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
Bloomington, IN 47403
Bloomington, IN 47403
Tel: (630) 858-4400
Tel: (812) 961-1524
Tel: (812) 334-3333
Fax: (630) 858-4490
Fax: (812) 961-1525
Fax: (812) 334-3351
ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
2004-Present President & Chief Science Officer
Provident Clinical Research, a division of Provident Clinical Research &
Consulting, Inc.
Glen Ellyn, Illinois & Bloomington, Indiana

"Dr Maki’s continued consulting work as a GLG SCHOLAR for the Gerson Lehrman
Group has helped investment firms, corporations and non-profit organizations to
better understand products, services, companies, issues, and industries, scoring
in the top quintile."

"Toth PP, Maki KC. Practical Lipid Management: London: John Wiley & Sons, (in
press). Expected release date July, 2008.
The book Therapeutic Lipidology, edited by Drs. Michael H. Davidson, Peter P.
Toth and Kevin C. Maki, is available for purchase at Amazon.com."

Provident Perspective Back Issues
Provident Clinical Research and Consulting, Inc.
Illinois: 489 Taft Ave.; Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
Indiana: 1000 West 1st Street; Bloomington, IN 47403
Phone: (630) 858-4400 Fax: (630) 858-4490

http://www.providentcrc.com/media/kmaki_cv.pdf
PUBLICATIONS (peer reviewed journals):
1. Maki KC, Curry LL, Carakostas MC, Tarka SM, Reeves MS, Farmer MV, McKenney
JM, Toth PD, Schwartz SL, Lubin BC, Dicklin MR, Boileau AC, Bisognano JD. The
hemodynamic effects of rebaudioside A in healthy adults with normal and
low-normal blood pressure. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 2008 (in press)

2. Maki KC, Curry LL, Reeves MS, Toth PD, McKenney JM, Farmer MV, Schwartz SL,
Lubin BC, Boileau AC, Dicklin MR, Carakostas MC, Tarka SM. Chronic consumption
of rebaudioside A, a steviol glycoside, in men and women with type 2 diabetes
mellitus. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 2008 (in press).

3. Voss AC, Maki KC, Carvey TW, Hustead DS, Alish C, Fix B, Mustad VA. Effect of
two carbohydrate-modified tube-feeding formulas on metabolic responses in
patients with type 2 diabetes. Nutrition, 2008 (in press).

4. Maki KC, McKenney JM, Reeves MS, Lubin BC, Dicklin MR. Effects of adding
prescription omega-3 fatty acid ethyl esters to simvastatin (20 mg/day) on
lipids and lipoprotein particles in men and women with mixed dyslipidemia. Am J
Cardiol, 2008 (in press).

5. Maki KC, Carson ML, Miller MP, Turowski M, Bell M, Wilder D, Rains TM, Reeves
MS. High-viscosity hydroxypropylmethylcellulose lowers postprandial insulin
levels. J Nutr. 2008; 138:292-296.

6. Davidson MH, Stein EA, Bays H, Maki KC, Doyle R, Shalwitz RA, Ballantyne CM,
Ginsberg HN. Efficacy and tolerability of adding prescription omega-3 fatty
acids to simvastatin 40mg/d in hypertriglyceridemic patients: An 8-week,
randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study – The COMBOS Trial. Clin
Ther. 2007;29:1354-1367.

7. Maki KC, Carson ML, Miller MP, Turowski M, Wilder D, Reeves MS, Bell M.
High-viscosity hydroxypropylmethylcellulose blunts postprandial glucose and
insulin responses. Diabetes Care. 2007;30:1039-1043.

8. Izumi R, Hurt J, Maki KC, Bell M, Zavras AI, McCamish M. Clinical predictors
of glycosylated hemoglobin responses to thiazolidinedione therapy. Diabetes
Technol Ther. 2007;9:553-561.

9. Maki KC, Davidson MH, Witchger MS, Dicklin MR, Subbaiah PV. Effects of
high-fiber oat and wheat cereals on postprandial glucose and lipid responses.
Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2007;77:347-356.

10. Maki KC, Rains TM, Kaden VN, Raneri KR, Davidson MH. Effects of a reduced
glycemic load diet on body weight, body composition and cardiovascular risk
markers in overweight and obese men and women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;85:724-734.

11. Davidson MH, Bays HE, Stein E, Maki KC, Shalwitz RA, Doyle R. Effects of
fenofibrate on atherogenic dyslipidemia in hypertriglyceridemic subjects. Clin
Cardiol. 2006;29:268-273.

