Aspartame, the darling of diet drink makers, is a chemical compound consisting of 40 percent aspartic acid, 50 percent phenylalanine and 10 percent methanol or wood alcohol which metabolizes to formic acid and formaldehyde.
Aspartic acid is classified as an excitotoxin, which means it over-stimulates neurons to the point that they die, especially in the memory and L-dopa-producing areas of the brain. When consumed in food, the host of other amino acids and other nutrients in the food protect against this kind of damage. Alone, the danger is real and the end result may be Alzlheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Lou Gherig’s disease (ALS). Aspartame researcher H.J. Roberts, MD, has written that the incidence of Alzheimer’s alone has skyrocketed over the last 15 years.
Phenylalanine depresses levels of serotonin, your ‘feel good’ neurotransmitter and a natural substance in your body that helps you sleep. At room temperature and above 86 degrees F, it degrades into a tumor-causing agent, diketopiperazine. According to former US Food and Drug Administration toxicologist Dr. Adrian Gross, “The cancer-causing potential of aspartame is a matter that has been established beyond any reasonable doubt.” And you see kids drinking this stuff!
Wood alcohol metabolizes into formic acid (what ants inject when they bite you) and formaldehyde (what your biology lab frog was pickled in) and both are strong metabolic poisons. The liver tries to detox chemicals, but the body ends up encasing what can’t be eliminated in fat. If you don’t have enough fat for the job, your body will make fat in order to protect itself.
Drinking aspartame laced soft drinks may have you craving carbs, creating fat, depression, insomnia and disease. If you decide to give up these drinks, you may need 60 days to recover from mild problems due to chronic aspartame ingestion.
For more info: Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills by neurologist Russell L. Blaylock on the Web at www.dorway.com/offasprt.html