Mary Nash Stoddard's Blog, page 11

ASPARTAME VIDEO SERIES - FROM THE ORGANIC VIEW SHOW HOST/PRODUCER, JUNE STOYER

#ASPARTAME VIDEO SERIES - FEATURING ASPARTAME AUTHORITY HON. MARY NASH STODDARD & THE ORGANIC VIEW HOST/PRODUCER, JUNE STOYER
Aspartame & Kids:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WNOO24ffeQ&feature=youtu.be
Aspartame & Flying:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KN1gUifLTY&feature=youtu.be
Aspartame & Cold Medicines:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq6ZFRBgH_g&feature=youtu.be___________________________________________________________________________

http://twitter.com/#!/marystod/ http://marystod.blogspot.com/
http://www.aspartamesafety.com/

       https://www.rebelmouse.com/marystod/

WHO WILL WIN THE SWEETENER WARS?

_______________________________________________________

STEVIA -- Natural Contender for Title of World's Best No-cal Sweetener

Mary Nash Stoddard [freelance journalist]
[ published in January, 2006 issue of Atkins Monthly magazine ]

Who will win the sweetener wars? At stake are billions of dollars shelled out by weight conscious and health conscious consumers world wide.

Key players in this bitter battle for mega profits are: stevia [natural, sweet tasting herb] and the chemical sweeteners, aspartame [aka NutraSweet and Equal] and neotame.

Is stevia really the forbidden natural alternative to aspartame?

Stevia [Stevia rebaudiana Bertoli] has been used for centuries in the rest of the world as a low-calorie, no-adverse-reactions-reported, sweet herb.

It can be purchased as crushed leaves, a dark liquid, a clear liquid or a fluffy white powder.

Anyone can grow it.

It's the sweetener that can't be called a sweetener in the U.S.!

Shoved illogically into the "Dietary Supplement" category by the FDA in 1994 when DSHEA [Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act] went into effect, stevia remains in limbo, in a sort of "halfway house," while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration [FDA] struggles to keep it off the market as a legally approved sweetener.

Unlike aspartame and neotame [NutraSweet Company's potent, new sweetener], stevia is unquestionably safe to cook with. But, without guidance on ratios and conversions, the average consumer is at a loss to know how to use it.

Stevia is much less expensive to use than its synthetic counterparts.

By the way, aspartame, by law, has to appear on a product's ingredient label.

NutraSweet Company's Neotame, on the other hand, may hide in a product, without its name appearing on the ingredient label. Some FDA watchers are baffled by this action.

More and more consumers are rejecting the pharmaceutical versions of sugar such as: saccharin, acesulfame K, sucralose, aspartame and neotame, and are searching for the ideal "healthy" sweetener. This makes stevia, the natural choice [no pun intended], a very real threat to aspartame, neotame and the others.

In July 2005, a study was published, showing aspartame created at least two forms of cancers [leukemia and lymphoma] in lab animals fed aspartame. The study was conducted by researchers from the European Ramazzini Foundation, an independent group located in Bologna, Italy.

FDA points to only two questionable studies as their absolute proof that stevia is not safe.

The first, ineptly done, by a graduate student in South America, says it may have [are you ready for this?] a mild contraceptive property.

The other, published in 1988 in a Brazilian pharmacological journal, was extremely sloppy science and no one but the FDA gives it any credence whatsoever.

On the off chance the public does not share FDA's concern about stevia's possible contraceptive qualities, they have come up with some strictly hearsay evidence, which they've never seen, through the South American "grapevine" that stevia might be unsafe for having a hypothetical hypoglycemic effect on some individuals. These are extremely flimsy straws the FDA is grasping at to support their ban on stevia as a sweetener.

FDA claims no petitions have been filed by product manufacturers seeking to use stevia as a Generally Recognized as Safe [or GRAS] ingredient in their product.

What they really mean is the FDA has never accepted a petition filed by a food or beverage manufacturer seeking to use stevia as a sweetener in their product.

Several, including Lipton have filed petitions only to be denied acceptance for some FDA-invented technical error.

FDA ignores the overwhelming evidence of stevia's benign and beneficial character.

Usage in the rest of the world for centuries with no reported ill affects, counts for nothing in the closed regulatory mind.

FDA even went so far as to attack one importer and distributor of stevia for perceived "violations" of the rules and regulations governing dietary supplements. The crime? Three books were being distributed by Stevita Co. of Arlington, Texas [owners of the Brazilian patent on stevia manufacturing] which described the history and usage of the sweet herb, stevia.

Not only was the business-owner ordered to destroy his inventory of books -- he was also forced to remove all links to other sites on his internet web site. A clear violation of First Amendment rights by the FDA? Could this controversy over stevia be related to FDA's defensive attitude over aspartame? [aka NutraSweet/Equal/Natrataste/Canderel, etc.]

FDA continues to fiercely support the artificial sweetener aspartame [aka NutraSweet/Equal] based solely on industry-sponsored tests showing safety.

[Monsanto, a former patent-holder on aspartame, has bought up and put on hold the U.S. patent on stevia manufacturing].

FDA's official position? Absolutely nothing is wrong or harmful about aspartame, despite the undisputed fact that approximately 80% of all adverse reaction complaints to FDA are aspartame related.

Unlike pharmaceuticals -- serious adverse reactions to a food additive are not required by law to be reported by physicians.

FDA lists over 92 symptoms consumers have tied to aspartame consumption -- including deaths.

Reports show that when individuals cease ingesting aspartame, their symptoms usually go away.

"Junk Science" or worse was used by G.D. Searle to gain approval for aspartame in the first place as a tabletop sweetener in 1981 and in 1983 for aqueous solution [soft drinks].

Some concerned FDA toxicologists even went as far as to show the tests were "falsified" to get aspartame approved in the first place.

Aspartame was first FDA-approved in 1974, but that approval was rescinded before it could get to market because of serious questions about one of the breakdown products, DKP , which caused brain tumors in the laboratory animals.

At a Washington D.C. News Conference, November 1997, John Olney, M.D., noted brain researcher, presented his compelling findings of a 10% increase in brain tumors since the advent of aspartame on the market.

Further troubling to many independent scientists is the fact that virtually all the studies showing harm are "corporate neutral" as one aspartame researcher put it.

Many studies are available to show harm caused by aspartame's phenylalanine, aspartic acid and toxic breakdown products: methanol - formaldehyde - formic acid and diketopiperazine.

Tens of thousands of consumers and others have reported serious adverse reactions to the FDA and consumer advocacy organizations collecting reports, such as the international Aspartame Consumer Safety Network and Pilot Hotline.

Woodrow Monte, R.D., Ph.D., a former director of the Arizona State University Food Sciences and Nutrition Laboratory, is uncomfortable with the methanol content of aspartame.

In an 1986 interview, Monte called aspartame "a crime against humanity." "Humans are 10 times more sensitive to methanol than animals. When you ingest aspartame, it breaks down into methanol within one hour of ingestion. Methanol forms as soon as aspartame goes into solution and increases the longer it is in solution." according to Monte.

Because heat speeds the breakdown of aspartame into methanol, this raises serious concern about aspartame's 1993 approval for use in baked goods and other heated products, like hot cocoa and tea.

Although aspartame came about as the result of a search for a drug, and its compounds were the basis for a potential prescription medication, the petition for approval of NutraSweet was based on the premise that it was a food additive. The FDA followed its precedent of permitting manufacturers to conduct their own product safety research.

Monte feels that aspartame was mislabeled from the beginning. "Aspartame is a drug, not a food additive," he said. "One hundred million people, from little babies to the elderly, are consuming this stuff in megadoses, more than they ever would if it were labeled a drug." [Informed Consent May/June '94]

Outspoken critics are suggesting -- not that we rid ourselves of a Food and Drug Administration -- only that we rid ourselves of the present "corrupted" Food and Drug Administration, thus changing the current FDA focus of protecting the profits of the giants of industry to one of protecting the American public, which it is charged to serve.

The FDA seems to have everything "backwards" in its regulatory thinking -- against the herbal sweetener with centuries of no adverse reactions to its credit, versus the artificial sweetener which has been surrounded by a storm of controversy since its flawed approval twenty four years ago.

Follow the "Money and Political Trail".

Conclusion: FDA's ability to evaluate any substance objectively has been called into question by consumers and independent researchers alike. Senator Metzenbaum called FDA officials mere "Handmaidens to Industry" in the 1987 Senate Hearings on the Safety of aspartame. Corporate megabucks influence and determine the actions of that government agency, created to protect the consumer from harm.

In an unfortunate ripple effect, FDA's seal of approval is the standard used by agencies around the world to allow food additives into their countries, without doing their own investigations.

Corporations routinely cover themselves by donating millions to organizations such as: American Dietetic Association, American Diabetic Foundation and others.

FDA officials routinely hop with jumping-bean-like ease from government to private industry and back.

Who will win the Sweetener Wars? Greed versus health, which will win? It's up to us, the consuming public. One person can and must work to make a difference in the way the world looks at sweeteners.

ACTION AGENDA:

Tell everyone you know about this issue.

Work with those organizations lobbying to get stevia legally approved as a safe and natural sweetener.

Let your grocer know you want a naturally healthy choice when it comes to sweeteners.

