Whatever the reason for reducing sugar consumption, something needs to take the place of this missing sweetener and this is artificial sweeteners.  Sales of such sweeteners as Aspartame (Equal) and Splenda (also sucralose) have been rising rapidly over the past few years and are currently a whooping 1.5 billion dollars per year!  Is their consumption safe or might there be ‘hidden dangers’ to their unbridled consumption?  This article is meant to answer this question.  

Equal® is popular in gums, diet sodas, teas and many other foods.  Over the past seven years, Splenda (chlorinated sucrose) has experienced a very large increase in its consumption.   It has no calories and varies in sweetness of between 320 and 900 times sweeter than regular sugar, depending upon its food application.   It is used in a huge variety of products but approximately 70-80 percent of its use is in soft drinks.  With an advertising campaign that is both ingenious and totally misleading (“It’s made from sugar so…it tastes like sugar…”), it is not surprising how so few folks question the safety of its consumption. 

Are these two sweeteners safe to consume?  Will they help someone trying to lose weight?  What are the long term human studies, if any?  This brief article will address these questions.

The U.S. F.D.A. approved the use of Splenda in May of 1998, about seven years after it was approved for use in Canada.  As of 2005, few European countries had approved its use. 

Despite the manufacturers claim to the contrary, there is significant absorption of Splenda from the intestinal tract.  Depending upon the circumstances and the study, this absorption can range from 11 to 40 percent.  Half of what’s absorbed is excreted within two to five hours.  The rest is excreted in the feces. According to The Sucralose Toxicity Information Center, sucralose is broken down "into small amounts of 1,6-dichlorofructose, a chemical which has not been adequately tested in humans."
As of this date, there are few, if any non-industry funded scientific studies on any long-term side effects.  According to the Sucralose Toxicity Information Center, the "Manufacturer's '100's of studies' (some of which show hazards) were clearly inadequate and do not demonstrate safety in long-term use."

One would think that with the widespread use of Splenda, there have been a large number of ‘safety studies’ on its use.  Not so.  In one small study, there was an increase in the level of a protein used as a marker for Diabetics, call HgbA1C, for short.  What makes this particularly disturbing is that this protein is not only a marker for poorly controlled diabetes, but that it also can indicate a greater likelihood of future complications from the disease.  The incidence of Diabetes has more than tripled in the past twenty-five years! 

According to the U.S. FDA, Sucralose was weakly mutagenic (meaning it damages chromosomes that are carriers of DNA).  The FDA also reported many other tests as having ‘inconclusive’ results.

Research with laboratory animals (such as mice, rats and rabbits) have shown such problems with Sucralose as (a) Decreased red blood cell count, (b) Diarrhea, (c) Reduced growth rate, (d) Enlarged liver and kidneys and (e) Shrunken thymus glands (New Scientist 23 Nov 1991, pg 13) . 

The relatively few studies done with sucralose ought also to be an issue.  While as of November 18, 2004 there were over 3,000 studies on Saccharin, there were less than eighty (76) on Sucralose.   Also, there are no ‘independent’ controlled human studies on sucralose (similar to 15 years ago for aspartame). There are no long-term (12-24 months) human studies of Sucralose's effects.

Another concern was that raised by the F.D.A., namely that Sucralose may ‘hydrolyze’ in some food products causing potentially dangerous chemicals to be formed.  Alternative chemicals are frequently formed in foods or animals under various circumstances.  For example, sodium nitrate in your hotdogs reacts with proteins (specifically tertiary amines) to form nitrosamines, a chemical known to cause stomach cancer.*  Mercury gets into fish where it is converted to the far more toxic methlene chloride.  Aspartame can form formic acid (wood preservative), methanol (wood alcohol) and formaldehyde (embalming fluid).  So there are three simple examples.  (More on Aspartame or Nutrisweet later). 

Another concern about Splenda is that it is a chlorinated compound and chlorinated compounds are frequently the basis for toxic pesticides.  Many readers are aware that pesticides, accumulate in body fat.  Some chlorinated molecules serve as the basis for pesticides such as D.D.T., and accumulate in body fat.  However, in writing on the subject, the manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson has emphasized that sucralose passes through the body unabsorbed."  This is pure nonsense as studies in the United States and Japan show intestinal absorption of up to forty percent!

