Natural Health Articles on Dr. Mercola’s Members Only Blog

The Biggest Election Showdown is WHERE?

Dr. Mercola — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 06:00:59 GMT

By Jeffrey M. Smith

Michael Pollan said "For the food movement," this may be "the most important election this year." Slow Food chef Kurt Michael Friese named it, The Most Important Race You Never Heard Of.

And Change.org wrote, "There are a lot of important face-offs going on throughout the country, but none may be more important to farmers and food activists than the race in Iowa for Secretary of Agriculture."

We're talking Francis Thicke versus incumbent Bill Northey. It's the archetypal challenge between cutting edge farming methods that can create a healthy and sustainable agricultural system (that's Thicke, pronounced tick-ee), versus industrial methods that push top soil into our streams, animals into confinements, toxins into our environment, and farmers off the land (that's Northey, pronounced Monsanto).

The race is statistically a dead heat. If Thicke wins, Food. Inc. director Robert Kenner says he will be "a game changer who can fix our agricultural system." Grist says, "it would be a huge win not only for sustainable agriculture in Iowa, but the nation. And it would send a clear message to Congress as lobbyists and activists begin putting on their battle overalls for the next Farm Bill."

Although this sounds like a lot to expect from one small state election for Ag Secretary, it's not just any state, and it's not just any candidate. "Iowa is one of our agricultural heavyweights," says the Iowa Independent, which also predicts that Congress will definitely pay attention to whoever wins this election."

"Iowa has always focused the nation's agricultural vision," says author Bill McKibben, who founded the global climate change organization 350.org. "We need Francis Thicke," he says, "to help frame that new vision, right in the middle of the Heartland."

According to Fred Kirschenmann, a father of the sustainable farming movement, "Thicke's vision for Iowa agriculture is informed by his own experience as a farmer and by his academic study and research."

Farmer, Scientist, and Policy Maker

For the past 27 years, Francis Thicke has run a successful organic dairy farm just outside my little town in Southeast Iowa. Folks here know and love his Radiance Dairy milk, yogurt, cheese, and ice cream, which Francis processes right on his property. In fact, local restaurants post signs bragging that they use Radiance Dairy. Francis has got the small town farmer thing down.

But Francis is also a scientist. He has a PhD in agronomy and a masters in soil science. Moreover, he has applied his expertise advising numerous state and national government committees, agricultural universities, extension agents, and research organizations over the past three decades. He has served on so many groups and is so deeply connected with the nation's farmers, that whenever I speak at farm organizations anywhere in the country and mention where I'm from, people invariably say with a warm smile, "Well you must know my friend Francis Thicke."

Yes I'm proud to say that I've known Francis for many years. And although I thought I knew him pretty well, when I started his book A New Vision for Iowa Food and Agriculture (free download), I realized just how brilliant he was and how pivotal he can be. On the one hand, he manages the intricate systems on his own farm, including a solar powered watering system and a cow grazing program that "mimics the prairiegrass/bison ecology that contributed to building the Midwest's deep, fertile prairie soils." On the other hand, Francis lays out practical and proven strategies for a complete agricultural makeover, where successful farmers can grow fuel, boost the economy, and contribute healthy delicious food to local communities. As Food, Inc's Kenner says, "Francis Thicke has a vision of how our agricultural system can work that will benefit our communities, our farmers and the consumer."

"When one combines a scholarly understanding with on-the-farm practice," says The Land Institute's Wes Jackson about Thicke, "it's hard to beat." That's the hope of those working round the clock in the week before the election.

But they are reminded of Northey's dark tactics used in the final days of his last election. Trailing behind another organic farmer, he poured lots of big-Ag's money into a smear campaign, which allowed him to just squeak by on Election Day. And apparently he's been paying them back ever since.

Will Iowans re-enlist an Agriculture Secretary who is a mouthpiece for huge corporations, or will they go for Thicke's "New Vision?" Author and legend Wendell Berry says, "I think we need people who take agriculture seriously, for a change, and I trust Francis Thicke to take it seriously."

