Community Magazine June 2003

54 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE s ” xc > Headline Aspartame, the artificial sweetener contained in Nutrasweet©, Equal© and many diet sodas causes a condition termed “Aspartame Disease” which mimics, among other maladies, multiple sclerosis and causes or aggravates lupus. > Inside Story: An over-circulated email written, in 1995, by a women with no recognized pharmacological or medical background makes a host of specific claims regarding the health danger of aspartame. > Claims vs Facts CLAIM: When the temperature of this sweetener exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. The toxicity of these substances is danger- ous for the human body. FACT: Aspartame does break down into byproducts, including formaldehyde and then methanol in the course of the normal digestive and metabolic processes of the body. Although these substances are known to be toxic in certain quantities, the human body routinely handles the conversion of low levels of methanol and formaldehyde into water and carbon dioxide. Fruits, fruit juices, vegetables, wine and beer will also produce methanol when digested. In fact a serving of tomato juice the same size as a can of diet cola will produce about five times the methanol in your body as the aspertame in a diet soda. After extensive long term studies the Joint FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)/WHO (World Health Organization) Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and the USFDA each separately established a guide- line of about 50 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) of body weight as a safe level of daily consumption for aspartame. Based on this standard, a 150-pound (60-kilogram) person would need to consume almost 16 12-ounce cans of a beverage containing aspartame to reach the maximum recommended daily intake. CLAIM: The methanol toxicity mimics among other condi- tions multiple sclerosis. People were being diagnosed with having multiple sclerosis in error. FACT: Methanol poisoning shares few symptoms with MS and the onset of symptoms takes hours with methanol poison- ing as opposed to weeks and months with MS. The Multiple Sclerosis Foundation also refuted this claim citing a CDC study which concluded, “The majority of symptoms were mild and are symptoms that are common in the general populace.” The CDC also noted that there was no evidence supporting the claim that aspartame could cause certain diseases (i.e. multiple sclerosis, lupus, etc.). CLAIM: If you are using ASPARTAME and you suffer from spasms, shooting pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, verti- go, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, depression, anxi- ety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss-you probably have ASPARTAME DISEASE! FACT: There is no recognized condition “aspartame disease”, this laundry list of aches and pains is so generic that any num- ber of conditions and ailments could fit the bill. CLAIM: Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as Miss Information Call them “urban legends”, “folklore” or “Bubba Meysas,” these rumors and stories that have taken root in the general public often share one common element: they are false. While some seem innocuous enough, even the most harmless of these stories amounts to a waste of time and clogging-up of email servers. In the name of truth and the continued struggle against junk email we present this new column dedicated to exposing myths and common falsehoods. Ask The myth of Aspartame Disease