Excitoxins are substances that over-stimulate neurons and cause brain damage in varying degrees. Damage caused by these additives is not usually dramatic and in most instances the effects are subtle, cumulative, and develop over a prolonged period of time. However, more serious and instantaneous symptoms are also possible. Aspartame complaints to the FDA have included reports of headache, nausea, vertigo, insomnia, loss of limb control, blurred vision, blindness, memory loss, slurred speech, mild to severe depression, suicidal tendencies, hyperactivity, gastrointestinal disorders, seizures, skin lesions, rashes, anxiety attacks, muscle and joint pain, numbness, mood changes, menstrual cramps out of cycle, hearing loss or ringing in the ears, loss or change of taste, and symptoms similar to those of a heart attack.[i]

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Russell L. Blaylock, M.D., author of: Excitotoxins, The Taste That Kills, states: “In my book on excitotoxins,[ii] I explain in detail how these substances damage the nervous system, leading to severe disorders, and what can be done to reduce your risk. It is my opinion that aspartame is a dangerous neurotoxin, as well as a significant carcinogen for many organs, and should be avoided at all cost.”[iii]

Excitotoxins have also been shown to stimulate the generation of free radicals, which can have a negative impact on tissues and organs outside the central nervous system. Evidence indicates that free radical production accelerates many degenerative illnesses such as atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease and arthritis. Joint pain is a major complaint among those who have reported adverse reactions to aspartame.

In 1991, the National Institutes of Health listed 167 symptoms and reasons not to use aspartame. Studies of the additive in peer reviewed medical literature were surveyed for funding source and study outcome. Of the 166 studies felt to have relevance for questions of human safety, 74 had NutraSweet-related funding and 92 were independently funded. One hundred percent (100%) of the industry-funded research attested to aspartame's safety, whereas 92 percent of the independently funded research identified problems.[iv]

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Scientifically known as 1-aspartyl 1-phenylalanine methyl ester, aspartame has three components: phenylalanine (50 percent), aspartic acid (40 percent) and methanol, also termed wood alcohol (10 percent). Phenylalanine and aspartic acid are amino acids that are normally supplied by the foods we eat; however, they can only be considered natural and harmless when consumed in combination with other amino acids. On their own, they enter the central nervous system in abnormally high concentrations, causing aberrant neuronal firing and probable cell death. The effects of these amino acids, when consumed as isolates, can be linked to headaches, mental confusion, balance problems and possibly seizures. Potentially more worrisome is that 10 percent of aspartame is absorbed into the bloodstream as methanol (wood alcohol). The Environmental Protection Agency defines safe consumption of methanol as no more than 7.8 milligrams per day. A one-liter beverage, sweetened with aspartame, contains about 56 milligrams of wood alcohol—eight times the EPA limit.

Aspartame’s breakdown products, or metabolites, present an even greater cause for concern than its components. Phenylalanine decomposes into diketopiperazine (DKP), a known carcinogen when exposed to warm temperatures or prolonged storage. And even at cool or cold temperatures, methanol will spontaneously give rise to formaldehyde (a colorless toxin used as an embalming agent). Independent studies have shown formaldehyde formation resulting from aspartame ingestion to be extremely common. It accumulates within the cells, and reacts with cellular proteins such as enzymes and DNA. This cumulative reaction could spell grave consequences for those who consume aspartame-laden diet drinks and foods on a daily basis.[v]

Furthermore, infants are four times more sensitive to excitotoxins than are adults. During the first year of life, irreversible brain damage can occur through tainted agents in breast milk. Despite this, the American Dietetic Association still recommends aspartame for pregnant and nursing women.