Jim Hightower, a well-known populist, himself the former Agricultural Commissioner of Texas, says:

"In Iowa's election for Secretary of Agriculture, the choice couldn't be clearer. On one hand, you've got Francis Thicke, who has worked as a dairy farmer for 27 years, selling his products locally and actually building the economy. On the other hand, you've got Bill Northey who has led a team that invested $1 million in Brazil's ethanol production. In a world where money talks, maybe Bill Northey should be running for Secretary of Agriculture in Brazil."

I hope Northey doesn't take Jim's recommendation seriously. I've visited Brazil many times and they already have far too many Monsanto men running the show. And for that matter, so do we. I'm looking forward to finding out on November 2nd how many Iowan's agree.

Jeffrey M. Smith is the Executive Director of the Institute for Responsible Technology and the international bestselling author of Seeds of Deception and Genetic Roulette. He has seen first hand how the corporate driven industrial agriculture model, embodied by Monsanto and promoted by their hand-picked candidates, has devastated farmers, economies, and ecosystems around the world.

Behind the Chicken Goop: The Truth and Science of Chicken Nuggets

Dr. Mercola — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 06:00:59 GMT

What actually goes into your chicken nuggets? You might be surprised to learn that the many of them start as a twisted pink mass. And it gets worse. Here’s what Gizmodo had to say about it:

“Because it's crawling with bacteria, it will be washed with ammonia, soaked in it, actually. Then, because it tastes gross, it will be reflavored artificially. Then, because it is weirdly pink, it will be dyed with artificial color.”

Sound appetizing?

Not all chicken nuggets are made this way -- there's also whole muscle products" which use a whole piece of meat, and "chop-and-form" nuggets which are more like hamburger. But if the inside of your nugget is more like a congealed mass than a piece of meat ... then what you are getting is exactly that -- a congealed mass.

The Real Lessons from Medicine's Long History of Human Experiments

Dr. Mercola — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 06:00:59 GMT

The heads of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently apologized for human medical experiments that were conducted on Guatemalan men in the 1940s. Guatemalan prisoners and mental patients were infected with syphilis in order to test new syphilis treatments.

Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Drs Thomas Frieden and Francis Collins ask, “Could such unethical studies happen today? ... For research funded or conducted by the U.S. government, the answer is no.”

Age of Autism takes a sharp look at this statement, and what it fails to mention:

“... there is little doubt that the toll of human suffering (many thousands of fatalities) at the hands of the medical profession from mercuric chloride, the approved standard of care for syphilis at the time, was far greater in comparison to the victim count of the despicable PHS experiments, mere hundreds of syphilis-infected Guatemalans ...Today, treatments of mercuric chloride ... are treated by the medical profession not with public apologies but rather a kind of embarrassed silence.”

In fact, the largest human experiment ever conducted in America is still ongoing -- the unprecedented, uncontrolled, untested expansion of the childhood immunization program that started around 1990. You are apparently safe only from experiments of which the doctors who set today’s medical standards don’t approve.

Dog Saves Boy from Bee Attack

Dr. Mercola — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 06:00:59 GMT

We already knew that dogs are man’s best friend, but this little boy learned just how big a friend a dog can be when he was suddenly attacked by a swarm of bees.

11-year-old Sums Up Problems with Food System

Dr. Mercola — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 06:00:59 GMT

Birke Baehr is an 11-year-old with an opinion – an opinion that comes partly from self-proclaimed experience, and largely from good, old-fashioned commonsense and personal observation. Listen to this young man’s monologue to get the real lowdown on what’s really wrong with our food system.

Landmark Report Reveals Massive Global Cost of Alzheimer's

Dr. Mercola — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 06:00:59 GMT

The World Alzheimer Report 2010 is out, and it contains alarming news: Alzheimer's disease and other dementias are exacting a massive toll on the global economy, with the problem set to accelerate in coming years. As reported on EurekAlert.org, the report reveals:

The worldwide costs of dementia will exceed 1% of global GDP in 2010, at US$604 billion.

If dementia care were a country, it would be the world's 18th largest economy. If it were a company, it would be the world's largest by annual revenue exceeding Wal-Mart (US$414 billion) and Exxon Mobil (US$311 billion).

The number of people with dementia will double by 2030, and more than triple by 2050.

