More Startling Data on Aspartame and Big Business


The viewer can see what is going on. This is a communication regarding aspartame and should get a person mad. The only way we think one can now act is to boycott any product that has aspartame or neotame, or any product that may have these artificial sweeteners if the ingredients list says 'sweeteners' but does not say specifically what they are.

From: Betty Martini Mailing-List: list aspartame@yahoogroups.com; contact aspartame-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list aspartame@yahoogroups.com

Date: Sat, 05 May 2001 18:31:59 -0400 Subject: [Aspartame Support] Aspartame and Brain Tumors, Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills by neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock, M.D (To explain to Mr. Charles Morrow about intellectual dishonesty, and that goes for Jim too) X-SLUIDL: 0B9284ED-40EA11D5-942A0080-5F6567C5

Dear Charles,

I'm familiar with the FDA talk papers. One of them on aspartame says that some web sites allege that aspartame actually triggers brain tumors. What the FDA talk paper doesn't say is that the papers on our web site are the FDA's own papers!!! We call this propaganda. They sent this to a Congressman and I sent the Congressman the FDA records!!!! He asked the FDA to explain. So far the FDA hasn't felt like doing it. I also wrote the FDA and told them to stop lying to Congressmen.

Aspartame triggers brain tumors period!! Aspartame was approved with power and influence. You have an FDA propaganda paper. I have the original documents including Dr. Hayes document with his excuses. They can make up anything, Charles but they can't change the fact that in original studies aspartame triggered brain tumors and also aspartame breaks down to a brain tumor agent, DKP. That's the reason it triggered these tumors. Aspartame has not stopped breaking down to a brain tumor agent so aspartame continues to do so. They can make up all kinds of studies. As Dr. Olney said in the letter I quoted that he wrote that the whole issue is riddled with corruption and malfeasance. You can't change the fact that aspartame triggered brain tumors and continues to trigger brain tumors.

Also, brain tumors are not tracked. I consistently get brain tumor cases and they are epidemic. They can't change the facts. They can, however, say anything they want, lie all they want, deny all they want. It doesn't change the facts.

You want the real facts, here they are. From Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills by neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock, M.D., (amazon.com) Starting on page 211:

ASPARTAME, BRAIN TUMORS AND THE FDA

It is interesting to note that the first experiments done to test the safety of aspartame before its final approval in l981 disclosed a high incidence of brain tumors in the animals fed NutraSweet. In fact, this study was done by the manufacturer of NutraSweet, G. D. Searle. In this study 320 rats were fed aspartame and 120 were fed a normal diet and used as controls. The study lasted two years. At the end of the study twelve of the aspartame fed rats had developed brain tumors (astrocytomas), while none of the control rats had. This represented a 3.75% incidence of brain tumors in the rats fed aspartame, which was twenty-five times higher than the incidence of spontaneous brain tumors developing in rats (0.15%).

The study divided the rats into those exposed to low doses of aspartame and those exposed to a high dose. In the low dose group five of the rats developed brain tumors for an incidence of 3.13%. In the high dose group, seven developed brain tumors (4.38%). This indicates a dose related incidence of brain tumors. The higher the dose of aspartame, the more brain tumors were induced.

When Dr. John Olney pointed out these findings to the FDA "Aspartame Board of Inquiry" he was told that the high incidence of tumors was a result of spontaneous development of brain tumors in rats. That is, that some rats develop brain tumors naturally, just as humans do. Dr. Olney is a trained neuropathology's as well as a neuroscientist. He reviewed the incidence of spontaneously occurring brain tumors in rats and found that out of seven studies using a total of 59,000 rats, only 0.08% developed brain tumors - the aspartame fed rats had a forty-seven fold higher incidence. But to be fair, he even accepted G. D. Searle's reference for spontaneously developing brain tumors in rats and arrives at a figure of 0.15%. This was still a twenty-five fold higher incidence in the aspartame fed rats than in the controls.

It was then observed that when brain tumors develop spontaneously in rats, the rate at which they appear begins to accelerate after two years of age, exactly when the Searle's study ended. Importantly, brain tumors are extremely rare before age one and one-half in the rat. So in truth the incidence of spontaneously occurring brain tumors would be even less than cited above. Yet, the aspartame fed rats developed two tumors by sixty weeks of age and five tumors by seventy weeks.

