Newsgroups: alt.med.cfs
Date:         Tue, 19 Jan 1993 23:30:37 EST
              <CFS-L@NIHLIST.BITNET>
From:         Roger Burns <BFU@NIHCU.BITNET>
Subject:      Nutrasweet/CFS

I posted a query about aspartame (NutraSweet) & its relation to CFS
to the immune list the other day; below I copy an interesting response.
Please post any comments you may have about this topic to this list.


Roger Burns      bfu@cu.nih.gov / bfu@nihcu.bitnet / fidonet 1:109/432
List-owner, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome discussion
CFS-L  on LISTSERV at NIHLIST.BITNET or LIST.NIH.GOV
Newsgroup: alt.med.cfs

== Forwarded Mail ==

Date: 19 Jan 93 07:17:24 EST
From: Pat Wilcox <71340.142@CompuServe.COM>
To: <immune@weber.ucsd.edu>
Subject: Nutrasweet/CFS

> Date:  19-Jan-93 02:53 EST
> From:  "Roger Burns"   >INTERNET:BFU@CU.NIH.GOV
> Subj:  aspartame (NutraSweet) and chronic fatigue syndrome

> I've read a message on the Fidonet CFS echo which claims that
> the FDA has information pegging aspartame (NutraSweet) as the
> cause of chronic fatigue syndrome.

As A cause of chronic fatigue syndrome, not THE cause (look at your
posting again).

> I have a guess that this
> is an idea that has already been well discussed but I personally
> haven't heard of this before.  Can anyone fill me in on this?
> If it is a new claim then I'm inclined to do a lot of phone
> calling to trace down what this is about.

I've never heard of this before, either, but it's consistent with
a reference I found last week which lists the amino acid phenylala-
nine (one component of aspartame) as an inhibitor of the pyruvate
kinase (PK) enzyme.  My model of CFS says that anything that interrupts
glycolysis (glucose metabolism) will cause the symptoms of CFS (which
appear to be identical with the symptoms of recurrent episodes of
glutathione depletion).  PK catalyzes the final step of anaerobic
glycolysis; the glycolytic pathway is intimately involved in gluta-
thione metabolism.

Studies show that about 1.4% to 1.8% of Northern Europeans are heterozy-
gotes for PK deficiency, and Valentine et al. in _The Metabolic
Basis of Inherited Disease_(1989) say that there are even more cases of
acquired PK deficiency than the inherited variety -- say maybe 5% of
the population altogether?  Certain chemotherapy drugs, and at least
one of the Polysorbates, are known to inhibit PK.  Actually, I'm bet-
ting that anything with -sorb- in the name (Polysorbate 80, Polysorbate
60, sorbitol, sorbitan, sorbic acid) will turn out to inhibit PK.  Stay
away from frozen yogurt and most ice creams, pickles, grated cheese,
some brands of cottage cheese, most kinds of toothpaste, and sweet corn
if you have a PK problem.  And that's just for starters.  I had a bad
reaction to sublingual B12 tablets which contained sorbitol.  Many of
these things aren't required to list ingredients, and it's hard to find
out what's in them.   8-(

> Roger Burns      bfu@cu.nih.gov / bfu@nihcu.bitnet / fidonet 1:109/432
> Editor, CFS-NEWS Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Electronic Newsletter
> CFS-NEWS  on LISTSERV at NIHLIST.BITNET or LIST.NIH.GOV
> newsgroup: bit.listserv.cfs.newsletter

> ======= COPY OF ECHO MESSAGE (part) =================================
> ...

> I'm new here but I happen to have next to my computer the Drl Lendon
> Smith's "the Facts" for Oct 91. It says per the Aspartame Consumer
> Safety Network
> (ACSN, PO Box 780634, Dallas, TX 75378) that there is FDA information
> of Aspertane (ASP/Nutrasweet/Equal) has been known to cause Chronic
> Fatigue Syndrome.
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU