Your Daily Additives – Acesulfame Potassium

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Yet again we see another synthetic chemical manufactured with toxic, cancerous components. Among all the controversy and insufficient data surrounding this additive, like many others, it has still been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as G.R.A.S. (Generally Recognized as Safe)

I have to ask: If the people that are supposed to make sure your food is safe to eat (FDA) can’t prove that it’s safe, can you trust them? It’s astonishing that Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) specifically say, “do not ingest, may be toxic to liver and kidneys, hazardous by definition.” And yet these chemical agents that are manufactured with chemical agents still find their way into our food supply.

All the regulations, all the standards and the FDA limitation, to me, are irrelevant. Consider all the additives in all the processed foods that consumers eat on a daily basis, they’re loaded with them. For one, 95% of the additives are laced with toxic corrosive chemicals i.e., Lead, Arsenic, Mercury. For two, the average processed foods consumer eats well over the established ADI (accepted daily intake) of these chemicals in any number of foods. It’s an amazing epidemic of disease in this country and the “food products” are the source. 50 years ago when grandma cooked from her garden we didn’t have children who wouldn’t outlive their parents. And yet today we see children diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension.

It is the collective cocktail of toxins in all processed foods that are breaking people’s health down little by little. Society needs to wake up and realize the food that is distributed by “the establishment” is poisoning you.

General research:

Acesulfame Potassium

(Ace K, Acesulfame K)

Acesulfame Potassium may be safely used as a general-purpose sweetener and flavor enhancer in foods. It is the potassium salt of 6-methyl-1,2,3-oxathiazine-4(3H )-one-2,2-dioxide. Contains Lead, Arsenic and Fluoride.

There is one difference which makes Acesulfame more appropriate than Aspartame and that is the stability of Ace K. In baked items, Aspartame cannot be used as it may break down at a particular temperature but Ace K, because of its high stability is very useful in making the baked items sweet. Widely used in processed foods, including baked goods, powdered drink mixes, candy, puddings, canned foods, jams and jellies, dairy products, and scores of other foods and beverages.

Sugar substitutes are found in a variety of food and beverages marketed as “sugar-free” or “diet,” including soft drinks, chewing gum, candy, fruit juice, and ice cream and yogurt.

The compound is not metabolized by the body but it also hampers the ability of the body to metabolize other food products.

People suffering from diabetes might think this compound is best for their taste buds but excess usage of this compound may stimulate the release of insulin and result in hypoglycemia. Mental confusion, liver and kidney problems, headaches, depression, nausea, dizziness, visual disturbances, etc. are some of its other side effects.

In the production of Acesulfame K, Methylene Chloride, a carcinogenic compound, is used. This may result in the development of cancerous cells. Research on rats has revealed that it may result in lung and breast cancer.

Long term exposure to Methylene Chloride: Nausea, headaches, mood problems, impairment of the liver and kidneys, problems with eyesight and possibly cancer.

Acesulfame was nominated twice (in 1996 and again in 2006) for testing in the National Toxicology Program (NTP) bioassay program. Both nominations were rejected by NTP

  • A previously healthy boy was admitted with fever, tachycardia, dyspnea, and was vomiting. A blood test showed a severe metabolic acidosis. His urine had an odor of acetone. Tests for the most common metabolic diseases were negative. Because of herpes stomatitis, the boy had lost appetite and only been drinking Diet Coke and water the last days. Diet Coke or Coca-Cola Light is sweetened with a blend containing cyclamates, aspartame, and acesulfame potassium

Acesulfame-K has undergone the least scientific scrutiny. Early studies showed a potential link between the sweetener and development of multiple cancers in laboratory animals.

Tests of Acesulfame—two tests carried out in rats and one in mice—are inadequate to establish lack of potential carcinogenicity. Here are a few reasons why the tests are inadequate:

Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)

  • Subchronic tests were not conducted for the rats and mice used in the tests on which the FAPs rested
  • It is likely the minimum toxic dose/maximum tolerated dose (MTD) was not achieved in the rat and mouse studies
  • Randomization of test groups was not carried out properly
  • Mice were held on test for only 80 weeks, rather than the 104 weeks characteristic of National Toxicology Program (NTP) bioassays
  • Animal husbandry and monitoring of animals on test were evidently poor, as indicated by high disease rates in the animals and extensive autolysis of tissues

Acute Potential Health Effects of Acesulfame Potassium:

  • Skin: May cause skin irritation.
  • Eyes: May cause eye irritation.
  • Inhalation: May cause respiratory tract irritation and mucous membrane irritation.
  • Ingestion: May cause gastrointestinal effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, cramps, loss of appetite.

Ace K may affect the blood (slight increase in hemoglobin concentration)

The substance may be toxic to kidneys, liver. Prolonged or repeated ingestion may affect the liver (liver degeneration)and kidneys (nephropathy), and may cause weight loss.

Aggravated by Exposure: Hemachromatosis, thalassemia, sideroblastic or Sickle Cell anemia.

Precautions:

Keep away from heat. Keep away from sources of ignition. Ground all equipment containing material. Do not ingest. Do not breathe dust. If ingested, seek medical advice immediately and show the container or the label. Keep away from incompatibles such as oxidizing agents, metals, acids.

Other Regulations:

OSHA: Hazardous by definition of Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200).

EINECS: This product is on the European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances.

References:

Legal G.R.A.S

http://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/21/184.1

G.R.A.S. List

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/fcn/fcnNavigation.cfm?rpt=eafusListing

Some extra reading material

 

John Parks
For two years I've thoroughly enjoyed researching the food additives "scientests" produce and put into all processed food. Also how the FDA classifies them as G.R.A.S. (Generally Recognized As Safe) With about 95% of the research I've done over the last two years the actual science, toxicity reports, manufacturing processes and pure technical aspect of it suggests otherwise.

When you see something that is "hazardous by definition", toxic, poisonous or corrosive and it's in the food you're eating, you would surely have to stop, think and ask, "That's going to go in me. Wait... It passes through the placental barrier? It decreases the testicular weight in mice? It's produced with volvano ash? It's processed with asbestos and krypton gas?"

Now, my main argument is this: If you know the food additive is toxic, corrosive or hazardous by definition, if it requires flammable or corrosive DOT stickers while transporting, if it has saftey precautions, spill procedures and you must wear suitable protective clothing while handling... Can you even assume it's safe to eat?

Irregardless of the exposure limits, the actual amount in food itself, how many regulations and standards there are or how low the toxicity may be... It is the general principle that the additives are still put in the foods you eat on a daily basis. I personally don't believe that when a tomato is dropped you have to evacuate the area and seal off the exits. Because that is exactly the procedure for some of the chemcial agents the FDA allowed in food.