The costs of caring for people with dementia are likely to rise even faster than the prevalence – especially in the developing world, as more formal social care systems emerge, and rising incomes lead to higher opportunity costs.

Reports from individual countries such as the UK suggest that dementia is one of the costliest illnesses – and yet research and investment is at a far lower level than for other major illnesses.

The report calls for government action to ensure dementia strategies are implemented and research is funded to help combat the disease.

Factory Farms: The Costs of Cheap Meat

Dr. Mercola — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 06:00:59 GMT

According to the Chicago Tribune, the average American’s consumption of meat has risen over the past few years, but its impact on the pocketbook is still less than half what it was in 1970. That’s because of all the factory farms housing concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) that produce mass quantities of food at cheap prices. The bargain doesn’t come without its drawbacks, however:

“(T)he system also has created disasters like last month's recall of half a billion salmonella-tainted eggs. Critics say the consolidation of food production has led to environmental damage, the loss of millions of small independent farms, rising health care expenditures and billions in tax-funded subsidies to produce cheap animal feed,” the Tribune reported.”The costs not calculated in the direct consumer price of meat and other animal products — called externalities — touch on a variety of issues.”

Among those costs are health, food safety, taxpayer dollars, environment, animal welfare and the farms themselves.

Millions Consume This Dangerous Form of Amino Acid Daily

Dr. Mercola — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 06:00:59 GMT

By Dr. Mercola

Phenylalanine – pronounced “fee-nile-alan-een” – is one of nine essential amino acids, or building blocks of cells that your body needs to survive. Normally found in your brain, it makes proteins, brain chemicals, and thyroid hormones.

As a natural amino acid, derived from the foods you eat, phenylalanine is an important aspect of optimal health. However, there is some controversy surrounding this amino acid.

One major source of phenylalanine is the artificial sweetener aspartame, which can be found in more than 6,000 different food products.

This is not the natural amino acid, however, but a synthetic variety created in a lab.

As such, it may contribute to many of the neurological problems associated with aspartame consumption.

The natural form, found in proteins, is L-phenylalanine. The synthetic form, found in aspartame, is the mirror image of the natural amino acid, and is known as D-phenylalanine.

Natural vs Synthetic Phenylalanine – They are Not Created Equal!

Even though these amino acids have identical chemical structures they are mirror images of each other. It’s vitally important to realize that there can be significant differences between a natural nutrient and a synthetic mirror image,

For a review of this concept, doctorsresearch.com has an interesting article that explains some of the details in easy to understand language. As an example, their article reviews the differences between natural and synthetic lactic acid. One is a food, which converts to sugar during digestion; the other is a toxic waste product that can be lethal.

Aspartame is made up of three components: 50 percent synthetic phenylalanine; 40 percent aspartic acid; and 10 percent methyl ester (which becomes free methyl alcohol, also known as wood alcohol, when consumed).

A South African study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2008, offers the following summary on the potential workings of aspartame on your brain:

"Phenylalanine plays an important role in neurotransmitter regulation, whereas aspartic acid is also thought to play a role as an excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system.

Glutamate, asparagines and glutamine are formed from their precursor, aspartic acid.

Methanol, which forms 10 % of the broken down product, is converted in your body to formate, which can bypass your blood brain barrier and be converted to formaldehyde, diketopiperazine (a carcinogen) and a number of other highly toxic derivatives.

Previously, it has been reported that consumption of aspartame could cause neurological and behavioral disturbances in sensitive individuals. Headaches, insomnia and seizures are also some of the neurological effects that have been encountered, and these may be accredited to changes in regional brain concentrations of catecholamines, which include norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine.

The aim of this study was to discuss the direct and indirect cellular effects of aspartame on the brain, and we propose that excessive aspartame ingestion might be involved in the pathogenesis of certain mental disorders (DSM-IV-TR 2000) and also in compromised learning and emotional functioning."

Natural Sources of Phenylalanine

Since your body can’t manufacture phenylalanine on its own, you have to get it from food. It is found naturally in protein-rich foods such as egg whites, fish, poultry, beef, pork, veal, nuts, cheeses, seeds, yogurt, soy products, game meats, and many other foods.

