Aspartame (technically L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanyl-methyl-ester) is not found in nature. It is a synthetic chemical consisting of two amino acids, phenylalanine and aspartic acid, along with a methyl ester. It is reported to be 200 times sweeter than sugar and is virtually calorie free.
Above 85 degrees Fahrenheit (30 Centigrade) aspartame breaks down into
- phenylalanine (50%)
- aspartic acid (40%)
- methanol (10%)
Note that our body’s internal temperature is 98.6 Fahrenheit (37 Centigrade) well above the breakdown temperature of Aspartame.
Phenylalanine is one of the amino acids needed for the production of neurotransmitters essential to brain function. However, some people (those with PKU – phenylketonuria) are missing the enzymes to break it down and may end up with an excess that causes brain damage and possible seizures.
Aspartic Acid can cause brain damage in fetuses.
Methanol (aka wood alcohol) is a deadly poison. People may recall that methanol was 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.
An EPA assessment of methanol states that methanol “is considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed.”
The most well-known problems from methanol poisoning are vision problems. Also, methanol toxicity mimics multiple sclerosis; thus people were being diagnosed with having multiple sclerosis in error. The multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, where methanol toxicity is.
As if the above is not enough, methanol itself is oxidized into formaldehyde, formic acid and a brain tumor agent called diketopiperazine (DKP).
- Formaldehyde is a deadly neurotoxin and used in embalming corpses. It is considered a severe poison and a known carcinogen, causes retinal damage, interferes with DNA replication, and causes birth defects.
- Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants.
- Diketopiperazine (DKP) is suspected to be converted in the gut into a potential brain tumor agent.