Un-natural Sweeteners

THERE IS NOTHING SWEET ABOUT ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS

By RICK COUPLAND

We are all aware of how bad sugar is for us, and the many health

problems it can lead to. Diabetes today is at an all-time high.

Our bodies are not designed to cope with high levels of sugar

intake. It is unfortunate just how many foods we eat contain

sugar, and usually as their main ingredient.

To avoid sugar, a lot of people turn to artificial sweeteners.

They think that by using these sweeteners,, they can not only

satisfy their sweet tooth, but also minimize the hazards of high

intake of sugar. Unfortunately they are not aware of the dangers

that they can suffer from the use of these harmful replacements.

So what are artificial sweeteners, and how did they come to be?

While there are 3 or 4 different artificial sweeteners in wide

use today, (saccharin and sucralose, to name a couple), I will

limit this article to aspartame, the most commonly used one.

Aspartame was first discovered by a research scientist working

for GD Searle Pharmaceuticals back in 1965. So the story goes, he

was currently working on an anti-ulcer drug, and accidently got a

taste of the drug. It was very sweet to the taste, and this led

to the development of aspartame as an artificial sweetener.

In 1981, after 16 years of its initial discovery, aspartame was

finally approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) for

use in dry foods, such as Equal and Nutrasweet. This despite

throughout its 16 years of testing, it had never been proven safe

for human consumption. The FDA had overruled the Public Board of

Inquiry and ignored the law, Section 409(c)(3) of the Food Drug

and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 348), which says that a food additive

should not be approved if tests are inconclusive. Is it a

coincidence that several of the FDA officials responsible for its

approval took on employment shortly after with aspartame-related

manufacturers? Aspartame contains chemicals known as

excitotoxins. These excitotoxins literally overexcite brain

cells, until they die. This can lead to brain damage and

neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's

disease.

In 1983, aspartame was approved by the FDA to be used in soft

drinks, and Americans consumed over 20 million pounds of this

sweetener in the first two years alone. It is not surprising to

note that in the following two years, brain cancer increased

significantly in Canada and the U.S., (whereas all other types of

cancer remained somewhat constant). In the movie "Sweet Misery -

A Poisoned World", Jim Bowen, M.D. claims diabetes increased by a

startling 30% in this same time frame, and brain lymphoma, a very

rare and aggressive type of brain tumour, increased by a

staggering 60%.

Dr. Bowen, who suffers from Lou Gehrig's disease, which he feels

is a direct result from aspartame, also states: "Aspartame is

mass poisoning of the American public and the rest of the world.

Every known metabolite of aspartame is of marked or questionable

toxicity and patently unsafe for human use. The only responsible

action would be to immediately take aspartame off the market,

fully disclose its toxicities, offer full compensation to the

injured public and criminally prosecute anyone who participated

in the placement of aspartame on the market. That includes those

who work so diligently to keep it there as well."

Janet Starr Hull, creator of the Aspartame Detox Program writes:

"I almost died from aspar tame poisoning in 1991. When I

discovered the truth about aspartame, I naively thought that by

sharing what I discovered with others, I could help in removing

aspartame from the public market. I soon discovered that the

truth about aspartame is a wellguarded secret by those who gain

to profit the most from its sale around the world, and that its

removal from public use was going to be a hard task to

accomplish".

And here's one more statistic that should be sounding bells. In

1988, 80% of all com plaints about food and additives to the FDA

were related to aspartame.

You may already know that aspartame is included in many diet

sodas, including Coke, Pepsi and 7up. In actual fact, aspartame

can be found in over 5,000 products world-wide today. Here are

some items that you might not think of: Wrigley's Chewing Gum,

Activia Cherry Yoghurt, Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine, Oasis

Citrus Punch and many brands of children's chewable vitamins.

Of course, despite all of the health issues potentially

associated with artificial sweeteners, the companies that sell

these products will continue to claim that they are fully safe.

Don't believe them! Our bodies were not designed to deal with

foreign substances like artificial sweeteners.

Always remember we have been provided with natural sweeteners;

foods that our Good Lord did intend on us digesting. Raw honey is

not only good on toast; it can be used in tea, on top of cereal,

as a baking ingredient and so much more. Agave nectar, which

comes from the cactus-like plant in Mexico, can be used wherever

you would use honey or syrup. Stevia is a small green plant

bearing leaves which have a delicious and refreshing taste. It is

a natural South American herb that's been used for thousands of

years in some parts of the world. When dried into a powder, it

has a sweetness of about 200 to 300 times stronger than sugar.

All of these products can be found in your local health store.

...........

Rick Coupland writes for www.associationcovenantpeople.org

From "Thy Kingdom Come" - April 2011 - a publication of The

Association of the Covenant People, Burnaby, B.C. Canada.