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Aspartame for Arthritis

This is one of the most bizarre discoveries we have ever heard about.
A scientist noticed that when he got up out of his chair after watching a football game, his arthritis pain was greatly diminished.
During the course of the game he had consumed a six-pack of diet soda containing aspartame. Putting two and two together, he thought this artificial sweetener might have contributed to his relief.
He organized a placebo-controlled trial involving aspartame (aka Equal, NutraSweet) and confirmed that doses of 76 to 152 mg did indeed provide pain relief, roughly comparable to anti-inflammatory agents.
This research was published in the very respectable scientific journal, Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.*
*Edmundson, A. B., and C. V. Manion. "Treatment of Osteoarthritis with Aspartame." Clin. Pharmacol. Ther. 1998; 63:580-593.

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About the Author
Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist who has dedicated his career to making drug information understandable to consumers. His best-selling book, The People’s Pharmacy, was published in 1976 and led to a syndicated newspaper column, syndicated public radio show and web site. In 2006, Long Island University awarded him an honorary doctorate as “one of the country's leading drug experts for the consumer.”.
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