In a collective study of 41,000 rats no tumors were seen to occur before sixty weeks and only one by seventy weeks. The fact that 320 aspartame fed rats developed six brain tumors by seventy-six weeks indicates an "incredible and unprecedented" occurrence. Within the final twenty-eight weeks of the study six more brain tumors occurred in the aspartame fed group. Dr. Olney notes that "one must assume that many more (brain tumors) would have occurred after 104 weeks."

It became obvious that the G.D. Searle company was trying desperately to protect their potential billion dollar plus money maker. They claimed that more brain tumors were found because they searched the pathological slides so diligently. But, they searched just as diligently in the control rats and found none. Besides, neuropathologists examining the slides later stated that the tumors were large enough to be seen with the naked eye.

Because of the criticism submitted by Dr. Olney, the G. D. Searle company conducted a second study which was designed to more comprehensive. Instead of a two-year study, this would span the entire lifetime of the rats, from intrauterine life to death. The results of this study can only be characterized as bizarre. This time they reported five brain tumors in 120 control rats (an incidence of 3.13%) and four brain tumors in 120 control rats (an incidence of 3.33%). While this was designed to show that aspartame was not the cause of the brain tumors, if accepted, the study would indicate that both groups had a brain tumor incidence thirty times higher than the known rate of spontaneous brain tumor occurrence in rats.

But the story gets even more interesting. Dr. Olney hypothesized that one possible cause of the tumor induction was a by-product of aspartame metabolism called diketopiperazine (DKP). When nitrosated by the gut it produces a compound closely resembling a powerful brain tumor causing chemical - N-nitrosourea.

The G. D. Searle company conducted a separate study to test the carcinogenicity of diketopiperazine (DKP). The results of this study were not submitted to the FDA until after aspartame had already been approved for general use by the American population. This study was not a lifetime study but rather a 115 week study which consisted of feeding rats their normal feed mixed with DKP. There were 114 control animals and 216 that supposedly ate the DKP. (Not all of the animals were even examined for tumors.) There were two brain tumors in the controls (1.62% incidence) and three (1.52%) in the DKP groups. But strangely enough, the incidence of brain tumors found in both groups were sixteen times higher than would be expected from spontaneous occurring tumors. That did not make sense.

So how can we explain these strange findings. It is instructive at this point to know that in l975 the drug enforcement division of the Bureau of Foods investigated the G. D. Searle Company as part of an investigation of "apparent irregularities in data collection and reporting practices." The director of the FDA at that time stated that they found "sloppy" laboratory techniques and "clerical errors, mixed-up animals, animals not getting the drugs they were supposed to get, pathological specimens lost because of improper handling, and a variety of other errors, (which) even if innocent, all conspire to obscure positive findings and produce falsely negative results."

The drug enforcement division carried out a study under the care of agent Jerome Bressler concerning Searle's Laboratory practices and data manipulation (known as the Bressler Report). He found that the feed used only small does of the chemical to be tested. (I have seen a photograph of the feed mix and can attest to the "sloppy" method used.) The commissioner also charged G. D. Searle company with "failure to maintain control and experiment animals on separate racks and failure to mark animals to ensure against mix-ups between experimental (animals fed aspartame and DKP) and controls." This vital and telling report was buried in a file cabinet, never to be acted on by the FDA.

Such poor techniques would explain why both control animals and those eating aspartame had exceptionally high brain tumor rates, since they, most likely, were both eating the aspartame feed. What is ironic is that the FDA would accept studies from a company with an obvious heavy financial interest in having aspartame approved. But even more amazing is that they would depend on the same company to provide studies that they, FDA knew beforehand were highly questionable and possibly fraudulent upon which they would make such an important public safety decision.

Thus far, no independent studies have been done to examine this vital issue. As a neurosurgeon I see the devastating effects a brain tumor has, not only on its victim, but on the victim's family as well. To think that there is even a reasonable doubt that aspartame can induce brain tumors in the American population is frightening. And to think that the FDA has lulled them into a false sense of security is a monumental crime.

End of this part of the book

I'll stop at this part of the book but it goes on and tells about the monumental increase in brain lymphoma that Dr. Roberts peer reviewed report is written about.

When will aspartame stop triggering brain tumors? When it stops breaking down to DKP! When will it stop breaking down to DKP? When we get it off the market.

