Are you vulnerable to aspartame toxicity?

The following are some questions to ask yourself if you think your unexplained health problems may be related to aspartame.

· Do you suffer tinnitus, great intolerance of noise or a noticeable impairment of hearing?

· Do you get palpitations after chewing a stick of sugar-free gum?

· Do you experience tunnel vision?

· Do you get sudden 'inexplicable' hive-like rashes?

· Do you have severe headaches or migraines?

· Do you suffer from dizziness or poor equilibrium?

· Do you have abdominal pain or cramps?

· Do you notice any change in your menstrual patterns?

· Do you suddenly have unexplained blackouts or seizures?

· Do you have unexplained mood swings and suffer from depression?

These are just a few of the any possible side effects from using aspartame.

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How To Check If our Symptoms Are Related To Aspartame and

What to Do About Them.

In order to find out if your conditions are aspartame related, health experts suggest that you should "rechallenge" yourself. You might want to do this under a physician's supervision.

1. You should determine what, if any, products you are using contain aspartame. You might not even be aware that some of the products contain aspartame unless you carefully read the labels. It's also possible you might have had aspartame while eating in a restaurant or visiting a friend.

2. Eliminate the aspartame products from your diet for at least two weeks. If the problems persist see your physician. If the symptoms disappear, then there is a strong likelihood you were having an adverse reaction to aspartame.

3. After several weeks of no symptoms, try having a diet soda, a piece of chewing gum or a sweetener that contains aspartame. If your symptoms return then you've probably figured out the problem - aspartame.

4. Try to eliminate all aspartame products from your diet and, when eating out, ask if aspartame has been used in the foods that you are eating. If so, avoid those foods.

updated 5/3/97...developed for a course at George Mason University EDIT 752 by

Barbara Maloney last updated by National Institute for Science, Law and Public Policy