REVERSING COURSE, DIET PEPSI GOES ALL-IN ON ASPARTAME

PepsiCo—which faced a consumer backlash after it pulled aspartame from Diet Pepsi in 2015—is making a full reversal and will once again use the controversial sweetner in the soda's mainstream variety.

The brand yanked aspartame in mid-2015, replacing it with with sucralose and acesulfame potassium, known as Ace-K. But the move backfired as loyalists clamored for the original formula. So in 2016, the brand brought back the aspartame version—but only in limited quantities marketed as "classic sweetener blend." It kept the aspartame-free version as its mainstream variety. But now Diet Pepsi is making the aspartame version its main variety again as part of a marketing revamp.

Beverage Digest first reported the news on Friday. A PepsiCo spokeswoman confirmed the switch to Ad Age but did not comment further. The move sets up a new chapter in the cola wars with Diet Pepsi's overhaul going head-to-head with Diet Coke, which has also undergone big changes.

Diet Coke this year introduced new flavors, packaging and an aggressive ad campaign that included a Super Bowl ad. Diet Coke has stuck with aspartame all along. And despite criticism of the sweetener by some health activists, the move has paid off. Last year, sales of Diet Pepsi's aspartame-free version dropped by 8.0% in volume, while Diet Coke fell 2.5%, Beverage Digest reported.

Diet Coke's revamp includes new flavors such as "feisty cherry," "zesty blood orange" and "ginger lime," as it seeks to gain interest from younger drinkers. Diet Pepsi will add vanilla and lime flavors in addition to its existing wild cherry variety, Beverage Digest reported. The new lineup will be marketed as "Classic Diet Pepsi Taste," and be backed with a TV ad that is part of the larger "Pepsi Generations" campaign that debuted at the Super Bowl, according to Beverage Digest. Diet Pepsi will keep the aspartame-free version but only sell it via e-commerce, according to Beverage Digest.

The move comes amid continued struggles for PepsiCo's North American Beverage unit, whse revenues fell 3 percent in the fourth quarter. On Tuesday, the same day it reported fourth quarter earnings, the company executed a round of companywide layoffs. PepsiCo stated that the layoffs cover "less than 1% of our U.S. workforce focused on corporate positions" as part of an ongoing "$5 billion productivity program." A spokeswoman declined comment when asked for the percentage of global layoffs. As of Dec. 30, PepsiCo employed 263,000 people worldwide, including 113,000 people in the U.S., according to financial filings.

PepsiCo must balance growing smaller, often healthier, startup brands with managing its big sodas like Mtn Dew and Pepsi. While in decline, sodas remain a major revenue source.

PepsiCo's playbook for 2018 includes pouring more marketing behind its established soda brands. It is also pushing a new sparkling water brand called Bubly that will be backed with advertising during the Oscars. Meanwhile, PepsiCo on Friday announced comedian Kevin Hart as the new spokesman for Mtn Dew's Kickstart variety as part of yearlong campaign that kicks off this weekend at the NBA All-Star game.

On the earnings call, PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi made her case to investors: "Let's not forget, 2015 and 2016 were very good years for North American Beverages. 2017 was a year that we would have liked to have had better performance. And now we're going into 2018 with a strong marketing calendar. So, let's wait for the year to play out."

Aspartame: By Far the Most Dangerous Substance Added to Most Foods Today

November 06, 2011
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/06/aspartame-most-dangerous-substance-added-to-food.aspx

Aspartame is the technical name for the brand names NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure. It was discovered by accident in 1965 when James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company, was testing an anti-ulcer drug.

What you don’t know WILL hurt you. Find out the dangerous effects of artificial sweeteners to your health. Aspartame was approved for dry goods in 1981 and for carbonated beverages in 1983. It was originally approved for dry goods on July 26, 1974, but objections filed by neuroscience researcher Dr. John W. Olney and consumer attorney James Turner in August 1974, as well as investigations of G.D. Searle’s research practices caused the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to put approval of aspartame on hold (December 5, 1974). In 1985, Monsanto purchased G.D. Searle and made Searle Pharmaceuticals and The NutraSweet Company separate subsidiaries.

Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious, including seizures and death. A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as part of aspartame dangers are:

Headaches/
migraines Dizziness Seizures Nausea Numbness
Muscle spasms Weight gain Rashes Depression Fatigue
Irritability Tachycardia Insomnia Vision problems Hearing loss
Heart palpitations Breathing difficulties Anxiety attacks Slurred speech Loss of taste
Tinnitus Vertigo Memory loss Joint pain

According to researchers and physicians studying the adverse effects of aspartame, the following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame:

Brain tumors Multiple sclerosis Epilepsy Chronic fatigue syndrome Parkinson’s disease
Alzheimer’s Mental retardation Lymphoma Birth defects Fibromyalgia
Diabetes

Aspartame is made up of three chemicals: aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. The book Prescription for Nutritional Healing, by James and Phyllis Balch lists aspartame under the category of “chemical poison.” As you shall see, that is exactly what it is.

What Is Aspartame Made Of?
Aspartic Acid (40 percent of Aspartame)
Dr. Russell L. Blaylock, a professor of neurosurgery at the Medical University of Mississippi, recently published a book thoroughly detailing the damage that is caused by the ingestion of excessive aspartic acid from aspartame. Blaylock makes use of almost 500 scientific references to show how excess free excitatory amino acids such as aspartic acid and glutamic acid (about 99 percent of monosodium glutamate or MSG is glutamic acid) in our food supply are causing serious chronic neurological disorders and a myriad of other acute symptoms.

How Aspartate (and Glutamate) Cause Damage
aspartateAspartate and glutamate act as neurotransmitters in the brain by facilitating the transmission of information from neuron to neuron. Too much aspartate or glutamate in the brain kills certain neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells. This influx triggers excessive amounts of free radicals, which kill the cells. The neural cell damage that can be caused by excessive aspartate and glutamate is why they are referred to as “excitotoxins.” They “excite” or stimulate the neural cells to death.

Aspartic acid is an amino acid. Taken in its free form (unbound to proteins), it significantly raises the blood plasma level of aspartate and glutamate. The excess aspartate and glutamate in the blood plasma shortly after ingesting aspartame or products with free glutamic acid (glutamate precursor) leads to a high level of those neurotransmitters in certain areas of the brain.

The blood brain barrier (BBB), which normally protects the brain from excess glutamate and aspartate as well as toxins, 1) is not fully developed during childhood, 2) does not fully protect all areas of the brain, 3) is damaged by numerous chronic and acute conditions, and 4) allows seepage of excess glutamate and aspartate into the brain even when intact.

The excess glutamate and aspartate slowly begin to destroy neurons. The large majority (75 percent or more) of neural cells in a particular area of the brain are killed before any clinical symptoms of a chronic illness are noticed. A few of the many chronic illnesses that have been shown to be contributed to by long-term exposure to excitatory amino acid damage include:

Multiple sclerosis (MS) Parkinson’s disease
ALS Hypoglycemia
Memory loss AIDS
Hormonal problems Dementia
Epilepsy Brain lesions
Alzheimer’s disease Neuroendocrine disorders
aspartame effect
The risk to infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and persons with certain chronic health problems from excitotoxins are great. Even the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), which usually understates problems and mimics the FDA party-line, recently stated in a review that glutamic acid should be avoided by women of childbearing age.

Aspartic acid from aspartame has the same deleterious effects on the body as glutamic acid isolated from it’s naturally protein-bound state, causing it to become a neurotoxin instead of a non-essential amino acid.

Aspartame in diet sodas, or aspartame in other liquid form are absorbed more quickly and have been shown to spike plasma levels of aspartic acid.

