Food-borne Neurotoxins and Tinnitus
Part 1: Aspartame

by Barry Keate

During the last half century, there have been increasing amounts of food additives in the American food supply. These substances have been added for the purpose of improving nutrition, food preservation and improving taste. Food additives that improve taste will be the subject of the next two newsletters.

There are two primary food additives whose sole function is to improve taste in order to sell more food products. These are aspartame and monosodium glutamate (MSG). Aspartame is the low-calorie sweetener sold under the names NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, Indulge and Equal-Measure. MSG is a flavor enhancer used in many processed and prepackaged foods.

Both aspartame and monosodium glutamate are excitatory neurotransmitters. That is, they excite brain neurons and increase levels of electrical activity in the brain and the auditory cortex, the area where tinnitus is perceived. We know that people with tinnitus have an elevated level of electrical activity and reducing this activity is helpful for tinnitus. Increasing electrical activity increases tinnitus. A previous article discussing elevated states of electrical activity in the brain and tinnitus can be seen by clicking here.

In this article, we will discuss the issue of aspartame in diet foods and specifically in diet colas, where the majority of the product is consumed. The next issue will be concerned with MSG.

Certain allegations discussed here are controversial and have been vigorously denied by both the Food and Drug Administration and food industry. I was hesitant to discuss something that has strong proponents on both sides. However, after reading excerpts from a book by an esteemed neurosurgeon and newspaper articles about the dangers posed by aspartame and monosodium glutamate, I decided there is enough data to at least bring this issue to people’s attention. People with tinnitus need to be especially careful with substances that may worsen their condition or may have even caused it in the first place.

Aspartame was accidentally discovered in 1965 by researchers at the G.D. Searle Company. A chemist was testing a potential anti-ulcer drug when he licked his hand and noticed a very sweet taste. The rest is history.

G.D. Searle Company applied for and received FDA approval in 1974 to add aspartame to dry foods as a low-calorie sweetener. Several months later approval was put on hold by objections filed with the FDA by neuroscience researchers and consumer advocate groups. The issue was potentially falsified safety tests conducted by Searle on the safety of aspartame.

Over the objections of six of the nine members of the FDA’s Scientific Advisory Board, Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr., Commissioner of the FDA, approved aspartame for use in dry foods in 1981. Then in 1983 the FDA raised the Acceptable Daily Intake measure (ADI) to allow its introduction into the beverage field. Shortly after this approval, Dr. Hayes left the FDA and became a consultant with the public relations firm for G.D. Searle Company.

During a congressional investigation in 1985 to scrutinize Seale’s aspartame safety tests, Dr. Jacqueline Verrett, a former FDA toxicologist and FDA task force member testified that the safety tests were a “disaster” and should have been “thrown out.” Dr. Marvin Legator, professor of environmental toxicology at the University of Texas, characterized them as “scientifically irresponsible and disgraceful” and said, “I’ve never seen anything as bad as Searle’s.”

Russell Blaylock, MD, professor of neurosurgery at the University of Mississippi wrote the book Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills. In it, he explains that aspartate (from aspartame) and glutamate (from MSG) are neurotransmitters normally found in the brain and spinal cord. When aspartate reaches certain levels it causes the death of brain neurons. He makes use of almost 500 scientific references to show how excess excitatory neurotransmitters in our food supply are causing serious chronic neurological disorders and a number of other acute symptoms.

Dr. Blaylock makes the case that too much aspartate or glutamate in the brain kills neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells. This influx triggers excessive amounts of free radicals which kills the cells. The neural cell damage that can be caused by these compounds is why they are referred to as “excitotoxins.” They excite or stimulate the neural cells to death.

Ginkgo biloba and zinc, found in Arches Tinnitus Relief Formula, are both antioxidants. Ginkgo biloba is also a powerful neuro-protector and helps to mitigate some of the damage done by excitotoxins. Numerous clinical studies have demonstrated ginkgo biloba’s ability to protect neuronal systems in the brain.

By the FDA’s own admission, 73 percent of all food complaints are aspartame related. A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the FDA Adverse Reaction Monitoring System include: headache/migraine, memory loss, hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, seizures, nausea, depression, heart palpitations, vision problems, fatigue, irritability, muscle spasms, weight gain, anxiety attacks, insomnia, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties and joint pain.

In addition, there is a wealth of documented evidence that suggests aspartame can trigger or worsen the following chronic neurological illnesses: brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, Fibromyalgia, hypoglycemia and diabetes.

Dr. Blaylock is convinced that aspartame and glutamate are responsible, at least in part, for the upsurge in Adult Attention-Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children in recent decades. He states that the blood-brain barrier, which normally protects the brain from toxins, is not fully developed in young children.

Dr. Blaylock states, “Clinically we know that many such children will significantly improve when taken off foods containing excitotoxins. It appears that several neurotransmitters are abnormally functioning in ADD, such as dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, histamine and acetylcholine. Almost a decade ago, it was found that feeding pregnant animals excitotoxins produced a form of learning difficulty similar to ADD. The offspring had normal simple learning but showed profound defects in complex learning. In a follow-up study of these offspring, it was found they had an 80% reduction in frontal lobe acetylcholine levels and a 50% reduction in norepinephrine. The latter plays a vital role in attention and ability to focus.”

Aspartame breaks down into three compounds in the body: aspartic acid which produces aspartate, the neurotransmitter; phenylalanine, an amino acid; methanol, also known as wood alcohol. Aspartate is the neurotransmitter which damages neurons in the brain.

Phenylalanine is an amino acid normally found in the brain. Excess levels of phenylalanine can cause serotonin levels to decrease leading to depression and other emotional disorders. Dr. Blaylock points out that an excess of this amino acid in the brain can cause schizophrenia or make one more susceptible to seizures.

Methanol/wood alcohol is a deadly poison. It is the poison that in the past caused skid row alcoholics to end up blind or dead. The absorption of methanol into the body is sped up considerably when free methanol is ingested. Free methanol is produced from methanol in aspartame when it is heated above 86 degree Fahrenheit (30 Centigrade). This happens frequently when an aspartame sweetened soda is stored in un-refrigerated warehouses. Much of this has been served to our troops in the Middle East.

An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) assessment of methanol states that it “is considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed. In the body, methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde and formic acid; both of these metabolites are toxic.” The EPA recommends a limit of consumption of 7.8 mg per day. A one liter aspartame sweetened beverage contains about 56 mg of methanol. Heavy users of these products consume as much as 250 mg daily or 32 times the EPA limit.

Furthermore, it has been conclusively shown that diet drinks do not promote weight loss. Although there are no calories in the drink itself, aspartame promotes a craving for carbohydrates. When frequent users of diet drinks discontinued the products, they typically lost weight.

Many believe that aspartame should never have been allowed into food or beverage products. Anyone with any neurologically degenerative condition, especially tinnitus, should be very wary of consuming products containing aspartame. Beware of any food product that contains the words “lite,” “diet,” “low calorie,” or “no calorie.”

As stated in previous articles, managing chronic conditions such as tinnitus comes down to good common sense. In order to maintain good health and reduce effects of tinnitus and other neurological conditions it is extremely important to enjoy a healthful diet. We should strive to eat whole foods whenever possible, avoid prepackaged and processed foods including “soft drinks” and reduce intake of salt and high glycemic foods such as simple sugars and refined carbohydrates.