Aspartame

"Aspartame, known to the public as NutraSweet, Equal, and Spoonful, has been the subject of controversy since it first became an ingredient in food products in 1981. In 1985, Americans used 800 million pounds of Aspartame, with an average intake of 5.8 pounds per person. They consumed more than 20 billion cans of aspartame-sweetened soft drinks in 1985 alone.

A study of available literature on the subject reveals that over the years more and more indications have arisen that suggest that the public is at great risk through its repeated use. Serious consideration should be given to discontinuing the ingestion of aspartame until the safety or lack thereof is firmly established."

http://www.naturodoc.com/library/nutrition/aspartame.htm



"The overwhelming body of scientific evidence clearly demonstrates that aspartame, even in amounts many times what people typically consume, is safe and not associated with adverse health effects. However, over the years, some consumers have reported symptoms, which they believed were associated with aspartame. The FDA has investigated these allegations and concluded that there is no "reasonable evidence of possible public health harm" and "no consistent or unique patterns of symptoms reported with respect to aspartame that can be causally linked to its use." In 1984, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reviewed 517 of these anecdotal reports and stated, "the majority of frequently reported symptoms were mild and are symptoms that are common in the general populace" and that “focused” clinical studies would be the best way to evaluate these complaints. "

http://www.aspartame.org/aspartame_myths.html



"Koehler (1988) conducted a double-blind study of patients who had a medical diagnosis of migraines, who were not on medications (other than analgesics) and who suspected that aspartame had a negative effect on their migraine headaches. Following a baseline period where the subjects tracked their headaches and their diets, the subjects were given 300 mg of aspartame or placebo, 4 times daily, for four weeks. The placebo group had no increase in headaches over the baseline levels. Approximately half of the subjects who took aspartame had a large increase in headaches."

http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/abuse/migraine.html