Dr. Rueben Matalon of the University of Illinois has reported that heavy consumption of NutraSweet’s main component the amino acid phenylalanine may cause neurological problems such as loss of memory and concentration. Matalon and Dr. Louis Elsas of Emory University say they fear aspartame consumption by some pregnant women can cause irreversible brain damage in fetuses. They worry most about women among an estimated 4 million to 20 million Americans who are carriers of the genetic disease, phenylketonuria characterized by the liver’s inability to process phenylalanine. While there are an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 PKU victims nationwide who are warned not to take NutraSweet, carriers or heterozygotes, do not have the disease and generally are unaware of their sensitivity, they said. The company has said that the Food and Drug Administration concluded, “NutraSweet did not present any additional health risk to pregnant women.” Reported by Gregory Gordon, UPI Investigative Reporter