The following list, sourced from Top200Foods.com, is a sampling of common foods and the amount of phenylalanine they contain:

FOOD

GRAMS OF PHENYLALANINE

Chicken, broilers or fryers, light or dark, 3.5 oz

                   1.30

Egg, whole, dried

                   2.51

Fish, cod, Atlantic, dried and salted, 3.5 oz

                   2.45

Cheese, parmesan, shredded, 3.5 oz

                   2.23

Parsley, dried, 3.5 oz

                   1.71

Pork Bacon, Fried, 3.5 oz

                   1.46

Peanuts, Spanish, oil-roasted with or without salt, 3.5 oz

                   1.45

With the exception of certain genetic disorders (which I’ll discuss later), consuming phenylalanine from food sources such as these is harmless – indeed, beneficial, to your health.

However, ever since the advent of aspartame in the early 80’s, consumption of synthetic phenylalanine in the form of this artificial sweetener has skyrocketed, and is now a major source of exposure.

Aspartame – A Potentially Dangerous Source of Synthetic Phenylalanine

According to aspartame.org, diet soda accounts for 70 percent of the aspartame consumed, but, sold commercially under names like NutraSweet, Canderel, and now AminoSweet, aspartame can be found in more than 6,000 food products, including chewing gum, table-top sweeteners, diet and diabetic foods, breakfast cereals, jams, and sweets.

It’s even used in some vitamins, prescription- and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs.

However, there is enough evidence showing the dangers of consuming artificial sweeteners to fill an entire book -- which is exactly why I wrote Sweet Deception. I also created an entire web site dedicated to aspartame, where you can read more.

The FDA has logged over 10,000 consumer complaints against aspartame – more than all other food additives combined.

This video will familiarize you with some of the terrifying side-effects and health problems you could encounter if you consume products containing this chemical. Some of the most common side effects of this toxic sweetener include:

Headache

Change in vision

Convulsions and seizures

Hallucination

Nausea and vomiting

Joint pain

Nearly two-thirds of all documented side effects of aspartame consumption are neurological in nature.

One of the reasons for this side effect, researchers have discovered, is because the phenylalanine in aspartame dissociates from the ester bond. While these amino acids are natural and safe under normal conditions, they were never designed to be ingested as isolated amino acids in massive quantities, which in and of itself will cause complications.

This will increase dopamine levels in your brain, which can lead to symptoms of depression because it distorts your serotonin/dopamine balance. It can also lead to migraine headaches and brain tumors through a similar mechanism.

Woodrow C. Monte, Ph.D., R.D., explains this process in greater detail in his paper Aspartame: Methanol and the Public Health, published in the Journal of Applied Nutrition in 1984:

“Aspartame is a small molecule made up of three components: Phenylalanine, aspartic acid, and methanol (wood alcohol). When digested, these components are released into the bloodstream. Phenylalanine and aspartic acid are both amino acids which are found in natural proteins, and under normal circumstances are beneficial, if not essential, for health.

Proteins are complex molecules which contain many chemically bonded amino acids. It takes several enzymes to break these bonds and liberate the amino acids. This is as slow process and the amino acids are released gradually into the blood stream.

The quaternary structure of protein also slows the digestion of these amino acids; the amino acids in the center of the protein molecule aren't released until the outer layers of amino acids on the surface have been swept away.

This natural time release process saves the body from large numbers of any one of these 21 amino acids being released into the bloodstream at any one time.

Aspartame requires the breaking of only two bonds for absorption. This happens very quickly with the potential to raise component blood levels rapidly.

The methyl ester bond of phenylalanine is the first to cleave due to its susceptibility to pancreatic enzymes. This is highly unusual; the methyl esters associated with pectin for instance are completely impervious to all human digestive enzymes.”

A 12 ounce can of diet soda contains about 180 mg of aspartame, which equals 90 milligrams of phenylalanine (since aspartame is 50 percent phenylalanine).

However, it can be quite difficult to calculate just how much aspartame/phenylalanine you're really ingesting on any given day, especially if you consume several types of aspartame-containing foods and beverages, because the aspartame content can vary wildly from product to product.

