Aspartame might cause brain damage - text of article

[mark at cbosgd.UUCP]

I dug up the article.  It's the Columbus Dispatch, Friday, June 24th,
bottom of page 2.  I assume it's in most other national papers too.

(For those just joining the discussion, which started in net.usenix
but probably should move to net.med, Aspartame is also known as
NutraSweet and is in Kool-Aid, Crystal Light, Nestea Iced Tea, Alba
77, Halfsies cereal, and was just approved for soft drinks this
weekend.)

		Brain expert raps sweetener use

Los Angeles Times

    A highly regarded brain scientist has raised serious objections to
the use of the sugar substitute aspartame in diet soft drinks on the
eve of the federal government's final review of the substance.

    Dr. Richard J. Wurtman, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, has conducted animal experiments that suggest
consumption of aspartame-sweetened soft drinks in conjunction with
carbohydrate-laden foods may cause brain damage or behavioral changes.
He has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to delay approval
of the use of the sweetener in beverages until more tests are
conducted.

    G.D. Searle and Co. first won approval to market aspartame as a
table-top sweetener and additive in processed foods two years ago.
Last year's sales of aspartame topped $74 million.  In October, Searle
requested permission to use aspartame in soft drinks.  The company's
spokesmen said the safety questions about aspartame have already been
resolved and they expect approval for its use in the $20 billion U.S.
soft-drink industry within a month.

    Wurtman's objections are based on the growing knowledge of how the
amino acid phenylalanine, one of the major components of aspartame, is
affected by the presence of sugars and other carbohydrates.

    The MIT scientist fed rats large quantities of sugar before
feeding them high doses of aspartame.  The FDA is now reviewing the
results, but will not discuss them.

    Wurtman said in a phone interview that the sugar triggers a series
of reactions that ultimately lead to increased levels of phenylalanine
in the brain.  High levels of the natural substance in the brain are
associated with severe damage in children born with a hereditary
disease called phenylketonuria or PKU disease.  The afflicted children
become mentally retarded unless given a special diet.

---- end of quote

OK, there's the text.  Now, could anyone out there who knows more than
I elaborate on:

(1) Whether Wurtman is a reliable person (anybody at MIT know?),
(2) Whether the argument makes sense,
(3) Whether the reason for FDA approval this past weekend was the
    machine alread in motion, or whether they didn't believe Wurtman's
    results, or if they decided it wasn't a significant risk (ala
    saccharin).