Health Supreme by Sepp Hasslberger

 

 

April 17, 2011

Aspartame - the EU Health Authorities' 'Fools Game' - Health Supreme NewsGrabs 17 April 2011

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ASPARTAME: The European Health authorities play a fools game

Two members of the European Parliament organized a seminar on the possible dangers of Aspartame, the controversal artificial sweetener manufactured first by Searle and now by the Japanese Ajinomoto. Aspartame is present in thousands of products, including a few hundred medicines, particularly meds for children. Studies have shown it to be associated with cancer and other deleterious health effects. Aspartame consumers have told horror stories of its effects. Yet, our health authorities show no will to warn consumers or even to pro-actively look into aspartame's effects.

Corinne Lepage expressed her shock "by the failure to examine the subject more thoroughly, and the close links that have been established between industry, the EFSA and the Commission, each one passing the buck to the others. This attitude has meant that looking at the health effects of aspartame is no longer taken seriously."

For Antonyia Parvanova, "Aspartame is a substance to which millions of consumers are exposed on a daily basis. For this reason, and even if there is only a hint of risk, the European health authorities should commit themselves proactively to the gathering of data and the supervision of complementary and independent studies, instead of being passive and waiting for additional data to come to them".

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Artificial sweeteners: Should we be afraid of Aspartame ?

This is a long video (one hour and 55 minutes) and it is the complete recrd of a seminar organized by ALDE, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, at the European Parliament on 16 March 2011.

The first speaker is Dr Morando Soffritti of the Ramazzini Research Foundation in Bologna, Italy, who presents experiments conducted at the institute that showed aspartame to be associated with increased incidence of certain cancers in laboratory animals. Thorhallur Halldorsson of the University of Iceland relates of a study that found a 30 to 80 % increase in pre-term delivery in pregnant women in Denmark who consumed artificially sweetened soft drinks. Hugues Kenigswald of the Unit supporting the scientific panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Foods - ANS, of the European Food Safety Authority, explained how aspartame has been evaluated by the EFSA and its predecessor, the Scientific Committee for Foods (SCF), stating that "further studies are needed".

In the second part of the discussions the question is: Should the precautionary principle be applied to aspartame use as an additive. The tone is set by A.G. Renwick a scientist working for the International Sweeteners Association who points to an "enormous and comprehensive safety database on aspartame", and assures participants that aspartame is one of the best evaluated and most studied substances. He adds that the new studies - both of the Ramazzini Institute and the Iceland University researchers - do not give any reason to be preoccupied. Lynn Insall of the CIAA (Food and Drink Industry Association) also calls aspartame the "most studied food additive" used at safe levels, and she adds that aspartame allows the drink industry to provide for consumer choice.

Laurent Chevallier from France talks about risk/benefit analysis saying aspartame is not effective in weight loss, and since there are a lot of warning signs, EFSA should very well review and challenge the early studies that were used to set the acceptable daily intake for aspartame. He criticizes EFSA's handling of the controversal sweetener. Katrien Renders of a Dutch consumer group does not add much to the specific discussion of Aspartame. She makes it clear however that there are strong feelings on the consumer side about the safety of additives. Concluding speaker is Michael Flueh, Head of the Chemicals, contaminants and pesticides unit of the European Commission's Health and Consumers Directory (SANCO). He states aspartame has been re-evaluated various times, and that the Commission will continue to monitor the scientific literature. He denies that there is a need to intervene at the present time.

The discussion shows how, once an additive has been approved, it is just about impossible to have it comprehensively re-considered, even in the face of studies that show there are problems or in the face of "anecdotal" evidence from doctors or the consuming public. The Members of the EU Parliament who organized the seminar, Corinne Lepage of France and Antonyia Parvanova of Bulgaria, do criticize the officials present for not taking their part of responsibility for protecting the public from possible damage. Their press release after the seminar sums it up: ASPARTAME: The European Health authorities play a fools game


Substance in tangerines fights obesity and protects against heart disease

New research from The University of Western Ontario has discovered a substance in tangerines not only prevents obesity, but also offers protection against type 2 diabetes, and even atherosclerosis, the underlying disease responsible for most heart attacks and strokes. Murray Huff, a vascular biology scientist at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, along with Erin Mulvihill, a PhD student, studied the effects of a flavonoid in tangerines called Nobiletin.