Take aspartame-sweetened items back to the store to exchange for something healthy.

Try the sweet taste of stevia -- many say it's the beneficial, safe alternative to all of the unhealthy, chemical sweeteners.
______________________________________

Books available on Stevia:

The Stevia Story - A tale of incredible sweetness & intrigue - Linda and Bill Bonvie and Donna Gates

Sugar-Free Cooking With Stevia - James and Tanya Kirkland

Books on Aspartame:

Deadly Deception - Story of Aspartame - Mary Nash Stoddard

Deadly Deception - Story of Aspartame [One Hour Video Lecture at Science Symposium]

Excitotoxins - The Taste That Kills - Russell Blaylock, M.D.

Available from ACSN  http://www.aspartamesafety.com
_____________________________________________________________

Incredible Case History of One Courageous Stevia Distributor
Stevita Co. - Arlington Texas

"Freedom of the Press embraces the circulation of books as well as their publication."
-- from Judge's ruling in Bantam Books v Sullivan [1963]

Chronology of Events

Summer 1996
Stevita Company imported the first shipment of Stevia spoonful (blend of stevioside and maltodextrin) with registered trade name of STEVIASWEET. FDA office in Dallas detained the shipment of approximately 3,000 jars, saying Stevita Co. could not use the trade name STEVIASWEET because the word 'Sweet' on the name implied that stevia could be used as a sugar substitute. So, Mr. Rodes changed the labels (at American Airlines warehouse) to STEVITA brand. Products with new labels were then released.

Early 1997
Stevita Co. started importing Stevita chocolate flavored and Stevita cappuccino flavored products. First shipments passed through customs with no problems.

October, 1997

A shipment of Stevita cappuccino flavored product was detained by FDA. They claimed Stevita Co. was selling coffee instead of Stevia. Mr. Rodes then submitted a new label (MAGIC) that removed the word coffee. After changing all the labels (about 5,000) the shipment was released.

November 12, 1997
FDA inspectors, Martha Baldwin and Pauline Logan inspected Stevita facilities and took samples of the books and some scientific literature.

March 6, 1998
Stevita Co. received a warning letter from FDA saying the presence of literature, including the information on Stevita's web site, was rendering the stevia products "adulterated." Stevita Co. was given 5 days to reply. James Turner's office (Swanken & Turner Washington D.C. law firm) then requested a 15 day extension.

March 26, 1998
James Turner's office submitted an answer to the Warning Letter from FDA, agreeing with all the requests, with the exception of the destruction of the books and cessation of Stevita product sales.

April 1, 1998
Two shipments that had been detained by FDA had labels approved by FDA in Washington D.C.. However, Mr. James R. LaHar of the Dallas District office orders the shipments to continue being put on hold, because in his opinion, Mr. Oscar Rodes' Stevita Company's product is now contaminated by current literature -- already in circulation.

April 27, 1998
FDA Inspector, Martha Baldwin inspected Stevita Company's facilities and collected labels and documents. She also took an inventory of Stevita Company's products. In desperation to get the shipments released by FDA, Oscar Rodes told Stevita Co. attorney, James Turner to inform FDA that as of May 13, Stevita Company is ceasing distribution of all the books.

May 19, 1998 (9:00 AM)
A fax was received from James R. LaHar, Compliance Officer in the Dallas District Office of FDA, stating that investigators from his office were coming to Stevita's facilities to witness destruction of the literature and books.

May 19, 1998 (11:30 AM)
FDA inspectors, Pauline Logan and Margarito Uribe walked into the office. They proceeded to take inventory of all products and literature. Oscar Rodes believed they were sent by Mr. LaHar to witness destruction of all the books. Stevita Co. employees videotaped most of the so-called inspection -- including the part when one of the inspectors is marking the cookbooks (Cooking With Stevia by James Kirkland) for destruction. FDA Compliance Officer, James R. Lahar faxed a letter to Stevita Co. addressing the destruction of 2,500 books he deemed "offending," at a cost to the company well in excess of $10,000. The letter threatens that investigators will conduct a current inventory and "witness the destruction of the cookbooks, literature, and other publications for the purpose of verifying compliance" upon visiting Stevita Co. for a fourth time in one year.

May 20, 1998
Both inspectors return to Stevita's facilities for more inspection and counting of inventory.

May 22, 1998
The same two inspectors arrive again at Stevita Co. at 3:30 PM -- asking company owner, Oscar Rodes to sign some typewritten affidavits. Rodes said, "They also told me they wanted to look around."

June 6, 1998
Banned cookbook author, James Kirkland made a shocking presentation at a Town Hall meeting, convened by Congressman Joe Barton, by holding up The Anarchist's Cookbook, a book that talks about how to construct killer "homemade bombs," a popular hard-core porn magazine and a copy of his book -- telling how to cook with an herb. "Which of these publications is illegal?" he asked. Congressman Barton shrugged. The author then pointed to his cookbook on how to cook with stevia. "This isn't right." Kirkland added to thunderous audience applause. He then went on to elaborate. Kirkland's book, Cooking With Stevia, published by Morris Press of Kearney Nebraska has been "marked" by FDA for immediate destruction and recall. FDA is also attempting to "regulate" web sites on the Internet by telling Stevita Co. to delete their web site links to other pages. Congressman Barton is Chairman of the Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee in Washington, which oversees the Food and Drug Administration.

Media covered the Town Hall event and that evening, the CBS TV News affiliate in Dallas aired a story showing the "banned books" and telling the Stevita Co. story of harassment by FDA. This news segment was picked up by other CBS affiliates and aired around the U.S.

The Aftermath:

In a blatant move to intimidate valued customers of Texas-based Stevita
Co., importers of the sweet-tasting herbal dietary supplement stevia and
distributors of three "banned" books about the herb, FDA raiders began
relentlessly searching for their version of "the offensive literature" --
according to a horrified eyewitness shopper at an Arlington, Texas Health Food Store.

When called by a national cable television network news reporter, a
Dallas District FDA spokesperson said they would neither confirm nor deny
the allegation of literature search or seizure at health food stores,
because it was part of an "ongoing investigation." FDA Spokesperson in
Washington D.C., Monica Ravel in her misleading statement late Wednesday,
told another local network news reporter on tape, "We have not banned any
books." Stevita Co. has an FDA letter dated May 19,1998 signed by FDA's
James R. LaHar clearly stating they have.

These published books and literature offer the consumer information
on the history, usage and scientific studies showing the safety of the
legal herb stevia [aka stevia rebaudiana or stevioside]. One of three books
in question is The Stevia Story - A tale of incredible sweetness &
intrigue, by Linda Bonvie, Bill Bonvie and Donna Gates with Foreword by
James S. Turner, author of The Chemical Feast.

Ironically, Chapter Four of the book the FDA wants to destroy is titled:
"What's wrong with the FDA?"

The other books are: Nature's Sweet Secret - Stevia by David Richards and
Cooking with Stevia by James Kirkland.

In the course of the following months, the FDA seized all of Stevita's inventory, in an effort to force the company to comply with the recall and destruction order. This action, according to author, James Kirkland, "nearly put Stevita Company out of business." Only after lengthy, costly litigation was the company allowed to resume distribution of some publications, but not Cooking With Stevia.

The following was taken from the Internet website of Linda and Bill Bonvie, authors of The Stevia Story, A Tale of Incredible Sweetness And Intrigue:

"Given stevia's record as a completely safe and beneficial herbal product, and given that it now may be purchased legally in the U.S., just what is the FDA afraid of? That Americans will learn about stevia -- that it is actually both sweet and non-caloric? Try it? Want to use it? The FDA's prior attempts to control stevia as if it were a dangerous drug had the appearance to many of being a restraint of trade; now that it can be legally sold and used, the agency has gone further and is apparently trying to restrain ideas, information and criticism of its own behavior -- trying, in essence, to act as a sort of 'thought police.' This is a very important issue which should be carefully followed by everyone -- whether you like stevia or not -- even if you've never tasted it."

References:

Soffritti M., et al. Environ. Health Perspect, doi: 10.1289/eh.8711 (2005).

Sugar-Free Cooking Wtih Stevia The Naturally Sweet & Calorie-Free Herb, 1998; Crystal Health Publishing, Arlington, Texas

The Stevia Story - A Tale of Incredible Sweetness and Intrigue, Linda Bonvie, Bill Bonvie and Donna Gates, Atlanta: B.E.D. Publications, 1997.

Deadly Deception - Story of Aspartame - Mary Nash Stoddard, Odenwald Press 1998.

Nutrition and Healing, June 1998, Sweeteners Inspire Bitter Political Battle Between Feds and Consumers, Mary Nash Stoddard.

The Mary Stoddard Show, Interview with authors, Tanya and James Kirkland on Real Talk Network, 2001.

