ASPARTAME  and  JOINT  PAIN
by: Arthur M. Evangelista
Aspartame ~ the conflict over an artificial sweetener.
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Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 13:38:14 -0500
From: "Mr. E" <orwilly@msn.com

Subject: Article on joint pain and aspartame from former FDA Investigator. Permission for anyone to publish or use on web. Please add to newsgroups.

There are many ways of looking at the ASPARTAME controversy, depending on your point of view. Whether you are scientific minded, or received money from Monsanto, are health conscious, or if you are a regular American citizen tired of government unresponsiveness and big business destroying our environment for the loathsome dollar. The controversy over aspartame is likened to watching a well-plotted murder mystery movie. Regardless of the points of view, there are no sides or versions to truth; there is only one truth...

To find that truth, I decided to perform my own research with all available data and evidence, just like any other concerned American would do. This research was conducted to determine the physical, biochemical, and pathological aspects of the compound aspartame, and aspartame's relationship to various illnesses. What I uncovered was much more insidious.

As my research into the physical, factual properties of aspartame began to take shape, I found that aspartame is intricately tied to deceptive politics and big business profits, while public health concerns are tossed to the wayside. More on that later.

Aspartame (C14H18N2O5 ) is a compound of three components. These components are methanol, aspartic acid, and phenylalanine (both the latter are free form amino acids). Each of these chemicals, by themselves, is a neurotoxin. When combined together, these three chemicals potentiate a devastating effect upon human health, and upon the human nervous system in particular.

Methanol (methyl alcohol or wood alcohol) is a colourless, poisonous, and flammable liquid. It is used for making formaldehyde, acetic acid, methyl t-butyl ether (a gasoline additive), paint strippers, carburettor cleaners for your car's engine, and chloromethanes, et al.  (Tephly & McMartin 1984)

This poison can be inhaled from vapours, absorbed through the skin, and ingested. Methanol is the type of alcohol you read about when people become blind from drinking it. In aspartame, methanol poisoning and poisoning from methanol's breakdown components (formaldehyde and formic acid) can have widespread and devastating effects. This occurs in even small amounts, and is especially damaging when introduced with synergistic (and toxic) free form amino acids, called excitotoxins.

Methanol is quickly absorbed through the stomach and small intestine mucosa. The methanol is converted into formaldehyde (a known carcinogen). Then, via aldehyde hydrogenase, the formaldehyde is converted to formic acid. These two metabolites of methanol are extremely toxic.

When formic acid is formed, a life threatening metabolic acidosis ensues. The drop in pH causes enzymes to stop functioning, reduces peripheral circulation, and causes intra and extra cellular damage. Incidentally, this is worsened by the fact that Cola and many other sodas contain phosphoric acid.  Reduced blood pH has been shown to slow the healing process by reducing enzyme activities.

In addition to optic nerve damage from the methanol, the metabolic acidosis causes other complications like renal (kidney) shutdown or kidney failure, convulsions, seizures, pulmonary edema, coma, and death. Furthermore, formic acid stays in the system long after the unconverted methanol has decayed or has been excreted.

Formic acid inhibits cytochrome oxidase, decreases ATP synthesis (energy for all your cells), releases damaging free radicals, causes lipid perioxidation and eventually mitochondria damage and cellular death.

Aspartame is also made of two separate amino acids that have each been chemically cleaved from the rest of the protein, or amino acid chain. My research revealed that once you isolate an amino acid by itself you create a whole new situation.

Aspartic acid is an amino acid. Well, amino acids are good for us, right? Don't they keep us healthy ? The answer is yes, amino acids are necessary for good health, EXCEPT when you separate the individual amino acid from its protein chain, and use it as an "isolate" or by itself. (S.Sawada, et al '98)

In aspartame, these become synergistic toxins; one component playing off the other in a dangerous, systemic downward spiral. This eventually gives way to clinical manifestations; "hard-to-diagnose" health complications, and a myriad of medical symptoms and illnesses, which can eventually cause irreversible medical complications and death.

Aspartic acid, in aspartame, is an excitotoxin. An excitotoxin, is a deleterious substance that excites or over stimulates nerve cells. This occurs in the brain, as well as the peripheral nerves, because aspartic acid, in free form, easily crosses the blood-brain barrier. This pathological excitation of nerve cells creates a breakdown of nerve function, as we will see. (L.E.Rosenberg, McGraw-Hill 1991)

Phenylalanine is another free amino acid. Phenylalanine (in aspartame) studies show that free phenylalanine also damages nerve cells. Phenylalanine reduces seratonin levels in the brain. This reduction in seratonin creates a host of complications. (Wurtman 1988)

Reduced seratonin levels have been equated with aggressive or violent behaviour in adults, and temper tantrums in children. The lowered seratonin level also lowers the threshold for seizure activity, instigating petite and grand mal seizures.    (Maher 1987)

Now we have seen each component of aspartame by itself. Mix the three together, and let the "toxic cocktails" flow.

The three combined components of aspartame potentiate their individual effects.

Aspartame creates altered brain function, nerve damage, and systemic organ complications. Information collected reveals that aspartame clinically exacerbates any borderline (even yet undetected) predisposing illness, and absolutely complicates certain known medical illnesses like Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, diabetes, retinopathies, allergies, mentation disorders, etc.