Nature's pharmacy - when will pharmaceutical companies realize that the stuff found in fruits and veggies is more efficient for good health than all their synthetic medicines put together?

In the end it might also be more profitable - just think about the number of people world wide who would gladly take some (reasonably priced) tangerine extract, rather than an expensive statin drug with damaging 'side effects' ...


Honey Can Reverse Antibiotic Resistance, Study Suggests

Professor Rose Cooper from the University of Wales Institute Cardiff is looking at how manuka honey interacts with three types of bacteria that commonly infest wounds: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Group A Streptococci and Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Her group has found that honey can interfere with the growth of these bacteria in a variety of ways and suggests that honey is an attractive option for the treatment of drug-resistant wound infections.


Vitamin D may Counteract High Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Among African-Americans

Taking vitamin D supplements may help individuals, especially those of African-American descent, improve their blood vessel health and lower their risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to a recent study conducted by researchers from the Georgia Prevention Institute at Georgia Health Sciences University.

The scientists explained that black individuals are susceptible to vitamin D deficiencies because the darker pigmentation of their skin inhibits their ability to produce substantial amounts of the organic compound in response to sunlight exposure.


Vitamin D levels associated with age-related macular degeneration

Women under the age of 75 with high vitamin D status were less likely to have early age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of irreversible vision loss in adults, a University at Buffalo study has shown. The disease affects approximately 9 percent of Americans aged 40 and older.


National Health Federation Debates Aspartame, Aluminium, Melamine at CODEX

The National Health Federation's Scott Tips reports from two recent Codex meetings - one on food additives in China, the other on contaminants in foods in the Netherlands.

"The two, back-to-back meetings provided a study in contradictions. At the Food Additives Committee, the delegates consider adding into food such toxic substances as aluminum and aspartame. In the Food Contaminants Committee, the delegates consider allowing to remain in food such a toxic substance as melamine. Food additives versus food contaminants – at Codex it is often hard to tell the difference between the two. They are certainly treated the same."


Silica and titanium dioxide nanoparticles cause pregnancy complications in mice

Here, we show that silica and titanium dioxide nanoparticles with diameters of 70 nm and 35 nm, respectively, can cause pregnancy complications when injected intravenously into pregnant mice. The silica and titanium dioxide nanoparticles were found in the placenta, fetal liver and fetal brain. Mice treated with these nanoparticles had smaller uteri and smaller fetuses than untreated controls. Fullerene molecules and larger (300 and 1,000 nm) silica particles did not induce these complications.

Just learning, we are ... those two substances as normal elements (larger particles) have no adverse health effects, but it seems that the nano configuration is different...


USA: HEALTH-FREEDOM BILL LAUNCHED IN TEXAS

It recognizes the safety of complementary-and-alternative modalities and will protect the natural health-care industry from the rampages of arbitrary and mindless medical bureaucrats, and with it also protect patient access to that industry in Texas.

The National Health Federation (NHF) is one of several organizations actively working to get this Bill passed so that Texans' health rights can be protected.


USA: Bill in Nevada Legislature to Turn Unlicensed Practitioners into Felons

Nevada Senate Bill 412 provides for the regulation of the practice of complementary integrative medicine by creating a government-sanctioned Board of Complementary and Integrative Medicines to control all natural health care, backed by the power of the State to imprison and fine all offenders.

This is the Medical Monopoly at its finest, acting to stifle their competition and those they disagree with, the natural-health practitioners, all in the interest of course of "protecting" the public.


Smoking Helps Protect Against Lung Cancer

Every year, thousands of medical doctors and other members of the "Anti-Smoking Inquisition" spend billions of dollars perpetuating what has unquestionably become the most misleading though successful social engineering scam in history. With the encouragement of most western governments, these Orwellian lobbyists pursue smokers with a fanatical zeal that completely overshadows the ridiculous American alcohol prohibition debacle, which started in 1919 and lasted until 1933.

An excellent article ... it takes real courage to go against the oft-repeated "everybody knows" of smoking causing cancer...