###
© 1998 All rights reserved. Use of this collected data is restricted.
Email your request for permission to re-publish any part of this article to: marystod@airmail.net
________________________________________________________________________________

INTERVIEWS WITH THE ASPARTAME/NEOTAME AUTHORITY: HON. MARY NASH STODDARD

VIDEO SERIES FEATURING THE ASPARTAME/NEOTAME AUTHORITY (since 1987)
"The Skinny On Obesity and Aspartame"Host June Stoyer 4th in Video Interview Series With Mary Nash Stoddardhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRgOkSWw-OE*keywords: Aspartame, Neotame, Obesity, Diet Soda, Gum, Asparbesity, NutraSweet, Equal, Canderel, Sugar, HFCS, FDA

__________________________________________________________________________
"The Dangerous Effects of Aspartame on Flying"

  Host June Stoyer 3rd Video Interview With Mary Nash Stoddard

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KN1gUifLTY&feature=youtu.be&a>*keywords: Pilots, USAF, FAA, FDA, Airlines, Pilot Hotline, Sen. Hearings, Aspartame, Neotame

______________________________________________________"Every Parent Should Know"
Host June Stoyer 2nd Video Interview With Mary Nash Stoddard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WNOO24ffeQ&feature=youtu.be>

     *keywords: Aspartame; Neotame; Kids; FDA; Labeling;       Seizures; PKU; Food Safety; Schools

_________________________________________"Deadly Deception"Host June Stoyer 1st Video Interview With Mary Nash Stoddard Keywords: Aspartame; Neotame; Medications; Dental Products; OTC Products; Artificial Sweeteners; Cancers; Medical Records<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq6ZFRBgH_g&feature=youtu.be>__________________________________________________________________________

Additional Aspartame/Neotame Interviews to watch/listen to:

Video Interviews on youtube.com (audio only) on the Laura Lee Show With Mary Nash Stoddard:Series of 4 Aspartame Interviews<http://www.goodreads.com/videos/list_author/661834.Mary_Nash_Stoddard>__________________________________________________________________________Video Interview on The Organic View Video (audio & still photo)Keywords: Aspartame; Neotame; FDA; Obesity; Weight Gain; Diet Drinks; Mayor Bloomberg Law in NYC<http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theorganicview/2012/09/21/mary-nash-stoddard-the-artificial-beverage-faade>__________________________________________________________________________2012 Video Interview on The Organic View Video (audio & still photo only)Keywords: Aspartame; Neotame; EUFSA; Sen. Hearings; Pilot Hotline; Symptoms; Deaths<http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theorganicview/2012/06/28/mary-nash-stoddard-the-aspartame-consumer-safety-network>__________________________________________________________________________Radio Interview by Dr. Peter Breggin With Mary Nash Stoddard (5/29/13)Keywords: Aspartame; Neotame; Phenylalanine; Sen. Hearings; Jas. Turner; MSG; FDA; FAA<http://breggin.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=285&Itemid=121>__________________________________________________________________________Radio Interview Truth Squad Radio's Host, Barbara Peterson With Mary Nash Stoddard (2/1/11) - The PPJ Gazette Keywords: Aspartame; Neotame; ACSN; FDA; FAA; NutraSweet; Equal; AminoSweet; Sugar<http://ppjg.me/2011/02/01/truth-squad-radio-–-mary-nash-stoddard-on-aspartameneotame/>__________________________________________________________________________Update on Truth Squad Radio Barbara Peterson and Marti Oakley w/Mary Nash Stoddard<http://www.blogtalkradio.com/marti-oakley/2012/02/10/ts-radio-with-mary-nash-stoddardaspartame-update>__________________________________________________________________________Radio Interview Host Ernie Brown on CBS Radio With Mary Nash Stoddard (8/9/10)(After Interview aired, Host & Radio Station Manager got intimidating letters objecting to the Interview from NutraSweet Headquarters in Chicago)Transcript: <http://marystod.blogspot.com/2010/08/mary-stoddard-cbs-news-radio-interview.html>_________________________________________

ASPARTAME CONSUMER SAFETY NETWORK / PILOT HOTLINE - PROMOTIONAL DVD COVER OF INTERNATIONAL NEWS DOCUMENTARIES AND TV SEGMENTS

This is the Cover of our Promotional DVD, sent out to media, showing a few of the dozens of international TV News Segments We've appeared in and/or Produced since 1987, on behalf of our Aspartame Consumer Safety Network.
Top Left: Our story on 60-Minutes, representing two years of cooperating with Mike Wallace and his Producer, Isadore Rosmarin, who flew into DFW, came to my home and interviewed many of our members who'd suffered adverse reactions…including Pilots, University Professors and others.The segment aired at least 3 different times and was so successful, I was engaged to help produce a series with the Australian 60-Minutes news anchor and production team. The work on that broadcast was extremely successful. We interviewed a brain tumor patient, who died a few days after the broadcast aired. 
Top Right: Historical Brain Tumor Press Conference in Washington D.C. at a Neurology Conference. L to R Panel Members: Dr. John Olney, Dr. Ralph Walton, James Turner, Esq., Senator Howard Metzenbaum and Hon. Mary Nash Stoddard. Story was picked up by all the wireservices and TV News Channels around the world.
Lower Left: Capt. Harold Wilson, Airline Captain in Alaska, who suffered a grand mal seizure in flight in the cockpit. Many other stories of Pilots losing their medical certification to fly may be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WNOO24ffeQ&feature=youtu.be
Lower Right: Mary Nash Stoddard on International Tour on behalf of Aspartame Consumer Safety Network and Pilot Hotline, being interviewed by TV anchor re: ACSN's Mission and what Researchers, FDA, consumers and the manufacturers are saying about the sweetener.
For more information see:
Aspartame & Flying - What Every Pilot/Passenger/Flight Crew/Air Traffic Controller Should Know About The Dangers:
**** <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KN1gUifLTY&feature=youtu.be&a>keywords: Pilots, USAF, FAA, FDA, Airlines, Pilot Hotline, Sen. Hearings, etc.

Subject: Links To MY 3 Latest SKYPE Video Aspartame Interviews on You Tube - Please SHARE "Every Parent Should Know"

Friday Sept. 6, 2013 The Organic View Video Interview: (Sept. 6, 2013)Host June Stoyer 2nd Video Interview With Mary Nash Stoddard Keywords: Aspartame; Neotame; Kids; FDA; Labeling; Seizures; PKU; Food Safety; Schools<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WNOO24ffeQ&feature=youtu.be>____________________________________________________________________________****(Aug. 15, 2013)Host June Stoyer 1st Video Interview With Mary Nash Stoddard Keywords: Aspartame; Neotame; Medications; Dental Products; OTC Products; Artificial Sweeteners; Cancers; Medical Records<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq6ZFRBgH_g&feature=youtu.be>___________________________________________________________________________Video Interviews on youtube.com (audio only) on the Laura Lee Show With Mary Nash Stoddard:Series of 4 Aspartame Interviews<http://www.goodreads.com/videos/list_author/661834.Mary_Nash_Stoddard>____________________________________________________________________________
Video Interview on The Organic View Video (audio & still photo)Keywords: Aspartame; Neotame; FDA; Obesity; Weight Gain; Diet Drinks; Mayor Bloomberg Law in NYC<http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theorganicview/2012/09/21/mary-nash-stoddard-the-artificial-beverage-faade>___________________________________________________________________________2012 Video Interview on The Organic View Video (audio & still photo only)Keywords: Aspartame; Neotame; EUFSA; Sen. Hearings; Pilot Hotline; Symptoms; Deaths<http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theorganicview/2012/06/28/mary-nash-stoddard-the-aspartame-consumer-safety-network>____________________________________________________________________________Radio Interview by Dr. Peter Breggin With Mary Nash Stoddard (5/29/13)Keywords: Aspartame; Neotame; Phenylalanine; Sen. Hearings; Jas. Turner; MSG; FDA; FAA<http://breggin.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=285&Itemid=121>___________________________________________________________________________
Radio Interview Truth Squad Radio's Host, Barbara Peterson With Mary Nash Stoddard (2/1/11) - The PPJ Gazette Keywords: Aspartame; Neotame; ACSN; FDA; FAA; NutraSweet; Equal; AminoSweet; Sugar<http://ppjg.me/2011/02/01/truth-squad-radio-–-mary-nash-stoddard-on-aspartameneotame/>__________________________________________________________________________
Update on Truth Squad Radio Barbara Peterson and Marti Oakley w/Mary Nash Stoddard<http://www.blogtalkradio.com/marti-oakley/2012/02/10/ts-radio-with-mary-nash-stoddardaspartame-update>__________________________________________________________________________Radio Interview Host Ernie Brown on CBS Radio With Mary Nash Stoddard (8/9/10)(After Interview aired, Host & Radio Station Manager got intimidating letters objecting to the Interview from NutraSweet Headquarters in Chicago)Transcript: <http://marystod.blogspot.com/2010/08/mary-stoddard-cbs-news-radio-interview.html>__________________________________________________________________________Mary Nash Stoddardmarystod@airmail.netLatest Radio Interview: <http://prn.fm/tag/aspartame/#axzz2YffYixO1>__________________________________________________________________________

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/661834.Mary_Nash_Stoddard http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825841/ http://twitter.com/#!/marystod/ http://marystod.blogspot.com/
http://www.aspartamesafety.com/ http://www.worldeducationcouncil.org/the-council/founding-board-members/mary-nash-stoddard/

Food/Nutrition Author Quotes Aspartame Authority in Book

Aspartame: The Real Story
by Annemarie Colbin, Ph.D.

