A word of warning to all the aspartame addicts...

E

EBC

Member
Hi everyone! After reading many of the replies to Nancy324's post about her visit to the nutrition counselor, (more power to ya, Nancy, and a happy belated B-day!) I noticed that many of you use products containing aspartame, primarily diet sodas. I don't know if anyone is aware of the huge debate that's been going on concerning the safety of aspartame, but I've been hearing and reading about its dangers but several years and the reports are pretty scary. There's lots of information online stating the short and long-term effects of aspartame and the list goes on for miles but here are just a few of the known reactions:

Brain tumors, uterine polyps, arthritic and joint pain, depression, chronic fatigue, anxiety attacks, blood sugar control problems, menstrual problems, vision damage and loss, memory loss, seizures and convulsions, etc. etc. etc.

I won't bore you with all the technical details so if you do want more info you can either do a search on aspartame or use the following links:

http://www.sweetpoison.com
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/
http://www.dorway.com/reprtfrm.html

Let me just say that I'm aware that information on the web is only as reliable as the person posting it and only as accurate as the data that backs it up so I can't truly say that this info is 100% true, but I can say that any sort of debate this intense will make me raise an eyebrow. I think maybe good ol' natural sugar might be the way to go if you want something sweet--anything in moderation is okay IMHO.

Y'all take care!
Elizabeth
 
Wow Elizabeth,
That's pretty scary. I really suck down the diet pop. I did switch from caffeine to caffeine free, but am still drinking too much. I'm going to try the seltzer that was recommended. Thanks for that info. I learn so much here!
Dawn
 
Elizabeth: Thanks so much for the info and for the terrific sights. I have often wondered about the safety of Equal because, although I'm not a big diet soda person, I consume SO MUCH nutrasweet in coffee and other diet products that I am becoming concerned. I tried to satisfy my sweet tooth with chemical sweeteners instead of trying to change my eating habits. The more I read and hear, the more I think it's out with the artificial sweeteners and just enjoy the occasional natural sugar snack. It is interesting that even Sucralose, which is derived from natural sugar, is considered dangerous. It's definitely food for thought . . .
 
Also, I did research on Splenda. I was drinking those Fruit20 flavored water drinks by Very Fine, like they were going out of style. I started getting frequent headaches and feeling nauseous. Then I finally put 2 and 2 together and read about the sweetener used called Splenda. Other people were listing the same complaints that I was having. Well, I stopped drinking that stuff and now I feel great. I do need to kick the Diet Pepsi habit. I do believe that Aspartame can't be good for you either but I haven't had any bad effects from that yet.

Denial?:7
 
I've been using Splenda packets in my cereal and coffee. No bad effects yet and I love it! Oh, well.

:+
 
It is weird how certain things effect people differently. I think I was seriously overdosing on it in a short period of time. I would drink 3 of those a night. No wonder I was so sick!:eek:

It was the stuff I read on it that made me stop cold turkey. I think it really is "everything in moderation". I just think my own personal tolerence(and excessive consumption)was why I was feeling like a did.


:)
 
I used to eat yogurt every day (in my pre-vegan days) with aspartame in it every day and wonder why I got headaches! I also got headaches if I had a few too many pieces of Wrigley's Freedent gum (also contains aspartame, as do many breath mints and gums). I did some research on the stuff and decided for myself it was better to do without it. I agree that a little *real* sugar in moderation certainly can't hurt, and I feel the bad effects of aspartame are far worse than sugar.

Also, I talked to my mom at great lengths about eliminating aspartame from her diet - she didn't believe me and went to a nurse about it who confirmed what I had told my mom. Since, my mom has made great strides in removing it from her diet.

Also, my father in law passed away from cancer (started in his pancreas) 2 years ago. He used on sweet n low, equal and other 'fake' sugar foods daily - he was diabetic which restricted his sugar intake. I cannot guarantee that the cancer was related to the aspartame he ingested, but it raises my suspicions. In any case, dh and I avoid aspartame like the plague.

Make your own decisions on this one but please do your research first!

-kelli
 
I was pregnant with my first child while living in Germany. The German obgyn told me NOT to use any sugar substitutes because it could harm the baby/child in the long run. Same with perming/coloring your hair during pregnancy etc.

I read the label, don't buy anything with artifical fat (the no calories fat) or sugars (also the hydrogenated oils are very difficult to avoid). I use only real butter and extra virgin olive oil and, of course, real sugar (I don't buy sodas).
 
