rbg@cbosgd.UUCP (Richard Goldschmidt) (07/24/84)
NutraSweet contains the amino acid phenylalanine, which is bad only for
people with a genetic disorder called phenylketonuria (PKU). They can't
metabolize it, and when it accumulates it can cause mental retardation.
If they simply avoid foods containing this amino acid they are fine.
Phenylalanine is not especially closely related to serotonin. Closer is
tryptophan, which is found in relatively large amounts in cheese. One
only slightly serious comment I heard in this regard is that eating lots
of cheese before going to sleep might give you more vivid dreams.
As far as the relationship between serotonin and LSD, this is still an open
issue. The best hypothesis I've seen suggests that LSD acts only on the
serotonin receptors that are on the serotonin containing nerve cells them-
selves. Since serotonin is an inhibitory transmitter, this fools the cells
which produce it into making less, causing disinhibition. Your disinhibited
sensory systems create hallucinations.
There are no reports of hallucinations resulting from NutraSweet. However,
there are some studies which suggest that it may cause either increased risk
of brain tumors and/or have neurotoxic effects similar to those of MSG
(monosodium glutamate). Since most commercial uses of NutraSweet blend it
with saccharine, you get these new risks on top of the cancer risk. And
if all that wasn't enough, the latest studies of life expectancy by the
life insurance companies show that the optimal weight range is actually
higher than they had previously thought (it is not best to be skinny),
so losing weight may not be healthy in a lot of ways.
Big is Beautiful !?
Rich Goldschmidt Nothing in life (that's worth much) is guaranteed
UUCP: {ucbvax|ihnp4|decvax|allegra}!cbosgd!rbg
ARPA: cbosgd!rbg@Berkeley.ARPAdyer@wivax.UUCP (Stephen Dyer) (07/26/84)
Aspartame is a methylated di-peptide consisting of two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine. It is rapidly metabolized to these constituents after it is ingested. Wurtman at MIT is the fellow claiming that it isn't safe, though his reasons have been disputed by both the FDA and Searle, the manufacturer and patent holder. Most scientists believe that the phenylalanine intake of an average person's diet swamps any contribution that aspartame makes. There is some controversy about aspartame when administered alone without other proteins (as is the case with most diet sodas and other foods.) Phenylalanine enters the brain more slowly when ingested with other proteins due to competition for transport. It may be that in diet sodas, when taken on an empty stomach, the small amount of phenylalanine may indeed enter the brain more rapidly, and hence exert some as-yet-unspecified pharmacological action. You might try seeing if diet sodas have the same effect on your mood when taken with food. Phenylalanine is a (several generations removed) precursor of norepinephrine, one of the main neurotransmitters. It has no relationship to serotonin. However, tryptophane, another amino acid, is a precursor of serotonin, and has demonstrable sleep-inducing effects in man. You can buy tryptophane tablets in most health food stores-- one to four GRAMS (no misprint) makes an effective, albeit expensive sleeping pill. LSD has serotonin-inhibiting effects, though it is not at all clear that its psychedelic effects are due to this action. -- /Steve Dyer decvax!bbncca!sdyer sdyer@bbncca.ARPA