URGENT: NutraSweet(tm) Destroys Usenet!!!!

[Steven B. Harris]

In <3vj15r$9cs at curly.cc.emory.edu> libcm at curly.cc.emory.edu (Chris 
McMahon) writes: 

>
>Jean-Francois Avon (jf_avon at citenet.net) wrote:
>
>: >just no one to warn him of the dangers and he didn't know that 
NutraSweet 
>: >is a seizure triggering drug, and produced grand mal seizues in lab 
animals.
>
>: Dear Betty, would you please post substantial pharmacological and 
stastical  
>: data on the subject. I am very interested in hearing about it.  I 
would like 
>
>Aspartame (Nutrasweet) was originally developed as an experimental 
>neurological drug. It's sweetness was an unexpected side effect.


Even your first sentence is incorrect.  The sweetness was an unexpected 
and serendipitously noticed thing, but it was found in a dipeptide which 
was being used in the synthesis of another protein.  Nobody ever 
intended to use aspartame itself for anything.

>    It was a dud as a neurological agent, except that in large doses, 
>it causes brain lesions in lab animals.

In a never-published study, allegedly.  Not very good evidence.
 
>   Some humans experience neurological problems with reasonably small 
>doses of aspartame. 

But this is not seen in double-blind studies.  Wups.  Big deal.


                                               Steve