Direct and indirect cellular effects of aspartame on the brain.

rmforall submitted, created time 2 years 5 months (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Many informed experts, not controlled by vested interests, now publish detailed studies this year on the toxicity of aspartame, due to its components: methanol, aspartic acid, phenylalanine. The body always quickly converts methanol into formaldehyde.

Almost none of these mainstream studies are mentioned in mass print and broadcast media.

Here is their abstract. You can access the article for $ 30:
www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/1602866a.html;jsessionid=DA855B80C66B37279C6D981F78BC3571
http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/vaop/ncurrent/pdf/1602866a.pdf

Their information is accurate and complete. Note also their recent article:

Ultrastruct Pathol. 2007 Mar-Apr; 31(2): 77-83.
Ultrastructural changes to rabbit fibrin and platelets due to aspartame.
Pretorius E,
Humphries P.
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Pretoria, South Africa.
[ Humphries P also at
Department of Anatomy, University of Limpopo.
Medunsa Campus, Garankuwa. South Africa ]

A medical layman, I have volunteered for eight years to offer detailed, fair, civil reviews of mostly mainstream scientific research relevant to aspartame toxicity and related issues. For a month now, Google Groups has put my general review at the top of 151,000 listings for "aspartame".

I include the website of Resia Pretorius in
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1463
Direct and indirect cellular effects of aspartame on the brain, Humphries P, Pretorius E, Naudé H, U. Pretoria, South Africa, Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007 Aug 8: Murray 2007.08.16


Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007 Aug 8; [Epub ahead of print]
Direct and indirect cellular effects of aspartame on the brain.
Humphries P,
Pretorius E, resia.pretorius@up.ac.za
Naudé H.
[1] 1Department of Anatomy, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
[2] 2Department of Anatomy, University of the Limpopo, South Africa.

The use of the artificial sweetener, aspartame, has long been contemplated and
studied by various researchers, and people are concerned about its negative effects.

Aspartame is composed of phenylalanine (50%), aspartic acid (40%) and methanol (10%).

Phenylalanine plays an important role in neurotransmitter regulation,
whereas aspartic acid is also thought to play a role as an excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system.

Glutamate, asparagines and glutamine are formed from their precursor, aspartic acid.

Methanol, which forms 10% of the broken down product, is converted in the body to formate,
which can either be excreted or can give rise to formaldehyde,
diketopiperazine (a carcinogen) and a number of other highly toxic derivatives.

Previously, it has been reported that consumption of aspartame
could cause neurological and behavioural disturbances in sensitive individuals.

Headaches, insomnia and seizures
are also some of the neurological effects
that have been encountered,
and these may be accredited to changes
in regional brain concentrations of catecholamines,
which include norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine.

The aim of this study was to discuss the direct and indirect
cellular effects of aspartame on the brain,
and we propose that excessive aspartame ingestion
might be involved in the pathogenesis
of certain mental disorders (DSM-IV-TR 2000)
and also in compromised learning and emotional functioning.

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition advance online publication,
8 August 2007; doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602866.
PMID: 17684524

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNMmessage/1452
phenylalanine and aspartic acid from low dose aspartame
in rabbits interfere with blood coagulation,
Pretorius E and Humphries P, U. of Pretoria,
Ultrastruct Pathol 2007 March: Murray 2007.07.14


" The authors conclude by suggesting that aspartame usage
may interfere with the coagulation process
and might cause delayed fibrin breakup after clot formation.

They suggest this,
as the fibrin networks from aspartame-exposed rabbits
are more complex and dense,
due to the netlike appearance of the minor, thin fibers.
Aspartame usage should possibly be limited
by people on anti-clotting medicine
or those with prone to clot formation. "

Ultrastruct Pathol. 2007 Mar-Apr; 31(2): 77-83.
Ultrastructural changes to rabbit fibrin and platelets due to aspartame.
Pretorius E,
Humphries P.
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine,
University of Pretoria, South Africa.
[ Humphries P also at
Department of Anatomy, University of Limpopo.
Medunsa Campus, Garankuwa. South Africa ]

email: E. Pretorius resia.pretorius@up.ac.za

*Correspondence to E. Pretorius,
BMW Building, PO Box 2034,
Faculty of Health Sciences,
University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa

Keywords: aspartame South Africa brain anatomy methanol aspartic acid phenylalanine formaldehyde neurotoxin toxin carcinogen artificial sweetener Resia Pretorius Rich Murray Universityof