# 1 ASPARTAME-E951
This post is a bit 'Lunghin, the I admit. But aspartame is a prime example of how the process is "enabling" of food additives (and how they experience, unfortunately, many power plays).
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener food additive that has created quite a few storms between the scientific communities.
was discovered in 1965 by James M. Schlatter, a chemist of GD Searle & Company (USA), which, after thorough this compound, has submitted to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).
On June 26, 1974, the FDA allowed the use of aspartame in beverages alone, immediately sparking a petition of signatures on the part of Dr. Olney and lawyer Jim Turner to recall that decision.
This led, three years later, the FDA to initiate an investigation on the survey and data collected by Searle, by entrusting the investigation to the U.S. ATTORNEY OFFICE.
The first odd thing was born here. The then chief of detectives of the Attorney was hired seven months later at the law offices of Searle.
The investigation continued, however, managed to publish a report in which errors were reported in the documents about Searle's aspartame, but could not be completed because of budget constraints and time (time-barred, we would say today XD).
We must, then, wait until 1980 because aspartame is given the green light also food and, specifically, at the time of the then U.S. president Ronald Reagan who gave the charge to a certain Arthur Hull Hayes to review the position of aspartame. It was he, in fact, give consent to which this substance could also be used safely in food and beverages only.
The second curious thing is born from here. It is assumed by many that Hayes had some friends with Donald Rumsfeld, then President of GD Searle.
There must also be said, however, that on the other hand, many believed that the suspect was on the toxicity of aspartame only a ploy by some to bring down the shares of Searle and then removing them, a slice of the market for the benefit of others.
Even in this respect was an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. I tried to go on your site and know how it is going to end, or if these assumptions was affirmative or negative, but, ahem .. there are a lot of documents, all in English and I should put there to groom for a while ' time, which tempts me not at all = __ =
The waters have remained more or less quiet until 2006 when the Ramazzini Foundation in Bologna found (I quote from Wikipedia), "the increased incidence of lymphomas and leukemias in female mice after intake of low doses of aspartame. "
The documents of the Foundation, together with all previous records of past investigations have been retouched concerned from EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) which responded that (I quote from the website of EFSA) "there was a need to review the outcome of the previous risk assessment and confirming the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for aspartame of 40 mg / kg bodyweight (bw ) "
This dose, it is worthwhile to keep in mind because you can not understand how this could, in my opinion, be checked because the producers BY LAW, DO NOT have any obligation to write the label ingredients, the measurement 'of aspartame inherent in their products (!!).
report here more faithfully and in detail by the EFSA's website, the findings that led to its decision about aspartame:
* The increased incidence of lymphomas / leukemias in treated rats was unrelated to aspartame, due to the high background incidence of chronic inflammatory changes in the lungs and the lack of a positive dose-response relationship. It is known that these tumors may develop in response to abnormal hyperplasia of lymphoid organs in the lungs of rats infected with diseases respiratory disease. The most plausible explanation of the results of this study with respect ailinfomi and leukemia is that they have developed in a colony suffering from chronic respiratory disease. The slight increase in the incidence of these tumors in rats fed aspartame is considered to be a fortuitous result of the ERF study and can therefore be ignored.
* The preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions of the renal pelvis, ureter and bladder observed mainly in female rats along with renal calcification were most probably related to treatment, at least at higher doses. It is widely recognized that this is an effect due to the high dose of irritant chemicals or chemicals responsible for the calcification of the renal pelvis as a result of imbalances in calcium metabolism, to the rat. The Panel considers that these effects are of no relevance to humans.
* The data on total malignant tumors are not sufficient to demonstrate a carcinogenic potential of aspartame. In the opinion of the Panel that the aggregation of all cancers or all of the animals suffering from malignant tumors for statistical purposes is not justified, since, as stated above, the lymphomas and leukemias, first , and renal tumors, on the other hand, should be excluded from the analysis.
* Concerning the malignant schwannomas, the Panel notes that the number of tumors is low, the dose-response relationship, while showing a positive statistical trend in males, is very flat over a wide range dosages, there is also uncertainty about the diagnosis of these tumors. The Panel concludes that this result can be fully assessed only after an independent review of all histopathologic preparations of the nervous system of the ERF study and if appropriate, also of historical controls.
highlights once again how, at the end of the day, totally unnecessary animal testing, since, it seems to me in the eyes of all, can not lead to any results, but only certain food interests of either party. This, of course, is a general discussion and does not refer necessarily to the case mentioned in this post.
Well, what to say. It 'amazing how a little thing that is part of our daily lives of consumers, that hides a troubled history.
If I made any mistakes or inaccuracies, please let me know.
Main and sources used
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/EFSA/efsa_locale-1178620753820_1178620765743.htm http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame http: / / www.ramazzini.it/fondazione/newsDetail.asp?id=18 http://www.disinformazione.it/aspartame5.htm http://italia.aspartame.info/Default.asp