Jessica just finished her third can of diet soda. Because
of work pressure, she also consumes not less than three cups of coffee
per day. But nothing to worry, she tells herself, as she consumes everything
that's sugar free. As a diet-conscious career woman, she relies on diet
coke, artificial sugar sweeteners like Equal and other diet crackers
and gums.
If you are a diet freak like Jessica and you consume
various diet products every day, then watch out; you may have started
suffering from memory loss. Worse, you may have been placed in the world's
longest death list.
The majority of the diet products you consume contain
aspartame, an artificial sweetener which is 200 times sweeter than sugar,
and can be found in over 9,000 food products. It was approved as a food
additive in 1981 and for use in diet sodas in 1983. It is present in
frozen desserts, diet sodas, coffee, and juices and even in vitamins.
Aspartame is 50% phenylalanine, 40% aspartic acid and
10% methanol. Studies have shown that the components of aspartame are
deadly. When stored for a long period, phenylalanine decomposes into
diketopiperazine, a known carcinogen.
Aspartic was used in an experiment, and was found to
have caused holes in the brains of mice. Methanol, on the other hand,
is a toxin which, when stored in cool temperature, gives rise to formaldehyde
in the body. Formaldehyde, in layman's term, is the fluid used for embalming
dead people. Picture that in your system, if you are an aspartame user.
There are two schools of thought on the effects of the
contents of aspartame. Pro-aspartame doctors say that the ingredients
of aspartame are safe. However, anti-aspartame scientists claim that
phenylalanine can be harmless only when taken with other substances
containing amino acids. If taken alone, it has neurotoxic effects which
cause memory loss, seizures, headaches, and stomach disorders.
But not all aspartame users die immediately. They suffer.
The Environmental Protection Agency said aspartame, which is absorbed
in the blood as methanol, is safe provided the consumption does not
exceed a minimum amount per day.
The bad news: a liter of diet soda, containing aspartame,
can contain as much as 56 milligram of methanol, way beyond the minimum
safe level. Add to that the various diet products with aspartame which
you consume daily and you have a toxic cocktail!
Too much aspartame in the brain kills neurons that’s
why they are called excitotoxins---they excite the brain cells to death.
Imagine what would happen to your memory if most of the brain cells
used to store them are killed by aspartame.
Experts say aspartame is dangerous per se but it is
more hazardous to those who have diabetes and hypertension, those who
smoke, infants, pregnant women and those who are breastfeeding. Experts
also claim that continued use of aspartame may cause multiple sclerosis,
birth defects, mental retardation and diabetes.
But why is aspartame so widely-used despite the dangerous
contents? Majority of the people believe that since it has been approved
by the Food and Drug Administration, then it is safe.
Other groups like the FDA and the American Council
on Science and Health deny the alleged adverse effects of aspartame
and claim that it is one of the most thoroughly-tested drugs in the
United States.
Anti-aspartame groups are, however, questioning the
approval of the substance, despite the prior eight-year approval suspension
because of the adverse effects of aspartame.
The warning issued against the use of aspartame products
fell on deaf ears, particularly for those who are diet conscious as
they believe that diet products containing aspartame\me, can control
weight.
Experts however claim the contrary, saying aspartame
can cause weight gain because two of its components, phenylalanine and
aspartic acid, encourage the release of insulin. The release of insulin
in the bloodstream however removes all the glucose, thereby causing
sugar cravings.
Imagine how exposed everyone is to aspartame-containing
products. Equal (sugar substitute particularly used by those who have
diabetes) is regularly served by hotels and restaurants for coffee drinkers.
Aspartame is even found in juices and jellies that you buy for your
children.
While there are two sides to the
issue about aspartame, what would it hurt the owners Monsanto, if they
have the substance re-tested to quell the increasing fears about the
product?
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