- The chemicals we ingest may affect more
than our own health. They affect the health and vitality of future generations.
The danger is that many of these chemicals may not harm us but will do
silent violence to our children. Senator Abraham S. Ribicoff (l971)
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- I have studied the numerous adverse effects
of products containing the chemical aspartame for a quarter century as
a corporate-neutral physician (Board-certified internist; member of the
Endocrine Society and American Academy of Neurology). I encompassed them
as "aspartame disease" in my large text published in 2001. They
have been detailed in the articles, letters and books listed below.
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- The prime motive for this ongoing effort
was the apparent enormous toll in illness, disability and death attributable
to aspartame disease and failure of the medical profession and many governmental
and other public health agencies to concern themselves with this ignored
epidemic. The fact that over two-thirds of adults in our society consume
aspartame products, and approximately 40 percent of children, often in
prodigious amounts, provides perspective.
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- Perhaps the most grievous aspect pertains
to the damage that these products can induce in infants and children.
Moreover, aspartame could affect subsequent generations borne to mothers
who were misled about the safety of this and related chemicals. Indeed,
some who regard the widespread promotion of aspartame products to these
groups as "crimes against humanity" have urged the banning of
aspartame products as an imminent health threat.
-
- A case in point is the full page ad that
appeared in Function Foods & Nutraceuticals (November 2004) titled,
"Remember your first taste of aspartame?", depicting an infant
feeding at its mother,s breast. It noted that the chief ingredients of
aspartame are two building blocks of protein " just like those founds
in eggs, fruit cheese or fish and even in mothers, milk."
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- In my January 2005 objection to the U.S.
Federal Trade Commission about such perceived deceptive advertising in
"a material respect", I listed the following reasons: "(1)
omission of other major components of aspartame, especially the 10% free
methyl alcohol (methanol), (2) the profound adverse effects of the large
amounts of its two building blocks of protein, on neurotransmitters and
other important systems, and (3) the absence of any references to the terrible
reactions induced by aspartame products in numerous infants and children."
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- Aspartame Disease in Infants and Children
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- The manifestations of aspartame disease
in young children are legion and continue to be unraveled. They include
severe headache, convulsions, unexplained visual loss, rashes, asthma,
gastrointestinal problems, obesity, marked weight loss, hypoglycemia, diabetes,
addiction (probably largely due to the methyl alcohol), hyperthyroidism,
and a host of neuropsychiatric features. The latter include extreme fatigue,
irritability, hyperactivity, depression, antisocial behavior (including
suicide), poor school performance, the deterioration of intelligence, and
brain tumors.
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- Each of these disorders and the underlying
mechanisms is detailed in my books, especially Aspartame Disease: An Ignored
Epidemic. They tend to be magnified in patients with unrecognized hypothyroidism
(underactive thyroid), hypoglycemia (low blood sugar reactions), diabetes
and phenylketonuria (PKU). Persons with PKU lack the enzyme needed for
handling phenylalanine, one of the amino acids. (Its dramatic increase
in the body can cause severe neurological and other damage if aspartame
abstinence and other dietary precautions are not instituted.)
-
- It is my further opinion that exposure
to aspartame products and other neurotoxins may initiate or aggravate changes
in the nervous system that result in multiple sclerosis, parkinsonism,
and Alzheimer,s disease. The latter issue is detailed in my book, Defense
Against Alzheimer,s Disease.
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- Pregnant Women and Nursing Mothers
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- I continue to urge ALL pregnant women
and mothers who breast-feed to avoid aspartame products advice that many
of my obstetric colleagues have adopted. This caution has been dramatically
demonstrated by the occurrence of convulsions in suckling infants as the
mother drank an aspartame soda. The scientific grounds for the foregoing
continue to increase. They include:
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- * exposure of the fetus to considerable
phenylalanine and methanol * maternal malnutrition associated with nausea,
vomiting, diarrhea, and a reduction of calories * transmission of aspartame
and its breakdown components via the mother,s milk * the increased "allergic
load," thereby risking future hypersensitivity problems
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-
- Birth Defects and Subsequent Generational
Stigmas
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- The finding of cumulative aspartame metabolites
in DNA clearly has profound implications. I have described severe problems
in the fetus or the infants of parents including father who consumed
much aspartame at the time of conception and/or during pregnancy.
-
- Epidemiological studies will be necessary
to corroborate the role of aspartame consumption in medical, neurological,
metabolic, immune and neoplastic disorders involving subsequent generations.
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- The Urgent Need for Action
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- It is clear to all who have studied the
matter that the initial approval of aspartame by the FDA in l981 in the
face of severe objections from its in-house scientists, consultants for
the General Accounting Office, and even a Public Board of Inquiry was
an erroneous political decision. This opinion is supported by considerable
clinical experience, an increasing number of credible scientific studies,
and demographic evidence relating to the contributory role of aspartame
sodas and other products in the dramatic increase of obesity, diabetes,
attention deficit disorder, brain tumors and other malignancies in children.