The exact mechanism of acute reactions to excess free glutamate and aspartate is currently being debated. As reported to the FDA, those reactions include:

Headaches/migraines Fatigue (blocks sufficient glucose entry into brain) Anxiety attacks
Nausea Sleep problems Depression
Abdominal pains Vision problems Asthma/chest tightness
One common complaint of persons suffering from the effect of aspartame is memory loss. Ironically, in 1987, G.D. Searle, the manufacturer of aspartame, undertook a search for a drug to combat memory loss caused by excitatory amino acid damage. Blaylock is one of many scientists and physicians who are concerned about excitatory amino acid damage caused by ingestion of aspartame and MSG.

A few of the many experts who have spoken out against the damage being caused by aspartate and glutamate include Adrienne Samuels, Ph.D., an experimental psychologist specializing in research design. Another is Olney, a professor in the department of psychiatry, School of Medicine, Washington University, a neuroscientist and researcher, and one of the world’s foremost authorities on excitotoxins. (He informed Searle in 1971 that aspartic acid caused holes in the brains of mice.)

Phenylalanine (50 percent of aspartame)
Don’t let artificial sweeteners fool you! Order now and find out the risks of using aspartame. Phenylalanine is an amino acid normally found in the brain. Persons with the genetic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU) cannot metabolize phenylalanine. This leads to dangerously high levels of phenylalanine in the brain (sometimes lethal). It has been shown that ingesting aspartame, especially along with carbohydrates, can lead to excess levels of phenylalanine in the brain even in persons who do not have PKU.

This is not just a theory, as many people who have eaten large amounts of aspartame over a long period of time and do not have PKU have been shown to have excessive levels of phenylalanine in the blood. Excessive levels of phenylalanine in the brain can cause the levels of serotonin in the brain to decrease, leading to emotional disorders such as depression. It was shown in human testing that phenylalanine levels of the blood were increased significantly in human subjects who chronically used aspartame.

Even a single use of aspartame raised the blood phenylalanine levels. In his testimony before the U.S. Congress, Dr. Louis J. Elsas showed that high blood phenylalanine can be concentrated in parts of the brain and is especially dangerous for infants and fetuses. He also showed that phenylalanine is metabolized much more efficiently by rodents than by humans.

One account of a case of extremely high phenylalanine levels caused by aspartame was recently published by the Wednesday Journal in an article titled “An Aspartame Nightmare.” John Cook began drinking six to eight diet drinks every day. His symptoms started out as memory loss and frequent headaches. He began to crave more aspartame-sweetened drinks. His condition deteriorated so much that he experienced wide mood swings and violent rages. Even though he did not suffer from PKU, a blood test revealed a phenylalanine level of 80 mg/dl. He also showed abnormal brain function and brain damage. After he kicked his aspartame habit, his symptoms improved dramatically.

As Blaylock points out in his book, early studies measuring phenylalanine buildup in the brain were flawed. Investigators who measured specific brain regions and not the average throughout the brain notice significant rises in phenylalanine levels. Specifically the hypothalamus, medulla oblongata, and corpus striatum areas of the brain had the largest increases in phenylalanine. Blaylock goes on to point out that excessive buildup of phenylalanine in the brain can cause schizophrenia or make one more susceptible to seizures.

Therefore, long-term, excessive use of aspartame may provide a boost to sales of serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as Prozac and drugs to control schizophrenia and seizures.

Methanol a.k.a wood alcohol/poison (10 percent of aspartame)
Methanol/wood alcohol is a deadly poison. Some people may remember methanol as the poison that has caused some “skid row” alcoholics to end up blind or dead. Methanol is gradually released in the small intestine when the methyl group of aspartame encounters the enzyme chymotrypsin.

The absorption of methanol into the body is sped up considerably when free methanol is ingested. Free methanol is created from aspartame when it is heated to above 86 Fahrenheit (30 Centigrade). This would occur when aspartame-containing product is improperly stored or when it is heated (e.g. as part of a “food” product such as Jello).

methanolMethanol breaks down into formaldehyde in the body. Formaldehyde is a deadly neurotoxin. An EPA assessment of methanol states that methanol “is considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed. In the body, methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde.” They recommend a limit of consumption of 7.8 mg/day. A one-liter (approx. 1 quart) aspartame-sweetened beverage contains about 56 mg of methanol. Heavy users of aspartame-containing products consume as much as 250 mg of methanol daily or 32 times the EPA limit.

