Clarification of Answer by
kriswrite-ga
on
01 Apr 2004 08:10 PST
Here?s a more thorough explanation of what the FDA thinks about
aspartame, including rebuts against specific complaints against it:
?FDA stands behind its original approval of aspartame, and subsequent
evaluations have shown that the product is safe?the agency continually
monitors safety information on food ingredients such as aspartame and
may take action to protect public health if it receives credible
scientific evidence indicating a safety problem?
FDA calls aspartame, sold under trade names such as NutraSweet and
Equal, one of the most thoroughly tested and studied food additives
the agency has ever approved. The agency says the more than 100
toxicological and clinical studies it has reviewed confirm that
aspartame is safe for the general population.
?Websites with screaming headlines and well-written text attempt to
link aspartame consumption to systemic lupus, multiple sclerosis,
vision problems, headaches, fatigue, and even Alzheimer's disease. One
report distributed nationally over e-mail systems claims that
aspartame-sweetened soft drinks delivered to military personnel during
the Persian Gulf War may have prompted Gulf War syndrome.
No way, says FDA, along with many other health organizations such as
the American Medical Association. David Hattan, Ph.D., acting director
of FDA's division of health effects evaluation, says there is no
?credible evidence,? to support, for example, a link between aspartame
and multiple sclerosis or systemic lupus. Some Internet reports claim
that patients suffering from both conditions went into remission after
discontinuing aspartame use. ?Both of these disorders are subject to
spontaneous remissions and exacerbation,? says Hattan. ?So it is
entirely possible that when patients stopped using aspartame they
might also coincidentally have had remission of their symptoms.?
It is true, says Hattan, that aspartame ingestion results in the
production of methanol, formaldehyde and formate--substances that
could be considered toxic at high doses. But the levels formed are
modest, and substances such as methanol are found in higher amounts in
common food products such as citrus juices and tomatoes.
Other circulating reports claim that two amino acids in
aspartame--phenylalanine and aspartic acid--can cause neurotoxic
effects such as brain damage. ?This is true in certain individuals and
in high enough doses,? says Hattan. He explains that a very small
group of people who have the rare hereditary disease phenylketonuria,
estimated at 1 in 16,000 people, are sensitive to phenylalanine. These
?phenylketonurics? have to watch their intake of phenylalanine from
other sources as well. People with advanced liver disease and pregnant
women with high levels of phenylalanine in the blood also may have
trouble metabolizing the substance..
Aspartic acid also has the potential to cause brain damage at very
high doses. But under normal intake levels, the brain's mechanism for
controlling aspartic acid levels ensures no adverse effects. It is
unlikely that any consumer would eat or drink enough aspartame to
cause brain damage: FDA figures show that most aspartame users only
consume about 4 to 7 percent of the acceptable daily intake the agency
has set for the sweetener. [Note from Researcher: which is about 17
cans a day.]
Still other reports attempt to link aspartame to seizures and birth
defects. Regarding seizures, Hattan cites animal and human studies
showing that the sweetener neither causes nor enhances the
susceptibility of seizures. Aspartame also has been evaluated for its
potential to cause reproductive effects or birth defects. Again,
researchers found no evidence, even in test animals fed the sweetener
at doses much higher than those to which humans would be exposed.
? In 1996, a study raised the issue that aspartame consumption may be
related to an increase in brain tumors following FDA's approval of the
sweetener in 1981. But analysis of the National Cancer Institute's
database on cancer incidence showed that cases of brain cancers began
increasing in 1973--well before aspartame was approved--and continued
to increase through 1985. In recent years, brain tumor frequency has
actually decreased slightly. NCI currently is studying aspartame and
other dietary factors as part of a larger study of adult brain
cancer.? (?Sugar Substitutes: Americans Opt for Sweetness and Lite,?
U.S. Food & Drug Administration:
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1999/699_sugar.html )
Full medical studies are rarely published on the Internet; generally,
the people involved in the study send out press releases to media
sources, and that is how we know about the results. To make matters
more difficult, there?s no generally accepted ?reliable source? for
information against aspartame. Who seems more credible than the FDA,
for example? The American Heart Association and The American Diabetes
Association both stand behind aspartame, but I can find no evidence
that they?ve conducted independent studies; they seem to base their
position on what the FDA believes.
The trouble is, most of the ?side effects? of aspartame are found only
in anecdotal evidence: everyday citizens complaining of side effects
to the FDA, their doctor, or the media.
That said, Holistic Medicine has some studies on their website. You?ll
find them at ?Recent Independent Aspartame Research Results:?
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/recent.html Their website also
lists some lawsuits regarding aspartame:
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/lawsuit/
If you live near a great library, you can try to get your hands on the
original published reports. Here is a list of some aspartame
(published) studies ?1988-2000?, in PDF format:
http://www.foodstandards.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/~6791008.pdf If you
have trouble opening this, try the Google cache, available for a
limited time at: ://www.google.com/search?q=cache:RjDCOHSEfocJ:www.foodstandards.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/~6791008.pdf+apartame+study&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
As for the other ingredients found in Diet Pepsi, the only other
possible health risks have already been discussed: caffeine, sodium,
and risks of becoming dehydrated by not drinking enough water. These
are all very generally accepted ?truths? in the medical community.
Here?s a news piece about phosphoric acid, ?Soft-Drinks and Bones,?
Tufts e-news: http://enews.tufts.edu/stories/092503Tucker.htm Notice
that the study concludes that phosphoric acid ?may? cause bone density
problems. More studies still need to be done.
I hope this helps clarify things a bit more. It?s a sticky issue, for sure!
Regards,
Kriswrite