Monsanto Sued By Organic Farmers Who Don't Want To Be Accused Of Patent Infringement

Now, a group of organic farmers fearful of being hit with similar threats and/or lawsuits have preemptively sued Monsanto asking for a declaratory judgment that they don't infringe, while also seeking to invalidate the patents. The full filing, embedded below, includes a description of why the farmers think that Monsanto's patents are invalid anyway, including the claim that Monsanto's modified seeds were not actually "useful" (it cites multiple studies debunking claims by Monsanto of the advantages of its seeds) and therefore, not patentable (since, in theory, patents are only allowed on "useful" inventions). Should make for an interesting case, though I would guess it won't get very far...


GMOs Linked to Organ Disruption in 19 Studies

A new paper shows that consuming genetically modified (GM) corn or soybeans leads to significant organ disruptions in rats and mice, particularly in livers and kidneys. By reviewing data from 19 animal studies, Professor Gilles-Eric Séralini and others reveal that 9% of the measured parameters, including blood and urine biochemistry, organ weights, and microscopic analyses (histopathology), were significantly disrupted in the GM-fed animals. The kidneys of males fared the worst, with 43.5% of all the changes. The liver of females followed, with 30.8%. The report, published in Environmental Sciences Europe on March 1, 2011, confirms that "several convergent data appear to indicate liver and kidney problems as end points of GMO diet effects." The authors point out that livers and kidneys "are the major reactive organs" in cases of chronic food toxicity.


Chinese ministry, WHO warn of antibiotic overuse

Antibiotics can spur infection-causing bacteria to become drug-resistant if they are overused. Drug-resistant tuberculosis can also arise when people take substandard medicines, a common problem in China. It takes longer to treat than regular TB and requires more expensive drugs, which also cause bad side effects such as liver damage.
"Infections caused by resistant microorganisms often fail to respond to conventional treatment, resulting in prolonged illness and greater risk of death," O'Leary said.
He said that action was needed now because new drugs cannot be developed fast enough to replace the drugs that have lost their effectiveness.

What about prohibiting the use of antibiotics in the feed given to livestock? Oh I forget - that would mean cutting into the business of the pharmaceutical companies.


Patients in US Hospitals At High Risk of Harm from Professional Negligence

"When my brother went into the hospital with pneumonia, he quickly contracted four other infections in the intensive care unit...Michael died in the ICU." Maureen Dowd, New York Times Columnist.

A report in the April issue of Health Affairs indicates that one in three patients who are admitted to a US hospital suffer from a mistake.

According to the Center for Disease Control (2002) 100,000 patients die from infections contracted in US hospitals.

According to a comprehensive study by HeathGrades (2004) another 195,00 patients die in hospitals from preventable errors.


Swine Flu Vaccine - More Swedish Children Diagnosed With Narcolepsy

The Swedish Medical Products Agency is reviewing the records of about 135 cases, after having combed the country, including sleep clinics, for suspected cases, south Sweden's daily newspaper, Sydsvenskan, reported.

"It's not so easy to get hold of information about vaccinations. We have various systems in the Swedish health care that make it difficult to sort out what has happened," Tomas Salmonson, Scientific Director for the MPA, told Sydsvenskan.

"We must be sure to have a national vaccination register before a mass vaccination in the future."


Video: The strange powers of the placebo effect

A new paper shows that consuming genetically modified (GM) corn or soybeans leads to significant organ disruptions in rats and mice, particularly in livers and kidneys.

"Other organs may be affected too, such as the heart and spleen, or blood cells," stated the paper. In fact some of the animals fed genetically modified organisms had altered body weights in at least one gender, which is "a very good predictor of side effects in various organs."

- - -

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More information out there...

There is a lot I cannot cover but other sources for this kind of information exist.

Dr Mercola has a good health blog
Mike Adams publishes Natural News.
In the UK we have the One Click Group.
The Dr Rath Foundation campaigns for a New Healthcare System.
Natural health and nutrition on La Leva di Archimede
Food, Agriculture and more on the Organic Consumers Association site.


"The individual is supreme and finds his way through intuition"

 


posted by Sepp Hasslberger on Sunday April 17 2011
updated on Tuesday December 13 2011

URL of this article:
http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2011/04/17/aspartame_the_eu_health_authorities_fools_game_health_supreme_newsgrabs_17_april_2011.htm

 

 

 

 


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