Hi John,

Thanks for the info you posted. For my case have known about folate and made sure have had enough for 20 years, so not a factor.

As to the study group. maybe the 2 a day crowd did have less folate, but just as likely they might have more. You are a MD so you would know more about how folate works.

For me it is pretty simple. The short history of Aspartame pasted in below form Yahoo Health is more than enough info to avoid Aspartame. There are over 3,000 additives the FDA tracks, and just one creates 75% of complaints, wow. That is 9,000 more than the average additive. And the Dr. Ralph G. Walton study showing the conclusions on Aspartame studies are primarily driven by whether they are independent of paid for by the Aspartame industry. If Aspartame did something really beneficial like remove artery plaque in a month, then the side effects would be worth it. But Aspartame does not do anything big on positive side and there are many alternatives.

Best Regards, Darp


Aspartame's Controversial History

Aspartame, best known as NutraSweet and Equal commonly used to sweeten everything from diet sodas to yogurt, is no stranger to controversy.

The FDA approved this sugar substitute for limited food uses in 1981. By 1995 the FDA's Epidemiology Branch chief reported aspartame complaints constituted 75 percent of all FDA reports concerning adverse reactions to food, according to Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D. in Get the Sugar Out.

In 1996 it gained approval as a general sweetener, but that same year 60 Minutes reported criticisms of the approval process stating, "aspartame's approval was one of the most contested in FDA history."

That report used research published in the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology showing possible links between drinking diet soda and developing brain tumors.

In an analysis of peer-reviewed medical literature Dr. Ralph G. Walton, a professor at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, found that all industry-funded studies said aspartame was safe, according to a 2006 New York Times article. In independent studies, 92 percent identified one or more problems with aspartame, Walton reported.

http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/aspartame-study-fuels-continued-debate