Sweet and Low, aspartame and diet coke.

Did you know that NutriSweet and Equal are brand names for Aspartame? Aspartame is an artifical sweetener, and I found out some interesting information on it this weekend...and it, of course, applies to mamma's, pregnancies and breastfeeding.

For starters, did you know that so many people are poisened by aspartame, that there are actually vicitim support groups, out there (don't worry, I will bring it around to pregnancy in a minute)? There are 92 aspartame side effects listed by the FDA including memory loss, nerve cell damage, MIGRAINES and reproductive disorders. Well, you say, if it is that bad for you, it never would have been approved by the FDA. Let's take a closer look.
-When the inventor of aspartame first brought it before the FDA for approval, IT WAS DENIED 8 TIMES. The inventor's testing methodology was considered shady, and the results manipulated.
-In 1977, the FDA asked the US Attorny's office to start grand jury proceedings against the inventor for "knowingly misrepresenting findings and concealing material facts and making false statements in aspartame safety tests." Later the trial was delayed, causing the staute of limitations on the charges to run out and the investigation was dropped. Guess why the trial was delayed-the inventor of aspartame, G.D. Searle, offered the attorney a position in the law firm that was representing him during the same trial.
-In 1980, the FDA approval board said that it had not been presented with proof of reasonable certainty that aspartame is safe for use as a food additive. THen, in 1981, a new FDA commissioner was appointed, and he went against the advice of half of the advising scientists on the scientific review panel and allowed aspartame into dry goods. In 1983, it was approved for beverages, against the request of the National Soft Drink Assosication. After being investigated for accepting gratuities from FDA regulated companies, the commish resigned. Oh, by the way, he now works for G.D.Searle.
-Congress finally began prosecuting Searle for giving the government false information and incomplete test results and two government attornys were assigned. Both decided not to prosecute and now work for the law firm that represents G.D. Searle.
-In 1996 (not all that long ago), aspartame was approved for use, free of any restrictions whatsoever. Later, a study funded by the company that owns NutraSweet was conducted to see if there were possible birth defects associated with consuming aspartame. After preliminary data revealed damaging information, the study was aborted.
-Today, in 2008, aspartame is a billion dollar industry. Once aspartame enters the body, it turns into formaldehyde (you know, toxic, carcinogenic embalming fluid). Studies have shown that it can cause breaks in DNA in the sperm and eggs, leading to increase risks of cancer and developmental issues in offspring.
-One last note on aspartame from one of the world's leading experts (neurosurgeon Dr. Russel Blaylock): Pregnant women should never consume foods containing aspartame...The aspartic acid, phynylalanine, and methanol are all known to produce abnormal development of a baby's brain.

Just thought you might want to know. But please don't let that drive you into Splenda's arms. Splenda is not okay either. You know how trans fats are so bad for you, they are actually banned in New York City and in Boston? Trans fats are hydrogenated oils. Oils that are chemically altered to hold another hydrogen atom and make them solid. They are worse for you then saturated fats (which any cardioligist will limit). Splenda is very similar in that it is chemically altered, but in a way that your human body cannot metabolize it (therefore, no calories!). Want to know more? Well, there were two studies that were done on Splenda before it was deemed safe by our freind the FDA. Yup, TWO studies. Both studies combined had 36 people and of those 36, only 23 were given the Splenda...for four days. That's right. 23 people were studied for four days. It's up to you if you choose to ingest it. But you might want to not be pregnant or breast feeding because we don't even know the results on pregnant or lactating mice.