Sugar is bad for you, right? It has calories and makes you fat. Therefore, anything that tastes sweet and doesn't have calories is preferable, because it won't make you fat. Right? That is the thinking that supports the widespread use of artificial sweeteners. Millions of people guzzle soft drinks sweetened with aspartame, the compound sold under the trade names Nutrasweet and Equal. This ingredient is found in all kinds of diet foods, in toothpaste, and sprinkled out of small packets into coffee and tea. It is sold worldwide. It is also associated with thousands of reports of adverse effects. Most of the information that follows was taken from the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network Fact Sheet, written by Lendon Smith, MD, former Network Physician at NBC-TV and well-known author and pediatrician.

Aspartame (the technical name is L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanyl-methyl-ester) is considered to be about 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is virtually calorie free. When ingested and metabolized, it breaks down into three substances:

phenylalanine (50%), one of the amino acids needed for the production of neurotransmitters essential to brain function. While this sounds OK, it is not: people with PKU (phenylketonuria) are missing the enzymes to break down this amino acid and may end up with an excess that causes brain damage. For susceptible people, phenylalanine will be neurotoxic and might cause seizures.aspartic acid (40%), which can cause brain damage in fetusesmethanol (10%), an alcohol wich turns into formaldehyde, a known toxic substance used, among other things, as embalming fluid.

Early studies in the 1970's found that aspartic acid causes holes in the brains of mice. (I find this an interesting bit of information, in the light of current concerns with "spongiform encephalopathy," or mad cow disease, and Creuzfeld-Jacob disease, in all of which the brain becomes sponge-like with holes in it). Monkeys fed aspartame died or had grand mal seizures; however, these studies were not submitted to the FDA when approval for aspartame was requested. The request was approved by then FDA commissioner Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr., in 1981, after he overruled the Public Board of Inquiry's recommendation to ban this artificial sweetener. Two months before quitting the post, Hayes approved the use of aspartame in soft drinks, even though the National Soft Drink Association had warned the FDA that aspartame was breaking down in warm climates.

From the early '80's, consumer complaints began pouring into the FDA related to aspartame use. Among the symptoms reported are the following:

headaches
nausea
vertigo
hearing loss
tinnitus
insomnia
numbness and tingling of extremities
blurred vision
blindness
eye problems
memory loss
slurred speech
mild to suicidal depression
personality changes
violent episodes
mood changes
anxiety attacks
hyperactivity
heart arrhythmia
edema or swelling
gastrointestinal disorders
seizures
skin lesions
muscle cramps
joint pains
fatigue
PMS
menstrual irregularities
chest pain
increased appetite

Artificial sweeteners can increase appetite because as the sweet taste hits the mouth, a message is passed on to the body that carbohydrates are coming in; then the pancreas swings into action and sends insulin into the bloodstream. As there are no actual carbohydrates, the insulin lowers the blood sugar and appetite increases. In this manner, artificial sweeteners can contribute to hypoglycemia.

Scientific studies show mixed results; some find no increase effects on hyperactivity with aspartame, others find that individuals with mood disorders do react with headaches or increased number and severity of depressive symptoms. "Anecdotal reports" are simply people telling what happened to them; while the scientific community does not accept these as valid, sensible human beings might at least pay attention. Where there's smoke there's fire.

In addition to the above symptoms, aspartame use can mimic a number of autoimmune diseases. Aspartame may mimic or trigger the following illnesses:

fibromyalgia
chronic fatigue syndrome
Epstein-Barr
post-polio syndrome
lyme disease
epilepsy
hypothyroidism
ADD
Meuniere disease
Alzheimer disease

Fortunately, most of these symptoms are reversible, and disappear once aspartame is discontinued.

This noxious substance, so ubiquitous in our commercial food supply, should be recalled by the FDA and retested as a drug. As it is not classified as a drug, the manufacturers are not obligated to monitor its adverse effects! Senator Howard Metzenbaum had written a bill warning pregnant women, infants and children against ingesting aspartame, on the suspicion of its relationship to seizures, changes in brain chemistry, and adverse neurological and behavioral symptoms; as is to be expected, the bill got killed. What I found really interesting is that the US Air Force has formally warned all pilots to refrain from consuming aspartame-sweetened diet drinks, as they found them linked to grand mal seizures, vertigo, heart disease, and suicidal depressions. Aspartame interferes with the production of the calming neurotransmitter serotonin. Isn't it really interesting that sales of the antidepressant Prozac, which encourages the production of serotonin, have gone through the roof in the last few years?

For further information, you can contact the following organization:

Aspartame Consumer Safety Network; Mary Nash Stoddard, Founder. E-mail:marystod@airmail.net. 

To sweeten your food without white sugar and without artificial sweeteners, stick to the real thing: fruit both fresh and dry, juices, maple syrup, grain malts. Yes, they do have calories like normal food does, but they will not fool and confuse your body, and won't put you at risk for autoimmune or neurological disorders.

If you really like drinking sweet fizzy drinks, here is a simple recipe:

Apple Mint Fizz
1/3 cup unfiltered apple juice
1/3 cup cold mint tea
1/3 cup seltzer water
Mix and enjoy at room temperature or over ice, 
with a slice of lemon if you like. You can make all kinds 
of variations on this recipe with juices, teas, and seltzer water.

 
Mary Nash Stoddardmarystod@airmail.net

Aspartame Reaction Case History: Multiple Sclerosis / Alzheimer /Neurological Symptoms

FEEDBACK ON ASPARTAME:
The site was by Mary Stoddard, a nice lady who's devoted her life to educating people on this chemical. I called my mother at 6 a.m. and _very quietly_ read ...
Aspartame Poisoning _ Symptoms
Author: joanne <joanne@inetex.com>
Date: 1998/12/22
Forum: alt.support.mult-sclerosis

Excuse me, may I interrupt here? My mother has been on many medications
because she is mentally ill. When she started developing pains in her legs
and slurred speech we took her to the doctor. He didn't know what was wrong
with her and we soon changed her medication as I was blaming that. Soon
after she descended the staircase into mania like that which I had never
seen, and hope never to experience again. Soon I found find out that ALL
of the symptoms she experienced were being caused by massive, long-term
consumption of Aspartame.

First, her muscles started going (she started falling down alot) and anxiety
attacks became a daily event. I was seeking help for her as I saw a
deepening depression that I did not like, increased irritibility, heard her
complaining daily of dizziness and the right side of her face was fallen and
experiencing some kind of paralysis. She obviously was suffering fatigue as
we couldn't get her off the couch. After a few months she became
increasingly manic.

My mom started staying up all night yelling, pounding, smashing much more
violently than usual saying that my grandfather was going to kill her, so
she was preparing to kill him in self-defence. I immediately started
fighting with doctors to get her into a mental hospital. I am telling you
this very personal information because I want you to KNOW that this
possibility is very real and I am not exaggerating the details. This is
just how it was. After three months of battling with doctors I finally got
her into a mental hospital, not from her illness, but from taking too much
Aspartame. She was in the hospital for over a month and guess what? They
didn't serve Aspartame. Within 3 days of being there, my mom was back to
normal (except for the brain tumour). I just couldn't believe the change in
her behaviour. It was almost instant.

At the time, everyone in my family thought she was nuts, except me. My mom
had been stable all of my 32 years and I knew these symptoms were being
caused by "something" though I didn't know what. I thought it was the
long-term use of her medication. After four years of trying to find a
needle in a haystack and deeply regretting changing her medication, I found
a site which brought it all home. The site was by Mary Stoddard, a nice
lady who's devoted her life to educating people on this chemical. I called
my mother at 6 a.m. and _very quietly_ read the page to her. She
immediately went to the toilet and flushed the sweeteners down the drain.
I did not have to argue with her, I simply read her the information which
was pretty conclusive in and of itself. Then I phoned the woman in the
States to thank her as she may well have saved my mother's life.

I thank God every day for the Net or I never would have figured it out. The
symptoms were just too strange. By the way, Mary Stoddard's site is at:
http://web2.airmail.net/marystod/

The list below doesn't mention tumours in the temporal lobe, though it does
mention brain cancer..; ) It lists many other symptoms of which people
should be aware. The symptoms my mother suffered seem pretty common so
please make note of them. If a member of your family develops a brain
tumour in the right temporal lobe, question them on their intake of
Aspartame. If they start complaining of blurring vision and start slurring
their speech, this is a dead give-away. Remember, it took me four years to
figure out what was wrong with my mom. Please don't go through that. And
don't bother trying to change them, just hand them the information and let
them learn it for themselves. I've learned the hard way that harping does
not work. Maybe print off the information and offering it to them with the
hope of their recognizing their symtoms might help them willingly part the
sweeteners. Also, Mary's questionnaire is at:
http://www.aspartamesafety.com/ and she gladly answers all
questions, so please feel free to ask her.

Since this happened to my mother, I have been an active proponent against
Aspartame in the form of letter writing and educating the public on its
potential side-effects. It took many years of consumption and huge doses to
bring my 220 lb mother to her knees. It would take far less for a smaller
human being. Just be forewarned that these effects are real and happening
to real people, like my mom and my family.