The Bressler Report spoken of in this issue we have on www.dorway.com And remember that the FDA themselves wanted Searle indicted for fraud. They were doing such things as excising the brain tumors and putting them back in the study. Then when they died they resurrected them back on paper. If you can't see the fraud, Charles, its because you're on an a list (Health Fraud) that is an advocacy group against alternative medicine that protects industry. And specifically you've even admitted you worked to get our access taken away of vitamins and herbs. You don't even have a finger to stand on much less a foot because your agenda is very clear.

On Health Fraud mention aspartame and your posting privileges get taken away. But over here on Quackbusters you can't hide the facts and I will not allow you to stumble anybody on this list. I have told you repeatedly I have the documents, I have the books and I have the facts. And we're not stupid and we know what went on. I was horrified on Health Fraud when someone asked if someone would debunk Dr. Blaylock's book. I can see why protectors of industry would want that done. This INCREDIBLE book notifies the world of the facts in the aspartame issue and its all science. So anyone wanting to hide the facts are up a creek, because the book exposes these facts.

Monsanto was not expecting Dr. John Olney to make world news on the aspartame/brain tumor association or the rise in brain tumors. Now all of a sudden the rates go down. I've been researching aspartame and Searle and Monsanto and the FDA for years. We know how its done. As a matter of fact, I called a brain tumor agency to get the statistics on astrocytomas and was told: "We were told not to give out those statistics."

I've been around long enough to weep with many mothers who drank diet drinks during pregnancy and gave birth to babies with brain tumors. While brain tumors are not tracked they are epidemic and I know because I take these case histories. You call these cases anecdotes, I call the entire issue a crime against humanity. The Bressler Report is no longer hidden - we ask people to put it on their sites and let the world read it and the cover up.

Even in the secret trade information it says:

"With the spoon-for-spoon, we have no way of estimating maximum likely abuse and hence need to utilize data based on ALMOST COMPLETE CONVERSION TO DKP. If we include this use in the original FAP, we stand a good chance of ending up with nothing in the short run and nothing in the long run ........."

So here's a pharmaceutical company the FDA wanted indicted for fraud who did not want the FDA to know about the almost complete conversion to DKP, a brain tumor agent. They were willing to get it approved so that the population would come down with these brain tumors and die. And this is the kind of pharmaceutical company that we are suppose to believe in?

And when the Board of Inquiry told Dr. Hayes he couldn't approve aspartame because of the brain tumors, can't you just hear him calling Ajinomoto, another aspartame manufacturer. The conversation might have gone like this: "Hi Ajiomoto, have any brain tumor - aspartame studies around that didn't show brain tumors? You do, well wonderful, we'll just go ahead and approve aspartame then as safe!"

We know the pharmaceutical companies are powerful and can get any poison they want approved. Look how far they went with aspartame, with having the defense team hire both prosecutors that were suppose to indict Searle for fraud. And we're just suppose to accept their studies as showing safety.

1974: Dr. J. Richard Crout, the acting director of the FDA Bureau of Drugs stated that "The information submitted for our review was limited to narrative clinical summaries and tabulated mean values of laboratory studies. No protocols, manufacturing controls information or preclinical data were provided. Such deficiencies in each area of required information precluded a scientific evaluation of the clinical safety of this product..." (Mullarkey l992, page 23)

This is the way Searle did business.

In an FDA memorandum dated Sept 12, l973, Martha M. Freeman, M.D. of the FDA Division of Metabolic and Endocrine Drug Products addressed the adequacy of the information submitted by G. D. Searle in their petition to approve aspartame (Freeman l973):

"Although it was stated that studies were also performed with diketopiperazine (DKP) an impurity which results from acid hydrolysis of aspartame, no data are provided on this product."

Commenting on one particular single dose study:

"It is not feasible to extrapolate results of such single dose testing to the likely condition of use of aspartame as an artificial sweetener."

It is important to note that Dr. Freeman pointed out the inadequacy of singe-dose tests of aspartame as early as l973. Since then, the NutraSweet Company has flooded the scientific community with single-dose studies.

"Chemistry - No information is provided other than formulae for Aspartame and its diketopiperazine."

"Pharmacology - Reference is made to 2 year rat studies, but no data are provided on acute or chronic toxicity."

