Aspartame has not been tested for long enough to know the ramifications. It did cause brain tumours in lab rats but the UK government chose to ignore this and only took the aspartame manufacturers test as evidence allowing the US to sell it in the UK even though it was banned in their own! The following are two ingredients used to manufacture aspartame:

Phenylalanine

It takes approximately 60 times less free (unbound to protein) phenylalanine given to humans to produce similar biochemical changes in the animal experiments mentioned above.  This has been confirmed by every research except the manufacturer's lab. The sweetener aspartame contains phenylalanine as part of its chemical makeup. Feeding this sweetener at high levels to individuals with the tendency toward phenylketonuria can aggravate their problem.

Methanol

It takes 10 times less methanol to kill a human as it does a rodent. In addition, it appears that rodents do not have adverse effects and chronic poisoning from low levels of methanol as do humans. Or, if they do, it may require a dose of much more than 10 times the dose given to humans to cause the same effects.

Peroxisomes

These are small structures within each cell that work to detoxify methanol. Humans do not have enough of these structures to convert formaldehyde to the less harmful, formic acid. Formaldehyde is a deadly neurotoxin. Human tissues are damaged and symptoms occur that include; vision problems, dizziness, headaches, nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances, vertigo, weakness and memory lapses to name just a few.

During the process of digestion, aspartame releases aspartate. Aspartate is an excitatory amino acid that is used by the neurons in the brain as a neurotransmitter. It is a natural and necessary body chemical that is allowed to cross the blood-brain barrier. This barrier is meant to protect the brain from the invasion of harmful chemicals. It, however, cannot discern the right level up for which the natural neurotransmitters should cross the barrier. As a result, when these excitatory amino acids cross the barrier in excess, they can build up to undetected toxic levels that can poison and kill the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord causing seizures, paralysis and death.

Artificial sweeteners trigger pleasure centres in the brain, even though less pleasure is experienced by ingesting them. The reason for this is, while artificial sweeteners give immediate pleasure, they do not actually satisfy the brain because they deliver no caloric value, leaving the user wanting even more. Because there is little actual satisfaction associated with the use of artificial sweeteners, weight gain also occurs. Those who habitually use aspartame are known to gain more weight over time than those who use real sugar.

Side-effects of aspartame consumption

Aspartame side effects make up more than 75% of all the food reactions reported. Some, like seizures and death, are serious. Symptoms include heart palpitations, insomnia, nausea, migraines, breathing trouble, vertigo, memory loss, depression, muscle spasms and vision problems amongst others. 

Aspartame may trigger, mimic, cause or exacerbate the following health issues:

• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

• Alzheimer’s disease

• Birth defects

• Brain tumours

• Cancer

• Chronic fatigue syndrome

• Convulsions

• Diabetes

• Eosinophilia-Myalgia Syndrome (EMS)

• Epilepsy

• Fibromyalgia

• Grave’s disease

• Hypothyroidism

• Lupus – Non Hodgkins Lymphoma

• Lyme disease

• Lymphoma

• Meniere’s Disease

• Mental Retardation

• Multiple sclerosis

• Parkinson's disease

• Post-Polio Syndrome

• Seizures

If you are a user of any products with aspartame, and you have physical, visual or mental problems,  take the 60-day no aspartame test. If, after two months with no aspartame, your symptoms are either gone, or are much less severe, please get involved to get this neurotoxin off the market. In 1967, Seven infant monkeys were tested with aspartame. The result was one died and all the other 6 suffered grand mal seizures. Another test found it caused brain tumours to form in rats.

Note: It often takes at least sixty days without any aspartame to see a significant improvement. Check all labels very carefully (including vitamins and pharmaceutical drugs). Look for the word "aspartame" on the label and avoid it. (Also, it is a good idea to avoid "acesulfame-k" or "sunette.")

It seems that adverse aspartame test results have been swept under the carpet by the corporate companies who manufacture and supply it and those who gave permission for it to be used in foods and pharmaceutical drugs had vested interests. For your own health, and especially that of your children, aspartame, which has no nutritional value whatsoever, should be avoided completely.

Nature Cures diet to detoxify the body
 

It is possible to clean and detoxify the body of the toxins from aspartame by eating plenty of fruit, vegetables and certain herbs and spices. Blend a steamed selection of the vegetables, herbs and spices together to create a potage soup. Similarly blend fruits with herbs, nutmeg and cinnamon to create 'smoothies'.

Raw juice therapy can also help to cleanse the body of the toxins built up through consuming products containing aspartame.

Drink plenty of bottled or filtered mineral water to avoid the chorine and fluoride chemicals added to tap water and add more essential minerals to the diet.

Vegetables: Algae, alfalfa, artichoke, beetroot, bell peppers, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chicory, chilli peppers, cucumber, garlic, hops, kale, lettuce, okra, onions, peas, radishes, rocket, seaweed, spinach, tomato, turnips and watercress.

Whole grains and pseudo-grains: Amaranth, barley, brown rice, buckwheat, oats, quinoa, rye, spelt and wheat.

Fruit and juices: Apricots, cranberries, grapes, lemon, limes, mangos, melon, oranges, papaya, peaches, pomegranate, soursop and tangerines.

Cabbage, kale, plums and prunes if suffering from thyroid gland problems, kidney or gall stones or infections.

Rosemary if pregnant or breastfeeding.