Payoffs, Cancer and NutraSweet: The Truth About Aspartame
By Gemma R Hughes
            There are always two sides to every story, to every court case, to every coin. Regardless of which side is right, unfortunately, it is the side with the highest paid lawyers that always wins. Guilt and innocence are dismissed while the lawyer with the most tricks up their sleeves, the most connections and power gets their client off without so much as a slap on the hand. This is the world we live in. A world where power wins over right a world where the rich get richer. This sounds very much like the start to a John Grisham novel, but what if I told you that the very drama you read in works of fiction was true in government and within the agencies designed and developed to protect our health and lives? What if I told you that fraud, payoffs, cover ups and lies were a part of the Food and Drug Administration's approval of drugs and specifically, in this case, the food additive artificial sweetener, Aspartame? The very sweetener that you heat to dangerous levels in your kid's Jell-O? The same sweetener that you guzzle in your diet sodas?

The artificial sweetener, Aspartame, is a dangerous chemical substance that was approved by the FDA through payoffs, cover-ups and lies in order to make the drug company, G.D. Searle (currently Searle Pharmaceuticals. and NutraSweet Co.), an awful lot of money. This substance is linked with numerous side effects and should be taken out of the hundreds of food products it is in immediately and legal action against the drug companies Searle, Monsanto, and the FDA should be taken.

What is Aspartame?
            Aspartame is the most widely used artificial sweetener.  It is marketed as Equal, NutraSweet, Spoonful, Indulge, Equal-Measure, etc. (Barua and Bal 1). This chemical sweetener can be found in the following:

1. Instant breakfast
2. Breath mints
3. Cereals
4. Sugar-free chewing gum
5. Cocoa mixes
6. Coffee beverages
7. Frozen desserts
8. Gelatin desserts
9. Juice beverages
10. Laxatives
11. Milk drinks
12. Multivitamins
13. Nonprescription pharmaceuticals
14. Shake mixes
15. Soft drinks
16. Tabletop sweeteners
17. Tea beverages
18. Instant teas and coffees
19. Topping mixes
20. Wine coolers
21. Yogurt (Balch and Balch 9).

            Aspartame was discovered accidentally in 1965 by a chemist of the G.D. Searle Company (Gold 1). After years of being denied approval to be an ingredient in food due to the discovery of false safety studies (Gold 8) it was approved for dry goods by the FDA in 1981 and then for soda in 1983 (Gold 1). At this time, as reported in a 1984 Arizona State University study published in The Journal of Applied Nutrition, there were no human or mammalian studies to evaluate the possible mutagenic, teratogenic, or carcinogenic effects of the by products of Aspartame (Monte 1). The pharmaceutical company Monsanto bought G.D. Searle in 1985 and split it into Searle Pharmaceuticals and the NutraSweet Company (Gold 1) . By 1993 the FDA had given approval for Aspartame to be put in most food (Gold 13) including foods that would  be heated to temperatures well over 30 degrees Celsius (86F) (Gold 6) a temperature that causes the sweetener to become that much more toxic when consumed. Aspartame can be found in over 4,200 products (Schachter 1).