The FDA acknowledges that sucralose "is produced at an approximate purity of 98%."  While that may sound pretty pure, the two percent of contaminants may contain such chemicals as heavy metals, arsenic, methanol, Triphenilphosphine Oxide and other contaminants. 

According to Consumers' Research Magazine, sucralose provides some benefits but it is for the corporation that makes it, not the consumers.  Specifically they state:
“But are such foods truly beneficial and desirable? Diabetics, weight watchers, and the general public might make better food choices by selecting basic, rather than highly processed foods; for example, apples, rather than turnovers; or plain, rather than sweetened, dairy foods.”

They note that non-caloric artificial sweeteners are not replacing, but rather supplementing conventional sweeteners.  This is not surprising since studies have shown that those that consume diet sweeteners and diet sodas are not lighter than their non-imbibing counterparts!  In other words, those consuming the foods sweetened with artificial sweeteners (often in an attempt to lose weight), were NOT actually losing any weight!  In fact, some studies indicate that far from helping folks lose weight, artificial sweeteners may stimulate one’s appetite, making them overeat.  This consequent overeating would then, of course, contribute to weight gain, not weight loss! 

Because of the inadequacy of pre-approval tests, it might behoove the conscientious consumer to avoid sucralose or Splenda.  After all, pre- Remember, it took government agencies many decades to agree that many thousands of deaths had been occurring from tobacco use.  (It helps that public relations firms—essentially ‘invented’ by the tobacco industry to sway public AND government opinions in their (the tobacco industry’s) favor—were doing such a ‘good’ job!) 

Anyone who spends just five minutes doing an Alta-vista or Google Internet ‘search’ would be aghast to learn that there are numerous & serious dangers to the consumption of aspartame (Nutrasweet, Equal)!  The rest of this brief article will address some of these dangers. 

 It is also important to note that the multi-billion dollar aspartame industry would disagree that there are ANY dangers whatsoever to aspartame consumption.  They will claim that one would have to drink 100 cans of diet soda to be harmed by this artificial sweetener.  They claim that the three components of aspartame are found in many natural foods and is safe for this reason.  Five to ten percent of aspartame is a highly toxic chemical called methanol (wood alcohol).  The industry will also point out that methanol is found in some fruits and vegetables like tomatoes.  Yet, they fail to mention that methanol is never found in wholesome, natural foods without its natural antidotes ethanol and pectin.  (Pectin is a water soluble fiber, high in apples and ethanol is food grade alcohol found in beer, wine and liquor).   These two chemicals prevent methanol from being metabolized into formaldehyde (embalming fluid) and that chemical that makes a fire ant bite sting so much, namely ‘formic acid’.  Because aspartame contains no  ethanol or pectin, the methanol is easily converted to formaldehyde and formic acid!

The other two components of aspartame are phenylalanine and aspartic acid, two amino acids found in natural foods but always as part of complete proteins.   According to many doctors, when consumed by themselves these two amino acids require no digestion and can result in abnormally high brain levels.  The high brain levels of these two amino acids over-stimulate brain cells to death and cause a plethora of other health problems.   In hypersensitive people, the most common side effect is a headache.  Thousands of people suffer from headaches after the consumption of aspartame containing ‘diet sodas’ and other foods.  Yet, many thousands have not made the connection and are therefore, suffering needlessly. 

The Food and Drug Administration has received over 20,000 complaints about aspartame, more than any other single chemical.  It is estimated that only one in one hundred will actually write a letter, so the scope of the harm being done to the public is likely significant.  There is also a huge role that former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld played in promoting this unparalled public health disaster.  (The link , Poison in Your Food, is a feature documentary film.)

When Dr. Christine Lydon, MD, a neurobiologist (Brown University and the Yale School of Medicine) learned of the dangers to aspartame, this is what he had to say:  "I stormed into my kitchen and fed every item of food containing aspartame to the garbage.  Since that time, I have not had so much as a stick of aspartame sweetened gum... Experimentally, it has been determined that infants are four times more sensitive to excitotoxins than adults. "

 Dr. Joseph Mercola is an osteopathic medical doctor who has written about twenty articles about the dangers of aspartame.  According to Dr. Mercola: "The recommend a limit of consumption (of methanol) is 7.8 mg/day.  A one-liter (approx. 1 quart) aspartame-sweetened beverage contains about 56 mg of methanol.  Heavy users of aspartame-containing products consume as much as 250 mg of methanol daily or 32 times the EPA limit."

