Sticky end close for gum chewer

Abigail McCormack thought she was dying from a mystery illness. She never realised her daily chewing gum habit was probably poisoning her.

The sugar-free gum contained aspartame, a food additive, widely used in more than 5000 products – including gum, diet soft drinks and tea and coffee – which is prompting debate in the international medical world over its safety.

When McCormack, 25, first began suffering crippling muscle cramps and tingling in her hands and feet about five months ago, she feared she was having a heart attack. She started suffering heart palpitations, anxiety attacks, depression and skin rashes, and was unable to sleep. Despite a battery of tests, doctors could not pinpoint the cause.

An internet site alerted her to the possibility of aspartame poisoning. Aspartame is digested into aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol, which converts into formaldehyde – a deadly neurotoxin used as embalming fluid.

For the past few years, McCormack has chewed through up to four packets of chewing gum a day. Within 24 hours of giving up gum, her symptoms disappeared.

Medical opinion is divided over the safety of artificial sweeteners since saccharine was found to cause bladder cancer in rats in the 1970s. Some research has found higher incidences of chronic fatigue and migraines.

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority says there is no scientific evidence of significant adverse effects at a daily intake of aspartame far beyond current usage. The company which makes the gum consumed did not comment last night.