SilverAndEbony said:
Jimmac,
Where did you get your information from? I'd like to read the original research. I don't get how aspartame is 10% methanol seeing as I thought it's a chemical. I may be being thick.
Hi, "Silver and Ebony", - Please let me deal with the sources first.
As I said in my post, this is a huge subject with thousands of claims and counter claims, backed up with scientific report ater scientific report - the debate on the safety of aspartame goes back to the '60s. I have selected 6 links for you to read, which are mainly from "independent" organisations, no. 2 however is from a definite anti, and no.6 is the official stance of the FSA. - PLEASE NOTE - in spite of the controversy over the safety of Aaspartame over the 30 + years of its existance,neither the FSA nor the EFSA have actually carried out any scientific tests of their own to justify their stance. Instead, they have relied on the studies of others particularly in the US. - and that is another story - I have added another site - No.7 The official Aspartame Industry story.
1.
http://www.greenfacts.org/en/aspartame/index.htm#1
2.
http://www.london77truth.com/ASP.doc
3.
http://www.jaydax.co.uk/imho/aspartame.htm
4.
http://www.theecologist.org/pages/archi ... ent_id=457
5.
http://www.dldewey.com/monte.htm
6.
http://www.food.gov.uk/safereating/chem ... ners/55174 - 34k -
7.
http://www.aspartame.com
Regarding your second point, you are absolutely right methanol is a chemical - Aspartame is an entirely man made chemical and its three constituents are - 50% Phenolalanine and 40%
Aspartic Acid and 10% Methyl ester - this is nothing more than dry methanol
I have to take issue with "Dennis " on the following points :-
1."Aspastame does not contain methanol" - yes it does see above.
2."the metabolism of methanol does not damage the body" - wrong,
The methanol, and therefore the formaldehyde, produced by the metabolism of aspartame are in a FREE state, IE not accompanied by any natural antidotes.
3. "The quantity of methanol is too small to disrupt normal physiological processes" - wrong
In a FREE state (without antidotes) the human body is incapable of excreting methanol or formaldehyde, as a result the formaldehyde remains in the body and builds up over time causing severe damage to sensitive organs over time which can be 5 - 30 years. everyone has a different tolerance level.
I will not comment on item (b), however, item (c), regarding natural methanol in fruit juice and alcoholic beverages. This is essentially correct but misleading, it suggests, that because there is natural methanol in fruit juice and alcoholic beverages and we suffer no ill effects, it is therefore, OK to ingest methanol in aspartame - this is entirely wrong - The reason we suffer no ill effects from consuming methanol in fruit, or any other naturally produced product, is the fact that natural methanol is never FREE, it is always accompanied by other naturally occurring elements EG Ethanol (alcohol) or pectin. These neutralise the methanol making it harmless to the human body, and it can be excreted safely - if this were not the case, we would all probably die from eating fruit !!.
The comment that - "some reserch has indicated formaldehyde accumulation from aspartame ingestion" presumably means the Trocho & Telephly reports of 1998 and 1999. - Google this to find out more.
FREE Methanol in aspartame, means FREE formaldehyde in all our bodies - this is not a good thing as we are now finding out.
Jimmac.