So Why Was It Approved?   
            If the substance was approved by the FDA then it MUST be safe to eat, right? This is the thought process of many Americans; we trust the governmental agencies that were developed to act in our own best interest and health emphatically. We do not stop and question their agendas or methods; in fact we never educate ourselves enough to know what to question. First let's acknowledge the fact that almost all pharmaceutical companies are publicly traded companies, therefore, their officers and directors are legally required to increase profits. Failure to do so would result in termination (Trudeau 14). The pharmaceutical business is big money, a very wise investment to those who own stock, a fact not overlooked by those who are also officials for the FDA. This poses a serious conflict of interest, the very people who are supposed to deny approval of dangerous drugs will profit immensely by their approval and consequent sale. In 1992 it was reported that over 150 FDA officials were stock owners of the very pharmaceutical companies they managed (Gold 12). As well as FDA officials, members of Congress and the news media also own stock in these major drug companies (Trudeau 32), by exposing their crimes and deception they would directly feel the negative effect of lower stock value. Consequently, as criminologists have proven, the FDA spends most of its time protecting the profits of these drug companies (Trudeau 31). The FDA, drug industry and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) possess too much power. They are, as Kevin Trudeau calls them, an unholy alliance (30).
            To add fuel to the fire let me disclose a few interesting facts regarding the drug company G.D. Searle and the approval of Aspartame. Upon submission for approval, as I mentioned earlier, the sweetener was denied, there were too many holes in the research that claimed this substance was safe. Studies were doctored, test animals that had actually died were reported as still alive, and tumors were removed from living subjects (Gold 8). Regardless of this information Arthur Hull Hayes Jr., then Commissioner of the FDA, overruling his own board, approved the substance for human consumption. Shortly thereafter Hayes took a well paid position with Searle's public relations firm, very fishy! Upon discovery of the fraudulent safety studies submitted by G.D. Searle legal action was taken. However, the two U.S attorneys on this case allowed the statute of limitations to run out, the case was dropped and, shortly after those same two attorneys took positions with G.D. Searle's law firm (Gold 11), very fishy indeed!  It gets better, four other FDA officials connected with the approval process of Aspartame became well paid employees of companies connected with G.D. Searle between 1979 and 1982 (Gold 12). To top off the controversy, twelve of the last twenty FDA Commissioners, upon leaving the FDA, took immediate, very high paying, positions with Pharmaceutical companies (Trudeau 25). This is a very fishy business!
            The controversy doesn't end here! Huge financial contributions from the NutraSweet Company have been made to the American Dietetic Association and the American Diabetes Association (Gold 12). These two very powerful organizations, of course, support the consumption of Aspartame.
            Before the word propaganda enters your head let me first remind you of some very similar, recent, but all too forgotten instances in which large, multi-million dollar organizations profited from the death and demise of their consumers. Vioxx, an over priced pain reliever manufactured and marketed by Merck & Co., Inc., was approved by the FDA and sold to millions of unsuspecting, trusting consumers. Whistleblowers from Merck & Co., Inc. came forth and confirmed that the FDA and Merck & Co. knew that this drug would cause death but approved and sold it any way due to the potential profits involved. Over 100,000 people died as a result of taking Vioxx (Trudeau 74). Celebrex, Lipitor, Phen-phen, and Prozac are other good examples (Trudeau 53). In fact, according to Kevin Trudeau, author of the book Natural Cures They Don't Want You to Know About, over the last ten years the FDA has approved over nine specific drugs that have been proven to have deadly side effects. The Journal of the American Medical estimates that over 125,000 Americans die each year from side effects of FDA approved drugs (31). How about the cigarette companies? These multi-billion dollar organizations lied to the public as well as Congress about their knowledge that cigarettes were highly addictive for years until a whistleblower exposed them. Why? To make money! (Trudeau 17). The drug company Monsanto, current owner of Searle Inc. and NutraSweet, were sued for their cover up of the huge negative effects of the growth hormone used in dairy cows that made milk and dairy products poisonous. Never heard of that one? Well, that's because Monsanto put major pressure on the media to not run the story (Trudeau 40-41). These organizations are too greedy and too powerful!

The Research
            Since the discovery of this chemical, studies have been in disagreement as to whether or not this substance is safe for human consumption. For each published study conducted by the drug company G.D. Searle, or its affiliates there is an independent study, covered up, that proved the opposite (Barua and Bal 8). Many studies that have the potential to threaten the profits of large pharmaceutical companies never make it to print, they are bought out and then research results are destroyed. Trudeau put it well, "speech is not free, if your speech happens to threaten the profits of big business" (39).
             First, let's discuss the studies that claim that Aspartame is a safe food additive and poses no threat to health when consumed. Keep in mind virtually all drug research is funded by the pharmaceutical industry. In virtually every study, drugs are found to be safe, says Trudeau (29). Trudeau blows the whistle on many of the practices of these "scientific studies" with information such as, "researchers are given financial incentives to produce results" (46). As mentioned earlier, the initial studies claiming that Aspartame was safe were fraudulent. Other research, dating from 1981 to now, shows strong correlation between Aspartame consumption and brain tumors. Doctors H.J Roberts (Barua and Bal 5), and the late Adrian Gross and Satya Dubey (Gold 8) all conducted studies that had these same results. In the study Genotoxicity of Aspartame by E. Rencuzogullari, et al, featured in Drug & Chemical Toxicology in 2004, scientists concluded that most sweeteners have "mutagenic effects" and cause cancer (258).

