Aspartame has been renamed and is now being marketed as a natural sweetener

In response to growing awareness about the dangers of artificial sweeteners, what does the manufacturer of one of the world’s most notable artificial sweeteners do? Why, rename it and begin marketing it as natural, of course. This is precisely the strategy of Ajinomoto, maker of aspartame, which hopes to pull the wool over the eyes of the public with its rebranded version of aspartame, called “AminoSweet”.

Over 25 years ago, aspartame was first introduced into the European food supply. Today, it is an everyday component of most diet beverages, sugar-free desserts, and chewing gums in countries worldwide. But the tides have been turning as the general public is waking up to the truth about artificial sweeteners like aspartame and the harm they cause to health. The latest aspartame marketing scheme is a desperate effort to indoctrinate the public into accepting the chemical sweetener as natural and safe, despite evidence to the contrary.

Aspartame was an accidental discovery by James Schlatter, a chemist who had been trying to produce an anti-ulcer pharmaceutical drug for G.D. Searle & Company back in 1965. Upon mixing aspartic acid and phenylalanine, two naturally-occurring amino acids, he discovered that the new compound had a sweet taste. The company merely changed its FDA approval application from drug to food additive and, voila, aspartame was born.

G.D. Searle & Company first patented aspartame in 1970. An internal memo released in the same year urged company executives to work on getting the FDA into the “habit of saying yes” and of encouraging a “subconscious spirit of participation” in getting the chemical approved.

G.D. Searle & Company submitted its first petition to the FDA in 1973 and fought for years to gain FDA approval, submitting its own safety studies that many believed were inadequate and deceptive. Despite numerous objections, including one from its own scientists, the company was able to convince the FDA to approve aspartame for commercial use in a few products in 1974, igniting a blaze of controversy.

In 1976, then FDA Commissioner Alexander Schmidt wrote a letter to Sen. Ted Kennedy expressing concern over the “questionable integrity of the basic safety data submitted for aspartame safety”. FDA Chief Counsel Richard Merrill believed that a grand jury should investigate G.D. Searle & Company for lying about the safety of aspartame in its reports and for concealing evidence proving the chemical is unsafe for consumption.

Despite the myriad of evidence gained over the years showing that aspartame is a dangerous toxin, it has remained on the global market with the exception of a few countries that have banned it. In fact, it continued to gain approval for use in new types of food despite evidence showing that it causes neurological brain damage, cancerous tumors, and endocrine disruption, among other things.

The details of aspartame’s history are lengthy, but the point remains that the carcinogen was illegitimately approved as a food additive through heavy-handed prodding by a powerful corporation with its own interests in mind. Practically all drugs and food additives are approved by the FDA not because science shows they are safe but because companies essentially lobby the FDA with monetary payoffs and complete the agency’s multi-million dollar approval process.

Changing aspartame’s name to something that is “appealing and memorable”, in Ajinomoto’s own words, may hoodwink some but hopefully most will reject this clever marketing tactic as nothing more than a desperate attempt to preserve the company’s multi-billion dollar cash cow. Do not be deceived.

Sources:

Ajinomoto brands aspartame ‘AminoSweet’ – FoodBev.com

Aspartame History Highlights – Janet Starr Hull

FDA’s approval of aspartame under scrutiny – The Globe and Mail (Canada)

An Overdue Ban On A Dangerous Sweetener – Huffington Post

Common Herbs can be used as Natural Pesticides

Essential oils extracted from common kitchen herbs and spices can be used as safer, less destructive pesticides, according to research led by Murray Isman of the University of British Columbia and presented at the Fall Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington, D.C.

“We are exploring the potential use of natural pesticides based on plant essential oils — commonly used in foods and beverages as flavorings,” Isman said.

Isman’s team has been researching the pest control properties of clove, mint, rosemary and thyme for 10 years, and has found that diluted mixtures of the essential oils from two to four of the plants can be used to both repel and kill agricultural pests. These natural pesticides have been effectively used to fight aphids and mites that would otherwise prey on spinach, strawberry and tomato crops.

The essential oils provide several major advantages over synthetic pesticides. They are significantly less toxic to farm workers and the surrounding environment than synthetic chemicals. Because they break down quickly, they are less likely to cause lasting harm to the environment or human health. Researchers also claim that insects are less likely to evolve resistance to the plant compounds.

Because they are not engineered but simply extracted from foods already deemed safe, essential oil pesticides do not need regulatory approval and can be used on organic crops.

Because the essential oils degrade so quickly in the environment, however — lasting as little as a few hours — they need to be applied relatively frequently. In comparison, synthetic pesticides may remain in the soil for months and resist breakdown long after this time, which is part of what makes them so dangerous. The herb and spice-based pesticides also need to be applied in larger doses than synthetic pesticides.

“They’re not a panacea for pest control,” Isman said. “It comes down to what’s good for the environment and what’s good for human health.”

Source for this article:

www.sciencedaily.com.

ADHD symptoms caused by lead exposure, new study claims

What causes the frequently diagnosed behavioral problem in children known as attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that leads to countless youngsters being given side-effect laden stimulant drugs? Research has focused on genes and, more recently, on the idea that multiple environmental triggers could be the cause. For example, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a recent British study indicates that certain food additives like artificial colors or preservatives could cause ADHD symptoms in some children.