12. Ansell BJ, Fonarow GC, Maki KC, Dicklin MR, Bell M, Davidson MH. Reduced
treatment success in lipid management among women with coronary heart disease or
risk equivalents: results of a national survey. Am Heart J.
2006;152:976-981...... ]


4. Chronic consumption of rebaudioside A, a steviol glycoside, in men and women
with type 2 diabetes mellitus
FCT, Available online 16 May 2008
K.C. Maki, L.L. Curry, M.S. Reeves, P.D. Toth, J.M. McKenney, M.V. Farmer, S.L.
Schwartz, B.C. Lubin, A.C. Boileau, M.R. Dicklin, M.C. Carakostas, S.M. Tarka
Purchase PDF (306 K)

5. Rebaudioside A: two-generation reproductive toxicity study in rats
FCT, Available online 16 May 2008
Leslie L. Curry, Ashley Roberts, Nigel Brown
Purchase PDF (367 K)

[ Dr Ashley Roberts, Vice-President, Food and Nutrition Group, Cantox Health
Sciences International, of Mississauga, USA, www.cantox.com
" Cantox is the leading international scientific and regulatory consulting firm
with specialized expertise in the areas of Food & Nutrition, Pharmaceutical &
Healthcare, Chemicals, and Agri, Biotech & Consumer Products.

For the past 20 years, we have been helping clients resolve complex scientific
and toxicology issues, develop scientific and strategic regulatory and
compliance plans, and facilitate timely regulatory global approvals. We optimize
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Our lengthy track record of success speaks for itself and today, more than 70%
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THayashi@...;

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J Esthet Restor Dent. 2006; 18(3): 119-25.
Republished from: Food Chem Toxicol. 2006 Mar; 44(3): 301-15.
Use of hydrogen peroxide-based tooth whitening products and its relationship to
oral cancer.
Munro IC,
Williams GM, GWilliams@...;
Heymann HO, HHeymann@...;
Kroes R. [ deceased ]
Cantox Health Sciences International, Suite 308, 2233 Argentia Road Mississauga,
Ontario, Canada. IMunro@...;

Bernadene Magnuson, Ph.D.
Senior Scientific & Regulatory Consultant

Berna Magnuson brings to Cantox an exceptional broad range of skills and
knowledge in toxicology and food and nutritional sciences.
Her research on diet and cancer, and her work in food toxicology, has been
recognized internationally.
She is a pioneer in the developing field of food nanoscience, and is leading
efforts to address issues facing the food industry in the adoption of this
promising new technology.

Berna received her BSHEc with distinction in food science and nutrition.
After working in the food industry, she obtained her MSc in Toxicology from the
University of Saskatchewan, and her PhD in Food and Nutritional Sciences from
the University of Manitoba.
Her post-doctoral research focused on the pathology and biochemistry of colon
cancer.
As a university faculty member recently at the University of Maryland, Berna led
a competitive research program, mentored graduate students, and taught courses
for over 12 years.

She is now an adjunct professor in nutritional sciences at the University of
Toronto.

Her research has been published in over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles and
book chapters, and had led to several patents.
Recently, her work focused on safety assessments of various dietary ingredients
and supplements.
Berna has been elected to numerous leadership positions of the Institute of Food
Technologists and the Society of Toxicology, and she has been the recipient of
outstanding service awards from both the US FDA and IFT.
She is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Food Protection and an
Associate Editor of Food Analytical Methods.
Berna is also a member of the American Association for Cancer Research, and is a
reviewer for many other toxicology, food science and cancer journals.

Berna is based in our Mississauga office as a Senior Scientific and Regulatory
Consultant.
Her expertise and knowledge in food science and toxicology will be a valuable
addition to our Food and Nutrition group.

http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/
University of Toronto Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd N., Mississauga, ON L5L
1C6

http://www.utoronto.ca/nutrisci/faculty/Magnuson/
Bernadene A. Magnuson, Ph.D.
Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences
Senior Scientific and Regulatory Consultant, Cantox Health Science International
2233 Argentia Road, Suite 308, Mississauga, ON L5N 2X7
Tel: (905) 542 2900 Fax: (905) 542 1011 BMagnuson@...;
Research
My research interests have been in the area of diet and cancer and I am now
interested in the new and exciting area of nanotechnology and its role in
nutrition. ]


6. Development of rebiana, a natural, non-caloric sweetener
FCT, Available online 16 May 2008
I. Prakash, G.E. DuBois, J.F. Clos, K.L. Wilkens, L.E. Fosdick
Purchase PDF (398 K)

7. A critical review of the genetic toxicity of steviol and steviol glycosides
FCT, Available online 16 May 2008
D.J. Brusick
Purchase PDF (496 K)

8. Subchronic toxicity of rebaudioside A
FCT, Available online 16 May 2008
Leslie L. Curry, Ashley Roberts
Purchase PDF (369 K)

9. Comparative toxicokinetics and metabolism of rebaudioside A, stevioside, and
steviol in rats
FCT, Available online 16 May 2008
A. Roberts, A.G. Renwick
Purchase PDF (362 K)

10. Steviol glycoside biosynthesis
Phytochemistry, Volume 68, Issue 14, July 2007, Pages 1855-1863
J.E. Brandle, P.G. Telmer
Purchase PDF (529 K)
Graphical abstract [ image ]
Steviol glycosides are found in high concentrations in the leaves of the
Paraguayan perennial herb Stevia rebaudiana, their intense sweetness and high
concentration in Stevia leaf tissue has made them the subject of research
interest for over 100 years.
The convergence of genomics and plant biochemistry has led to the rapid
elucidation of the genes coding for the various enzymes in the biosynthetic
pathway.