Side Effects
            The effects of Aspartame are very different from person to person. Those with the rare genetic disease Phenylketonuria (PKU) are especially sensitive. Symptoms among individuals who do not have PKU range from mild to severe. Effects, however, are cumulative and often occur slowly over time and are therefore not usually linked with Aspartame consumption but are misdiagnosed as some other ailment. Symptoms include:
                        dizziness, unsteadiness, confusion, severe drowsiness and sleepiness, numbness, hyperactivity, severe depression, irritability, anxiety, aggression, personality changes, insomnia, phobias, blurred vision, blindness, blurred vision and reduced tears, ringing or buzzing in the ears, hearing impairment or noise intolerance, palpitations, shortness of breath, high blood pressure, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, itching, hives, loss of control of diabetes, menstrual changes, weight loss or gain, …aggravated low blood sugar. (Schlachter 1-2)
            The Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta has recently turned its attention to Aspartame (Yeager 39). Within the first twelve years of approval over 7,000 reports were submitted to the FDA of adverse reactions to Aspartame (Barua and Bal 1). This is most likely only a fraction of actual occurrences since, according to the FDA, only approximately 1% of adverse reactions are ever actually reported (Barua and Bal 2) and yet, this substance was not removed from the market. Some further disturbing facts include The Truth Campaign's article 'The Bitter Truth About Artificial Sweeteners' by Mark D. Gold which chronicles a study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in which eighty human test subjects suffered seizures after consuming aspartame, this large number apparently meets the FDA's own definition of a health risk and is required to be removed from the market, yet the product still remains (10). Dr. H.J. Roberts, author of the book Aspartame: Is It Safe? is quoted in Gold's article: "Unfortunately, many patients in my practice, and others seen in consultation, developed serious metabolic, neurologic and other complications that could be specifically attributed to using aspartame products." (9).
            Children and the elderly are at a much greater risk for adverse effects (Barua and Bal 14) and yet children probably consume more aspartame containing products than other age groups. Since the average American consumes fourteen pounds of Aspartame a year, children's consumption must be obscene (Schachter 1). Even more disturbing is the fact that Aspartame becomes significantly more toxic when heated above 30 degrees Celsius (86 F) (Gold 6). Think about the product Jell-O! This dessert food is consumed mostly by children, it contains Aspartame. Jell-O is prepared by pouring boiling hot water onto the Jell-O powder. I'll remind you that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius, a temperature more than three times higher than the danger point of Aspartame. How is this allowed?
            A significant amount of research exists to support the theory that Aspartame contributes to depression. Dr. Ralph G. Walton, Professor and Chairman for the Department of Psychiatry at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (Martini 1) claims that "individuals with mood disorders are particularly sensitive to this artificial sweetener: its use in this population should be discouraged" (Gold 9-10).
            As mentioned earlier G.D. Searle has given large financial "donations" to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), as a result the ADA recommends Aspartame to diabetics as a good substitute for sugar. This is very interesting since Dr. H.J. Roberts, a diabetes specialist and member of the ADA, has conducted research proving that Aspartame "leads to the precipitation of clinical diabetes, causes poorer diabetic control in diabetics", leads to the aggravation of diabetic complications such as retinopathy, cataracts, neuropathy and gastroparesis, [and] causes convulsions (Gold 9).

