Rich Murray: Utz: Morrow:
4 old reports on aspartame toxicity 7.19.1 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/679

"Jeff Utz, MD"-- not his real name--
has rendered a public service by posting four
abstracts, from 1986 to 1989, of double-blind controlled studies that
purport to prove the safety of aspartame. Two refer to diabetes.

Since the volume of published scientific research
has been doubling faster than every 20 years since 1660,
it behooves us to reference our judgements about the
safety of any chemical or drug to the more recent competent
reports by research teams not financed by vested interests.

In contrast to some fields of cultural verbiage, the more recent
the report, the more credibility it bears.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/657 45K post
This long review summarizes these recent reports, while these next
two reviews go into more detail, contrasting three well-known
shoddy studies, industry financed of course, including the study
by Leon, abstract given below by Utz.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/622
Rich Murray: Gold: Koehler: Walton: Van Den Eeden: Leon:
aspartame toxicity 6.4.1 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/623
Rich Murray: Simmons: Gold: Schiffman: Spiers:
aspartame toxicity 6.4.1 rmforall

[DKP has been implicated in the occurence of brain tumors.]
.
Two teams find hot aspartame releases DKP:
Food Addit Contam 2000 Oct; 17(10): 821-7
Simultaneous formation and detection of the reaction product of
solid-state aspartame sweetener by FT-IR/DSC microscopic system.
Lin SY, Cheng YD
Biopharmaceutics Laboratory,
Department of Medical Research & Education
Veterans General Hospital-Taipei, Shih-Pai, Taiwan,
Republic of China. sylin@...
and
J Pharm Sci 1998 Apr; 87(4): 508-13
Hydration and dehydration behavior of aspartame hemihydrate.
Leung SS, Padden BE, Munson EJ, Grant DJ
Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy,
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455-0343, USA.
Sophie S. Leung, PhD
Dolores J. Grant, PhD grant1@...

A radioactive tracer study proves that the methanol from a low dose of
of aspartame binds formaldehyde, a deadly cumulative poison, into
tissues: Trocho C et al, June 26 1998, Life Sci, 63(5), 337-349.
http://ww.presidiotex.com/barcelona/index.html

Three careful double-blind experimental studies prove aspartame
causes headaches: Koehler SM et al, 1988, Headache, 28(1), 10-14.
Shirley M. Koehler, PhD 904-858-7651 skoehler@...
http://www.med.umich.edu/abcn/alpha/alpha-K.html#Koehler

Walton RG et al, 1993, Biological Psychiatry, 34(1), 13-17.
Prof. Ralph G. Walton 330-740-3621 rwalton193@...

Van Den Eeden SK et al, 1994, Neurology, 44, 1787-93.
Steven K. Van Den Eeden, PhD 550-450-2202 skv@...
http://www.dor.kaiser.org/dorhtml/investigators/Stephen_Van_Den_Eeden.html

This one is hot off the griddle:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/652

Ann Pharmacother 2001 Jun;35(6):702-6
Relief of fibromyalgia symptoms following
discontinuation of dietary excitotoxins.
Smith JD, Terpening CM, Schmidt SO, Gums JG.
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. DISCUSSION:
Excitotoxins are molecules, such as MSG and
aspartate, that act as excitatory neurotransmitters,
and can lead to neurotoxicity when used in
excess. We propose that these four patients may
represent a subset of fibromyalgia syndrome
that is induced or exacerbated by excitotoxins or,
alternatively, may comprise an excitotoxin
syndrome that is similar to fibromyalgia.
We suggest that identification of similar patients and
research with larger numbers of patients must be
performed before definitive conclusions can be
made. CONCLUSIONS: The elimination of
MSG and other excitotoxins from the diets of
patients with fibromyalgia offers a benign treatment
option that has the potential for dramatic
results in a subset of patients. PMID: 11408989

There is substantial corruption of medical research by vested
interests, described by this long, peer-reviewed review:
http://www.truthinlabeling.org/ Truth in Labeling Campaign [MSG]
Adrienne Samuels, PhD P.O. Box 2532 Darien, Illinois 60561
858-481-9333 adandjack@... "The Toxicity/Safety of Processed
Free Glutamic Acid (MSG): A Study in Suppression of Information"
Accountability in Research (1999) Vol 6, pp. 259-310

One would hope that all experts involved would focus on identifying
all vulnerable populations and the exact toxic biochemistry, and,
of course, act to eliminate aspartame, but, sadly enough, entrenched
financial interests, just as in the case of tobacco, lead to corruption
of the scientific process, as Walton elucidates in this 66-page report:

"Survey of aspartame studies: correlation of outcome and funding
sources," 1998, unpublished as yet:
This study is available at http://www.dorway.com/peerrev.html
Al Raetz has justly criticized bias in both sides of the debate:
www.aspartametruth.freeservers.com/personal.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.