Now two studies — one published in the January issue of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and the other published in the February issue of the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science — provide the best evidence yet that lead could be one of the biggest culprits behind ADHD.

At very high levels, lead poisoning can cause seizures, coma, and even kill. But it is chronic, long term exposure that is the more common health threat, especially for children. Researchers have previously linked elevated blood levels of lead in kids to problems ranging from mental retardation to learning disabilities. In a statement the media, Oregon Health and Science University researcher Joel Nigg, who co-authored both of the new studies, pointed out that almost all Americans have a low-level exposure to lead, a well-known neurotoxin, making the metal an ideal candidate for causing ADHD.

Although government regulations drastically reduced environmental exposure to lead a generation ago by regulating automobile fuel and paint ingredients, lead is still found in everything from children’s costume jewelry and toys to soil and some imported candies. In fact, Dr. Nigg stated that virtually all U.S. children have measurable levels of lead in their bodies.

Research shows link between lead exposure and ADHD diagnoses

The first of Dr. Nigg’s recent studies looked at lead levels found in 236 children between the ages of six and 17 diagnosed with ADHD. When these measurements were compared to those of a control group of children without ADHD symptoms, the researchers found that the children diagnosed with hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms (not inattention) had slightly higher levels of lead in their blood. In a second study, the research team concluded there was a much stronger link between blood lead levels and whether children were reported by parents and teachers to have ADHD symptoms.

According to the press statement, Dr. Nigg has an explanation for how lead could cause ADHD. Bottom line: he thinks lead attaches to sites in the brain’s striatum and frontal cortex where the metal causes specific genes to turn on or remain inactive. This disrupts brain activity and alters psychological processes supported by these neurons, he theorizes, and contributes to hyperactivity and lack of vigilance.

What can parents do if they are concerned over their youngsters’ exposure to lead? First, be aware that more than 80 percent of American homes built before 1978 have lead-based paint in them, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — so avoid old paint flakes and paint dust if you remodel. Older homes also frequently have lead in the water pipes or plumbing. That makes tap water a potentially dangerous source of lead.

Although it takes chelation with drugs to remove very high levels of lead from the body, the Minnesota Department of Health’s Lead Poisoning Prevention web site offers these additional tips to keep lead levels in children as low as possible through good nutrition:

• Because it is easier to absorb lead on an empty stomach, kids should eat four to six small meals a day.

• Normal levels of iron can protect against lead’s harmful effects. So make sure children eat iron-rich foods including raisins, prunes, and other dried fruits.

• Calcium also reduces lead exposure. Serve youngsters calcium-rich foods including yogurt, cheese, spinach, kale, collard greens, and other green leafy vegetables.

Are Selenium Levels Linked to Diabetes?

A new study finds that diabetics had higher levels of selenium, a mineral found in U.S. soil but also some dietary supplements

Americans with diabetes have high levels of selenium in their bodies, prompting some health experts to suspect that it could contribute to development of the disease. In response to their new findings, a research team has recommended that U.S. residents stop taking supplements that contain selenium. Read more

A Hundred Health Sapping Neurotoxins are Hidden in Packaged & Restaurant Food

What is it that stands between you and vibrant health? People who have spent a fortune on supplements, gotten plenty of exercise and bought high quality food still find themselves unable to answer this question. For many of them, the answer lies in neurotoxins hidden in even the most healthy sounding foods, including many foods labeled as organic. These ingredients often cause serious reactions, including migraines, insomnia, asthma, depression, anxiety, aggression, chronic fatigue, and even ALS. They may be responsible for the swelling numbers of children diagnosed as ADHD. Read more

New Study Shows Skin Cream May Cause Skin Tumors

Common commercial skin care products may increase users’ risk of contracting skin cancer, according to a paper by researchers from Rutgers University and published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

Researchers had originally been planning to study whether topically applied caffeine could reduce people’s risk of skin cancer.  Read more

That Splenda you’re drinking will be in our water supply for awhile

WASHINGTON, D.C.—People like sucralose—the artificial sweetener marketed as Splenda—because the human body can’t break it down and use it. That means the substance has almost no calories and makes it a popular ingredient in everything from cookies to diet sodas. Unfortunately, it turns out that modern wastewater treatment methods don’t break down Splenda either.

Read more

11 Chemical Compounds in Your Drinking Water

A comprehensive survey of U.S. drinking water detected the widespread presence of pharmaceuticals and hormonally active chemicals.

Between 2006 and 2007, researchers screened tap water from 19 U.S. water utilities for 51 different compounds. The surveys were carried out.

The 11 most frequently detected compounds were:

    * Atenolol, a beta-blocker used to treat cardiovascular disease

    * Atrazine, an organic herbicide banned in the European Union which has been implicated in the decline of fish stocks and in changes in animal behavior

    * Carbamazepine, a mood-stabilizing drug used to treat bipolar disorder Read more

GenerationRx Documents Chemical Abuse of Children by Big Pharma & Modern Psychiatry

Filmmaker Kevin Miller has just launched a shocking new documentary Read more

Ten Studies Showing the Link Between Sugar and Increased Cancer Risk

How many times have you heard it mentioned that sugar causes cancer, that cancer patients should avoid sugar, or that sugar is the favorite food of cancer cells? The truth is, this goes beyond mere hearsay or traditional knowledge; there is actually a large volume of scientific evidence available which shows the link between sugar and increased cancer risk. Read more

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