... Side effects of aspartame
As far back as the 1980s, the US Department of Health and Human Services received thousands of complaints regarding adverse reactions to aspartame. However, the enormous power of vested economic interests contrived to ‘prove’ that aspartame was perfectly safe. One expert, Dr Janet Starr Hull, has listed some of the common side effects of aspartame use:
Nervous system: Epileptic seizures, headaches, migraine, severe dizziness, unsteadiness, memory loss, drowsiness and sleepiness, numbness of the limbs, slurred speech, hyperactivity, restless legs, facial pain, tremors, attention deficit disorder, and even brain tumours.
Eyes and ears: Blindness, blurring or decreased vision, bright flashes, decreased night vision, pain in the eyes, bulging eyes, ringing or buzzing sounds, hearing loss.
Psychological/psychiatric: Depression, irritability, aggression, anxiety, personality changes, insomnia, phobias.
Others: Palpitations, shortness of breath, high blood pressure, nausea, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, wheezing, asthma, itching, skin rash. Aspartame and diabetes: Aspartame is particularly dangerous to diabetics who, unfortunately, have been encouraged to use this sweetener. Aspartame can precipitate diabetes, worsens blood sugar control, cause diabetic seizures, and interact badly with insulin. This may be because your taste buds and brain is not able to differentiate between the sweetness of aspartame and that of real sugar. Aspartame aggravates diabetic retinopathy, optic nerve damage and promotes blindness. The methyl alcohol it produces causes neuropathy and heightens the risk of diabetics losing limbs. Aspartame for weight loss: People concerned with weight loss may resort to using diet foods sweetened with aspartame to cut their calories. Unfortunately, aspartame is often associated with increased sugar cravings, overeating and weight gain! Items that contain aspartame: Aspartame is everywhere and Monsanto, its major manufacturer, has made a huge fortune from this chemical. A shortlist of common foods that often contain aspartame includes: Diet soft drinks, diet juices, instant breakfast cereals, breath freshener mints, sugarfree chewing gum and candy, cocoa, instant teas and coffees, frozen desserts, gelatin desserts, vegetable drinks, jams and jellies, sugar-free ketchup, sugar-free cookies and cakes, laxatives, milk drinks, pharmaceutical drugs and supplements, children’s vitamins, sugar-free shake mixes, tabletop sweeteners, topping mixes, wine coolers, yogurt.