Blessings and peace,
Joanne M. Stephenson
KIN International
http://www.inetex.com/joanne
*****************
Stay alert for the top five:

* Confusion - inability to think or concentrate
* Anxiety Attacks - mood swings - sudden rages
* Weakening Muscles - collapsing for no reason - may complain of unstable
ankles or knees
* Blurring Vision
* Slurred Speech
Mary Nash Stoddardmarystod@airmail.net

Serotonin Connection and Aspartame - Depression, GWS, etc.

Aspartame May Be Linked to Depression, Suicide
by Mary Nash Stoddard / Founder of the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network ... ______ Mary Nash Stoddard, author of Deadly Deception - Story of Aspartame, ...
www.omplace.com/articles/Aspartame.html - 7k - Cached - Similar pages

Aspartame May Be Linked to Depression, Suicide

by Mary Nash Stoddard / Founder of the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network

DALLAS - February 1, 2001 - For the record, 92 aspartame-related symptoms - including 5 deaths - have been reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. At least 75% of all complaints to the USFDA are regarding the artificial sweetener, better known as: NutraSweet, Canderal, Equal, etc.

At Aspartame Consumer Safety Network [Dallas-based all volunteer international organization], we are increasingly concerned with the more sinister reported psychological side effects of aspartame ingestion. One aspartame component, phenylalanine (50% of the molecule) has been shown in the laboratory to block production of a necessary neurotransmitter, serotonin, which controls sleep patterns and moods. Many daily users of products containing the sweetener such as diet drinks, gums, etc. report both manic and suicidal depressions among other their symptoms. Aspartame also breaks down in heat and in the body to the addictive depressant, methanol (10% wood alcohol), formaldehyde [embalming fluid], formic acid and diketopiperazine (a documented brain tumor agent].

Even subtle alterations of brain patterns in aspartame users may be deemed significant, according to these prominent brain researchers:

Richard Wurtman, M.D., head of Brain Science at MIT says, "There is  evidence that levels of serotonin or 5-HIAA are subnormal in CSF  (cerebrospinal fluid) samples from violent psychiatric patients and in  brains of people who died by suicide." 1

"In rats, the administration of glucose and aspartame by gavage  increased brain levels of tyrosine and phenylalanine and decreased brain  serotonin concentration. It has been argued that these changes in brain  amino acid and biogenic amine levels in rats may have important  behavioral implications for humans." 2

Ralph Walton, M.D., a respected researcher at the Department of  Psychiatry, Northeastern Ohio Univ. College of Medicine and Director of  Research Western Reserve Care System, states, "We conclude that  individuals with mood disorders are particularly sensitive to this  artificial sweetener and its use in this population should be discouraged." 3

Lane Lenard, Phd wrote: "In one meta-analysis, five out of seven studies  reported reduced levels of serotonin and/or 5_HIAA in the brain stems  of suicide victims."

Neurologist, Russell Blaylock, writes that, "In the case of children,  the damage done at the time of initial exposure produces no obvious outward  effects. However, when the child reaches a later stage of development,  the damage may present itself as an emotion control disorder [violent  episodes, schizophrenia, paranoia]. Hundreds of millions of children  are at great risk and their parents are not even aware of it. Early  exposure to excitotoxins [aspartame] could cause a tendency for episodic  violence and criminal behavior in later years." 5

Aspartame (aka NutraSweet/Equal), as shown in the literature, can be a powerful, mind-altering drug - driving some over the abyss into dark, sinister depressions they can not shake, even with the use of anti-depressants. Suicide, for many individuals may seem to be the only way out.

On a brighter note, abstinence from aspartame has been reported to have a miraculous effect on some, allowing for a happier existence and the ability to cope with life's normal problems in a non threatening way. A clear understanding of this issue may mean the difference between life and death for some.

End notes

1 Wurtman, Richard J. ,M.D.; Effects of Dietary Amino Acids,  Carbohydrates, and Choline on Neurotransmitter Synthesis; The Mount  Sinai Journal of Medicine; Vol. 55, No. 1, January 1988. From the Dept.  of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, and The Clinical Research Center,  Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.]

2 JAMA, July 19,1985- Vol 254, No.3, p.402

3 Adverse Reactions to Aspartame: Double-Blind Challenge in Patients from a Vulnerable Population,the Journal of Biological Psychiatry, 1993

4 Lane Lenard, Phd as reported in Life Enhancement, January, 1998  5 Blaylock, Russell M.D., Excitotoxins - The Taste That Kills

Mary Nash Stoddard, Founder and President Aspartame Consumer Safety Network and Pilot Hotline [1987 - 2001]
Author: "Deadly Deception - Story of Aspartame" [Odenwald Press 1998]
Expert Medical Witness [1992-2001]
Visiting Professor: U. T. Southwestern Medical School [1996]
Visiting Professor: American University [1999] and Univ. of North Texas at Denton [1990]
Invited speaker: Hebrew Univ. Jerusalem - [1997]
Keynote speech: Mexican Government's Conference on Sweeteners [1999]
Appointed Judge - State of Texas [1977-1984]
Broadcast Journalist - [1965-2000]
President's Council on Food Safety - [1998-1999]
International Lecture Tours - [1996-2000]
http://web2.airmail.net/marystod ____________________________________________________________ __________ Mary Nash Stoddard, author of Deadly Deception - Story of Aspartame, [Odenwald 1998], can be reached at: P.O. Box 780634, Dallas, TX 75378 phone: 214-352-4268, or email: marystod@airmail.net



Feedbacks on Aspartame
The site was by Mary Stoddard, a nice lady who's devoted her life to educating people on this chemical. I called my mother at 6 a.m. and _very quietly_ read ...
www.earthrainbownetwork.com/FeedbksAspartame.htm - 33k - Cached - Similar pages

Aspartame Poisoning _ Symptoms
Author: joanne <joanne@inetex.com>
Date: 1998/12/22
Forum: alt.support.mult-sclerosis

Excuse me, may I interrupt here? My mother has been on many medications
because she is mentally ill. When she started developing pains in her legs
and slurred speech we took her to the doctor. He didn't know what was wrong
with her and we soon changed her medication as I was blaming that. Soon
after she descended the staircase into mania like that which I had never
seen, and hope never to experience again. Soon I found find out that ALL
of the symptoms she experienced were being caused by massive, long-term
consumption of Aspartame.

First, her muscles started going (she started falling down alot) and anxiety
attacks became a daily event. I was seeking help for her as I saw a
deepening depression that I did not like, increased irritibility, heard her
complaining daily of dizziness and the right side of her face was fallen and
experiencing some kind of paralysis. She obviously was suffering fatigue as
we couldn't get her off the couch. After a few months she became
increasingly manic.

My mom started staying up all night yelling, pounding, smashing much more
violently than usual saying that my grandfather was going to kill her, so
she was preparing to kill him in self-defence. I immediately started
fighting with doctors to get her into a mental hospital. I am telling you
this very personal information because I want you to KNOW that this
possibility is very real and I am not exaggerating the details. This is
just how it was. After three months of battling with doctors I finally got
her into a mental hospital, not from her illness, but from taking too much
Aspartame. She was in the hospital for over a month and guess what? They
didn't serve Aspartame. Within 3 days of being there, my mom was back to
normal (except for the brain tumour). I just couldn't believe the change in
her behaviour. It was almost instant.

At the time, everyone in my family thought she was nuts, except me. My mom
had been stable all of my 32 years and I knew these symptoms were being
caused by "something" though I didn't know what. I thought it was the
long-term use of her medication. After four years of trying to find a
needle in a haystack and deeply regretting changing her medication, I found
a site which brought it all home. The site was by Mary Stoddard, a nice
lady who's devoted her life to educating people on this chemical. I called
my mother at 6 a.m. and _very quietly_ read the page to her. She
immediately went to the toilet and flushed the sweeteners down the drain.
I did not have to argue with her, I simply read her the information which
was pretty conclusive in and of itself. Then I phoned the woman in the
States to thank her as she may well have saved my mother's life.

I thank God every day for the Net or I never would have figured it out. The
symptoms were just too strange. By the way, Mary Stoddard's site is at:
http://web2.airmail.net/marystod/

The list below doesn't mention tumours in the temporal lobe, though it does
mention brain cancer..; ) It lists many other symptoms of which people
should be aware. The symptoms my mother suffered seem pretty common so
please make note of them. If a member of your family develops a brain
tumour in the right temporal lobe, question them on their intake of
Aspartame. If they start complaining of blurring vision and start slurring
their speech, this is a dead give-away. Remember, it took me four years to
figure out what was wrong with my mom. Please don't go through that. And
don't bother trying to change them, just hand them the information and let
them learn it for themselves. I've learned the hard way that harping does
not work. Maybe print off the information and offering it to them with the
hope of their recognizing their symtoms might help them willingly part the
sweeteners. Also, Mary's questionnaire is at:
http://www.aspartamesafety.com/ and she gladly answers all
questions, so please feel free to ask her.

Since this happened to my mother, I have been an active proponent against
Aspartame in the form of letter writing and educating the public on its
potential side-effects. It took many years of consumption and huge doses to
bring my 220 lb mother to her knees. It would take far less for a smaller
human being. Just be forewarned that these effects are real and happening
to real people, like my mom and my family.