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- In the light of this information, it
is incumbent upon governmental agencies and consumers to severely curtail
or stop the use of ALL aspartame products including vitamins, drugs and
supplements. This also applies to a number of derivatives of aspartame
and other chemicals that have not been evaluated by corporate-neutral investigators
over sufficient periods of time using real-world products. Failure to
do so invites the tragedy of a human "silent spring."
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-
- By Dr. H. J. Roberts, MD, FACP, FCCP
Director - Palm Beach Institute For Medical Researh, Inc PO Box 17799 West
Palm Beach, Florida 33416 hjrobertsmd@aol.comhjrobertsmd@aol.com 561 588-7628
Fax 561 547 8008
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-
- REFERENCES
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- Roberts, H. J.: Neurologic, psychiatric
and behavioral reactions to aspartame in 505 aspartame reactors. In Proceedings
of the First International Conference on Dietary Phenylalanine and Brain
Function edited by R. J. Wurtman and E. Ritter-Walker, Washington, D.C.,
May 8-10, l987, pp. 477-481 Roberts, H. J.: Aspartame (NutraSweet) associated
confusion and memory loss: A Possible human model for early Alzheimer,s
disease. Abstract 306. Annual Meeting of the American Association for
the Advancement of Science, Boston, February 13, l988. Roberts, H. J.:
Aspartame (NutraSweet) associated epilepsy. Clinical Research l988; 36:349A.
Roberts, H. J.: Complications associated with aspartame (NutraSweet) in
diabetics. Clinical Research l988:3:489A Roberts, H .J.: The Aspartame
Problem. Statement for Committee on Labor and Human Resources, U.S. Senate,
Hearing on "NutraSweet" Health and Safety Concerns, November
3, l987, 83-178, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, l988, pp.
466-467 Roberts, H. J.: Reactions attributed to aspartame-containing products:
551 cases, Journal of Applied Nutrition l988; 40:85-94 Roberts, H. J.:
Aspartame (NutraSweet): Is It Safe? Philadelphia, The Charles Press,
1989 Roberts, H. J.: Does aspartame cause human brain cancer? Journal
of Advancement in Medicine 1991: 4 (Winter):231-241 Roberts, H. J.: Aspartame-associated
confusion and memory loss. Townsend Letter for Doctors 1991:June:442-443.
Roberts, H. J.: Myasthenia gravis associated with aspartame use. Townsend
Letter for Doctors 1991;August/September:699-700. Roberts, H. J.: Joint
pain associated with aspartame use. Townsend Letter for Doctors 1991;May:375-376.
Roberts, H.J.: Sweet,ner Dearest: Bittersweet Vignettes About Aspartame
(NutraSweet) West Palm Beach, Sunshine Sentinel Press, Inc. l992. Roberts,
H.J.: Unexplained headaches and seizures. Townsend Letter for Doctors,
1992: 1001-1002. Roberts, H.J.: Safety of aspartame (Letter) Townsend
Letter for Doctors 1992: November:977-978. Roberts, H. J.: Aspartame:
Is it safe? Interview with H. J. Roberts, M.D., Mastering Food Allergies
1992: 7 (#1), 3-6. Roberts, H. J.: Testimony: Analysis of Adverse Reactions
to Monosodium Glutamate. Federation of American Societies for Experimental
Biology, Bethesda, April 8, 1993. Roberts, H. J.: Aspartame (NutraSweet)
NOHA News 1993; Winter:5-6. Roberts, H. J.: Aspartame-associated dry mouth
(xerostomia). Townsend Letter for Doctors 1993; February/March:201-202.
Roberts, H. J.: "Dry eyes" from use of aspartame (NutraSweet).
Townsend Letter for Doctors 1994;January:82-83. Roberts, H. J.: Aspartame
as a cause for diarrhea in diabetics. Townsend Letter for Doctors 1994;
June:623-624. Roberts, H. J.: Aspartame and headache. Neurology 1995;
45:1631-1633. Roberts, H. J.: Defense Against Alzheimer,s Disease: A Rational
Blueprint for - Prevention. West
Palm Beach, Sunshine Sentinel Press. 1995. Roberts, H. J.: Lactose Intolerance.
(Letter) New England Journal of Medicine 1995; 333:1359 Roberts, H. J.:
Memory loss and aspartame. Townsend Letter for Doctors 1995; August/September:99-100
Roberts, H. J.: Aspartame as a cause of allergic reactions, including
anaphylaxis. Archives of Internal Medicine. 1996; 156:1027 Roberts, H.
J.: Critique of the Official Australia and New Zealand Food Authority
(ANZFA) Position on Aspartame. Soil & Health 1997; July/September:15.
Roberts, H .J.: Preclinical Alzheimer,s disease (Letter) Neurology 1997;
48-549-55. Roberts, H. J.: Aspartame effects during pregnancy and childhood.
(Letter) Latitudes 1997; 3 (Number 1):3 Roberts, H. J.: "Dry eyes"
from use of aspartame. Associated insights concerning the Sjogren syndrome.
Focus (Information Forum For Retinal Degenerative Disorders) 1998: Volume
3 (No. 3):16-17. Roberts, H. J.: Submission to FDA regarding Docket No.
981F-0052 (Food Additive Petition for Neotame), March 3, 1998. Roberts,
H. J.: What,s blinding the world? Focus (Information Forum for Retinal
Degenerative Disorders) 1998; Volume 3 (No. 3): 15-16 Roberts, H. J.:
Ignored Health Hazards for Pilots and Drivers: The A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H File
West Palm Beach, Sunshine Sentinel Press, 1998. Roberts, H. J.: Aspartame
toxicity denied Dr. Roberts responds. Townsend Letter for Doctors &
Patients 1998; April:110-113. Roberts, H. J.: The CACOF Conspiracy: Lessons
of the New The CACOF Conspiracy: - Lessons of the New Millennium.
West Palm Beach, Sunshine Sentinel Press, 1998. Roberts, H. J.: Unrecognized
aspartame disease in silicone breast implant patients. Townsend Letter
for Doctors & Patients 1998; May:74-75. Roberts, H. J.: Unrecognized
Aspartame Disease in Silicone Breast Implant Patients. Solicited Statement
for the Committee on the Safety of Silicone Breast Implants, Institute
for Medicine, Washington, D.C. Submitted on June 4, 1998. Roberts, H. J.:
Breast Implants or Aspartame (NutraSweet) Disease? The Suppressed Opinion
About a Perceived Medicolegal Travesty. West Palm Beach, Sunshine Sentinel
Press, 1999. Roberts, H. J.: Aspartame (NutraSweet) addiction. Townsend
Letter for Doctors & Patients 2000; January (#198): 52-57. Roberts,
H. J.: Carpal tunnel syndrome due to aspartame disease. Townsend Letter
for Doctors & Patients 2000; November: 82-84. Roberts, H. J.: Aspartame
Disease: An Ignored Epidemic, West Palm Beach, Sunshine Sentinel Press,
2001. Roberts, H.J.: Response to the assessment by the Alzheimer,s Association
concerning Research and prevention of Alzheimer,s disease. Townsend Letter
for Doctors & Patients 2001; May:111-112. Roberts, H .J.: The labeling
minefield, with emphasis on aspartame. Nutrition Health Review 2001; #80:6.
Roberts, H. J.: Reply and commentary to the NutraSweet Company,s senior
medical Consultant. Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients 2001; October:93-95.
Roberts, H. J.: Pseudotumor cerebri due to aspartame disease. Townsend
Letter For Doctors & Patients 2002;June:66-68. Roberts, H. J.: Aspartame-induced
dyspnea and pulmonary hypertension. Townsend Letter for Doctors &
Patients 2003; January:6465. Roberts, H .J.: Useful Insights for Diagnosis
Treatment and Public Health. West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Institute for
Medical Research, 2002. Roberts, H. J.: The trouble with sweeteners.
Nutrition Health Review 2003; July (#85): 3-6. Roberts, H. J.: Aspartame
disease: A possible cause for concomitant Graves,disease and Pulmonary
hypertension. Texas Heart Institute Journal. 2004; 31:105 Roberts, H.
J.: Aspartame-induced arrhythmias and sudden death. Townsend Letter for
Doctors & Patients 2004; May:121. Roberts, H. J.: The potential hazard
of aspartame absorption from within the mouth. Townsend Letter for Doctors
& Patients 2004; July:100. Roberts, H. J.: Aspartame Disease: An
Ignored Epidemic. 3 cassette audio set. (ISBN - 1-884243-207).
West Palm Beach, Sunshine Sentinel Press, 2005. Roberts, H. J.: Mommylinks
to Health: Aspartame (NutraSweet) Disease. CD (1-884243-134) West Palm
Beach, Sunshine Sentinel Press, 2005.
-
- (Dr. Roberts can be seen in the aspartame
documentary: Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World, <http://www.amazon.com/www.amazon.com
or Barnes & Noble. He is an internationally known medical consultant
and researcher. He is listed in Who,s Who in America, Who,s Who in The
World, Who,s Who in Science and Engineering, and The Best Doctors in the
U.S. He has been knighted by the Order of St. George for his humanitarianism.
The publisher,s web site is <http://www.sunsentpress.com/www.sunsentpress.com
or 1 800 827 7991. Many of the reports in his references can be read on
<http://www.dorway.com/www.dorway.com and <http://www.wnho.net/www.wnho.net
)
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- Dr. Betty Martini, D.Hum, Founder Mission
Possible International 9270 River Club Parkway Duluth, Georgia 30097 770
242-2599
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