 Dr. Morgan Raiford is an Opthamologist, who has done research on aspartame, and its role in causing vision damage.  In a short article on the subject, he wrote: "Beyond the extensive visual damage that aspartame can and does create, other organ systems are affected. Nerve damage to the arms, legs, central nerve impairment, resulting in impaired nerve function as well as neurosis and learning difficulties in school work as well as behavior....Methyl alcohol has no place in a product, whole or in part to be allowed to be produced by any manufacturer for human usage."

 According to Dr. Polen, a holistic chiropractor: "I have noted in my practice that removing Nutra-Sweet from the diet can have a positive effect on many patients from these other aspartame-related neuro-psychiatric complaints: seizures, headaches, dizziness, disorientation, confusion, severe anxiety, hyperactivity, sleeplessness, insomnia, numbness, paresthesias, atypical facial pain, severe depression, slurred speech and migrating joint pain. "

According the Sunday Express, May 20, 2001, in a UK national press article. "Action at last over additive Aspartame as fears grow of health risk in food and drink. The Government has ordered a top-level investigation into the safety of Britain's best-selling sweetener amid fears that the low calorie chemical is a health risk...Aspartame, used in thousands of diet food and drinks has been linked to more than 90 adverse reactions including brain tumors and blindness...Professor Ralph Walton of Northwestern Ohio Universities said: 'I dispute the assertion that there are no health risks. "I believe Aspartame increases risk of cancer. Virtually all the studies attesting to its safety have been funded by the industry.'"

 Many Americans are trying to lose weight and therefore, consume foods containing artificial sweeteners like aspartame.  Yet, according to Dr. Arthur Forman, Neurologist,  "There are mechanisms to see how aspartame is causing serious problems for some folks...I don't recommend it for anyone, frankly....Many patients find it stimulates the appetite."

 Those in the industry will point to industry sponsored short term tests, but ignore ‘independent’ tests. Not uncommon to many internet sights, they will point to ‘reliable’ sites that are funded or sponsored by companies that profit from aspartame.  And since the FDA approved it "it must be safe!"  Did you know that:

• The FDA denied aspartame approval for over eight years until the newly appointed FDA commissioner Arthur Hull Hayes overruled the final scientific review panel
• After approving aspartame, Arthur Hull Hayes went to work for the public relations firm of G.D. Searle's (initial owner of aspartame) for a mere $1,000 a day! 
• Hayes has refused all interviews to discuss his actions.
• The FDA also urged Congress to prosecute G.D. Searle for "specific false statements or concealed facts" stemming from Searle's testing of aspartame.
• However, the two government lawyers assigned to the case decided against prosecuting G.D. Searle and then joined G.D. Searle's law firm! 
 In 1983, the National Soft Drink Association (not known to fight against ANY artificial sweetener), filed a strong protest letter to the FDA against the approval of aspartame for use in beverages.  They claimed that "aspartame is inherently, markedly and uniquely unstable in aqueous media."

This is just the tip of the iceberg regarding information on aspartame or Equal.  For those who are interested in learning more, I recommend you read a book by Dr. Russell Blaylock, M.D., a Neurosurgeon.  The book is: Excitotoxins, the Taste that Kills, an excellent and detailed account of the dangers of aspartame.  Here’s a tidbit of what Dr. Blaylock has to say about aspartame and MSG: (another excitotoxin): "Over 100 million Americans now consume aspartame products...There is sufficient medical literature documenting serious injury by these additives in the concentrations presently in our food supply to justify warning the public of these dangers.   The case against aspartame is especially strong." 

 

Meanwhile, to learn how this disaster (with Aspartame), occured while Donald Rumsfeld (our former secretary of defense) was CEO of Searle, click here.  Caution: the movie is just under 90 minutes, AND will aggravate you, so don't watch before going to sleep!