11. Apparent lack of pharmacological effect of steviol glycosides used as
sweeteners in humans. A pilot study of repeated exposures in some normotensive
and hypotensive individuals and in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics
Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, Volume 51, Issue 1, June 2008, Pages
37-41
Luis A. Barriocanal, Mafalda Palacios, Gilda Benitez, Sussam Benitez, Jorge T.
Jimenez, Nora Jimenez, Vicenta Rojas
Purchase PDF (181 K)

12. Enzymatic modification of stevioside by cell-free extract of Gibberella
fujikuroi
Journal of Biotechnology, Volume 131, Issue 1, 1 August 2007, Pages 92-96
Brás H. de Oliveira, Janaina F. Packer, Márcio Chimelli, Daniel A. de Jesus
Purchase PDF (425 K)

13. Simultaneous determination of stevioside, rebaudioside A and C and dulcoside
A in foods by high-performance liquid chromatography
Journal of Chromatography A, Volume 474, Issue 2, 1989, Pages 447-451
Yoshimi Kitada, Michiko Sasaki, Yutaka Yamazoe, Hiroyuki Nakazawa
Purchase PDF (288 K)

14.Letter to the Editor
Food and Chemical Toxicology, Volume 45, Issue 12, December 2007, Pages
2597-2598
Gary M. Williams Gary_Williams@...;
Purchase PDF (71 K)
[ Eur J Cancer Prev. 2007 Dec; 16(6): 528-34.
Inhibition by acetaminophen of neoplastic initiation elicited in rat liver by
the DNA-reactive hepatocarcinogen N-acetyl-2-aminofluorene.
Williams GM, Iatropoulos MJ, Jeffrey AM, Duan JD, Perrone CE.
Department of Pathology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York, USA.
Gary_Williams@...;

15. Postscript
FCT, Available online 16 May 2008
David J. Brusick
Purchase PDF (129 K)

16. Validated high-performance thin-layer chromatography method for steviol
glycosides in Stevia rebaudiana
Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, In Press, Corrected Proof,
Available online 28 March 2008
Vikas Jaitak, A.P. Gupta, V.K. Kaul, P.S. Ahuja
Purchase PDF (250 K)

17. Risk assessment of dietary exposures to compounds that are genotoxic and
carcinogenic -- an overview
Toxicology Letters, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 23 May 2008
E. Dybing, J. O’Brien, A.G. Renwick, T. Sanner
Purchase PDF (269 K)

18. Safety assessment of dietary administered paprika color in combined chronic
toxicity and carcinogenicity studies using F344 rats
Food and Chemical Toxicology, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 3
May 2008
T. Inoue, T. Umemura, M. Maeda, Y. Ishii, T. Okamura, M. Tasaki, A. Nishikawa
Purchase PDF (327 K)

Note to users: The section "Articles in Press" contains peer reviewed accepted
articles to be published in this journal.
When the final article is assigned to an issue of the journal, the "Article in
Press" version will be removed from this section and will appear in the
associated published journal issue.
The date it was first made available online will be carried over.
Please be aware that although "Articles in Press" do not have all bibliographic
details available yet, they can already be cited using the year of online
publication and the DOI as follows:
Author(s), Article Title, Journal (Year), DOI.
Please consult the journal's reference style for the exact appearance of these
elements, abbreviation of journal names and the use of punctuation.
There are three types of "Articles in Press":

* Accepted manuscripts: these are articles that have been peer reviewed and
accepted for publication by the Editorial Board.
The articles have not yet been copy edited and/or formatted in the journal house
style.
* Uncorrected proofs: these are copy edited and formatted articles that are not
yet finalized and that will be corrected by the authors.
Therefore the text could change before final publication.
* Corrected proofs: these are articles containing the authors' corrections and
may, or may not yet have specific issue and page numbers assigned.

28. The Threshold of Toxicological Concern (TTC) in risk assessment
Toxicology Letters, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 22 May 2008
I.C. Munro, A.G. Renwick, B. Danielewska-Nikiel imunro@...;
Purchase PDF (313 K)

77. Use of non-mammalian alternative models for neurotoxicological study
NeuroToxicology, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 25 April 2008
Randall T. Peterson, Richard Nass, Windy A. Boyd, Jonathan H. Freedman, Ke Dong,
Toshio Narahashi
Purchase PDF (600 K)

88. The use of a sweetener substitution method to predict dietary exposures for
the intense sweetener rebaudioside A
Food and Chemical Toxicology, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 16
May 2008
A.G. Renwick
Purchase PDF (340 K)

95. Comments to the paper by Nunes et al. (2007), Analysis of genotoxic
potentiality of stevioside by comet assay, Food and Chemical Toxicology 45
(2007) 662-666
Food and Chemical Toxicology, Volume 45, Issue 12, December 2007, Pages
2601-2602
Jan M.C. Geuns
Purchase PDF (65 K)

