"One patient was observed to have swelling of the larynx.
"Decreased secretions in the upper respiratory passages, comparable to "dry eyes" (Chapter IV) and "dry mouth" (Chapter IX-F, may contribute tothe pulmonary symptoms.
"An aspartame reactor developed severe choking while drinking a diet soda on a plane as it climbed to high attitude.
"The occurrence of sleep apnea in aspartame users was discussed in Chapter VI-K
"The FDA noted receiving complaints of "difficulty breathing" from 112 consumers in its April 20, 1995 report.
"The cause and significance of this feature remain puzzling. In the absence of asthma and other allergic features (Chapter VIII) the dyspnea presumably reflects neurotransmitter dysfunction within the brain's respiratory center.
Representative Case Reports
Case IX-C-1
"A 40-year-old woman stressed that she previously did "not have any problems I cannot handle". She wrote:
"Help! Last week, I was fortunate to hear you on WWDB radio. I just came home from the hospital. I was in intensive care for two days. (They said I may have a clot on my lung.) After two days they said I did not have a clot, and did not know what was wrong with me. They gave me many tests.
"My symptoms over the last three months have been shortness of breath (I get up in the middle of the night gasping), blurred vision, dizziness, headache, falling (I fell in Center City drunk). I have been to many doctors, and they cannot seem to find what is wrong.
"I called my family doctor when I heard you last week because I drank six to eight glasses of diet cola each day for three years. He said he would look into it."
Case IX-C-16
"A 35-year-old woman developed "shortness of breath" that persisted. She consulted a number of physicians who variously told her that the cause was stress (despite an exemplary personal and professional life), atypical asthma, and a swollen larynx. Other symptoms included weight gain, hair loss, dizziness, irritability, fatigue, heavy menstrual bleeding, abdominal pain, and dryness of the skin. See also had hypothyroidism.
"The patient probed every aspect of her diet and environmental contacts as her breathing problem intensified. She wrote, "Can you imagine my anxiety at waking up and still not being able to breath? The only unusual aspect of her routine was the daily use of a gum flavored with aspartame. She wrote
"I already spent a small fortune on tests that included asthma studies, upper/lower GIs, ultrasounds, x-rays, blood work, cholesterol, and heart, lung and gynecologic testing. I even considered seeing a psychiatrist. I then stopped using this gum, and felt relief almost immediately. I retested myself numerous times to see if I had really found the answer. I am completely assured that the aspartame caused all my problems. At one later time, I consumed a diet soda, not knowing that they had switched from saccharin to aspartame. Within the hour, I could not catch my breath."
"Decreased secretions in the upper respiratory passages, comparable to "dry eyes" (Chapter IV) and "dry mouth" (Chapter IX-F, may contribute tothe pulmonary symptoms.
"An aspartame reactor developed severe choking while drinking a diet soda on a plane as it climbed to high attitude.
"The occurrence of sleep apnea in aspartame users was discussed in Chapter VI-K
"The cause and significance of this feature remain puzzling. In the absence of asthma and other allergic features (Chapter VIII) the dyspnea presumably reflects neurotransmitter dysfunction within the brain's respiratory center.
Representative Case Reports
Case IX-C-1
"A 40-year-old woman stressed that she previously did "not have any problems I cannot handle". She wrote:
"Help! Last week, I was fortunate to hear you on WWDB radio. I just came home from the hospital. I was in intensive care for two days. (They said I may have a clot on my lung.) After two days they said I did not have a clot, and did not know what was wrong with me. They gave me many tests.
"My symptoms over the last three months have been shortness of breath (I get up in the middle of the night gasping), blurred vision, dizziness, headache, falling (I fell in Center City drunk). I have been to many doctors, and they cannot seem to find what is wrong.
"I called my family doctor when I heard you last week because I drank six to eight glasses of diet cola each day for three years. He said he would look into it."
Case IX-C-16
"A 35-year-old woman developed "shortness of breath" that persisted. She consulted a number of physicians who variously told her that the cause was stress (despite an exemplary personal and professional life), atypical asthma, and a swollen larynx. Other symptoms included weight gain, hair loss, dizziness, irritability, fatigue, heavy menstrual bleeding, abdominal pain, and dryness of the skin. See also had hypothyroidism.
"The patient probed every aspect of her diet and environmental contacts as her breathing problem intensified. She wrote, "Can you imagine my anxiety at waking up and still not being able to breath? The only unusual aspect of her routine was the daily use of a gum flavored with aspartame. She wrote
"I already spent a small fortune on tests that included asthma studies, upper/lower GIs, ultrasounds, x-rays, blood work, cholesterol, and heart, lung and gynecologic testing. I even considered seeing a psychiatrist. I then stopped using this gum, and felt relief almost immediately. I retested myself numerous times to see if I had really found the answer. I am completely assured that the aspartame caused all my problems. At one later time, I consumed a diet soda, not knowing that they had switched from saccharin to aspartame. Within the hour, I could not catch my breath."
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