From: Jaffe, Lyle D
Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2004 8:04 AM
To: Dockets, FDA
Subject: FW: School Children at Increased Aspartame Risk, Townsend
Letter for Doctors, Oct 2004, H. J. Roberts, M.D.



-----Original Message-----
From: Dr. Betty Martini [mailto:Bettym19@mindspring.com]
Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2004 8:50 PM
To: Activist List-yahoogroups.com
Cc: aspartame-yahoogroups.com; AspartameSurvivors-yahoogroups.com;
RXH-CFSAN.FDA.GOV; DHATTAN-CFSAN.FDA.GOV; Jaffe Lyle D;
inforeply-cdc.gov
Subject: School Children at Increased Aspartame Risk, Townsend Letter
for Doctors, Oct 2004, H. J. Roberts, M.D.


Editor:

The understandable desire to reduce the consumption of soda pop by children 
has stimulated entrepreneurs to produce an array of sugar-free products as 
substitutes.  They are being actively promoted to students, parents and 
school systems.  Unfortunately, these palatable drinks are made with 
aspartame or sucralose.

I have elaborated on the public health threat posed by aspartame products 
in many articles published in this journal and several books, especially 
the recent Aspartame Disease:  An Ignored Epidemic, 
(www.sunsentpress.com).  It remains my firm professional opinion that 
infants, children and pregnant women should avoid ALL aspartame products 
because of the potential for considerable harm, particularly in the 
developing nervous system.

Each component of this chemical - phenylalanine; aspartic acid; the methyl 
ester which promptly becomes free methyl alcohol after ingestion - and 
their multiple breakdown products may have profound neurotoxic, metabolic, 
immunologic and even carcinogenic effects.

Aspartame disease can be devastating to children.  Its manifestations 
include headache, confusion, irritability, depression, antisocial behavior, 
convulsions, rashes, asthma, hypoglycemia and intellectual 
deterioration.  The problem of aspartame addiction compounds the affliction.

Additionally, I have reservations about the safety of long term sucralose 
use, based on its reported adverse effects in animal studies.

The readers of the Townsend Letter are uniquely attuned to this type of 
imminent public health threat.  They ought to express righteous indignation 
over the impending deluge of these potentially harmful "no sugar, no 
calorie" drinks intended for children, to local health care professionals, 
school boards and their media.

H. J. Roberts, M.D., FACP, FCCP
Palm Beach Institute for Medical Research
P. O. Box 17799
West Palm Beach, Florida 33416  USA
hjrobertsmd@aol.com

Note from Martini:  In the Sept 24th issue of the Atlanta Journal 
Constitution is the article "FDA Allegedly Hid Drugs' Risks for Depressed 
Kids".  The article says:  "Top officials of the FDA told a medical officer 
to delete material on the risks of antidepressant drugs from records he was 
submitting to Congress -- and then to conceal the deletions, according to 
documents released Thursday at a hearing on Capital Hill."  It also said 
that "Members of a bipartisan Congressional panel said the FDA also 
repeatedly prevented Andrew Mosholder from disclosing his conclusions that 
the medications increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior among 
children, potentially delaying the issuance of a public warning.  During 
the day long hearing, lawmakers repeatedly accused the FDA of obfuscating 
the risks, slowing action and subjecting Mosholder to harrassment."

The article continues on what the FDA hid.  It should be mentioned that 
children using aspartame can be depressed because of the depletion of 
serotonin.  As Psychiatrist Ralph Walton, M.D. said:  (Chairman of the 
Center for Behavioral Medicine) "We have known for years that when 
aspartame is ingested with a carbohydrate rich meal the usual physiologic 
increase in tryptophan is blocked, while brain phenylalanine and tyrosine 
concentrations are increased.  These changes in amino acid neurotransmitter 
precursors could, I believe, alter indoleamine/catecholamine balance, and 
thus have a profound effect on mood and cognition ... depressed mood, 
anxiety, dizziness, panic attacks, nausea, irritability, impairment of 
memory and concentration."

So children using aspartame can become depressed and suicidal and put on 
these antidepressants that also can cause these problems.  Furthermore, as 
it states in Dr. Roberts medical text, aspartame interacts with all 
antidepressants.  So the children don't have a chance at all.  In fact, 
since aspartame is a chemical hypersensitization agent it also interacts 
with vaccines.  Congress has given NIH $2.7 billion to find out what has 
poisoned US children.  Obviously, the NIH knows as well as the FDA who has 
been told for years.  So the FDA has not only covered up the drug risks but 
have known all along that if the children are using aspartame that 
antidepressants will interact.  It is estimated that 70% of the population 
is on aspartame as well as 40% of children.

The major point is that no drug is safe today with aspartame on the market 
because of its interaction.  For example, aspartame also interacts with all 
cardiac medication, hormones, L-dopa, Lidocaine, Coumadin and even insulin 
- for starters.  The FDA has  for years covered this up, and our children 
are the victims.  They have actually allowed a deadly neurotoxic drug to 
masquerade as an additive and turn their back on consumer health.

The FDA has certainly made itself a worthless agency of the government by 
allowing the mass poisoning of the public  with aspartame and interaction 
with drugs.  Aspartame also has an additive and synergistic effect with 
MSG.   They have steadfastly  refused to remove this toxin from the 
market.  They don't have a leg to stand on since they themselves had 
originally asked for the indictment of the manufacturer , and their Board 
of Inquiry report says aspartame has never been proven safe and triggers 
brain tumors.   As handmaiden to the pharmaceutical and chemical industry 
they endanger the lives of the people.  By allowing a chemical poison to be 
marketed for human consumption they have given the public a market of 
unsafe food and drugs.  This is certainly one of the greatest scandals in 
US History.

Dr. Betty Martini, Founder, Mission Possible Intl, 9270 River Club Parkway, 
Duluth, Georgia 30097  770 242-2599   www.dorway.com  and www.wnho.net