Posted by notfred on April 29, 2007, at 15:43:51
In reply to Re: Aspartame - anybody quit and feel better?, posted by saturn on April 29, 2007, at 12:34:22
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> Just fyi also, Matt...the reason I don't intend return to aspartame is because if I'm not mistaken aspartame significantly raises phenylalanine concentrations in the brain, which in turn inhibits tyrosine hydroxylase-- which is needed to produce catecholamines.
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Nope, it contains phenylalanine which a small group of people, Phenylketonurics, cannot metabolise.Otherwise, phenylalanine is an essential alpha-amino acid. ESSENTIAL to life.
It is also an OTC supplement, popular with the smart drug people.Nutrasweet products carry a warning for Phenylketonurics (PKU) with creates lots of false and misunderstood half truths. Phenylketonurics have a serious but rare illness. Doubtful one would accidently drink a diet coke...most do not make it past childhood.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenylalanine:
L-Phenylalanine (LPA) is an electrically-neutral amino acid, one of the twenty common amino acids used to biochemically form proteins, coded for by DNA. L-phenylalanine is used in living organisms, including the human body, where it is an essential amino acid. L-phenylalanine can also be converted into L-tyrosine, another one of the twenty protein-forming amino acids. L-tyrosine is converted into L-DOPA, which is further converted into dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine (latter three are known as the catecholamines).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenylketonuria
Untreated children with classic phenylketonuria are normal at birth, but fail to attain early developmental milestones, develop microcephaly, and demonstrate progressive impairment of cerebral function. Hyperactivity, seizures, and severe mental retardation are major clinical problems later in life. Electroencephalographic abnormalities; "mousy" odor of skin, hair, and urine (due to phenylacetate accumulation); and a tendency to hypopigmentation and eczema complete the devastating clinical picture. In contrast, affected children who are detected and treated at birth (using the Guthrie Test, part of the national biochemical screening programme) are less likely to develop neurological problems and have seizures and mental retardation, though such clinical disorders are still possible.
poster:notfred
thread:754354
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070426/msgs/754469.html