Symptoms from methanol poisoning include headaches, ear buzzing, dizziness, nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances, weakness, vertigo, chills, memory lapses, numbness and shooting pains in the extremities, behavioral disturbances, and neuritis. The most well known problems from methanol poisoning are vision problems including misty vision, progressive contraction of visual fields, blurring of vision, obscuration of vision, retinal damage, and blindness. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, causes retinal damage, interferes with DNA replication and causes birth defects.

Due to the lack of a couple of key enzymes, humans are many times more sensitive to the toxic effects of methanol than animals. Therefore, tests of aspartame or methanol on animals do not accurately reflect the danger for humans. As pointed out by Dr. Woodrow C. Monte, director of the food science and nutrition laboratory at Arizona State University: “There are no human or mammalian studies to evaluate the possible mutagenic, teratogenic or carcinogenic effects of chronic administration of methyl alcohol.”

He was so concerned about the unresolved safety issues that he filed suit with the FDA requesting a hearing to address these issues. He asked the FDA to:

“...[S]low down on this soft drink issue long enough to answer some of the important questions. It’s not fair that you are leaving the full burden of proof on the few of us who are concerned and have such limited resources. You must remember that you are the American public’s last defense. Once you allow usage (of aspartame) there is literally nothing I or my colleagues can do to reverse the course. Aspartame will then join saccharin, the sulfiting agents, and God knows how many other questionable compounds enjoined to insult the human constitution with governmental approval.”

Shortly thereafter, the Commissioner of the FDA, Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr., approved the use of aspartame in carbonated beverage. He then left for a position with G.D. Searle’s public relations firm.

It has been pointed out that some fruit juices and alcoholic beverages contain small amounts of methanol. It is important to remember, however, that methanol never appears alone. In every case, ethanol is present, usually in much higher amounts. Ethanol is an antidote for methanol toxicity in humans. The troops of Desert Storm were “treated” to large amounts of aspartame-sweetened beverages, which had been heated to over 86 degrees F in the Saudi Arabian sun. Many of them returned home with numerous disorders similar to what has been seen in persons who have been chemically poisoned by formaldehyde. The free methanol in the beverages may have been a contributing factor in these illnesses. Other breakdown products of aspartame such as DKP (discussed below) may also have been a factor.

In a 1993 act that can only be described as “unconscionable,” the FDA approved aspartame as an ingredient in numerous food items that would always be heated to above 86 degree F (30 degree C).

Diketopiperazine (DKP)
DKP is a byproduct of aspartame metabolism. DKP has been implicated in the occurrence of brain tumors. Olney noticed that DKP, when nitrosated in the gut, produced a compound that was similar to N-nitrosourea, a powerful brain tumor causing chemical. Some authors have said that DKP is produced after aspartame ingestion. I am not sure if that is correct. It is definitely true that DKP is formed in liquid aspartame-containing products during prolonged storage.

G.D. Searle conducted animal experiments on the safety of DKP. The FDA found numerous experimental errors occurred, including “clerical errors, mixed-up animals, animals not getting drugs they were supposed to get, pathological specimens lost because of improper handling,” and many other errors. These sloppy laboratory procedures may explain why both the test and control animals had 16 times more brain tumors than would be expected in experiments of this length.

In an ironic twist, shortly after these experimental errors were discovered, the FDA used guidelines recommended by G.D. Searle to develop the industry-wide FDA standards for good laboratory practices.

DKP has also been implicated as a cause of uterine polyps and changes in blood cholesterol by FDA Toxicologist Dr. Jacqueline Verrett in her testimony before the U.S. Senate.

Aspartame Poison: The Silent Killer

By Ron Harder
http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/aspartame-poison.html

There is an epidemic across North America today of Multiple Sclerosis and Lupus. Most people do not understand why this epidemic is happening, and they do not know why these diseases are so rampant. I would like to share with you the main reason we are having this very serious problem.