Moreover, 33 pro-aspartame studies were, with slight changes,
published repeatedly in different journals from 2 to 6 times each.
Walton comments, "Virtually all journals require that an affidavit be
signed by all authors to the effect that neither the manuscript nor
the data it contains have been previously published or concurrently
submitted elsewhere for publication. Violation of this policy may have
a detrimental impact on scientific progress and ethics."

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

Thus, the aspartame industry has funded many biased studies, and by
unfairly publishing them again and again, created a false scientific
image that aspartame is widely proven safe in laboratories. For a
typical example of this disinformation, no author given:
http://aspartame.findfacts.net/11-11.phtml ,
The Aspartame Homepage (pro-aspartame) http://www.aspartame.org/
"A Dozen Staight Answers about Aspartame Safety" , linked to
http://www.nutrasweet.com/asp/lscmail.asp . To their credit,
http://www.aspartame.org/critics.html Sites by Aspartame's Critics

Walton's review does not mention the Colagiuri or the Okuno reports,
abstracts given below by Utz. The Colagiuri abstract reveals that
aspartame was given at 162 mg daily for six weeks. This is less than
the 200 mg contained in one 12 oz diet soda. It is rare for "anecdotal
accounts" or "clinical reports" to reveal symptoms at this level of
exposure to the cumulative toxicity for only 42 days, unless the
person is already an aspartame reactor.
If the test groups are less than about a hundred subjects,
they would not reveal toxicity effects at the level
of 1% of users, which in the case of aspartame users in the USA alone,
would be 1 % of 200 million-- 2 million...
If the tests groups are fairly healthy, diabetics with
proper diet and medication, then the study will establish
nothing about various vulnerable groups, such as fetus, infant,
nursing mother, teen-age diet food addict, obese, senior, and
overworked medical professional who relies on SAD,
Standard American Diet.

The Okuno abstract, given by Utz, describes a study using
a single dose of aspartame, 500 mg, 2.5 diet sodas worth, on
22 diabetics, and then a two week study at 125 mg daily on 9 diabetics.
This parody of investigation of a devatating toxicity for many
diabetics doesn't cost much, and surely makes PR executives' faces
shine with joy, and would, if they had any, warm their hearts.

Filer and Stegink are dealt with firmly in detail by
the exceedingly well informed, lucid, polite layman
Mark D. Gold:

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

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

M.I.T. (physics and history, BA, 1964), Boston U. Graduate School
(psychology, MA, 1967): As a concerned layman, I want to clarify the
aspartame toxicity debate.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/messages for 670 posts
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/657 45K post
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/658 20K post

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/652
Rich Murray: Smith: fibromyalgia & aspartame & MSG 6.27.1 rmforall

Excellent 5-page review by H.J. Roberts in "Townsend Letter",
Jan 2000, "Aspartame (NutraSweet) Addiction"
http://www.dorway.com/tldaddic.html http://www.sunsentpress.com/
H.J. Roberts, M.D. HJRobertsmd@... sunsentpress@...
Sunshine Sentinel Press P.O.Box 17799 West Palm Beach, FL 33416
800-814-9800 561-588-7628 561-547-8008 fax
1038 page medical text "Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic"
published May 30 2001 $ 85.00 postpaid data from 1200 cases
over 600 references from standard medical research
http://www.aspartameispoison.com/contents.html 34 chapters
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/669
Rich Murray: Roberts:
"Aspartame Disease" 1038 page expert magnum opus 7.5.1 rmforall
*****************************************************

Subject: Re: [Quackbusters]
What happens when you get off aspartame (Diabetic)
(Think how many women were not able to have children because they
didn't know aspartame triggers infertility)
Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2001 19:32:34 -0400
From: "Jeff Utz, M.D." <jeffutz@...>
Reply-To: Quackbusters@yahoogroups.com
To: Quackbusters@yahoogroups.com

On Wed, 18 Jul 2001 13:40:29 -0700 (PDT)
Charles Morrow <chasece@...> writes:
> --- Dean Hughson <dean@...> wrote:
> > Let's call this post
> >
> > Betty practices medicine and potentially kills an
> > insulin dependent diabetic.
> >
> > Does Dr. Roberts give you medical backups for these
> > unfortunates who run into you?
> >
> Betty's website (Quackbusters) should be labeled as such.
> I have a particular interest in IDDM as my daughter was
> recently diagnosed with it. Betty's post were entirely
> indefensible and made it clear that she does not know what
> she is talking about. She confused NIDDM with IDDM showing
> that she should not be allowed to make claims about either.
>
> Siancerely, Charles Morrow

Aspartame does not interfere with glycemic control in type II diabetes
(formally known as NIDDM) or type I diabtes (IDDM):

Am J Clin Nutr 1989 Sep;50(3):474-8
Metabolic effects of adding sucrose and aspartame to the diet
of subjects with noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
Colagiuri S, Miller JJ, Edwards RA.
Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, NSW, Australia.