For example, the amount of aspartame will vary from brand to brand, Some can contain close to twice the amount of aspartame as others, and some contain a combination of aspartame and other artificial sweeteners.

Aspartame can also be found in a variety of products you would never expect to contain an artificial sweetener, so unless you’re an avid label reader, you may be ingesting ‘hidden’ aspartame.

Excess Phenylalanine Can Disrupt Critical Neurotransmitter Ratios

Dr. Russell Blaylock is a board-certified neurosurgeon who has studied how taste-enhancing additives like MSG and aspartame can promote the death of neurons in your brain by over-stimulating and disrupting the delicate balance of neurotransmitters.

Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that allow information to be passed between nerve cells (neurons). These chemicals can either inhibit or excite brain neurons. Two common neurotransmitters are norepinephrine, an excitatory neurotransmitter, and serotonin, an inhibitory one.

Phenylalanine is a precursor to epinephrine, and as such can upset the balance and ratio of neurotransmitters in your brain.

In Cori Brackett’s documentary film, Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World, Dr. Blaylock discusses the amino acids aspartate and phenylalanine – the two main ingredients making up 90 percent of aspartame. When consumed in unnatural quantities, they act as excitotoxins, overloading your brain with a flood of free amino acids.

Your brain cannot process these excess amino acids, particularly the phenylalanine, which crosses your blood brain barrier. As a result, the ratios of norepinephrine and serotonin in your brain change drastically, which can adversely affect brain function and lead to a number of different neurological problems, from mood disorders to seizures.

While it doesn’t mention phenylalanine or aspartame specifically, the online Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders does offer simple explanations of how serious this imbalance of neurotransmitters can be: causing everything from depression to anxiety disorders to ADHD to schizophrenia.

Phenylalanine Content in Common OTC Drugs

While many prescription- and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs contain aspartame, others contain just synthetic phenylalanine.

Here, courtesy of pkunews.org, is the phenylalanine content of a few common OTC drugs.

Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold and Cough Medicine – 11 mg/tablet

TheraFlu Maximum Strength Fl and Congestion Non-Drowsy – 24mg/packet

Pedialyte Freezer Pops – 16mg/pop

Citrucel Sugar Free Fiber Therapy – 52mg/adult dose

When Phenylalanine Becomes Toxic

Excess phenylalanine is converted to tyrosine, another amino acid that’s needed to make proteins. Together, phenylalanine and tyrosine manufacture epinephrine, norepinephrine, and adrenaline, which convert into a brain chemical that transmits nerve impulses. It is then eliminated from your body.

However, some people are born without the enzyme that converts phenylalanine to tyrosine. A number of inherited amino acid disorders are attributable to this lack of enzyme, including phenylketonuria (PKU).

If you have PKU, rather than being eliminated, the phenylalanine keeps building up in your blood. The health effects of this are so devastating that American newborns are routinely tested for PKU within the first 72 hours of life.

If the condition is not caught and appropriately treated before three weeks of age, PKU can cause severe, irreversible mental retardation.

Other symptoms of PKU can include seizures, rash, and nausea. Hyperactivity and psychiatric symptoms can also develop, as well as a “mousy” body- and urine odor, as a result of the phenylacetic acid build-up in the sweat and urine.

Once diagnosed, treatment includes severe restriction of phenylalanine intake for life. Those with PKU cannot even consume naturally-occurring phenylalanine and must restrict their intake of many common protein foods.

However, it has also been shown that ingesting aspartame, especially along with carbohydrates, can lead to excess levels of phenylalanine in your brain and blood even if you do NOT have PKU.

Excessive levels of phenylalanine in your brain can cause your serotonin levels to drop, which can lead to emotional disorders such as depression.

In his testimony before the U.S. Congress, Dr. Louis J. Elsas showed that high blood phenylalanine can be concentrated in parts of your brain and is especially dangerous for infants and fetuses.

He also showed that phenylalanine is metabolized much more efficiently by rodents than by humans.