Many people today use artificial sweeteners in their tea or coffee. They do this because the ads they see on TV tell them that sugar is bad for their health. This is absolutely true. Sugar is toxic to us, but, what most people use as a replacement for sugar is much more deadly.

I am talking about Aspartame. It is the cause of the epidemic that was mentioned above. Aspartame is an extremely toxic chemical that is produced by a chemical company called Monsanto.

Aspartame is being marketed around the world as a sugar substitute and is found in all diet soft drinks, such as Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi. It is also found in artificial sweeteners such as NutraSweet, Equal, and Spoonful; and it is used in many other products as a sugar replacement.

Aspartame is marketed as a diet product, but it is not a diet product at all. In fact, it will cause you to GAIN weight because it makes you crave carbohydrates.

Causing you to gain weight is only a very small part of what Aspartame does. Aspartame is a toxic chemical that changes the brain’s chemistry. It can and does cause severe seizures. This chemical changes the dopamine level in the brain, and it is particularly deadly for anyone suffering from Parkinson’s diseases.

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Aspartame is extremely poisonous, and here is why. One of the toxic ingredients of Aspartame is wood alcohol. When the temperature of Aspartame exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in the Aspartame is converted to formaldehyde, and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis.

Formaldehyde is grouped in the same class of poisons as Cyanide and Arsenic – which are very deadly toxins. The only difference is… Formaldehyde kills quietly, and it takes a little longer. And, in the process of killing people, it causes all kinds of neurological problems.

There are 92 documented symptoms of Aspartame Poisoning leading to coma and death. The majority of these symptoms are neurological, because the Aspartame attacks and destroys the nervous system. Some of the symptoms of Aspartame Poisoning are covered below.

One of these symptoms is Lupus, which has become almost as rampant as Multiple Sclerosis, especially with Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers.

When someone develops Lupus as a result of using Aspartame, they usually do not know that the Aspartame is the culprit. They then continue to use Aspartame, which aggravates the Lupus to such a degree that it sometimes becomes life threatening.

When people finally get off the Aspartame, the severity of the Lupus decreases.

It is generally believed that once you develop Lupus, you will have it for the rest of your life, but this is not so. Lupus can be defeated with some very special treatment.

Aspartame Poisoning is also very often diagnosed as Multiple Sclerosis. The methanol toxicity mimics Multiple Sclerosis, and therefore, people are being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when in fact they do not have it. Multiple Sclerosis is not a death sentence, where Methanol Toxicity usually is.

When those who suffer from Aspartame Poisoning stop using Aspartame, most of the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis disappear. There are many cases where someone’s vision has returned, and even their hearing has returned.

We have a very serious problem here. More and more people who are heavy Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers are being diagnosed with MS.

This also applies to other diseases. If you are using Aspartame and you suffer from Fibromyalgia symptoms such as spasms, shooting pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss, you probably do not have Fibromyalgia, you very likely have Aspartame Poisoning.

At the Conference of the American College of Physicians, doctors admitted that they did not know the cause of the epidemic in MS and Lupus. It is believed that the phenylalanine in the Aspartame breaks down the seizure threshold and depletes Serotonin, which causes manic depression, panic attacks, rage, and violence.

According to the Conference of the American College of Physicians, “We are talking about a plague of neurological diseases caused by this deadly poison”.

Aspartame is especially deadly for diabetics. All physicians know what wood alcohol will do to a diabetic. There are many cases where physicians believe they have a patient with retinopathy, when in fact, the problem is caused by Aspartame. The Aspartame keeps the blood sugar level out of control, causing many patients to go into a coma. Unfortunately, many diabetics who have used Aspartame have died.

There are many recorded cases where diabetics have switched from Saccharin to an Aspartame product, and many of these people have eventually gone into a coma. Their physicians could not get the blood sugar levels under control. Thus, the patients suffered acute memory loss, and eventually coma and death.

