News Report ----------- A consumer group in India that is directed by physicians and scientists issued a nationwide warning to residents about the dangers of aspartame (NutraSweet) ingestion. The warning was published in the July-December 1995 issue of the Association for Consumers Action on Safety and Health (ACASH) newsletter. The warning stated that "All of the breakdown products of aspartame are toxic. It has been shown that Aspartic Acid and Gutamic acids in free forms can cause severe neurological damage. These acids damage the nerve cells in its free forms." The warning was based at least in part on a review of aspartame research which appeared in the Journal of the Diabetic Association of India (Vol. 35, No. 4, 1995). The research review was written by Dr. J. Barua (Ophthalmologist) and Dr. Arun Bal (Surgeon). The June 21, 1996 issue of the Bombay Times carried an article informing consumers about the aspartame warning.