Aspartame might cause brain damage

[mark at cbosgd.UUCP]

So Aspartame is really the generic name for Nutrasweet, eh?  Well, you might
all be interested in an article I read in the paper a few days ago.  (Sorry
I don't have it in front of me.)  The FDA was about to issue the go-ahead
for Aspartame in soft drinks (apparently that means soda but doesn't apply
to powdered mixes like Kool-Aid) when somebody came up with a very preliminary
finding that suggested that when Aspartame is consumed with carbohydrates,
it might cause mental retardation and/or some other form of brain damage.
The person (he's some researcher somewhere - I forget where) asked the FDA
to hold off with the approval while some more solid tests could be run.
The original tests were the usual feed-a-ton-a-day-to-a-rat variety.

To me this is scary.  I was all for a decent tasting diet soda, but now I'm
afraid to drink Crystal Light until this is resolved.  I doubt there's really
much risk - after all, we KNOW sacharin causes cancer, yet it's still on
the shelves, and I don't know anybody who's gotten cancer from it.

For those of you in Canada - the stuff is sold wholesale in the USA as
Nutrasweet, and retail in such products as Equal (plain powdered sweetener
ala Sweet-n-low), Crystal Light (new powdered drink mix - I've tried the
lemonade and I can't tell the difference between it and regular lemonade),
Kool-Aid, and some Iced Tea (Lipton, I think).  There are probably a few
others I can't think of right now.  It's glaringly missing from soda pop.
Diet Coke came out a couple of months ago, with essentially identical
ingredients to Tab.  (I think it has only 5/6 as much caffiene - that's the
difference!)  It will be interesting to see what they have in Canada.

If you want a decent tasting diet soda here, you just about have to choose
between diet 7up and diet Dr. Pepper, both of which are sort of reasonable.
I have no idea why these taste better than diet cola, but they sure do.