The Dangers of Aspartame

When trying to cut calories to lose weight, many people turn to products containing the artificial sweetener aspartame (also called Equal, Splenda, etc.) to replace sugar because it has no calories. However, this ingredient may be very dangerous.

Aspartame consists mostly of methanol, which is a poison shown to cause blindness. In the body, methanol turns into formaldehyde, which also has negative affects on the brain. Methanol is absorbed by the body even faster when it is broken down, which happens (1) when it is stored for a long period of time or (2) when it is heated in baking or when added to hot beverages

In laboratory studies on animals, aspartame has caused brain tumors. As far as humans go, the FDA has received many complaints related to aspartame, including: irritability, anxiety, headaches, menstrual problems, dizziness, insomnia, stomach problems, seizures, and blindness.

The EPA has recommended that people do not exceed 7.8 mg of methanol per day. One 8 oz. serving of a beverage containing aspartamine has about 14 mg of methanol.

So….if aspartame is so dangerous, how did it get approved by the FDA?

For many years the FDA refused to approve aspartame because of the brain tumors and seizures shown by lab animals in aspartame studies. In the early 1980s, Donald Rumsfeld was the president of G.D. Searle company (the company that produced aspartame). When his friend Ronald Regan became president, Regan fired Jere Goyan, the FDA Commissioner, and appointed Dr. Arthur Hayes to replace him. Hayes set up a Board of Inquiry to see about approving aspartame. The Board reported “Do not approve aspartame.” Hayes disregarded this statement and approved aspartame. A short time later, Hayes took a job at G.D. Searle.

…Sounds pretty sketchy to me…