This study compared the effects of adding sucrose and aspartame
to the usual diet of individuals with
well-controlled noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM).
A double-blind, cross-over design was used with each 6-wk study period.
During the sucrose period, 45 g sucrose (9% of total daily
energy) was added, 10 g with each main meal and 5 g
with each between-meal beverage. An equivalent sweetening
quantity of aspartame (162 mg) was ingested during the aspartame period.

The addition of sucrose did not have a deleterious effect on glycemic
control, lipids, glucose tolerance, or insulin action.
No differences were observed between sucrose and aspartame.
Sucrose added as an integral part of the diabetic diet
does not adversely affect metabolic control in
well-controlled NIDDM subjects. Aspartame is an
acceptable sugar substitute for diabetic individuals
but no specific advantage over sucrose was demonstrated.
Publication Types: Clinical trial Controlled clinical trial
PMID: 2672774

Diabetes Care 1989 Jan;12(1):67-74
Aspartame metabolism in normal adults,
phenylketonuric heterozygotes, and diabetic subjects.
Filer LJ Jr, Stegink LD.
Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine
University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242.

This study reviews clinical studies testing the effects
of various doses of aspartame on blood levels of
phenylalanine, aspartate, and methanol in normal subjects
and known phenylketonuric heterozygotes.
The effect of aspartame on the phenylalanine-to-large
neutral amino acid ratio under various feeding
situations is shown. The clinical studies of aspartame
in diabetic subjects are limited to observations of
its effects on blood levels of glucose, lipids, insulin,
and glucagon. These studies clearly demonstrate
the safety of this high-intensity sweetener for use by humans.
PMID: 2653751

Diabetes Res Clin Pract 1986 Apr;2(1):23-7
Glucose tolerance, blood lipid, insulin and glucagon concentration
after single or continuous administration of aspartame in diabetics.
Okuno G, Kawakami F, Tako H, Kashihara T, Shibamoto S,
Yamazaki T, Yamamoto K, Saeki M.

A nutritive sweetener, aspartame
(L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methylester)
was administered orally to normal controls and diabetic patients
in order to evaluate effects on blood glucose, lipids and
pancreatic hormone secretion. An oral glucose tolerance
test was also performed in the same subjects
as a control study of aspartame administration.
In 7 normal controls and 22 untreated diabetics, a
single dose of 500 mg aspartame, equivalent to
100 g glucose in sweetness, induced no increase in
blood glucose concentration. Rather, a small but
significant decrease in blood glucose was noticed 2
or 3 h after administration. The decrease in
blood glucose was found to be smallest in the control and
became greater as the diabetes increased in severity.
No significant change in blood insulin or glucagon
concentration during a 3-h period was observed in
either the controls or the diabetics. The second
study was designed to determine the effects of 2 weeks'
continuous administration of 125 mg
aspartame, equal in sweetness to the mean
daily consumption of sugar (20-30 g) in Japan, to 9
hospitalized diabetics with steady-state glycemic control.
The glucose tolerance showed no significant
change after 2 weeks' administration.
Fasting, 1 h and 2 h postprandial blood glucose, blood
cholesterol, triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol were
also unaffected. From these and other published
results, aspartame would seem to be a useful
alternative nutrient sweetener for patients with diabetes mellitus.
PMID: 3522147

Another interesting article (10 litres per day, that is more than I
drink)

Arch Intern Med 1989 Oct;149(10):2318-24
Safety of long-term large doses of aspartame.
Leon AS, Hunninghake DB, Bell C, Rassin DK, Tephly TR.
Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

Safety of long-term administration of 75 mg/kg of
aspartame per day was evaluated with the use of a
randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled,
parallel-group design in 108 male and female
volunteers aged 18 to 62 years. Subjects received
either aspartame or placebo in capsule form three
times daily for 24 weeks. No persistent changes
over time were noted in either group in vital signs;
body weight; results of standard laboratory tests;
fasting blood levels of aspartame's constituent amino
acids (aspartic acid and phenylalanine),
other amino acids, and methanol; or blood formate levels and
24-hour urinary excretion of formate.
There also were no statistically significant differences between
groups in the number of subjects experiencing symptoms
or in the number of symptoms per subject.
These results further document the safety of the
long-term consumption of aspartame at doses
equivalent to the amount of aspartame in
approximately 10 L of beverage per day.
Publication Types: Clinical trial Randomized controlled trial
PMID: 2802896
> =====
> The plural of anecdote is not data
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