The research data uncovered, began to weave a horrific connection among  the combination of metabolic acidosis, nerve cell mitochondria damage, and aspartame induced brain cell hypoglycaemia. Changes in peripheral circulation and nerve transmission occur.  Altered systemic metabolites and blood buffer systems, and the conversion of metabolites to destructive chemical toxins like diketopiperazine (a breakdown product of phenylalanine) and formic acid perpetuates the damage. There seemed to be a correlation between diketopiperazine and astrocytoma (type of brain tumour), since this chemical toxin accumulates in, and around, astrocyte brain cells.

Aspartame is a toxin, and is unique in this hazardous respect. No other food can be provided as a comparison. Although MSG (monosodium glutamate) seems to run a close second.  Upon closer examination, the available research revealed that the manufacturer (Monsanto) and the FDA are manipulating the public into thinking that aspartame is safe. It's not. As an American who trusted the system we all created, it made me angry that public health has taken a backseat to greed. There's no other way to put it.

Correlation with joint pain has been noted in quite a few subjects who have consumed aspartame over a period from a few weeks to years. Since the combination of neurotoxins in aspartame acts more potently in the human body, and since the premarket testing of aspartame was so severely flawed, it was never made public what multiple complications aspartame would cause in human physiology. It's a toxic "soup".

Joint pain has several names. Joint pain often goes by the names of fibromyalgia, arthralgia, or (diabetic)-like neuropathy, depending upon its cause.

Synovial fluid, the fluid that helps keep the surfaces of articulating joints moving pain free,  is at particular risk. The synovial fluid, and surrounding membrane and cartilage can develop disease states like arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and other complications, especially complications brought on by diabetes.

Synovial fluid is especially sensitive to changes in blood pH, peripheral circulation, capillary permeability, central nervous system destruction, and changes in the blood chemistry, including effects from secondary organ damage like kidney failure.

Aspartame ingestion causes metabolic acidosis, a reduction in peripheral circulation, nerve damage through nerve cell destruction and over excitation, and reduces available glucose for cell metabolism and viability. The exact mechanism is not clearly understood.

Clinically, this combination of toxins in aspartame can exacerbate diabetic neuropathy. This occurs from lack of insulin control while consuming aspartame. This can also involve nerve damage, glucose made unavailable for cell metabolism, release of free radicals, and the direct effects of
aspartame metabolites (formaldehyde, diketopiperazine, formic acid). This food sweetener "disaster" has reached epidemic proportions.

In medicine, the clinical picture often indicates what physicians will use for developing a treatment.

You see, when you have blurred vision, headaches, and joint pain, and you drink aspartame, there's only one thing to do. Stop drinking aspartame. Take the test.

So unless permanent damage has resulted from toxic substances, in most cases poisoning symptoms either subside or disappear altogether when the aspartame ingestion is halted.

During my research, there were so many aspects of chemical interactions, that I could not fully understand it all at once. But from reading available literature on aspartame, speaking with several specialists, and talking with individuals who have experienced complications of aspartame toxicity, the information began making sound, scientific sense. The damage from aspartame ingestion is predominantly neurotoxic.

I found that Monsanto, the manufacturer of aspartame, did not tell the American public some important aspects of their pre-market testing.

Monsanto failed to inform the FDA and the American public that the tests they performed on the rats, mice, and other animals did not accurately reflect the true toxic nature of aspartame.

You see, humans are 60 times more sensitive to phenylalanine (free form) than the mice and rats. Methanol is 10 - 20 times more toxic in humans than most other animals. Humans are 5-9 times more sensitive to aspartic acid (free form) as an excitotoxin.

If the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) held the public interest at heart, the FDA would have re examined aspartame, wholly and without prejudice, and the FDA would have removed it from use in foods. They haven't...

The FDA has so many tie-ins with Monsanto like relatives working for either agency, PAC money for congress, G.D. Searle employees working for FDA, making FDA's role as public health enforcer very questionable.

The FDA is a political body guided by lawyers and politicians, as many government agencies are. Monsanto has gained political sympathy through PAC money, and research money to facilities that will substantiate the deception of aspartame safety. Aspartame has become a well-orchestrated and deceitful public relations campaign. What would you do if you had millions (even billions) of dollars invested in some poisonous food ?  Do your own research.

Basically, if the government agencies responsible for safe foods, and  enforcement of our public health laws, were doing their proper job, this article would not have to be written. I also could have saved myself about 60 hours worth of work, and aspartame would not be in our current food supply.

I know. I used to work for the Food and Drug Administration. I learned plenty about public health and the issues surrounding public policy.

While with the FDA, I monitored two major programs for the FDA: Pesticides and Industrial Chemicals in Food Supplies, and Illegal Tissue Residues in Foods for Human Consumption, in addition to my other inspection and investigative duties.

Oh, yes...one more thing. "There are no medicinal qualities associated with, or resulting from, aspartame. None at all." Come on America !  We need to be more diligent.

For more information on Aspartame (a.k.a. NutraSweet), see "The Bressler Report" et al,  at www.dorway.com, or email: MissionPossible-USA@altavista.net  .

Special thanks to:
Mrs. Betty Martini, founder of Mission Possible International (a non-profit watchdog of the FDA and our nations food supply)
Mr. Dave Rietz, Webmaster (and aspartame injured)
Dr. H. Roberts, Specialist in Diabetes and Endocrine Disorders
Dr. Richard Sabates Aspartame  and  Joint Pain 2/17/98

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Tel: 416-754-2004  -  E-mail: aspartame@aspartame.ca  -  Web site: www.aspartame.ca
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