Blessings and peace,
Joanne M. Stephenson
KIN International
http://www.inetex.com/joanne
*****************
Stay alert for the top five:

* Confusion - inability to think or concentrate
* Anxiety Attacks - mood swings - sudden rages
* Weakening Muscles - collapsing for no reason - may complain of unstable
ankles or knees
* Blurring Vision
* Slurred Speech


SIGHTINGS
GWI And Other Illnesses By Mary Nash Stoddard <marystod@airmail.net> ... ACSN Founder, Mary Nash Stoddard (a veteran's widow) is available to answer ...
www.rense.com/health/aspertame.htm - 11k - Cached - Similar pages
SIGHTINGS
Aspartame And Diet
Drinks - Contributors To
GWI And Other Illnesses
By Mary Nash Stoddard <marystod@airmail.net>
9-16-98
 
 
Dallas -- When stored or heated above  85 degrees F, as in desert heat, Aspartame in "diet drinks" breaks  down into neurotoxic substances: Methanol (wood alcohol), Formaldehyde  (embalming fluid), Formic Acid (ant sting venom) and DKP (brain tumor agent). The major soft drink companies shipped free diet soft drinks (Businessweek,  Dec.'90) to our Desert Storm troops, where they broke down in storage into  highly toxic substances. The symptoms reported by many sufferers of "Gulf  War Syndrome" mimic the ones of those reporting problems associated  with Aspartame use here ... but, the military personnel symptoms are greater  because they were drinking/eating "expired" Diet Pepsi and then  some! Since Aspartame is capable of changing the DNA (in lab tests), birth defects in offspring can be readily addressed. Family members are also  experiencing illness, possibly from their continued use of these products.  What is the real reason behind Gulf War Syndrome? Based on volumes of available research, we believe it was what they were eating and drinking Aspartame in extreme desert heat.
 
ACSN Founder, Mary Nash Stoddard (a veteran's  widow) is available to answer questions and support allegations regarding  this important issue and how it is adversely affecting 3 out of 5 who use it. ACSN's special Pilot's Hotline has logged over 800 pilot-related calls.  Pilots are having grand mal seizures in the cockpits of commercial airline  flights, and others are crashing the flight simulator at training facilities  while in seizure. Dozens have lost their flying status because of Aspartame.  Seizures, loss of vision, vertigo, suicidal depressions, heart problems,  etc. are routinely reported to ACSN. Many consumers report bizarre psychological symptoms as well. This happens when the Phenylalanine in Aspartame depletes  levels of the neurotransmitter, Serotonin, a brain chemical which regulates aggressive behaviors and sleep patterns, among other things.
 
The U.S. Air Force has formally warned  all pilots to abstain from consuming Diet Drinks in their official Flying  Safety publication (May & August 1992.) Their Aspartame Alert article  was based on that of the U.S. Navy to pilots earlier in Navy Physiology.  78% of all consumer complaints to the FDA are about reactions to Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal, etc).
 
Recently, a letter was sent to COPA in  which a pilot expressed his concerns over questionable adverse effects  from consumption of diet drinks containing aspartame. By 1986, the FDA  and the Centre for Disease Control in the U.S. had evaluated 3,000 known complaints. Fellow pilots who may have had similar side effects may be  interested in the information below:
 
The January, 1990, Plane and Pilot magazine  featured an article on drugs and alcohol vis-a-vis safe flying practices  that also talked about food additives. It explained that diet soft drinks  are sweetened artificially by Aspartame (NutraSweet and Equal), and that Aspartame contains 10% methanol. That caught my attention! I know that  methanol (wood alcohol) is a poisonous substance, which on ingestion causes  blindness and death; two teaspoons full are considered lethal.
 
The article disclosed that methanol destroys  the brain, albeit a little at a time, and that effects are cumulative.  Depending on a person's physical state and tolerance level, immediate effects  can either be severe (resulting in epileptic seizures, including grand  mal, blindness, chest palpitations), or less noticeable (causing blurred vision, bright flashes, tunnel vision, ringing or buzzing in ears, migraine  headaches, dizziness, loss of equilibrium, lip and mourth reactions); less  noticeable effects might be passed off as temporary or caused by something  else. But everyone is affected in one way or another, since methanol causes toxic reactions, not just allergic ones in a few unfortunates.
 
Here are some direct excerpts from the  article: "An Air Force pilot traced the patterns of tremors and seizures  he suffered for two years directly to his patterns of NutraSweet consumption.  When he travelled to areas where diet sodas were not avialable, he was  free of the symptoms. But, when he resumed intake of the beverages, his tremors resumed, grew more severe and culminated in a grand mal seizure  that ended his flying career. His medical problems ceased when he quit  ingesting NutraSweet, but it was too late to restore his flying status."
 
"Another pilot suffered similar  symptoms only when using Aspartame products. But FAA revoked his medical  certificate when it was informed of the symptoms. After only two cups of  artificially sweetened hot chocolate, a pilot experienced blurred vision  so severe he was unable, in flight, to read the instruments and very narrowly  avoided a tragic landing. Safely on the ground, he related his symptoms  to the secretaries in his office. Both of them told of experiencing similar symptoms after ingesting Aspartame products."
 
I, too, had bad experiences with Aspartame.  It replaced saccharin about 10 years ago. As a marathon runner in his 30s,  I consumed litres of diet drinks daily at that time. When I first drank  pop with Aspartame, it had immediate and severe effects upon my consciousness  and vision. After a few scary incidents, pop consumption and problems seemed related.
 
I described symptoms and circumstances  to my doctor. He ran tests, but never seriously listened to my concern  of relating pop with the effects. He was a reasonably competent G.P., but  not ready to distrust, let alone blame, an FDA approved sweetener. Eventually,  I quit ingesting Aspartame and have not had incidents since. Employed in  the professions and a post-graduate, I conduct research occasionally and  am aware of the difficulty of matching cause and effect (and the danger  of doing it improperly.) But, there is no doubt in my mind that "tests" with my body proved that Aspartame is bad (at least for me.)
 
When I spoke about this to a non-flying,  weightlifting gym friend, he volunteered for a test. After drinking one  can of diet pop, his ears started ringing within minutes and he got a pulsating  sensation in his brain.
 
Apparently, the other main components  of Aspartame, Phenylalanine [50%], Aspartic Acid [40%], combined with the Methanol [10%], create a witch's brew of 16 breakdown products after digestion  that cause illness. Animal tests revealed brain tumors, some cancerous;  holes in the brain, womb tumors, uterine tumors and reproductive dysfunctions.  Studies on humans indicated that pregnant women and young children run  especially high risks. There is evidence of birth defects in offsprings,  including severe retardation, genetic damage, especially in women who carry  the PKU (Phenylketonuria) gene, heart problems and emotional and psychiatric disorders.
 
If pilots want more information, I encourage  them to call (or Email) the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network in Dallas,  Texas U.S.A. and talk to ACSN & Worldwide Pilot Hotline Founder, Mary  Nash Stoddard (Email: marystod@airmail.net) ACSN promises  confidentiality if asked, and will send an eye-opening information package.



Mary Nash Stoddard, Founder
Aspartame Consumer Safety Network and Pilot Hotline
[Promoting FDA Recall of Aspartame - since 1987]
phone: 1-214-387-4001
email: marystod@airmail.net
http://www.aspartamesafety.com

Sweeteners/FDA/Article from 1991

(Written 14 years ago, this article from FDA Magazine contains statements we vehemently disagree on, such as the one about the safety of Aspartame, in FDA's opinion. But it shows where the government agency was in its thinking twelve years ago, so I thought it might be interesting to readers now. It's a telling insight into how the FDA sees all sweeteners as broken down here. Stoddard.)

Not only Sugar is Sweet
By Alexandra Greeley
FDA
Magazine
06/02/1991

Plain table sugar and its numerous
taste-alikes may be one of our most popular food commodities.
People come by their love for sweetness naturally. According to
the experts, humans are born generally preferring sweet over
bitter or sour tastes.

Sweeteners make many foods taste
better. And natural sugars have a host of other valuable
culinary and practical uses, including adding bulk to baked
goods, helping foods to brown, and facilitating fermentation.
But despite their immense popularity, sweeteners, particularly
table sugar, have generated their share of sour publicity
because of health concerns.

WHAT IS SUGAR?
Traditionally for
most consumers the generic term ?sugar? means simply the white
sugar crystals, or table sugar, that are stirred into or
sprinkled on foods.

These familiar crystals are technically
known as sucrose. Sucrose is a disaccharide--that is, it's
composed of two simple sugar units, in this case, glucose and
fructose. White sugar comes from sugar cane or sugar beets that
have undergone a rigorous refining process. White sugar crystals
can be used as is, compressed into cubes, or further pulverized
to superfine, then to confectioner's, or powdered, sugar. Brown
sugar results from mixing white sugar crystals with molasses.
Other forms of sucrose are beet sugar, maple sugar, turbinado
sugar, and raw sugar.

Sucrose, however, is only one of a
subgroup of sugars (see accompanying chart), and all sugars are
carbohydrates. Monosaccharides, or single sugar units, include
glucose, fructose and galactose. Monosaccharides also are the
digestive end product of polysaccharides, the complex
carbohydrates (starches) in fruits, grains and vegetables. Other
disaccharides besides sucrose include lactose (glucose and
galactose), also called milk sugar, and maltose (two units of
glucose), also called malt sugar.