Well, personally, I don't want to ingest something daily that becomes formaldehyde. They say it is toxic in large doses but I would rather not have that in my body even in small doses. I personally don't think that any of these sweeteners tastes as good as sugar so I am not assuming it is bad for me because it tastes good. I personally had headaches and nausea when I was using Splenda. Not everyone will.:7
 
I have to agree that the anti-artificial sweetener stuff is overblown. Not to say that there aren't some people out there with sensitivities, but I just don't buy that they are all some form of horrific poison--and my position comes from a background in physiology and biochemistry.

Read both sides of the issues before you make a decision. Substances as inocuous as peanuts are deadly if you are allergic. Sugar can be deadly to a diabetic. High fat diets are linked to cancer and heart disease.
 
Uh... I don't think "brain tumors" are a "known reaction" to aspartame. Perhaps there is a possible correlation but to my knowledge nothing definitive.

Unfortunately you could come up with a long list of horrible-sounding possible effects of many ingredients. It's hard to know until the ingredient has been studied pretty in-depth and by good researchers what the detriments really are.
 
All I can say is if it is not natural, then it is not good for you. I don't eat that crap. If it is manmade and has chemicals in it, forget it. I don't need my body to be poisoned. Treat your body like it is a temple. Also, I wouldn't drink diet coke either. That's nasty. I don't drink soda in general anyway. They don't taste good to me.
 
Hi Maverick,
That is one way of looking at it, but on the other side think about this - Heroin is "natural" but that's not good for us. I think too much of anything can probably be harmful. I used to live on coffee and diet coke, and still have a hard time breaking my diet pop adiction. My goal is be in balance. I wish I had your tastebuds, I LOVE diet coke!:)
 
Maverick - Would you not take a pharmacuetical product that could help cure a potentially fatal disease, simply because it is man-made?
 
>Uh... I don't think "brain tumors" are a "known reaction" to
>aspartame. Perhaps there is a possible correlation but to my
>knowledge nothing definitive.


Actually, brain tumors are a known reaction to aspartame in animal studies and, according to non-industry-related research, a long-term reaction that occurred when the subjects were given doses of aspartame comparable to a human's average daily consumption. There's been lots of research done to support the side effects of aspartame. Bottom line, I don't feel like any sort of chemically altered ingredient could possibly be healthy whether there's scientific proof or not, but everyone's entitled to an opinion. It will be interesting to see what further studies on aspartame, sucralose and a host of other ingredients expose.

Elizabeth
 
How to kick the Diet Coke habit...It worked for me!!

How to Kick the Diet Coke Habit :D :D :D :D

1. Go deep sea fishing with SO on rough seas.
2. When SO suggests that you take a Dramamine for motion sickness, do so but make sure you wash it with a DIET COKE. VERY IMPORTANT!!
3. Wait 5-10 minutes.
4. By this time the Diet Coke, Dramamine, and any other stomach contents should be making their way overboard.
5. You will never want a Diet Coke again.

This was meant to be funny, but seriously, I used to be a die hard diet soda drinker and this is exactly what happened to me 10+ years ago. To this day I still cannot stomache (pardon the pun) anything with artificial sweeteners in them.
 
Well, honestly I try to avoid it as much as I can but if it's absolutely, absolutely necessary, I will. I know for sure there is no way I will go through chemo or radiation therapy for cancer. What is the point of it anyway because they ruin everything in your body as well. A lot of people I know who had cancer and went through chemo died faster than people who did not go through chemo. Just took care of themselves a lot better. I still don't think pharmacuetical products are that good for people even though it helps to fight some diseases. I don't eat power bars, drink protien shakes, etc because I really don't think it's all that good for you either. Besides, did you know that a lot of drugs (medicine) are made from plants as well so in a way it is natural and it is not. As for marijuana, it is no good for you generally but it helps people with cancer, or AIDS to eat. What is the point of digesting artifical things? That is my opinion. You have your opinions which is fine with me. I'm sticking with mine and you are sticking with yours. Nothing wrong with that.
 
Wow! This is apparently a real hot topic! I just wanted to post and tell ALL of you it is really refreshing to see that a group of people can debate a topic that both sides obviously have strong feelings about and not let it turn into a battle of flaming emails! I guess it just reinforces my opinion that this is a high class bunch of people! Lets keep up the info exchange, whether you are a diet-coke head or an all-natural chick, we all benefit from having this kind of information out there to stay educated!
RS
 
Anybody who says they never eat anything with chemicals in it is mistaken. Chemicals are the building blocks of EVERYTHING, including the human body.

So, EVERYTHING in moderation. You have to use a little common sense.:)
 
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