135. Evaluation of the ability of a battery of three in vitro genotoxicity tests
to discriminate rodent carcinogens and non-carcinogens. III. Appropriate
follow-up testing in vivo
Mutation Research/Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis, Available
online 16 May 2008
David Kirkland, Günter Speit
Purchase PDF (446 K)

143. Approaches to the risk assessment of genotoxic carcinogens in food: A
critical appraisal
Food and Chemical Toxicology, Volume 44, Issue 10, October 2006, Pages 1613-1635
J. O’Brien, A.G. Renwick, A. Constable, E. Dybing, D.J.G. Müller, J. Schlatter,
W. Slob, W. Tueting, J. van Benthem, G.M. Williams, A. Wolfreys
Purchase PDF (354 K)


Int J Toxicol. 2008 Jan-Feb; 27(1): 65-80.
A 90-day oral (dietary) toxicity study of rebaudioside A in Sprague-Dawley rats.
Nikiforov AI, anikiforov@...;
Eapen AK.
Toxicology Regulatory Services, Inc., Charlottesville, Virginia 22911, USA.

Rebaudioside A is one of several glycosides found in the leaves of Stevia
rebaudiana (Bertoni) Bertoni (Compositae) stevia that has been identified as a
potential sweetener.
The present study (initiated in April 2006 and completed in October 2006)
evaluated the safety of this sweetener when administered as a dietary admix at
target exposure levels of 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg/day to Sprague-Dawley rats
for 90 days.
There were no treatment-related effects on the general condition and behavior of
the animals as determined by clinical observations, functional observational
battery, and locomotor activity assessments.
Evaluation of clinical pathology parameters revealed no toxicologically
relevant, treatment-related effects on hematology, serum chemistry, or
urinalysis.
Macroscopic and microscopic findings revealed no treatment-related effects on
any organ evaluated.
Lower mean body weight gains were noted in males in the 2000 mg/kg/day group
throughout the study, which was considered to be test article related; however,
given the small magnitude of the difference as compared to controls, this effect
was not considered to be adverse.
Results of this study clearly demonstrate that dietary administration of high
concentrations of rebaudioside A for 90 consecutive days to Sprague-Dawley rats
was not associated with any signs of toxicity.
PMID: 18293214


J Agric Food Chem. 2007 Dec 26; 55(26): 10962-7. Epub 2007 Nov 27.
Oxidative DNA damage preventive activity and antioxidant potential of Stevia
rebaudiana (Bertoni) Bertoni, a natural sweetener.
Ghanta S, Banerjee A, Poddar A, Chattopadhyay S.
Drug Development/Diagnositcs and Biotechnology Division, Indian Institute of
Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India.

At 0.1 mg/mL, the ethyl acetate extract (EAE) of the crude 85% methanolic
extract (CAE) of Stevia rebaudiana leaves exhibited preventive activity against
DNA strand scission by *OH generated in Fenton's reaction on pBluescript II SK
(-) DNA.
Its efficacy is better than that of quercetin.
The radical scavenging capacity of CAE was evaluated by the DPPH test
(IC50=47.66+/-1.04 microg/mL).
EAE was derived from CAE scavenged DPPH (IC50=9.26+/-0.04 microg/mL), ABTS+
(IC50=3.04+/-0.22 microg/mL) and *OH (IC50=3.08+/-0.19 microg/mL).
Additionally, inhibition of lipid peroxidation induced with 25 mM FeSO 4 on rat
liver homogenate as a lipid source was noted with CAE (IC50=2.1+/-1.07 mg/mL).
The total polyphenols and total flavonoids of EAE were 0.86 mg gallic acid
equivalents/mg and 0.83 mg of quercetin equivalents/mg, respectively.
Flavonoids, isolated from EAE, were characterized as quercetin-3-O-arabinoside,
quercitrin, apigenin, apigenin-4-O-glucoside, luteolin, and
kaempferol-3-O-rhamnoside by LC-MS and NMR analysis. These results indicate that
Stevia rebaudiana may be useful as a potential source of natural antioxidants.
PMID: 18038982


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1491
industry scientists praise aspartame safety and benefits in Paris on
2006.05.30, Herve Nordmann, Andrew G. Renwick,
Carlo La Vecchia, Tommy Visscher, Jaap Seidell, France Bellisle,
Adam Drewnowski, Margaret Ashwell, Anne de la Hunty,
Sigrid A. Gibson, Alan R. Boobis: Murray 2007.11.18


http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/237/description#des\
cription