For labeling use and for
making comparative claims, the Food and Drug Administration
defines sugars as all mono-, di-, tri-, and tetrasaccharides and
their derivatives, such as sugar alcohol, says Youngme Park,
Ph.D., a nutritionist with FDA's Center for Food Safety and
Applied Nutrition. He says this includes all carbohydrate
sweeteners with the same functional and physiological effect
that can be used interchangeably in the food supply.

After complex carbohydrates are broken down to simple sugars (most
sugars and carbohydrates are eventually broken down to glucose),
the sugars are absorbed into the bloodstream and go to the
liver. There they may be stored as glycogen or used immediately
as glucose for energy by the body or brain.

"The body uses glucose as its simplest form of energy," says Judith Wurtman,
Ph.D., research scientist in the Department of Brain and
Cognitive Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"So for people who need calories, that is, those who are
recovering from an operation or who are shipwrecked, sugar can
keep them alive."

Thomas Jukes, Ph.D., professor of biophysics at the University of California at Berkeley, tells of
his experiments feeding laboratory rats protein, vitamins,
minerals, and sugar as the sole source of carbohydrates. The
rats thrived, he says. "Fish is not a brain food," concludes
Jukes. "Glucose is."

Sucrose occurs naturally in most green
plants, says Sarah Setton, vice president for public affairs,
The Sugar Association, Washington, D.C. It is produced by
photosynthesis, which is the use of the sun's energy in the
formation of food by plants. People would have to stop eating
fruits and vegetables and any products incorporating them to cut
sugar out of their diet. People seem to think that there is a
difference between sugar in an apple and sugar in the sugar
bowl," she adds. "But the way the body uses sugar is all the
same. The body can't tell where the sugar is from."

A TASTE FOR SWEETS
Americans have become conspicuous consumers of sugar
and sweet-tasting foods and beverages. We have developed a
relentless sweet tooth, "a severe addiction to sweetness," says
Joan Gussow, Ed.D., professor of nutrition and education at
Columbia Teachers College, Columbia University in New York
City.

According to U.S. Department of Agriculture data on the
amount of caloric sweeteners used in food, there has been an
increase of more than 16 percent on a per person basis over the
past two decades, and more than half of the increase has
occurred in the past five years. Caloric sweeteners include
sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, pure honey, and edible
syrups.

Paul Lachance, chairman of the department of food
science at Rutgers University in New Jersey states it another
way. He estimates that, based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, the
average American consumes about 300 calories from sugars added
to food. That comes to nearly 14 teaspoons of table sugar a
day.

Gussow has her own theory about why sugar is so
prominent in the American diet. It's for taste, she says. "I
grow my own vegetables and fruit. And when I pick, cook and eat
my parsnips, for example, they are as sweet as sugar," she says.
"But food is shipped all over the place, and when food gets too
old, much of the sugar turns to starch. The natural sweetness is
gone, and people sugar food to give it flavor."

As yet, no scientist has established any limits for sugar consumption. In
the typical American diet today (composed of about 45 percent
carbohydrates, 20 percent protein, and 30 to 35 percent fat) all
added and naturally occurring sugars account for about 21
percent of the total daily caloric intake. A 1986 FDA report
estimated that sugars added to food accounted for 11 percent of
calories consumed.

Yet if people eat increasingly larger quantities of caloric (nutritive) sweeteners in general, these
could compete with and crowd out other nutrients, warns Jane
Hurley, associate nutritionist at the Center for Science in the
Public Interest, Washington, D.C. People may consume many of
their calories each day from a sugary soft drink or candy bar.
"Those foods have few important nutrients we need," she says.
"People are better off having an apple as a snack than a candy
bar."

THE SAFETY ISSUE
Over the last several decades, sugar
has taken on the villain's role in the American diet. General
sugar-bashing has led to "sugarphobia" as Jukes calls it and the
unfounded fear that eating refined sugar causes many health
problems, including heart disease, diabetes, anxiety, fatigue,
depression, hyperactivity, and even criminal behavior.

But,
in fact, added sugar at current levels is not detrimental to
health. According to the landmark 1986 FDA Report of Sugars Task
Force, sugar, when consumed normal or moderate quantities,
cannot be linked to any disease, nor does it create a
dependency.

Walter Glinsmann, M.D., FDA's associate director
for clinical nutrition and senior author of the task force
report, explains that members of the task force estimated the
intake figures and trends of both added and naturally occurring
sugars, based on USDA data. They also reviewed the scientific
literature dealing with possible harmful effects of sugar
consumption on numerous conditions, including tooth decay,
glucose tolerance, diabetes mellitus, lipidemias (high blood
fat), cardiovascular diseases, obesity, gallstones, and cancer.
"Based on that work," says Glinsmann, "we decided that sugars
are safe as they are now used in the food supply." If there is a
significant change in the way Americans consume sugars, he adds,
then scientists must reevaluate their role.

As Glinsmann observes, FDA does not say that eating unlimited amounts of
sugars is safe. "There are not good or bad foods, only good or
bad diets," he says. "If half your diet is pure sugar, that is
not healthy. ... In a normal, varied diet, there are no adverse
effects of sugar itself."

The task force did find that sugar can cause dental cavities, he says, but adds that so can other
fermentable carbohydrates, such as dried fruit and honey, under
the right conditions.

Despite the report, some consumers persist in linking sugar consumption with assorted ills, such as
hyperactivity and aggressive behavior in children. This is often
reported by parents who say that their children are
uncontrollable after eating candy and other sugary
sweets.

Glinsmann points out that sugar has not been shown to
be a factor in hyperactivity. Studies of children and
adolescents at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda,
Md., and elsewhere have looked at groups of individuals served
sugar or a placebo (an inactive substance given as a control
when testing another substance). Glinsmann points out that no
researcher has found that sugar has had any discernible negative
effect on children's behavior. To the contrary, sugar often has
a soothing effect.

It also calms adults, says Wurtman, who
has studied the relationship between carbohydrate consumption
and mood. When people report having a sugar high or jitters,
Wurtman asks them what was happening before they took a mouthful
of something sweet. "When people feel the need to eat," she
says, "They usually are jittery. But 20 minutes after eating,
they are no longer jittery." In fact, the opposite happens:
After eating sugar, people become calm or even sleepy, she says,
an effect caused by sugar raising the level of a calming brain
chemical called serotonin. Sugar in its pure form is the best
nonprescription antidepressant, she says.

SUGAR BY OTHER NAMES
Numerous nutritive and nonnutritive substitutes for
sucrose vie for its place as a sweetener. All nutritive
substitutes - such as honey, concentrated fruit juices, dextrose
(also known as glucose), maple and corn syrups, fructose
(levulose or fruit sugar), sugar alcohols, and high-fructose
corn syrup contain and contribute calories.

Perhaps the most
commonly used nutritive sweetener is high-fructose corn syrup, a
sweet product manufactured from cornstarch and containing a high
level of fructose, explains Kyd Brenner, director of public
affairs for the Corn Refiners Association in Washington, D.C.
High-fructose corn syrup is very close to the composition and
calorie content of cane sugar, he says, and the syrup can be
used as a direct and inexpensive substitute for cane sugar when
liquid sweeteners are called for. It is used extensively in soft
drinks, condiments, jams, jellies, and wine and is not available
for home use.

Of the sugar alcohols, sorbitol (60 percent as
sweet as sucrose with about the same number of calories per
gram) is used in such products as hard and soft candies and
chewing gums. Xylitol, another sugar alcohol, has limited FDA
approval for special dietary uses. A third sugar alcohol,
mannitol, has been removed from the GRAS (generally recognized
as safe) list, and is regulated as an 'interim' food additive.
This means that its current use is considered safe, but some
questions have been raised that must be resolved to fully
determine what limitations, if any, should be imposed. Mannitol
is still being used in some products.

Both mannitol and
sorbitol, when taken in large amounts, can cause diarrhea.
Products whose reasonably foreseeable consumption may result in
a daily ingestion of 50 grams of sorbitol or 20 grams mannitol
must bear the labeling statement: "Excess consumption may have a
laxative effect."

The sugar polymer polydextrose, because of
its bulking properties, is used to replace a number of the
technical effects of sucrose in various baked goods, salad
dressings, frozen desserts, and candies. Because of its
structure, polydextrose is not readily digested, so it is a
low-calorie sucrose substitute. But it does not provide
sweetness, so it is likely to be used with a nonnutritive
sweetener. FDA is presently considering petitions for its use in
other products such as in fruit and peanut butter spreads, sweet
sauces, toppings, and syrups, and as a formulation aid in film
coatings in vitamin and mineral supplement
tablets.

NONNUTRITIVE SWEETENERS
Nonnutritive, or
high-intensity, sweeteners satisfy America's sweet tooth without
adding calories. Presently, manufacturers are using three such
sweeteners to replace sugar in a variety of food and nonfood
items such as mouthwashes and pill coatings.

