The FDA only just approved aspartame in the 80's but the public out cry forced them to just place a 'warning' on the label...people couldnt go without their diet sodas, fck it if it gave rats brain tumors at large doses....
but they were hardly any alternatives then...bascially all these sweetners are sugar alcohols which are terrible on the digestive tract espically when you diet..shiz I remember my trainer wouldnt even let me chew gum before Jr USA cause of the bloat and gas I would get from 3 pieces of Orbit...
reports of problems w/ aspartame:
From:
[email protected]
Sent: Monday, July 24, 2006 11:48 PM
To:
[email protected];
[email protected]
Subject: Aspartame questionnaire
Aspartame Consumer Safety Network Questionnaire
Name xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx___________________ Age_32___ Sex: M__F_X_
Medical problems that you believe are caused from using aspartame:
Seizure disorder, hypoglycemia, numbness in limbs, paresis in limbs, ringing & numbness in right ear, heart arrethmias, migraine headaches, arthritis.
Why do you believe aspartame caused these problems?
I use to drink 24-30 diet coke sodas daily. I had gastric bypass surgery and gave it up. I lost the weight and started drinking diet soda again.
I started having problems that they doctors were unable to pin point the reason for. Spent several days in hospital. I stopped drinking soda
again and was symptom free during that time. I started drinking the diet soda again and the symptoms started again.
Did the symptoms go away when you stopped using the products? yes
Did you see a Doctor about symptoms? yes
Did Doctor think it related to aspartame? I haven't told the doctor about my find yet. Will do so this week.
Did you report your symptoms to the FDA (Food & Drug Admin.) or any other group? No, this is my first bit of research
What specific products) containing aspartame were you consuming when you experienced these symptoms? Diet Soda, ( Diet Pepsi and Diet Coke)
On the average, what quantity were you consuming (how often, how much each time, etc.) Before the Gastric Bypass I was consuming
18-30 diet cokes daily for years. I stopped for 2 years and started back up about 6 months ago. Average consumed 6 to 8 daily.
How long had you been consuming these products before you experienced the symptoms? Before the bypass, I didn't have many symptoms
but obesity, headaches, arthritis. After bypass, within 6 months.
FOR THOSE CONCERNED ABOUT WEIGHT: Did you begin using products with aspartame when you began a restricted calorie diet? Yes
Did you use aspartame products only for some of your meals to save calories? No mostly in drinks
Did aspartame seem to help you lose weight at first? NO
What were the long term weight loss effects of using aspartame. Gain
FOR THOSE WITH DIABETES: Any trouble controlling blood sugar while using aspartame? I do not have diabetes.. But I am hypoglycemic.
My blood sugar drops reactive and fasting.
Did using products affect the types of food you selected to eat? NO How?
Did aspartame affect your desire for sweet tasting food or drink? I have a serious chocolate craving and other sweet or salty cravings.
I have them more when I am drinking sodas
--------------------
From:
[email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2006 11:33 PM
To:
[email protected]
Subject: Affected by Equal
I have had many of the same symptoms as listed in the other letters including
headaches, muscle weakness, short term memory loss, depression. But what really
gave me a wake up call was the Bells Palsy. Bells Palsy is the unexplained paralysis
of one side of the face. I started using Equal when it first started getting popular.
I started with the headaches, then the short term memory loss and depression but not
wanting to link it to Equal. Then the muscle weakness started with tingling in the
back of my head and I started thinking it may be linked to the use of the equal but
still continued to use it. Then (about 5 years ago) I woke up one morning with no control
of the left side of my face. The Doctors diagnosis was Bell Palsy. They said they don't
know what causes it. Since then I stop using Equal and the headaches stop, my short term
memory has improved, the depression has stopped, the muscle weakness has stopped, the
tingling is gone and the facial paralysis is 95% recovered. Unfortunately the facial
paralysis will not 100% recover. After some time had passed since I had stopped using
Equal I was curious if it really had something to do with the things I was experiencing
so I started using it to see if it was all in me head. Within a few days I started having
the headaches and tingling in the back of my head again. I know it's not in my head now it
definitely is the Equal.
------------------
From:
[email protected]
Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2006 10:03 PM
To:
[email protected]
Subject: aspartame
Good evening. I was on the web searching for something
not even pertaining to Aspartame. I know that i was
meant to read your article,and testimonials from all of
those men and women. Oh my gosh! I am not a pop
drinker diet or other wise. But i consume a lot of yogurt.
I was eating regular yogurt,no fat free etc.. When i came
down with double pneumonia this past January,i had to
go home with someone to take care of me. I have ill
health due to some illnesses. My daughter eats Yo plait,fat
free so i started eating that instead. I continued when i
returned to my home. About a week ago, i realized that i
was having headaches which i never get. And i had gone to
my Dr. a couple of weeks before that, and they detected an
irregular heart beat. I was shocked. I have a good heart.
So i tried to figure out what i was eating that was different.
And after reading the ingredients on the yogurt,i knew it was
from the Aspartame. I immediately quit the yogurt. I haven't
had a headache since which is a relief. When i go for my Dr.
check up,i will find out about the irregular heart beat. Thank
you for having that web site. A relieved reader.
-----------------
Case from United Kingdom newspaper
**broken link removed**
December 19, 2005
Eve walks again after diet change
A Shropshire woman who spent a year without the use of her legs has said she
can now walk again after cutting the artificial sweetener aspartame from her diet.
Eve Terry, 24, of Main Road, Pontesbury, is convinced that avoiding certain food
and drink that contain the ingredient — such as low calorie yoghurts and
soft drinks — has led directly to her remarkable recovery.
In April 2004, Mrs Terry's face swelled up and drooped and she often felt tired,
but doctors were at a loss to tell her what was wrong.
"I looked like I had had a stroke and people kept coming up to me to ask me
if I had," she said. "Then about three months later I woke up one morning and my
legs just felt as if they wouldn’t hold me up."
But in April of this year, Mrs Terry was referred to Dr Sarah Myhill, a GP based in
Knighton, Powys, who immediately told her to cut aspartame out of her diet. Within
six weeks, she had regained the use of her legs and her face was almost back to normal.
Dr Myhill diagnosed Mrs Terry as having Bell’s Palsy, which is a disorder of the
facial nerves. She was also found to have Gillian Barre Syndrome, which causes
nervous system problems.
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