Dr. Blaylock has also pointed out that early studies measuring phenylalanine build-up in the brain were flawed. Investigators who have measured the phenylalanine levels in specific brain regions, as opposed to simply calculating the average level throughout the brain, found significant elevations in phenylalanine levels in certain areas, specifically the:

Hypothalamus

Medulla oblongata, and

Corpus striatum areas

According to Blaylock, excessive build-up of phenylalanine in your brain can cause schizophrenia, and make you more susceptible to seizures.

Interestingly, people with PKU and other metabolic disorders may also be extremely vulnerable to vaccine damage, as explained in this 2006 review in the journal Pediatrics because vaccines can also raise levels of phenylalanine.

The authors suggest that some vaccines can cause clinical deterioration inpatients with metabolic disorders for this reason.

Special Precautions – Drug Contraindications

Even if you do not have PKU or some other genetic disorder that prevents you from properly metabolizing phenylalanine, there are other instances where consumption of synthetic phenylalanine, such as aspartame, is contraindicated.

As a precaution, you may want to take a look at the warnings that many medical facilities and physicians give patients when it comes to watching their own intake of synthetic phenylalanine, particularly in situations such as these, noted by the University of Maryland Medical Center:

Those who are taking antipsychotic drugs should avoid aspartame and other phenylalanine supplements because it can worsen symptoms of tardive dyskinesias (involuntary movements of your tongue, face, trunk, and limbs). It also can cause symptoms of anxiety, jitteriness, and hyperactivity in children.

Persons taking older classes of antidepressants known as Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI’s) risk severe increase in blood pressure (hypertensive crisis), heart attack and stroke if using aspartame or other drugs or supplements containing phenylalanine.

Persons taking either the Parkinson’s disease drug Levodopa, or Baclofen, a drug to relieve muscle spasms, should avoid phenylalanine because it may interfere with the absorption of these drugs.

Special Precautions for Pregnant Women, With or Without PKU

Women who have PKU must also be very careful during pregnancy, as phenylalanine can cause health problems in their offspring as well. Here are two studies that discuss these dangers:

Effects of Phenylalanine Loading on Protein Synthesis in the Fetal Heart and Brain of Rat: An Experimental Approach to Maternal Phenylketonuria: These results indicate that high phenylalanine levels in maternal plasma disturb the active transport of amino acids across the placenta, causing an amino acid imbalance and disaggregation of polysomes in fetal heart and brain. These changes may contribute to the congenital heart disease and mental retardation of maternal phenylketonuria. Maternal phenylketonuria can also lead to spontaneous abortion of the fetus, as noted in the next reference.

Maternal Phenylketonuria: Explains that maternal PKU during pregnancy can lead to risk of spontaneous abortion, as well as fetal deformities. Advises a strict low-phenylalanine diet started before conception and maintained through pregnancy.

However, even if you do NOT have this genetic disease, which prevents you from consuming phenylalanine, you may still be putting your pregnancy at risk if you consume aspartame!

A Danish study published in June, which included more than 59,000 Danish women, found that daily intake of artificially sweetened soft drinks may increase the risk of preterm delivery by as much as 78 percent.

According to a recent article in the British MailOnline, some British public health experts are now advising pregnant women to avoid aspartame-containing foods and beverages to protect their unborn child, as preterm delivery exposes the baby to a number of health risks -- and staggering health care costs.

In the US, neonatal intensive care for an infant born prematurely, meaning before the 37^th week of pregnancy, can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000.

The researchers found that pregnant women who drank an average of just one diet soda per day increased their risk of going into labor before the 37^th week by 38 percent.

Four or more diet sodas a day increased the risk of premature birth by 78 percent.

No link was found between sugar-sweetened beverages and preterm delivery.

Educate Yourself on Aspartame

Again, I want to stress the difference between naturally-occurring phenylalanine in various protein-rich foods and the synthetic version found in aspartame.

There’s every indication that these two versions affect your body in entirely different ways and should not be construed as being “equal,” or “identical.”

I’ve written many articles on aspartame and I encourage you to read through them if you haven’t already, to get a better idea of the scientific research that has been done on aspartame, linking it to a number of health problems, including birth defects, cancer, diabetes, emotional disorders and epilepsy/seizures.

While the examples included in this article are not all-inclusive, they are representative of the devastating effects synthetic phenylalanine, such as that in aspartame, can have on your body, even if you are not PKU-affected.