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Two prominent Doctors, Dr. Blaylock and Dr. H. J. Roberts, have written books on Aspartame Poisoning. Dr. Blaylock’s book is entitled: “EXCITOTOXINS: THE TASTE THAT KILLS”. Dr. H.J. Roberts, diabetic specialist and world expert on Aspartame Poisoning, has written a book entitled “DEFENSE AGAINST ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE”.

Dr. Roberts realized what was happening when Aspartame was first marketed and used. He said that his diabetic patients who used Aspartame presented memory loss, confusion, and severe vision loss”. The methanol in the Aspartame converts to Formaldehyde in the retina of the eye, and causes people to go blind.

Memory loss is due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are neurotoxic without the other amino acids found in protein. Thus it goes past the blood brain barrier and deteriorates the neurons of the brain.

Dr. Roberts tells how Aspartame Poisoning is escalating Alzheimer’s disease. Women of 30 years of age are being admitted that have developed Alzheimer’s disease as a result of using Aspartame.

Aspartame Disease is partially the cause of what is behind some of the mystery of the Desert Storm health problems (Gulf War Syndrome). The burning tongue and other problems discussed in over 60 cases can be directly related to the consumption of an Aspartame product.

Several thousand pallets of diet drinks were shipped to the Desert Storm troops. (Remember that heat can liberate the methanol from the Aspartame at 86 degrees F). These diet drinks sat on pallets in the 120-degree F. Arabian sun for weeks at a time. The service men and women drank them all day long, and all of their symptoms are identical to Aspartame Poisoning.

According to Dr. Roberts, another serious problem is that consuming Aspartame during pregnancy can cause birth defects. When the Aspartame attacks the nervous system it does not allow the unborn child to develop properly.

Aspartame consumption has also been shown to lead to cancer. In the original lab tests on Aspartame, animals that were given Aspartame developed brain tumors. The phenylalanine breaks down into DXP, which is a brain tumor agent.

How serious is this Aspartame Poisoning? A mother who had a child on NutraSweet was told to get her child off the product. The child was having grand mal seizures every day. The mother spoke to her doctor, who called the ADA, who told the doctor not to take the child off the NutraSweet. They are still trying to convince the mother that the Aspartame is causing the seizures. Every time you take a grand mal seizure victim off of Aspartame, the seizures stop.

Here is the major problem. Congressional Hearings were held when Aspartame was originally approved for use in 100 different products. Since that initial hearing, there have been two more hearings to try to ban this product, but to no avail. The drug and chemical lobbies have very deep pockets.

This list of 100 has now expanded to where there are over 5,000 products containing this chemical, and the patent has expired. Also, Aspartame is now available in over 90 countries around the world.

There is a bit of hope. Stevia, a sweet herb which helps in the metabolism of sugar, and which is proving to be ideal for diabetics, has now been approved as a dietary supplement by the F.D.A. For years, the F.D.A. had outlawed this sweet food because of their loyalty to Monsanto.

I assure you that MONSANTO, the creator of Aspartame, knows exactly how deadly their product is. They fund the American Diabetes Association, the American Dietetic Association, Congress, and the Conference of the American College of Physicians. They have the contacts and the power to keep their product on the market. Public health means nothing to these people, it’s all about making money.

Senator Howard Hetzenbaum wrote a bill that would have warned all pregnant mothers and children of the dangers of Aspartame. The bill would also have instituted independent studies on the problems existing in the population (seizures, changes in brain chemistry, changes in neurological and behavioral symptoms). It was killed by the powerful drug and chemical lobbies.

Young people drink a lot of Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi, and because of this, they are the most susceptible to Aspartame Poisoning. Please let your children know about the toxins in these drinks.

A large number of adults use Nutrasweet, Equal, or Spoonful. They also need to be warned of the dangers in those products.

And, very importantly, do not consume anything that has Aspartame in it. If it says “Sugar Free” on the label, you know that it contains Aspartame. DO NOT USE THIS PRODUCT.

Aspartame Side Effects
Aspartame Poisoning
Aspartame and Pregnancy

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