The following is information about sweeteners that is designed to further provide information about these critical items in your diets or food you consume.

Here is some information on artificial sweeteners you should be aware of!

Aspartame was discovered while testing an ulcer drug. In 1969 Searle approached Dr. Harry Waisman to study the effects of aspartame on primates. Of the seven infant monkeys tested by being fed aspartame in milk, ffter 300 days one died and 5 others had Grand Mal seizures.

Sugar has been criticized by nutritionists, doctors and dentists. Many people use artificial sweeteners because they think it to be a safe alternative for themselves and their children. They are wrong! Aspartame is a molecule composed of three components: aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol.

The amount of methanol in 1 gram of aspartame is approximately 100 mg. Methanol is a wood alcohol and once it is ingested converts into formaldehyde and formic acid (ant sting poison). Formaldehyde is a deadly neurotoxin and is a common embalming fluid, a class A carcinogen. If a child was to consume 700 mg. of aspartame they would consume almost ten times the Environmental Protection Agencies recommended daily limit of consumption for methanol.

Now remember diet soft drinks are not the only culprit here, many children's vitamins and toothpaste contain aspartame as well. Unfortunately, these findings when they submitted his study to the FDA.

The FDA approved the use of aspartame for certain food uses in 1981 and in 1983 extended its approval to carbonated beverages. (2,3) This approval was granted before safety issues could be resolved. The FDA was cautioned by Richard Wurtman, a pioneer in the study of nutrition and the brain, who through an extensive researched found that aspartame could significantly affect mood and behavior. Aspartame lowers the seizure threshold in the brain which induces depression, rage and paranoia. In the May 1992 issue of Flying Safety Magazine, the dangers of aspartame are explained: In pregnancy the effects of aspartame can be passed directly on to the fetus, even in very small doses. Some people have suffered disorders with doses as small as that carried in a single stick of chewing gum. This could mean a pilot who drinks diet sodas is more susceptible to flicker vertigo, or to flicker-induced epileptic activity. It also means that all pilots are potential victims of sudden memory loss, dizziness during instrument flight and gradual loss of vision.

We have to look out for ourselves and our children's health. It is best advised to stay away from aspartame containing products.