The question is, how much is ‘too much’?

This appears to be highly individual, depending on a variety of factors, not all of which are dependent on the amount of phenylalanine you consume.

Still, it seems clear that even people who do not have PKU can develop PKU-like symptoms after consuming varying amounts of aspartame…

If you experience side effects from aspartame, please do report it to the FDA. Go to the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator page, find the phone number listed for your state, and report your adverse reaction. There’s no telling just how many reports they might need before considering taking another look at the safety of aspartame or reconsidering their stance on the findings from more recent studies, but the only way to press them is by reporting any and all adverse effects.

Related Articles:

Aspartame: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You

http://aspartame.mercola.com/

Aspartame’s Hidden Dangers

http://www.mercola.com/article/aspartame/hidden_dangers.htm

Sweet Deception: Why Splenda, NutraSweet and the FDA May be Hazardous to Your Health

http://products.mercola.com/sweet-deception/

Vigorous Exercise Could Reduce Breast Cancer Risk for African American Women

Dr. Mercola — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 06:00:59 GMT

A study presented this week at the American Association for Cancer Research conference in Miami, Florida shows that vigorous exercise could greatly reduce the risk of breast cancer for postmenopausal African American women. According to the LA Times:

“Researchers asked 97 African American women who had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and 102 matched women without breast cancer questions about their physical activity. Exercise such as aerobics and running was considered vigorous.

“Women who did vigorous exercise for two or more hours per week in the past year had a 64% decreased risk of breast cancer compared with sedentary women. Those who did moderate activities, such as walking, showed a 17% reduced risk of breast cancer compared with women who didn't exercise.”

The benefits were found in mostly postmenopausal women. Researchers added that just two or more hours of vigorous activity per week can make a difference.

World’s Rivers ‘In Crisis’ -- and Most are in the US and Europe

Dr. Mercola — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 06:00:59 GMT

The world’s rivers are in trouble. BIG trouble, according to a global analysis published in the journal Nature this month. As reported in US News & World Report, the condition is “a crisis of ominous proportions.”

Most shocking is that some of the highest threat levels in the world are where you would least expect them: the rivers and waterways in the United States and Western Europe. The crisis developed despite decades of attention to pollution control and investments in environmental protection, US News & World Report said:

“Over many millennia, humans have exerted an increasingly pervasive influence on fresh water resources. Rivers, in particular, have attracted humans and have been altered through damming, irrigation and other agricultural and engineering practices since the advent of civilization. In recent times, chemical pollution, burgeoning human populations, and the accidental as well as purposeful global redistribution of plants, fish, and other animal species have had far-reaching effects on rivers and their aquatic inhabitants.”

Authors of the study said that the world needs to re-examine the way waterways are protected. Currently, humans are addressing the symptoms, rather than going straight to the source of the problems by developing strategies to protect watersheds from pollutants and other measures, the authors said.

The Slippery Slope to Obesity

Dr. Mercola — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 06:00:59 GMT

According to a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, and reported in New Scientist, people who overeat may be deadening the satiety centers of their brain, similar to what happens to drug addicts. According to New Scientist:

“Eric Stice, a psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin, and colleagues used fMRI brain scans to monitor 26 obese or overweight volunteers as they sipped either a tasty milkshake or a flavourless liquid resembling saliva. They compared the effect of both drinks on brain activity in the dorsal striatum, a key part of the brain's reward circuitry.

“Six months later, they retested the volunteers. Those who had gained weight since the first test also showed reduced activity in the dorsal striatum in response to the milkshake. In contrast, no change was seen in people who had lost or maintained weight.

What results is that it takes more and more to get the “high” or feeling of satiation, the study showed. Researchers do not know if losing weight can reverse the process and restore normal functioning to the reward pathway of the brain.

Eat this Food to Help Fight Artery Hardening

Dr. Mercola — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 06:00:59 GMT

If you like blueberries, then the latest research from the US Department of Agriculture should be just what the doctor ordered. According to Science Daily, a USDA-funded study has shown the first direct evidence that blueberries can help prevent harmful plaques or lesions, symptomatic of atherosclerosis, from increasing in size in arteries.