Food and Chemical Toxicology
Description

Food and Chemical Toxicology publishes original research reports and occasional
interpretative reviews on the toxic effects, in animals or humans, of natural or
synthetic chemicals occurring in the human environment.
In addition to studies relating to food, water and other consumer products,
papers on industrial and agricultural chemicals and pharmaceuticals are
encouraged.
Furthermore new areas such as safety evaluation of novel foods and
biotechnologically derived products and inter-relationships between nutrition
and toxicology are welcomed.
The studies may address the physiological, biochemical or pathological changes
induced by specific substances, techniques for assessing potential toxicity,
including molecular biology or the mechanisms underlying toxic phenomena.
All aspects of in vivo toxicology are covered, including systemic effects on
specific organ systems, immune functions, carcinogenesis and teratogenesis.
Papers reporting the toxicological examination of specific chemicals or consumer
products are published irrespective of the positive or negative nature of the
results, provided the tests and reporting meet current standards of adequacy.
The Journal's editorial policy reflects the need for high-quality science in
support of health and safety decisions.
FCT is willing to consider papers of a more regulatory nature, provided they are
part of a more general scientific analysis.
On acceptance these papers will be published in a Regulatory Toxicology section.
We recommend that before submitting a regulatory paper one of the editors of the
journal is contacted.

Bibliographic & ordering information
ISSN: 0278-6915
Imprint: PERGAMON
Commenced publication 1963

Subscriptions for the year 2008, Volume 46, 12 issues

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For purchase of online access to this journal on ScienceDirect.

Institutional price: Order form
USD $ 3,079 for all countries except Europe, Japan and Iran

Managing Editors:
Joseph F. Borzelleca
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Virginia,
Richmond, VA 23298-0613, USA, josephfborzelleca@...;
Alan Boobis
Imperial College, London, United Kingdom, a.boobis@...;

Review Editors:
Susan M. Barlow
Harrington House, 8 Harrington Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 6RE, UK

Founding Editor:
The Late Leon Golberg

International Editorial Board:
D. Brusick USA
J.K. Chipman UK
S.M. Cohen USA
T.F.X. Collins USA
Y.P. Dragan USA
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H.R. Glatt Germany
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Y. Hashimoto Japan
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W.H.M. Saris The Netherlands
R.C. Shank USA
M. Smith The Netherlands
Y-J. Surh South Korea
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____________________________________________________


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNMmessage/1488
Coca-Cola, Cargill Inc., PureCircle global operations market stevia
for foods and drinks: Murray 2007.11.12

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1438
Coca-Cola and Cargill Inc., after years of development,
with 24 patents, will soon sell rebiana (stevia)
in drinks and foods: Murray 2007.05.31
[ gives links to reviews of previous stevia studies ]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNMmessage/1437
stevia to be approved and cyclamates limited by Food Standards
Australia New Zealand: JMC Geuns critiques of two recent stevia
studies by Nunes: Murray 2007.05.29

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1436
FDA's corrupt war against safe herbal sweetener stevia,
Mary Nash Stoddard, 2006 January,
Aspartame Consumer Safety Network: Murray 2007.05.24

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1430
stevia, balanced factual detailed review in Wikipedia: Murray
2007.05.19
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1419
two recent warning studies on stevia toxicity on rats and bacteria, AP
Nunes et al, 2007 April, 2006 Dec, links to 18 positive abstracts from
2000 February to 2004 January: Murray 2007.05.03

At the end of this post, I link to my 5 previous reviews in 2005
August that give 18 full abstacts in PubMed on stevia toxicity from
2000 February to 2004 January, which do not find that stevia is
practically toxic to humans in ordinary use -- and give an opposite
positive abstract using the Comet assay in 2002 December, and then
share the conclusion from the full text of another study on
mutagenicity, T Terai et al 2002 July. ]

Planta Med. 2001 Dec; 67(9): 796-9.
Inhibitory effect of stevioside on calcium influx to produce
antihypertension.
Lee CN, Wong KL, Liu JC, Chen YJ, Cheng JT, Chan P.
Department of Medicine, Taipei Medical University-Wan Fang Hospital,
Wen Shan, Taipei, Taiwan.

Antiviral Res. 2001 Jan; 49(1): 15-24.
Analysis of anti-rotavirus activity of extract from Stevia rebaudiana.
Takahashi K, Matsuda M, Ohashi K, Taniguchi K, Nakagomi O, Abe Y,
Mori S, Sato N, Okutani K, Shigeta S.
Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical
University, 1 Hikarigaoka, Fukushima-shi 960-1295, Japan.
k-t...@...

Metabolism. 2000 Feb; 49(2): 208-14.
Stevioside acts directly on pancreatic beta cells to secrete insulin:
actions independent of cyclic adenosine monophosphate and
adenosine triphosphate-sensitive K+-channel activity.
Jeppesen PB, Gregersen S, Poulsen CR, Hermansen K.
Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Aarhus University
Hospital, Denmark.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1201
here's three more stevia abstracts: lowers blood pressure, Lee CN 2001
Dec: antiviral, Takashashi K 2001 Jan: antihyperglycemic, Jeppesen PB,
2000 Feb: Murray 2005.08.07

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1199
yet three more stevia abstracts: mutagenic in bacteria, Terai T, 2002
July: lowers blood pressure in rats, Hsu YH, 2002 Jan:
antihyperglycaemic, insulinotropic and glucagonostatic benefits in
rats, Jeppesen PB 2002 Jan; Murray 2005.08.07

