mark@cbosgd.UUCP (07/05/83)
I dug up the article. It's the Columbus Dispatch, Friday, June 24th,
bottom of page 2. I assume it's in most other national papers too.
(For those just joining the discussion, which started in net.usenix
but probably should move to net.med, Aspartame is also known as
NutraSweet and is in Kool-Aid, Crystal Light, Nestea Iced Tea, Alba
77, Halfsies cereal, and was just approved for soft drinks this
weekend.)
Brain expert raps sweetener use
Los Angeles Times
A highly regarded brain scientist has raised serious objections to
the use of the sugar substitute aspartame in diet soft drinks on the
eve of the federal government's final review of the substance.
Dr. Richard J. Wurtman, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, has conducted animal experiments that suggest
consumption of aspartame-sweetened soft drinks in conjunction with
carbohydrate-laden foods may cause brain damage or behavioral changes.
He has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to delay approval
of the use of the sweetener in beverages until more tests are
conducted.
G.D. Searle and Co. first won approval to market aspartame as a
table-top sweetener and additive in processed foods two years ago.
Last year's sales of aspartame topped $74 million. In October, Searle
requested permission to use aspartame in soft drinks. The company's
spokesmen said the safety questions about aspartame have already been
resolved and they expect approval for its use in the $20 billion U.S.
soft-drink industry within a month.
Wurtman's objections are based on the growing knowledge of how the
amino acid phenylalanine, one of the major components of aspartame, is
affected by the presence of sugars and other carbohydrates.
The MIT scientist fed rats large quantities of sugar before
feeding them high doses of aspartame. The FDA is now reviewing the
results, but will not discuss them.
Wurtman said in a phone interview that the sugar triggers a series
of reactions that ultimately lead to increased levels of phenylalanine
in the brain. High levels of the natural substance in the brain are
associated with severe damage in children born with a hereditary
disease called phenylketonuria or PKU disease. The afflicted children
become mentally retarded unless given a special diet.
---- end of quote
OK, there's the text. Now, could anyone out there who knows more than
I elaborate on:
(1) Whether Wurtman is a reliable person (anybody at MIT know?),
(2) Whether the argument makes sense,
(3) Whether the reason for FDA approval this past weekend was the
machine alread in motion, or whether they didn't believe Wurtman's
results, or if they decided it wasn't a significant risk (ala
saccharin).rcj@burl.UUCP (07/07/83)
As I remember from college, kids who were identified as having PKU (phenylketonuria) at birth only had to be on a special diet until they reached age seven. After that, there was no problem. I am not sure if extremely high levels of phenylalinine in later life can do anything to you or not -- any qualified people out there care to elaborate?? BTW, just for general knowledge, the big problem with being born with PKU is that milk contains huge amounts of phenylalinine. -- The MAD Programmer -- 919-228-3814 (Cornet 291) alias: Curtis Jackson ...![ floyd sb1 mhuxv ]!burl!rcj
smb@ulysses.UUCP (07/08/83)
I've been told by a qualified individual that some recent research indicates that PKU victims may have to stay on their diet even after reaching adulthood, especially women who wish to have children.
dyer@wivax.UUCP (Stephen Dyer) (07/10/83)
Wurtman's argument that carbohydrates combined with aspartame might lead to increased levels of phenylalanine (an essential amino acid) in the brain, and then warning ominously of brain damage, is a perfect example of experimental results which are completely irrelevant to ordinary experience. His studies use extremely large doses of phenylalanine--much larger than one would ever find in an ordinary person's diet, with or without aspartame. The amount of aspartame equivalent in sweetening power to one teaspoon of sugar is 20 milligrams. Since aspartame is roughly 1/2 phenylalanine, we are talking about 10 milligrams of phenylalanine. This is FAR below the daily requirement for this amino acid (which is roughly 1000 milligrams +/- 600 mg.--I don't have exact numbers) which we receive in a balanced diet. In other words, the contribution of aspartame to a person's phenylalanine intake would be quite low, even for someone who ingested many foods sweetened with the substance. Lastly, one should not confuse the as yet unknown effects of a higher level of phenylalanine in the brain with the syndrome known as PKU (phenylketonuria.) Children suffering from this disease cannot break down phenylalanine, and hence begin to concentrate the substance in their brain and other tissues, causing mental retardation. Normally, phenylalanine is broken down in the brain to form neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine. Now, elevated levels of phenylalanine may very well have behavioral effects in normal humans. BUT, such levels cannot be achieved by ordinary dietary means, with or without aspartame. Steve Dyer decvax!wivax!dyer sdyer@bbn-unix