"Roberts Facing Medical Option on 2nd Seizure"
NY Times, August 1, 2007
By DENISE GRADY and LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN
Because the seizure that Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. suffered
was his second, he meets the criteria for epilepsy.
Aspartame promotes seizures, say health experts
A nursing infant developed convulsions after his mother drank an
aspartame-sweetened soft drink. A 19-year-old woman went into grand
mal convulsions within minutes of chewing a piece of aspartame-
flavored gum. A small amount of toxin can push the human body into
near-fatal conditions, regardless of whether the toxin is considered
"safe" and sold on grocery and convenience store shelves around the
world. Aspartame, the artificial sweetener that often flavors sugar-
free drinks and foods, has been known to induce convulsions and grand
mal seizures in certain individuals. So why is it still on peoples'
shopping lists?
In 1987, scientists and aspartame-sensitive seizure patients made the
government aware of the link between the consumption of aspartame and
the onset of seizures and convulsions, reports Dr. H.J. Roberts in
Aspartame (NutraSweet): Is It Safe. On November 3, 1987, the U.S.
Senate held a hearing entitled "'NutraSweet' -- Health and Safety
Concerns." In this hearing, people from a wide variety of occupations,
including an Air Force pilot, told the Senate about their aspartame-
induced grand mal seizures. These individuals reported that their
seizures disappeared after abstaining from aspartame consumption.
By all ethical standards, the testimonials provided during this 1987
hearing -- combined with the strong scientific evidence demonstrating
the health dangers of aspartame -- should have led to the banishment
of aspartame-sweetened products from grocery shelves forever; yet,
aspartame products are still abundant in our grocery stores and
restaurants.
How aspartame damages human health
Aspartame is a synthetic chemical composed of the amino acids
phenylalanine and aspartic acid. Each time you drink a diet soft drink
or chew sugarless gum, you are feeding unhealthy doses of these amino
acids into your system, according to Dr. James Howenstine in A
Physicians Guide to Natural Health Products that Work.
These amino acids can bypass the blood-brain barrier, enabling them
both to directly alter your neurological function. Your brain
naturally contains phenylalanine, but phenylalanine in its solitary
form without its companion amino acids is not normally a part of the
human diet. Debra Lynn Dadd, author of Home Safe Home, believes this
is where the health problems posed by aspartame begin. Aspartame
consumption provides phenylalanine in excess of your brain's normal
level. According to James A. May in Miracle of Stevia, this state of
excess phenylalanine lowers the seizure threshold, thereby making
convulsions more likely.
Researchers know that a raise in brain phenylalanine levels ultimately
increases the risk of seizures. This is true even for people without a
history of non-aspartame induced seizures, such as the Air Force pilot
who testified in the 1987 hearing. However, researchers are still
debating the exact role of increased brain phenylalanine levels in
inducing seizures. Although many researchers believe that increased
brain phenylalanine levels directly cause seizures and convulsions,
Dr. Blaylock writes in Excitotoxins that it is "more likely ... the
direct excitatory effect of the aspartate itself. Phenylalanine may
act to potentiate this irritability." Regardless of the precise
method, the combined neurological effects of excess phenylalanine and
aspartic acid make aspartame a dangerous ingredient.
Aspartame marketing gimmicks
Advertisements for aspartame commonly portray aspartame as a "healthy"
alternative to sugar. Such advertising makes aspartame even more
dangerous to consumers who are ignorant of the artificial sweetener's
potential side effects. Because of this deceptive advertising, people
concerned about their health and the health of their families
regularly use aspartame-sweetened products. Rather than switching to a
truly healthy diet and exercising more often, people concerned with
weight loss may use sugar-free foods sweetened with aspartame to
refrain from extra calorie consumption.
True, they're "watching their calories," but they are also putting
themselves at risk of suffering from several aspartame-associated
health consequences, including insomnia, dehydration, migraines,
seizures and brain tumors. Dr. Roberts illustrates with an anecdote
about the malignant consequences suffered by consumers because of this
deceptive advertising: "A two-year-old with fever suffered seizures
within 10 minutes after chewing aspartame-sweetened acetaminophen ...
