Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site cbosgd.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!floyd!vax135!ariel!houti!hogpc!houxm!ihnp4!cbosgd!mark From: mark@cbosgd.UUCP Newsgroups: net.usenix,net.med,net.misc Subject: Re: Aspartame might cause brain damage - text of article Message-ID: <100@cbosgd.UUCP> Date: Mon, 4-Jul-83 23:15:45 EDT Article-I.D.: cbosgd.100 Posted: Mon Jul 4 23:15:45 1983 Date-Received: Thu, 7-Jul-83 17:26:15 EDT References: <18437@wivax.UUCP> Organization: Bell Labs, Columbus Lines: 60 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).