The United States Air Force, though, recognizes its dangers. The May, 1992 issue of their official publication, Flying Safety, stated: “In pregnancy the effects of aspartame can be passed directly on to the fetus, even in very small doses.” Both the U. S. Air Force and Navy have warned pilots about adverse reactions that can come from using aspartame products. Since some people have suffered aspartame-related disorders with doses as small as that contained in a single stick of chewing gum, this could mean that a pilot who drinks diet sodas is more susceptible to flicker vertigo, or to flicker-induced epileptic activity. Since 1988, over 600 pilots have complained about aspartame to the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network, an organization devoted to exposing the dangers of aspartame to the public.[vi]

The FDA approved aspartame for use in food in 1974; that approval was revoked after it was shown to cause brain tumors in rats. In 1981, several FDA members who had opposed the use of aspartame vacated their positions. When those positions were filled, the new members re-approved aspartame for general consumption. There is convincing evidence that G.D. Searle, the original manufacturer and purveyor of aspartame, manipulated its testing of aspartame to get FDA approval,[vii] and that the new management of the FDA was well aware of this.[viii]

Check out these details (directly quoted from an article by Phil McDonald, reprinted at www.dorway.com/lethal.html): “On Jan 10, 1977, FDA Chief Counsel Richard Merrill recommended to U.S. attorney Sam Skinner, ‘We request that your office convene a Grand Jury investigation into apparent violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and the False Reports to the Government Act, by G.D. Searle and Company and three of its responsible officers for their willful and knowing failure to make reports to the Food and Drug Administration, and for concealing material facts and making false statements in reports of animal studies conducted to establish the safety of the drug Aldactone and the food additive Aspartame.”

Why was Searle not indicted? Searle's law firm, Sidney and Austin, met with attorney Skinner on January 26. A week later they offered him a job. On April 17, the Justice Department advised Skinner to proceed immediately because of a looming statute of limitations deadline. On July 1, Skinner switched sides to work for Sidney and Austin. His successor, attorney William Conlon, after convening a grand jury, let the statute of limitations run out on the aspartame charges. Fifteen months later he, too, went to work for Sidney and Austin. In all, TEN ranking FDA or federal officials involved with the investigation and regulation of aspartame left government service for employment by the substitute sweetener industry.”[ix]

In 1980, the FDA created a Public Board of Inquiry to determine whether or not aspartame should be allowed onto the market. The board consisted of Peter J. Lampart, M.D., Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pathology at UCLA San Diego, Vernon R. Young, Ph.D., from the University of Nutritional Biochemistry at MIT, and Dr. Walle Nauta, Institute Professor at the Department of Psychology and Brain Science at MIT. They voted unanimously to recommend banning aspartame for human consumption.[x] But as surely as you see NutraSweet for sale today, the board’s recommendation was never heeded.

In 1985, St. Louis-based Monsanto Corporation bought C.G. Searle. Monsanto manufactures pesticides, herbicides and other toxic chemicals. Monsanto also manufactures and markets Celebrex, which is promoted as a pain reliever for arthritis. Considering that their other products (pesticides and aspartame) may cause arthritis and significant health-related problems, and that they now market an arthritis drug, it appears they've cornered the market for pain and suffering—providing the cause and the band-aid to cover it.

DORway, one of many Web sites that exposes the dangers of aspartame, thinks it knows why: “Monsanto and the FDA would like you to believe that the entire media and medical system is pure as the driven snow... and that those of us exposing the dangers of aspartame are ‘Toxic Terrorists’ (CNN), or that we are weaving a ‘WEB of Deceit’ (TIME). Every last one of them has a vested interest in aspartame remaining a popular product. Monsanto has a billion dollars in sales annually, while the media has tens of billions of dollars invested in advertisements for over 5,000 products that contain aspartame. The medical system has hundreds of billions of dollars in expensive but useless tests that can’t pinpoint patients’ problems with certainty. Then, there are the many expensive drugs that don’t seem to get the job done.”

Even the National Soft Drink Association has expressed concern over the use of aspartame in soda pop. In 1983, they drafted a 30-page protest that was entered into the congressional record two years later. The draft included these words: “G. D. Searle and Company has not demonstrated to a certainty that the use of aspartame in soft drinks… will not adversely affect human health as a result of the changes such use is likely to cause in brain chemistry.”[xi] 

So, now you know. For vibrant health, avoid aspartame and other synthetic sweeteners. An alternative to aspartame (or sugar for that matter) is the herb stevia, which is completely safe. Unfortunately, the FDA has made it illegal for manufacturers of stevia to state that it’s a sugar substitute (they even tried to burn books about stevia—but that's another story)! After all, if the public knew of a sugar substitute that was not only calorie free, but completely safe, our choice would be easy. But that would not be in their best interests.

>>> Go To Part 6: Sugar