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Artificial Sweetener Leads to Disease

For those of us who use a sugar substitute in our tea or coffee at restaurants, or even at home, or for others who consume massive amounts of diet soda, the presence of aspartame in our bodies does not seem to raise any cause for concern. In a new documentary film, Cori Brackett and Cinema Libre Studio bring a story of the food industry`s use of this dangerous sweetener and how our bodies could be suffering the consequences of consuming such large amounts of this additive. This film will debut December 6th, 2005.

`Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World` follows filmmaker Cori Brackett on her journey to uncover the truth about aspartame after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis following a period of heavy consumption of diet soda. As she began to research her own health issues, she came across a morass of `facts` and `myths` surrounding the controversial food-additive. Determined to find the truth, Brackett crisscrossed the United States interviewing doctors, medical professionals, lawyers, researchers and anti-aspartame activists. The results are profoundly disturbing.

`Sweet Misery` unveils one of the most pervasive, insidious forms of corporate negligence in the history of the industrial revolution: the `revolving doors` practices between the FDA and powerful corporations such as Monsanto-subsidiary, Searle. Upon detailed examination of the process for approving aspartame by the FDA, the film connects Donald Rumsfeld, currently United States Secretary of Defense, to the scene of the crime. Rumsfeld, then CEO of Searle, was part of Reagan`s transition team when the FDA`s board of inquiry was overruled by Arthur Hull Hayes, the newly appointed FDA Commissioner, thereby allowing the marketing of aspartame as a food additive.

`Sweet Misery` has the right mix of political intrigue and corporate deception,` says Brackett. `It is yet another example of multi-national corporations` disregard for the individual.`