Food and Behaviour (ADHD)

[Guest guest]

It is well established that the nutrient levels of foods has

diminished since the post WWII use if nitrates for fertilizer. And

we've been aware of ADD for decades. However, the advent of ADHD and

a number of other problems appears to parallel the increased the use

of soft drinks by the general public, particularly diet colas and

artificial sweetners.

From Dr. Mercola's web site:

Aspartame: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You

Aspartame is, by far, the most dangerous substance on the market that

is added to foods.

Aspartame is the technical name for the brand names NutraSweet,

Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure. It was discovered by accident in

1965 when Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company, was

testing an anti-ulcer drug.

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 W.

Olney and Consumer attorney 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.(1) A few of the 90 different

documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame

include: 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, and 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:(2) Brain tumors, multiple

sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, parkinson's disease,

alzheimer's, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects,

fibromyalgia, and diabetes.

Aspartame is made up of three chemicals: aspartic acid,

phenylalanine, and methanol. The book " Prescription for Nutritional

Healing, " by and Phyllis Balch, lists aspartame under the

category of " chemical poison. "

For more data, here's a link to an article by the foremost medical

researcher on aspartame:

http://www.mercola.com/2004/jan/7/aspartame_disease.htm

W.G.

Ubermensch Sports

San Diego, Ca.

>

>

> You may not have seen the latest data on projected cancer

incidence in the US and Canada. 1 in 3 Americans and 1 in 2.2

Canadians are likely to develop some form of cancer in their

lifetime. So, I'd argue against people being " healthier " despite the

increase in organic/whole food availability and usage.

>

> How long are these people who are eating pesticide-laden fruit

being followed in order for them to be deemed " healthier' than those

who don't eat fruit (not that I was arguing with you about fruit and

veggie eaters being healthier than non-fruit and veggie eaters). I

was just stating that food is not as nutritive as it once was.

>

> Something else is involved here. I've got my opinions

(professional and otherwise) on the reasons Americans are more obese

than ever, more ill than ever, even though we have more 'fortified'

foods, better medical care and ever more drugs being prescribed.

>

> Do you, or anyone else, care to speculate on the reasons you see

as key to the increase in chronic illness and autoimmune disorders

(had anyone heard of ADHD, or fibromyalgia, etc. a decade ago?!?)

>

> Nina Elshiekh, Ph.D., LMBT, ACSM Health/Fitness Instructor

> Chapel Hill, NC

>