I have always hesitated to become overly dramatic about substances and foods as – depending on which study you read – you’re going to hear such varying views. However … back in 1997, when I started my Kinesiology studies in the UK, I was introduced to the effects of Aspartame (and other sugar-free, artificial sweeteners) on our body’s systems. It’s always been my belief that, with the knowledge that we have,
we must make our own decisions about what we put into our bodies – as long as it isn’t negatively interfering with other’s health … and this is where I have drawn the line on this issue.
Aspartame was originally banned by the FDA and it was a series of political maneuverings that had it accepted eventually.
You may not be aware that decisions were made to remove sugar-containing drinks and other products from vending machines in schools and hospitals and they have been replaced with ‘Diet’ drinks. This is directly influencing others by providing no choices and seemingly telling children and adults alike it’s OK to drink ‘Diet’ drinks.
For many years my clients have become used to me asking the questions, “Do you chew gum?” & “Do you drink diet drinks?”.
The fact that numerous incidences of: severe depression, anxiety, mood swings, learning difficulties, behavioural issues, insomnia, cramps, speech disturbance, confusion, blurred vision, skin eruptions, cravings for carbohydrates, development of diabetes, and neurological symptoms have all been linked to the ingestion of Aspartame, is just too great to ignore.
I urge you to have a look at the packets of food you are consuming to check if they mention they contain…
Acesulphame potassium (E950); Aspartame (E951) – made up of Aspartic Acid, Phenylalanine, Methanol; Cyclamates (E952); Saccharin (E954); Sucralose (Splenda) (E955); Nutrasweet; Equal; Spoonful; Benevia; Canderel; or Equal Measure.
NB Aspartame is now also being marketed as AminoSweet!
Aspartic Acid, Phenylalanine and Methanol are the components of Aspartame (E951) They may feature singly, or combined, within the other products mentioned above.
It has been proven that these additives are addictive and actually cause cravings for simple carbohydrates (sugar), the very thing the promoters say they are removing by adding this product!
Have a look on the packets of e.g. chewing gum, Eclipse mints, Berrocca, Redoxon, Lemsip, Metamucil, Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig products, ‘Diet’ drinks e.g. Coke, Pepsi, V, and other products that advertise as ‘sugar free’ or ‘zero’.
If you are sceptical, try taking yourself off the products you are consuming with these additives and monitor your well-being. If you have a variety of irritating (even minor) symptoms see how different you feel after a couple of weeks. Sometimes the benefits are demonstrated within a few days!
Would you drink Formaldehyde?
Let’s look at the effects of just one of the ingredients of Aspartame.
When in the body Methanol converts to formaldehyde (an embalming agent) and is responsible for many of the negative and toxic effects on the body’s systems. When Methanol is subjected to temperatures above 30 deg it makes the change and, as our bodies are around the 37 deg mark, we have an issue…
Methanol can damage the Thymus Gland (due to its metabolism to Formaldehyde and Formic Acid within the body) – which can lead to a huge decrease in energy.
Methanol can damage the Optic Nerve and can cause Blindness. Methanol can cause headaches, nausea, neuralgia and tinnitus to re-mention a few!
Ingested Methanol is metabolized by the Liver to form Formaldehyde and Formic Acid. Methanol is absorbed efficiently and has a very low rate of excretion – it is regarded as a cumulative toxin.
Find out more
Rather than re-writing information from various sources, here are a couple of web addresses that I feel are worth checking out:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/07/31/aspartame-update.aspx There are many articles that you can choose to read on this page.
http://www.uthscsa.edu/hscnews/singleformat2.asp?newID=3861 Recent University studies have shown that the artificial sweeteners are as bad, if not worse, for diabetics.