One of these is
saccharin, 300 times sweeter than table sugar and with zero
calories. It is sold in liquid, tablets, packets, and in bulk.
Saccharin has had a stormy past, with studies in the United
States and Canada implicating it in the development of certain
cancers. In the late 1970s, FDA contracted with the National
Academy of Sciences (NAS) to study cancer-causing agents and
toxic substances in foods, including saccharin. NAS reports
showed that saccharin is a potential cancer-causing agent in
humans. A congressional moratorium protecting saccharin's
continued use has been renewed periodically by Congress. The
required label warning on saccharin states, "Use of this product
may be hazardous to your health. This product contains saccharin
which has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory
animals."
(We vigorously disagree with the FDA assessment of the safety of Aspartame. However, it still was not approved for baking at the time of this article.- Stoddard)

Aspartame - about 200 times sweeter than table
sugar and with the same number of calories per teaspoonful has
been shown to be safe. However, some people have reported that
they are sensitive to it, although such a sensitivity has not
been confirmed by scientific studies. Certain individuals
suffering from a rare genetic disease called phenylketonuria
cannot tolerate the amino acid phenylalanine, one of the
building blocks of aspartame as well as naturally occurring
proteins. Therefore, products containing aspartame must bear on
the label a statement that they contain phenylalanine. Aspartame
is available in packets and is used in numerous foods, including
cereals, beverage bases, and ready-to-drink iced tea, but
because it is not generally heat stable, it is not used for
cooking. Food technologists have been working on ways to
overcome this instability.

Acesulfame K (K is the chemical
symbol for potassium)-130 times sweeter than table sugar?was
approved by FDA in July 1988 as a sugar substitute in packets or
tablets and as an ingredient in such products as chewing gum,
dry drink mixes, and gelatins. The body does not metabolize
acesulfame K so it contributes no calories. Soluble in water, it
is stable at normal temperatures and does not break down during
cooking.

FDA banned the use of the sweetener cyclamate in
1970 because of concerns over its safety, but cyclamate is again
under consideration for use in specific products, such as
tabletop sweeteners and nonalcoholic beverages.

UNDER
DEVELOPMENT
Scientists continue to develop new sugar
substitutes. For example, among the nutritive sweeteners,
petitions for the use of the sugar alcohols isomalt (in
gelatins, hard and soft candies, and baked goods), maltitol (in
candy and cough drops), lactitol (in candy, chewing gum, baked
goods, and frozen dairy desserts), and hydrogenated starch
hydrolisates (in candy, chewing gum, and confections) are under
current FDA review, says Art Lipman, Ph.D., a supervisory
consumer safety officer with FDA's direct additives
branch.

FDA has also received numerous inquiries about the
regulatory status of a naturally occurring high-intensity
sweetener known as stevia (or stevioside), says Lipman.
Extracted from a plant grown in South America, stevia is 300
times sweeter than table sugar and is used for sweetening in
Japan and other countries. Lipman says no petition has been
filed for its use in the United States.

Two nonnutritive
sweeteners are being studied, says George Pauli, Ph.D., chief of
the novel ingredients and policy development branch. These are
alitame (Pfizer), which is chemically similar to aspartame, and
sucralose (McNeil Specialty Products Co.), a chlorinated sucrose
that has been made indigestible. FDA is also considering
petitions for additional uses of the sweetener acesulfame K in
beverages and baked goods and of aspartame for bulk use and in
breakfast cereals, malt beverages, candies, and cooked
foods.

Eating foods sweetened with nonnutritive sweeteners
rather than sugar is an individual choice, says Laura Tarantino,
an FDA consumer safety officer. Our law says only that we [FDA]
need to assess the safety of a new food additive and its
technical effect," she says. "Nonnutritive sweeteners are safe
to use. But we don't tell people to replace sugar with
artificial sweeteners."

In the future, consumers wanting to
know which sweeteners are present in their foods need only read
the label. According to an FDA labeling proposal, all sweeteners
will be listed together in the ingredient list, under the
collective term 'sweetener,' when more than one sweetener is
used in a product (following the collective term, each sweetener
would be listed in parentheses in descending order of
predominance by weight of the sweetener in the food). According
to an FDA proposal published late in 1991, it would be mandatory
for all complex carbohydrates and simple sugars to be listed on
the nutrition label, says Lynn Larsen, Ph.D., director of the
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition's Executive
Operations Staff.

People may have an inherent preference for
sweetness, and that may have helped our ancestors survive, since
bitter-tasting plants are generally not fit to eat. But beyond
survival, people seem to have discovered that sweet flavors
really help make eating pleasurable.

Alexandra Greeley is a
freelance writer in Reston, Va.

SWEET TALK

Type of
Sweetener
Regulatory Status

Common Sugars:
Monosaccharides
Glucose (also called
dextrose)
GRAS

Fructose (also called levulose)
fruit
sugar
GRAS

Galactose
none; cannot be directly added to
food

Common Sugars: Disaccharides
Sucrose (glucose +
fructose)
white table sugar, beet sugar, turbinado sugar, raw
sugar
GRAS

Lactose (glucose + galactose)
milk sugar
GRAS
petition under consideration

Maltose (glucose +
glucose)
malt sugar
GRAS

Sugar
Alcohols
sorbitol
GRAS

xylitol
limited FDA approval for
special uses

mannitol
removed from GRAS; regulated as
"interim food additive"

Nonnutritive and High-Intensity
Sweeteners
Aspartame
approved

Acesulfame K
approved

Cyclamate
banned

Saccharin
remains on market
through congressional moratorium

(FDA Disclaimer: The
statements in this article have not been evaluated by the FDA.
The products mentioned herein are not intended to diagnose,
treat, cure, or prevent any disease. For medical advice, always
consult your health care professional.) 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Shared by:Mary Nash Stoddard, Founder
Aspartame Consumer Safety Network and Pilot Hotline
[Promoting FDA Recall of Aspartame - since 1987]
phone: 1-214-387-4001
email: marystod@airmail.net
http://www.aspartamesafety.com

Aspartame & Kids- What All Parents Need To Know

AMINOSWEET Rebranding of ASPARTAME

 

A Message From  THE  REBEL

AminoSweet / Aspartame

 New kid on the block:

We're familiar with aspartame (NutraSweet/Equal). But, what is AminoSweet? Is it aspartame renamed? I asked this question of Mary Stoddard, who has been 'Spokesperson and Founder' of the international aspartame awareness campaign since1987, with her all volunteer non-profit organization, Aspartame Consumer Safety Network and Pilot Hotline.

 Ms. Stoddard's explanation of AminoSweet:

"I'm finding it a bit frustrating doing in-depth research on this crazy redo of aspartame. It's my understanding that it has the same formula, with a different name. I've been looking up the labeling requirements and legal ramifications of this.

 "My logical thought is that nothing has changed but the name. However, knowing the FDA as I do, the labeling requirement may have been eliminated arbitrarily. The autonomous nature of the agency gives them almost carte blanche. Even Congress cannot do anything but rule on labeling requirements. This might be a good thing, if we had a truly independent-thinking FDA. But, members of the agency are so tied in with corporations whose products they approve and regulate, that this does not work.

 "As to why the name was changed? I like to think our efforts have had something to do with that unprecedented action being taken by the NutraSweet company. Aspartame and NutraSweet are words that denote something unhealthy now. Our awareness campaign is working after almost a quarter of a century - so well, in fact, that we are our own worst enemy. So much so that, in order to conceal the harmful nature of the established brand, the name is being changed to something they perceive to be more benign. In reality, we have studies showing artificial amino acids (those produced in a lab) in isolated form (not in the presence of other ameliorating amino acids, as found in nature) is a dangerous path to follow. In my estimation, actions such as this one, serve to further pollute our food supply and that of our precious children. In a fool-hearty rush to 'improve' upon nature and increase the profitability of our manufactured food supply, we are possibly damaging it beyond the point of no return, through greed.

 "I'm quite certain Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, never imagined the genetic and chemically altered state of our current food supply when he wrote, "Let food be your medicine and let medicine be your food."

 "We do know that artificial sweeteners 'trick the tongue and body' into thinking natural sugars are entering the digestive system. Upon discovery of having been deceived, the body goes into a sort of shutdown mode to regroup and prepare for an invasion by a foreign body. Thus forcing the system into an unnatural action of having to revamp and deal the best it can with a fake food crisis - every time aspartame is ingested, this fire drill is repeated - creating a new, false 'norm.'

 "Until I find something further, telling me I am off base, I'll go with 'nothing has changed except the name.' Sounds more like an AminoSour to me!"

 Thank you to Ms. Stoddard for her insight into the name change of aspartame to AminoSweet.

 The Burden Is Ours:

As Ms. Stoddard says, since we can't depend on the FDA to give us unbiased information, the burden falls on our shoulders. Read the labels! If you see any of these words, AminoSweet, NutraSweet, Equal, aspartame, know that these are chemicals that weaken your immune system. Avoid them!! Children particularly should not consume foods or drinks with these ingredients. Remember to look at other items as well, such as chewing gum, medications, and vitamins. Bottom line, anything that goes in the mouth should be checked to see if any of these ingredients are on the label.

 Buyer's Choice:

It's our choice to purchase – or not to purchase – these products. To protect your health, I say, "Avoid these products!" 

Jayne Benkendorf, editor The Rebel www.HealthfulFood.com    

Mary Nash Stoddardmarystod@airmail.netLatest Interview: http://prn.fm/tag/aspartame/#axzz2YffYixO1