This consideration may be significant to health-conscious mothers who
elect to give their infants health products containing aspartame
rather than sugar (such as vitamins) in an effort to prevent tooth
decay."
Imagine the guilt of a poor parent who gives his or her child
aspartame-sweetened medication in an effort to make the child healthy
or keep the child's teeth free of cavities only to have the child
suffer or even die from a grand mal seizure. Aspartame's deceptive
advertising is truly inexcusable.
If you've been drinking diet sodas and chewing sugarless gum for
decades and you haven't been experiencing convulsions, then consider
yourself lucky that you apparently lack the biological tendency that
puts you at risk for aspartame-induced convulsions or grand mal
seizures. Other individuals have not been so lucky. Seizures aside,
however, you may not turn out to be as lucky in avoiding the other
health problems commonly associated with aspartame. You can read about
these other possible side effects along with stevia, an alternative to
both aspartame and natural sugar, at NewsTarget's aspartame and stevia
archives. Don't gamble with your body - you're only given one.
The experts speak on aspartame
Aspartame or Nutrasweet is composed of two amino acids, phenylalanine
and aspartic acid. The aspartic acid is as powerful as an exitotoxin
as is glutamate. Phenylalanine is known to produce seizures and act as
a neurotoxin in the brain. ... When a sweetener contains high amounts of
these isolated amino acids the brain level may, after ingestion,
become high enough to cause brain cell death, seizures and death.
A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work By James
Howenstine MD, page 33
A 35-year-old male anesthetist had three grand mal seizures, severe
headaches and visual difficulty while drinking 4-6 diet colas daily,
but none for two years after stopping aspartame. He told the U. S.
Senate hearing on "NutraSweet"-Health and Safety Concerns, held on
November 3, 1987:
Aspartame - Is It Safe by H J Roberts MD, page 14
To test this, scientists used chemicals that are known to precipitate
seizures in animals, such as pentylenetetrazol and flurothyl. Pinto
and Maher found that aspartame, when given orally in doses of 1000 to
2000 milligram per kilogram, did potentiate the convulsant action of
these two chemicals.They also found that aspartame decreases the time
of onset of seizures and increases the number of animals showing tonic-
clonic convulsions when exposed to pentylenetetrazol.
Excitotoxins by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 197
CONVULSIONS ARE AMONG THE most serious reactions attributable to
aspartame products. There are various classifications of convulsions-
also referred to as epilepsy, seizures and "fits." In this series of
551 persons with adverse reactions to aspartame products, 80 (14.5
percent) suffered typical generalized (grand mal) convulsions, and 18
(3.3 percent) experienced so-called temporal lobe seizures.
Aspartame - Is It Safe by H J Roberts MD, page 81
The problem with aspartame lies in overconsumption and the fact that
phenylalanine alone (without its companion amino acids) is not a
normal part of the diet. Large doses of phenylalanine are toxic to the
brain and can cause mental retardation and seizures in people with
phenylketonuria (PKU), a genetic disorder...
Home Safe Home by Debra Lynn Dadd, page 249
Aspartame products may render young children more vulnerable to
seizures. For example, a two-year-old with fever suffered seizures
within ten minutes after chewing aspartame-sweetened acetaminophen (a
commonly used substitute for aspirin). This consideration may be
significant to health-conscious mothers who elect to give their
infants health products containing aspartame rather than sugar (such
as vitamins) in an effort to prevent tooth decay.
Aspartame - Is It Safe by H J Roberts MD, page 85
Aspartic acid acts as an "excitatory" neurotransmitter in the brain.
It functions as a chemical messenger, stimulating the neurons in the
brain to "fire." Too much aspartic acid, as well as too much
phenylalanine, entering the brain will cause the brain to get out of
balance with the inhibitory amino acids, therefore interfering with
normal brain function and possibly causing severe brain damage. Dr.
Julian Whitaker suggests, "This is a likely reason why aspartame
lowers the threshold of seizures, mood disorders, and other nervous
system problems. This altered brain chemistry may also be responsible
for the addictive nature of aspartame.
Miracle Of Stevia by James A May, page 160
The unknowing consumption of aspartame, whether by in-gestion or the
chewing of gum, predictably triggered subsequent grand mal seizures.