The Science
            Once ingested, Aspartame hydrolyzes into three substances, aspartate (aspartic acid), phenylalanine and methanol. These substances are then metabolized and result in an increased level of each of these substances within the body (Vences-Mejia 453). These substances pose a significant health risk. Aspartic acid, an amino acid, "is a neuroexciter and a neurotoxin in high concentrations." Phenylalanine, an amino acid, is neurotoxic in large amounts and can cause seizures. Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, or wood alcohol, is converted to formaldehyde when ingested (Rencuzogullari, et al 266), it is extremely toxic "even in low concentrations" (Schachter 2). Lab studies claiming that Aspartame is safe are often conducted on rats, a species that metabolizes Aspartame faster than humans and, therefore, will not be susceptible to the same effects (Vences-Mejia 457). That said, some studies, regardless of metabolism differences, show a correlation between phenylalanine, methanol and in increased occurrence of breast, brain and prostate cancers (Rencuzogullari 265).
            Supporters of Aspartame argue that methanol is not toxic when ingested since methanol occurs naturally in a number of fruits and vegetables. In nature, however, methanol is always accompanied by ethanol, in much greater amounts, which is the natural antidote for methanol. When broken down from aspartame, methanol is in free form and hence is extremely toxic (Schachter 2). Mark Gold points out that methanol is the same "poison that caused some 'skid row' alcoholics to end up blind or dead" (5).

Weight Loss
            Those consumers who ingest Aspartame because they believe it is aiding in their weight loss and control will be interested to find out that, according to The Doctors Book of Food Remedies, by Selene Yeager, "people who [use] artificial sweeteners [are], on average, two pounds heavier than people who [do] not" (39). Similar findings have been published in Kevin Trudeau's book, in Understanding Nutrition by Eleanor Noss Whitney and Sharon Rady Rolfes, and in the study Emerging Facts About Aspartame by Dr.'s Barua and Bal. Understanding Nutrition and Emerging Facts About Aspartame both mention a number of studies all reporting that artificial sweeteners actually stimulate appetite, which, essentially, leads to weight gain (Whitney and Rolfes 126; Barua and Bal 13).

Aspartame 'pros'
            As I mentioned in my introduction, there are two sides to every story, and this story is no exception. The supporters of Aspartame argue that it is safe since studies have proven that there are no adverse side effects of consuming Aspartame. They debunk all studies proving otherwise as having experimental errors, being poorly done, etc. Supporters stress the benefits of Aspartame for diabetics and dieters, claming that Aspartame replaces sugar for diabetics and controls calories for dieters. Now, artificially sweetened products do have fewer calories than their sugary counterparts, this is true, but as I stated earlier, these products are not linked with weight loss. I believe the research I have presented in this report is powerful enough to challenge each of these claims of a benefit to consuming Aspartame. One thing that IS a benefit to consuming artificial sweeteners as opposed to sugar is that these sweeteners do not cause tooth decay like sugar does (Yeager 38).
            There are quite clearly two opposing sides of the Aspartame argument. The controversial approval process of Aspartame, and all drugs for that instance, should raise a red flag in and of itself to the safety of this chemical. The amount of research presented in this paper should be enough to, if not fully convince you that Aspartame should be removed from the diet, then to at least make you question its safety. In my opinion, if there is even the slightest possibility that a substance can cause all the symptoms that Aspartame is linked with, it is something I want to avoid completely.
            In conclusion, I reiterate, the artificial sweetener Aspartame is a pharmaceutical chemical that can cause serious side effects when ingested. It was approved by the FDA for human consumption through payoffs, fraud, lies and cover-ups. It should be removed from the over 4,200 food products it is currently in and severe legal action should be taken against its manufacturers, G.D. Searle (now Searle Pharmaceuticals and NutraSweet Co.), their current owner, Monsanto Inc. and the FDA for their blatant disregard for human health and life all in the name of profit.
            Or should we, the public be put to trial? Perhaps we are the guilty ones for ignorantly allowing these multi-million dollar corporations to get away with this sort of outrageous behavior. When we don't educate ourselves, or question authority, when we trust blindly and believe without proof or fact, then we are, in essence, giving permission to those with the power to make decisions for us. Until we start to take an active role in our own lives and our own health then we are pawns in the chess game of life, we are disposable!

Gemma Hughes, BS is an Exercise Physiologist, Personal Trainer, Master Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor in St Petersburg, FL.