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Originally posted by Aloysius the Gaul
I'm not sure if this has been pointed out - but as I read it the petition is NOT for the artificial sweetener to be removed from the list of ingredients at all, nor for milk to be "redefined" in any way.
It is for the requirement that the milk be advertised as "reduced calorie" or "Lite" or similar to be removed.
Other foods already do this eg icecream swettened with non-sugar additives is not required to have this labelling.
Cancer
Studies have found a dangerous connection between aspartame consumption and the development of brain tumors. When aspartame breaks down it produces a substance called DKP. As your stomach digests DKP, it produces a chemical that induces the growth of brain tumors.
Diabetes
Aspartame consumption is extremely harmful to people with diabetes. It makes it more difficult to control sugar levels and aggravate diabetes-related conditions such as retinopathy, cataracts, neuropathy and gastroparesis. The sweetener also has been known to cause convulsions often mistaken for insulin reactions.
Psychological Disorders
Emotional and mood disorders have been linked to aspartame. Studies suggest that people with certain emotional problems are more sensitive to aspartame. High levels of aspartame cause changes in the serotonin levels which can lead to behavioral problems, depression and other emotional disorders. In some cases, the side effects were so dangerous that doctors were forced to put an end to the studies.
Hinders Weight Loss
Aspartame can be found in diet sodas and most other diet products. However, research indicates that the sweetener increases your hunger and can actually impede your weight loss. Phenylalanine and aspartic acid can cause spikes in insulin levels and force your body to remove the glucose from your blood stream and store it as fat. Aspartame also inhibits the production of serotonin and prevents your brain from signalling to your body that you are full. This can lead to food cravings and make it more difficult for you to lose weight.
Birth Defects
Aspartame is an excitotoxin or a substance that has the potential to damage or kill cells in the nervous system. The blood-brain barrier is a structure that stops harmful substances from penetrating the brain. The barrier doesn't completely form until a child is one year old, therefore, before a child is born, its nervous system is vulnerable to any dangerous excitotoxins that the mother may consume. Too much exposure to phenylalanine or aspartic acid may cause irreversible brain damage and other serious birth defects.
Vision Problems
Methanol, one of Aspartame's components, can damage the retinas and the optic nerves. Aspartame consumption has been connected to eye pain, blurred vision and, in some cases, blindness.
Brain Damage and Seizures
Aspartame can change the chemistry of the brain. Formaldehyde, a product of methanol, gathers in certain areas of the brain causing degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and ALS. Aspartame consumption can also trigger seizures in both epileptics and other individuals without a history of epilepsy.
Aspartame may contain fewer calories than sugar, however, the toxic sweetener has the potential to cause serious damage to the nervous system and in the worst case scenarios can be fatal.
Originally posted by ElectricGreen
Originally posted by Aloysius the Gaul
I'm not sure if this has been pointed out - but as I read it the petition is NOT for the artificial sweetener to be removed from the list of ingredients at all, nor for milk to be "redefined" in any way.
It is for the requirement that the milk be advertised as "reduced calorie" or "Lite" or similar to be removed. [/
Other foods already do this eg icecream swettened with non-sugar additives is not required to have this labelling.
Umm, no offense, but what article did you read? The one posted in the OP? Because that article clearly states they're trying to take regularly FLAVORED milk, that's been flavored with refined sugars, and sub them out with "non-nutritive" sweeteners such as aspartame without indicating any such switch. To "combat childhood obesity."
Puhlease. All you need is a basic understanding of biochemistry to know that artificial sweeteners LEAD you to eat MORE because you receive none of the metabolic signals of fullness that you do when you consume foods with real sugar in it. Real sugar of course spikes your blood glucose levels and if you eat too much of the refined stuff you can gain weight. The artificial sweeteners have you downing the poison and then getting no satisfaction of fullness thus leading you to still be hungry.
Two powerful dairy organizations, The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), are petitioning the Food and Drug Administration to allow aspartame and other artificial sweeteners to be added to milk and other dairy products without a label.
Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
This is among the things my wife is allergic to. She most definitely has a reaction to it, as do millions of Americans. The FDA needs to be broken into two things here.....
Originally posted by jcarpenter
I propose the penalty should fit the crime. How 'bout we bring back burning-at-the-stake?
Originally posted by ModernAcademia
Oh no come onnn....
Aspartame in Milk??????
Kids already love milk as it is, why add aspartame to it???
This is just completely disgusting, this would make it next to impossible to avoid aspartame!
Yes I know it's already hard, but I don't drink diet anything or chew gum and other stuff.
But milk is a big part of my daily life because I put it in coffee, tea, cereal, food dishes, and other forms of food, even scrambled eggs.
If the FDA even did a petition I think most people would say no to it by a landslide.
PLEASE DO NOT HAPPEN!!!!!!!
usahitman.com
(visit the link for the full news article)