“The study compared the size, or area, of atherosclerotic lesions in 30 young laboratory mice. Half of the animals were fed diets spiked with freeze-dried blueberry powder for 20 weeks; the diet of the other mice did not contain the berry powder.

Lesion size, measured at two sites on aorta (arteries leading from the heart), was 39 and 58 percent less than that of lesions in mice whose diet did not contain blueberry powder.

Earlier studies, conducted elsewhere, have suggested that eating blueberries may help combat cardiovascular disease. But direct evidence of that effect has never been presented previously, researchers said.”

The blueberry-spiked diet contained 1 percent blueberry powder, the equivalent of about a half-cup of fresh blueberries. The findings are reported in the current issue of the Journal of Nutrition.

Thousands Miscarry After H1N1 Vaccine

Dr. Mercola — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 06:00:59 GMT

A new report in the American Chronicle says thousands of US women may have miscarried their babies last year after getting the H1N1 (swine flu) shot. The Chronicle quoted a new report by the National Coalition of Organized Women (NCOW), which believes that as many as 3,587 cases, may have either miscarried or had a stillbirth after receiving the H1N1 vaccine. The Chronicle said:

"In an exceptionally strong and well executed report, written on the Child Health Safety Website entitled 'Flu Vaccine Caused 3,587 US Miscarriages from H1N1 Vaccine,' they say"

"'The corrected estimate for the total number of 2009-A-H1N1-flu-shot-associated miscarriages and stillbirths during the 2009/10-flu season is 1,588 (95% goodness-of-fit confidence interval, 946 to 3587). That is, the lower and upper range-probability of miscarriage and stillbirths due to the H1N1 vaccine was as low as 946 and as high as 3,587.

Eileen Dannemann, Director of NCOW, presented the findings for the second time to Dr. Marie McCormick, chair of the Vaccine Risk and Assessment Working Group, during the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines (ACCV) meeting, Sept 3, 2010. Just prior to Ms. Dannemann´s presentation Dr. McCormick, had pronounced that there were absolutely no H1N1 vaccine-related adverse events in pregnant women in 2009/10, directly contradicting the evidence publicly available.'"

More and more women are coming forward to talk about the babies they lost after being vaccinated with the swine flu shot last year, even as the CDC and World Health Organization continue their push to convince pregnant women to get vaccinated with this year’s seasonal/pandemic combination flu shot. The miscarriage reports are backed up by the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS).

Major Drug Company Screws Up Again

Dr. Mercola — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 06:00:59 GMT
Johnson & Johnson CEO William Weldon testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Thursday, September 30, apologizing for making a mistake and letting the public down with the numerous recalls his company has had lately. In a report by The New York Times, Weldon also admitted that the company secretly bought up defective drugs without informing regulators and consumers of its actions:

"I know that we let the public down. We did not maintain our high quality standards. Children do not have access to our important medicines. I accept full accountability for the problems and I will take full accountability for fixing them," the Times reported Weldon as saying in prepared remarks Thursday to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

The Times also said that Weldon also apologized to the committee for the long delays in issuing product recalls after first becoming aware of adverse event reports and consumer complaints:

"This is an area where we've learned a very important lesson," said Weldon. We definitely don't want to defend our actions there and we don't want to make any excuses. We have benefited by being here. I can only assure you that we are doing everything in our power to never let this happen again," he said.

The Times said lawmakers met Weldon’s comments “with skepticism.”

Growling Baby

Dr. Mercola — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 06:00:59 GMT

Look! It’s a monster! No, it’s a tiger! No, it’s just a growling baby (practicing for when he’s older and gets a baby sister, maybe?)

FOOD	GRAMS OF PHENYLALANINE
Chicken, broilers or fryers, light or dark, 3.5 oz	1.30
Egg, whole, dried	2.51
Fish, cod, Atlantic, dried and salted, 3.5 oz	2.45
Cheese, parmesan, shredded, 3.5 oz	2.23
Parsley, dried, 3.5 oz	1.71
Pork Bacon, Fried, 3.5 oz	1.46
Peanuts, Spanish, oil-roasted with or without salt, 3.5 oz	1.45