I have been a medical doctor for
23 years and have clinical and research interests in the liver
and metabolism. I have authored several best selling health books
including the "Liver Cleansing Diet", "The Body
Shaping Diet", "Don't Let Your Hormones Ruin Your
Life", "Women's Health",
"Menopause and Natural
Hormone Replacement Therapy" and I lecture internationally
on these subjects. I have been consulted by thousands of patients
with weight problems, hormonal imbalances, fatty liver, sluggish
metabolism and chronic ill health. I have been an advocate and
practitioner of nutritional methods of healing for 30 years. I
regularly appear on national television and broadcast on many
radio stations to educate people about the importance of a
healthy liver in achieving good health and weight control!
In the interests of public health
I am making a position statement concerning the use of the
artificial sweetener called aspartame and sold most commonly
under the names of NutraSweet and Equal. One must ask, "why
do millions of people ingest a toxic chemical like aspartame
everyday"? To me it appears ridiculous and I believe that it
is because people have been brainwashed into thinking aspartame
will keep their weight down and is good for health. It also shows
me that we have lost touch with our own natural senses and
instincts.
After having been consulted by
thousands of overweight people suffering with problems concerning
the liver and/or metabolism I can assure you that aspartame will
not help you in any way, indeed it will help you to gain unwanted
weight. This has been my experience, and there are logical
reasons to explain the fattening and bloating effects of
aspartame. When you ingest the toxic chemical aspartame it is
absorbed from the intestines and passes immediately to the LIVER
where it is taken inside the liver via the liver filter. The
liver then breaks down or metabolizes aspartame to its toxic
components - phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol. This
process requires a lot of energy from the liver which means there
will be less energy remaining in the liver cells. This means the
liver cells will have less energy for fat burning and metabolism,
which will result in fat storing. Excess fat may build up inside
the liver cells causing "fatty liver" and when this
starts to occur it is extremely difficult to lose weight. In my
vast experience any time that you overload the liver you will
increase the tendency to gain weight easily.
Aspartame also
causes weight gain by other mechanisms ---Causes unstable blood
sugar levels, which increases the appetite and causes cravings
for sweets/sugar. Thus it is particularly toxic for those with
diabetes or epilepsy. Causes fluid retention giving the body a
puffy and bloated appearance. This makes people look fatter than
they are and increases cellulite.
Note two or more epidemiological studies found a link between drinking diet pop and weight gain since Cabot wrote this article