The amount of aspartame ingested in some patients was remarkably
small. This is illustrated by an infant who developed convulsions when
his nursing mother drank an aspartame soft drink...
aspartame - Is It Safe by H J Roberts MD, page 83
Aspartame has been proven to cause seizures in research studies on
human subjects. The simultaneous ingestion of Crystal Light and
NutraSweet has often caused seizures. One man who had an abnormal vein
deep in his brain stopped having seizures when he stopped using
aspartame and Crystal Light. The lowering of the seizure threshold
seen with aspartame may permit seizures to appear in persons with
small brain scars from a difficult childbirth or brain injury who
would have lived their lives seizure free without the aspartame
usage.
A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work By James
Howenstine MD, page 34
....In addition, the two amino acids that comprise aspartame, phenyl-
alanine and aspartic acid, can bypass the blood-brain barrier and
enter the brain, upsetting the balance of neurotransmitters and brain
chemistry. High intake of aspartame has been linked with a number of
adverse effects, including headache, vision loss, seizures, mood
disorders, and other nervous system problems.
Reversing Diabetes by Julian Whitaker MD, page 126
Those who oppose excitotoxins used as food additives frequently cite
that they can either precipitate seizures in persons known to have a
history of seizures, or they can actually cause seizures. This became
especially prevalent with the introduction of the artificial sweetener
aspartame or, as it is better known, NutraSweet(R).
Excitotoxins by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 191
Another physician informed me about a commercial pilot who had lost
his license because of unexplained convulsions. Deducing they probably
were triggered by aspartame beverages, he abstained from such
products... and became seizure-free. In an attempt to document such
specific intolerance and regain his pilot's license, he purposefully
rechallenged himself with an aspartame soft drink. Another seizure
promptly ensued.
Aspartame - Is It Safe by H J Roberts MD, page 90
A study was performed at the University of Wisconsin on the affects of
aspartame on rhesus monkeys Monkeys, being close in their physiologies
to humans, are excellent subjects for study. These monkeys, treated
with aspartame, all experienced grand mal epileptic seizures after day
200 of a 52-week study. Blood samples from these primates revealed
extremely high levels of phenylalanine in their blood serum. The
researchers, noting that 50 percent of aspartame consisted of
phenylalanine, attributed those seizures to aspartame ingestion. After
the study ended and the aspartame was removed from the animal's diets,
no further seizure activity was observed.
Milk The Deadly Poison by Robert Cohen, page 264
A 29-year-old businessman sought consultation because of recurrent
grand mal seizures over an 18-month period. He had begun drinking
considerable amounts of diet soft drinks and eating other aspartame
products six months before the first convulsion. He suffered five
major attacks even while on relatively large doses of phenytoin and
carbama-zepine. The patient had no further seizures for six months
after stopping all aspartame products.
Aspartame - Is It Safe by H J Roberts MD, page 87
Seizures occur in 15% of people sensitive to aspartame, most of whom
suffered their first convulsions after consuming a diet product. A
single dose of aspartame can trigger a seizure in susceptible
patients. Children who have unexplained seizures should be questioned
regarding their ingestion of aspartame and glutamates.
The Enzyme Cure by Lita Lee with Lisa Turner & Burton Goldberg, page
210
A 19-year-old woman had convulsions that were finally attributed to
aspartame. She remained seizure-free for 11 months by avoiding such
products. She then was handed a piece of "sugar-free" gum at a ball
game. Multiple grand mal convulsions recurred within minutes after
chewing it.
Aspartame - Is It Safe by H J Roberts MD, page 77
No other underlying cause could be found in most of these patients,
despite extensive tests such as CT (computerized tomography, formerly
CAT) scan, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), EEG
(electroencephalogram), and even an angiogram of the cerebral blood
vessels. Aspartame-caused seizures disappear or dramatically decrease
when aspartame is avoided, even without antiepileptic drugs.
The Enzyme Cure by Lita Lee with Lisa Turner & Burton Goldberg, page
210
A young Air Force pilot told the Senate hearing held on November 3,
1987 that he suffered a grand mal seizure while consuming up to one
gallon of an aspartame beverage daily. There had been no recurrence
over the ensuing two years of abstinence.
aspartame - Is It Safe by H J Roberts MD, page 14
