Following is the letter from H.J. Roberts, MD, Florida Internist and diabetes expert, author of Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic, and Aspartame Disease: an FDA Approved Epidemic.
To: Dr. Margaret Hamburg
FDA Commissioner
5600 Fisher's Lane
Rockville, Maryland 20857
Dear Dr. Hamburg:
I am writing to you because of the longstanding concern over the profound adverse effects of the chemical aspartame, which is present in numerous "sugar free" products being consumed by over half the population.
This is not a casual consideration. I have been concerned about "aspartame disease" for more than a quarter century as a clinician and researcher, evident by dozens of articles/letters and four books on the subject. This interest has been totally corporate-neutral.
The projected magnitude of this problem remains startling. My own data base encompasses over 1400 individuals who have suffered major disorders that could be directly ascribed to the use of these products, including gum. Most are detailed in my 1000-page text, Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic, a brochure of which is enclosed. Other books are listed at the publisher website, www.sunsentpress.com
Revelations about other aspartame-induced complications are encountered almost weekly. Indeed, I would require more than an additional 100 pages to include them in a new edition. (A letter is being published in the August edition of the Southern Medical Journal dealing with the surprising complication of pseudotumor cerebri. My own date base consists of 20 such patients!)
I have resisted listing the sequlae of aspartame use. They read like a textbook of medicine and have enormous implications. If you are interested in exploring the issue, I will be pleased to send you a copy of the large text. Indeed, it should be required study for all physicians and persons interested in public health
You can find my credentials in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in Medicine and Health Care.
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