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1198
three more stevia abstracts: no genotoxicity in mice, Sekihashi K,
Saitoh H, Sasaki Y 2002 Dec: lowers blood pressure in dogs,
Liu JC 2003 Jan: inhibits tumors in mice, Yasukawa K 2002 Nov:
Murray 2005.08.05

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1197
three abstracts on expert stevia research: hypertension, Chan P
2000 Sept; microflora, Gardana C 2003.10.22; helps blood pressure
and glucose level, Jeppesen PB 2003 Mar: Murray 2005.08.05

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1196
Alan in alt.support.diabetes re Stevia and Glycemic and Hypertension
Control 2004.05.14: 2 year large scale blood pressure study,
Hsieh MH, 2003 Nov: insulin in muscles, Lailerd N 2004 Jan:
glucose in diabetics, Gregersen S 2004 Jan: Murray 2005.08.04

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1179
Stevia (stevioside) is safe: Prof. Jan M.C. Geuns: Murray 2005.07.06

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1084
26 stevia safety abstracts since 1993: aspartame vs stevia debate on
alt.support.diabetes, George Schmidt, OD: Murray 2004.05.25
____________________________________________________


"Of course, everyone chooses, as a natural priority, to enjoy
peace, joy, and love by helping to find, quickly share, and positively
act upon evidence about healthy and safe food, drink, and
environment."

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

http://RMForAll.blogspot.com new primary archive

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/messages
group with 125 members, 1,540 posts in a public archive

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartame/messages
group with 1,107 members, 22,690 posts in a public archive
____________________________________________________


vinyl acetate, ethyl alcohol, or aspartame in womb increases later cancers
in adults with lifetime exposure in many studies, M Soffritti et al,
Ramazzini Foundation, Basic Clin. Pharm. Toxicol. 2008 Feb.: Murray
2008.02.01
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.htm
Friday, February 1, 2008
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1509

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1453
Souring on fake sugar (aspartame), Jennifer Couzin,
Science 2007.07.06: 4 page letter to FDA from 12 eminent
USA toxicologists re two Ramazzini Foundation cancer studies
2007.06.25: Murray 2007.07.18

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1503
Devra Lee Davis, U. Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, rejects aspartame -- Luke
Ravenstahl, Mayor, drinks 12 cans Diet Pepsi daily: accurate warning
by Ronald K. Frazer: Murray 2008.01.13
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.htm
Sunday, January 13, 2008

methanol impurity in alcohol drinks [ and aspartame ] is turned
into neurotoxic formic acid, prevented by folic acid, re Fetal Alcohol
Syndrome, BM Kapur, DC Lehotay, PL Carlen at U. Toronto,
Alc Clin Exp Res 2007 Dec. plain text: detailed biochemistry,
CL Nie et al. 2007.07.18: Rich Murray 2008.02.24
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.htm
Sunday, February 24, 2008
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1524

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1459
third study by expert Greek team of neurotoxicity in infant rats by
aspartame (or its parts, methanol, phenylalanine, aspartic acid), KH
Schulpis et al, Food Chem Toxicol 2007.06.16: Murray 2007.08.05

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/782
Smith, Terpening, Schmidt, Gums: full text: aspartame, MSG, fibromyalgia:
Murray 2002.01.17
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


Avoiding formaldehyde allergic reactions in children, aspartame, vitamins,
shampoo, conditioners, hair gel, baby wipes, Sharon E Jacob, MD, Tace
Steele, U. Miami, Pediatric Annals 2007 Jan.: eyelid contact dermatitis, AM
Hill, DV Belsito, 2003 Nov.: Murray 2008.03.27
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.htm
Thursday, March 27, 2008
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1532

"It is generally recommended that exposure to products containing
formaldehyde, FRP's, and aspartame (NutraSweet) be avoided
in children."

"Through metabolism, aspartame is converted metabolically
in the liver to methanol,
which is in turn metabolized to formaldehyde. 8"

www.pediatricannalsonline.com/showPdf.asp?rID=21306

Avoiding formaldehyde allergic reactions in children
Pediatric Annals. 2007 Jan.; 36(1): 55-6. PMID: 17269284
Sharon E. Jacob, MD, Director, Contact Dermatitis Clinic,
Dept. of Dermatology and Cutaneous Surgery, U. of Miami,
1295 NW 14th St., Miami, FL 33125, fax 305-243-6191

formaldehyde from many sources, including aspartame, is major cause of
Allergic Contact Dermatitis, SE Jacob, T Steele, G Rodriguez, Skin and Aging
2005 Dec.: Murray 2008.03.27
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.htm
Thursday, March 27, 2008
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1533

Sharon E. Jacob, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine (Dermatology)
University of California, San Diego 200 W. Arbor Drive #8420
San Diego, CA 92103-8420
Tel: 858-552-8585 ×3504 Fax: 305-675-8317
sjacob@...;

"For example, diet soda and yogurt containing aspartame
(Nutrasweet), release formaldehyde in their natural biological
degradation.

One of aspartame's metabolites, aspartic acid methyl ester,
is converted to methanol in the body, which is oxidized to
formaldehyde in all organs, including the liver and eyes. 22

Patients with a contact dermatitis to formaldehyde have been seen
to improve once aspartame is avoided. 22

Notably, the case that Hill and Belsito reported had a 6-month
history of eyelid dermatitis that subsided after 1 week of avoiding
diet soda. 22"

"We present a case of a medical student who presented with
erythematous eczematoid plaques on her trunk and legs and
fine vesiculation of her scalp, 3 weeks after starting anatomy class.

Of note, she routinely washed her face and arms after leaving the
anatomy lab, but remained in her scrubs for the rest of the day.

Formaldehyde and Quaternium-15 positive reactions
in the same patient."

"Our patient underscores the importance of appropriate patch
testing and education.
Once we identified the allergy to formaldehyde and quaternium-15,
we provided patient education materials regarding the common and
not-so-common locations of these chemicals and cross-reactors.
We also gave the patient information on avoidance
and safe alternatives (see Table 5).

Fortunately, with technical advances, this student completed the
anatomy section via electronic learning tools.

By avoiding formaldehyde, including anatomy lab, FRP
in her shampoo and cosmetics,
and aspartame in her diet, this patient dramatically improved.

As with all contact dermatitides, the mainstay of treatment for
allergic contact dermatitis is avoidance."

http://www.skinandaging.com/article/5158
Allergen Focus:
Focus on T.R.U.E. Test Allergens #21, 13 and 18:
Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde-Releasing Preservatives
Skin & Aging, ISSN 1096-0120; 13(12) 2005 Dec.: 22-27.
Sharon E. Jacob, M.D.,
Tace Steele, B.A.,
and Georgette Rodriguez, M.D., M.P.H. ]


two aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid) toxicity research
studies by Resia Pretorius, U. Pretoria, South Africa, debate with JD
Fernstrom: Murray 2008.04.04 2008.05.22
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.htm
Friday, April 4, 2008
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1536

http://foodqualitynews.com/news/ng.asp?n=84424-aspartame-sweetener
recent news re E Pretorius aspartame and brain review

Direct and indirect cellular effects of aspartame on the brain.
Humphries P, Pretorius E, Naude H, U. Pretoria, South Africa,
Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007 Aug 8: Murray 2007.08.12
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1463

"The aim of this study was to discuss the direct and indirect
cellular effects of aspartame on the brain,
and we propose that excessive aspartame ingestion
might be involved in the pathogenesis
of certain mental disorders (DSM-IV-TR 2000)
and also in compromised learning and emotional functioning."

Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007 Aug 8; [Epub ahead of print]
Direct and indirect cellular effects of aspartame on the brain.
Humphries P,
Pretorius E, resia.pretorius@...;
Naude H.
[1] Department of Anatomy, University of Pretoria,
Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
[2] Department of Anatomy, University of the Limpopo,
South Africa.

The use of the artificial sweetener, aspartame, has long been
contemplated and studied by various researchers, and people are
concerned about its negative effects.

Aspartame is composed of phenylalanine (50%),
aspartic acid (40%) and methanol (10%).

Phenylalanine plays an important role in neurotransmitter regulation,
whereas aspartic acid is also thought to play a role as an excitatory
neurotransmitter in the central nervous system.

Glutamate, asparagines and glutamine are formed from their
precursor, aspartic acid.

Methanol, which forms 10% of the broken down product,
is converted in the body to formate,
which can either be excreted or can give rise to formaldehyde,
diketopiperazine (a carcinogen) and a number of other highly toxic
derivatives.

Previously, it has been reported that consumption of aspartame
could cause neurological and behavioural disturbances in sensitive
individuals.

Headaches, insomnia and seizures are also some of the neurological
effects that have been encountered, and these may be accredited to
changes in regional brain concentrations of catecholamines,
which include norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine.

The aim of this study was to discuss the direct and indirect
cellular effects of aspartame on the brain,
and we propose that excessive aspartame ingestion
might be involved in the pathogenesis
of certain mental disorders (DSM-IV-TR 2000)
and also in compromised learning and emotional functioning.

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition advance online publication,
8 August 2007; doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602866.
PMID: 17684524

Keywords: astrocytes; aspartame; neurotransmitters; glutamate;
GABA; serotonin; dopamine; acetylcholine

Received 25 October 2006; revised 26 April 2007;
accepted 27 April 2007
Correspondence: Professor E Pretorius, Department of Anatomy,
University of Pretoria, BMW Building, Dr Savage Street,
PO Box 2034, Pretoria 0001,
Gauteng, South Africa. E-mail: resia.pretorius@...

c 2007 Nature Publishing Group,
All rights reserved 0954-3007/07
$30.00 www.nature.com/ejcn


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNMmessage/1452
phenylalanine and aspartic acid from low dose aspartame in rabbits
interfere with blood coagulation, Pretorius E and Humphries P,
U. of Pretoria, Ultrastruct Pathol 2007 March: Murray 2007.07.14

" The authors conclude by suggesting that aspartame usage
may interfere with the coagulation process
and might cause delayed fibrin breakup after clot formation.