"Clinical - No protocols nor curriculum vitae information are provided for the 10 completed clinical studies. Results are reported in narrative summary form, and tabulations of mean average values only. No information is given as to the identify of the reporting labs, methodology (except rarely), or normal values. (Reported units for several parameters cannot be verified at this time.)

"No pharmacokinetic data are provided on absorption, excretion, metabolism, half-life; nor bioavailability of capsule vs. food-additive administration."

Dr. Freeman concludes:

1. The administration of aspartame, as reported in these studies at high dosage levels for prolonged periods, constitutes clinical investigation use of a new drug substances." (Martini's remark - do you hear that Charles - a DRUG)

2. The information submitted for our review is inadequate to permit a scientific evaluation of clinical safety."

She went on to recommend that marketing of aspartame be contingent upon proven clinical safety of aspartame. The FDA Bureau of Foods rejected Dr. Freeman's recommendation. (Graves l984, page S5498 of Congressional Record l985a).

Construction of a large aspartame manufacturing plant in Augusta, Georgia was halted. It was thought that aspartame's uncertain regulatory future was the main reason for the stopping of construction (Farber l989, page 47). In the l973 G. D. Searle Annual Report, an executive stated that "commercial quantities of the sweetener will be supplied from the enlarged facility of Ajinomoto." Ajinomoto is the inventor and main producer of the food additive MSG. And they are an aspartame manufacturer, even Monsanto sold part of NutraSweet to them. They make excitotoxins!!!!!!!!!!!

Siamese twins? And do you think Ajinomoto just happened to do some brain tumor studies on aspartame that didn't show brain tumors, so Dr. Hayes could get aspartame approved when he was blocked by the Board of Inquiry?

G. D. Searle had invested 19.7 million dollars in an incomplete production facility and 9.2 million dollars in aspartame inventory. On Dec 8, l975, stockholders filed a class action lawsuit alleging that G. D. Searle had concealed information from the public regarding the nature and quality of animal research at G. D. Searle in violation of the Securities and Exchange Act (Farber l989, page 48).

In l974 aspartame was approved only to have the order rescinded. What did they do with the $9 million dollars worth of inventory. It would have been no good by the time aspartame was approved by Dr. Hayes in l981. And the man across the street from me said he helped build the NutraSweet plant and they were selling aspartame long before it was approved.

Crime after crime after crime and you want people on this list to believe that sudden studies were done and showed no brain tumors. We are not stupid and you will not mislead this list, Charles.

After finding out how you would like to remove our access to vitamins and herbs I hope you never write again, but if you try to put information that is not factually correct on this list, I'll put the facts every time. On Dec 15, l999 an Associated Press report Tracking Drug Side-Effects reported that studies have estimated that 2 million Americans are hospitalized annually from drug side effects and 100,000 die. You know how many people died from herbs last year, Charles? ZERO. Your job is not needed. We're doing just fine, thank you, without your interference to remove our freedom of choice to use the medical treatment we deem advisable and the vitamins and herbs that are necessary. Almighty God have us these herbs (Gen 1:29) so get use to it.

Now run on back to your Health Fraud list. You want to talk about intellectual dishonesty you just read the records on NutraSweet. I'll leave you with the words of Dr. Adrian Gross the FDA toxicologist who was on site, about the studies Searle did.

FDA Toxicologist and Task Force member, Dr. Adrian Gross stated (Wilson l985):

"They (G. D. Searle) lied and they didn't submit the real nature of their observations because had they done that it is more than likely that a great number of these studies would have been rejected simply for adequacy. What Searle did, they took great pains to camouflage these shortcomings of the study. As I say filter and just present to the FDA what they wished the FDA to know and they did other terrible things for instance animals would develop tumors while they were under study. Well, they would remove these tumors from the animals."

And you want to believe these people, Mr. Charles Morrow? When it comes to NutraSweet we research all industry studies for flaws. We have no reason to believe in integrity and honesty in the aspartame industry. God help us if we don't get this poison off the market before too much damage is done to human DNA. This product can destroy the human race! And since the FDA is faced with malfeasance in the approval of this deadly neurotoxin they cover it up. And they are getting a copy of this. I never talk behind their back - but straight to their face!!!!

Betty Martini, Mission Possible International

Main Karinya Directory / Did You Know Directory
Main Alternative Medicine Directory / Return to Main Aspartame Page