They suggest this,
as the fibrin networks from aspartame-exposed rabbits
are more complex and dense,
due to the netlike appearance of the minor, thin fibers.

Aspartame usage should possibly be limited
by people on anti-clotting medicine
or those with prone to clot formation. "

Ultrastruct Pathol. 2007 Mar-Apr; 31(2): 77-83.
Ultrastructural changes to rabbit fibrin and platelets
due to aspartame.
Pretorius E,
Humphries P.
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Pretoria, South Africa.
[ Humphries P also at
Department of Anatomy, University of Limpopo.
Medunsa Campus, Garankuwa. South Africa ]

email: E. Pretorius resia.pretorius@...
*Correspondence to E. Pretorius,
BMW Building, PO Box 2034,
Faculty of Health Sciences,
University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa

The coagulation process, including thrombin, fibrin,
as well as platelets,
plays an important role in hemostasis,
contributing to the general well-being of humans.

Fibrin formation and platelet activation are delicate processes
that are under the control of many small physiological events.

Any one of these many processes
may be influenced or changed by external factors,
including pharmaceutical or nutritional products, e.g.,
the sweetener aspartame (L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester).

It is known that phenylalanine is present at position P(9)
and aspartate at position P(10)
of the alpha-chain of human fibrinogen,
and plays an important role in the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin
by the catalyst alpha-thrombin.

The authors investigate the effect of aspartame
on platelet and fibrin ultrastructure,
by using the rabbit animal model
and the scanning electron microscope.

Animals were exposed to 34 mg/kg of aspartame
26x during a 2-month period.

Aspartame-exposed fibrin networks appeared denser,
with a thick matted fine fiber network
covering thick major fibers.

Also, the platelet aggregates appeared more granular
than the globular control platelet aggregates.

The authors conclude by suggesting that aspartame usage
may interfere with the coagulation process
and might cause delayed fibrin breakup after clot formation.

They suggest this,
as the fibrin networks from aspartame-exposed rabbits
are more complex and dense,
due to the netlike appearance of the minor, thin fibers.

Aspartame usage should possibly be limited
by people on anti-clotting medicine
or those with prone to clot formation.
PMID: 17613990
____________________________________________________


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1426
ASDA (unit of Wal-Mart Stores WMT.N) and Marks & Spencer
will join Tesco and also Sainsbury to ban and limit aspartame,
MSG, artificial flavors dyes preservatives additives, trans fats, salt
"nasties" to protect kids from ADHD: leading UK media:
Murray 2007.05.15

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNMmessage/1451
Artificial sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose) and coloring agents
will be banned from use in newly-born and baby foods,
the European Parliament decided: Latvia ban in schools 2006:
Murray 2007.07.12

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1341
Connecticut bans artificial sweeteners in schools, Nancy Barnes,
New Milford Times: Murray 2006.05.25
____________________________________________________


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1469
highly toxic formaldehyde, the cause of alcohol hangovers, is
made by the body from 100 mg doses of methanol from
dark wines and liquors, dimethyl dicarbonate, and aspartame:
Murray 2007.08.31

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

http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/scf/out96_en.pdf

"...DMDC was evaluated by the SCF in 1990 and considered
acceptable for the cold sterilization of soft drinks and fruit juices
at levels of addition up to 250 mg/L (1)
...DMDC decomposes primarily to CO2 and methanol ...

[ Note: Sterilization of bacteria and fungi is a toxic process,
probably due to the inevitable conversion in the body of methanol
into highly toxic formaldehyde and then formic acid. ]

The use of 200 mg DMDC per liter would add 98 mg/L
of methanol to wine which
already contains an average of about 140 mg/L from natural sources.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1286
methanol products (formaldehyde and formic acid) are main cause
of alcohol hangover symptoms [same as from similar amounts of
methanol, the 11% part of aspartame]: YS Woo et al, 2005 Dec:
Murray 2006.01.20

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1508
formaldehyde in FEMA trailers and other sources (aspartame,
dark wines and liquors, tobacco smoke): Murray 2008.01.30
http://rmforall.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.htm
Wednesday, January 30, 2008

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1490
details on 6 epidemiological studies since 2004 on diet soda (mainly
aspartame) correlations, as well as 14 other mainstream studies
on aspartame toxicity since summer 2005: Murray 2007.11.27

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1340
aspartame groups and books:
updated research review of 2004.07.16: Murray 2006.05.11

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1143
methanol (formaldehyde, formic acid) disposition:
Bouchard M et al, full plain text, 2001:
substantial sources are degradation of fruit pectins,
liquors, aspartame, smoke: Murray 2005.04.02
____________________________________________________