The Truth About Aspartame

[Rebecca800]

I drink a can of diet coke a day, and its really starting to bother me when friends say "oh wow, that's got aspartame in it - you're gonna get cancer!"

It bothers me because they can't point to any scientific evidence to back it up. Don't get me wrong -- if aspartame is genuinely harmful to my body then I want to know about it. But people jump on the aspartame bandwagon just because they think there must be some kind of conspiracy going on.

On the Coca Cola website, they offer a few facts about aspartame - what it is made up of, how every major food safety association endorses it, and how there is no evidence to suggest it causes cancer.
Coca-Cola - The Truth About Aspartame

It also links to an independent international review of all the research done on aspartame, which concludes that aspartame is safe to consume.
Aspartame: A Safety Evaluation Based on Current Use Levels, Regulations, and Toxicological and Epidemiological Studies - Critical Reviews in Toxicology

Assuming this is all true (otherwise Coca Cola would have a few law suits on their hands) - how can the average Joe be so convinced that aspartame is bad for him? Wait - not just bad - but cancer causing.

There will always be scandals and misinformation and maybe one day someone will find a link between aspartame - or any additive for that matter - and cancer. What I really want to know is does anyone have any hard scientific data that aspartame is harmful? Seriously, please educate me!

[JMononoetoe]

I got my information from two videos.
I don't know, but I avoid aspartame because it just tastes horrible

YouTube - Aspartame - Part 1 of 2 -- 60 Minutes Segment -- 12/29/1996 Part 01
YouTube - Aspartame - Part 2 of 2 -- 60 Minutes Segment -- 12/29/1996 Part 02

[RRR]

I get a headache every time I drink aspartame.

I'm not that invested in this debate right now, for quite a while I was convinced aspartame, fluoride, and mercury vaccinations were all plans to dumb down the population. I still remain convinced but now instead of worrying whether or not I am right I just don't use those products. I don't think my body will mind. I would continue your research into aspartame, I recall a few studies indicating diet soda drinkers gain weight.

[dmauder]

Originally Posted by Rebecca800

On the Coca Cola website, they offer a few facts about aspartame - what it is made up of, how every major food safety association endorses it, and how there is no evidence to suggest it causes cancer.
Coca-Cola - The Truth About Aspartame

It also links to an independent international review of all the research done on aspartame, which concludes that aspartame is safe to consume.
Aspartame: A Safety Evaluation Based on Current Use Levels, Regulations, and Toxicological and Epidemiological Studies - Critical Reviews in Toxicology

Assuming this is all true (otherwise Coca Cola would have a few law suits on their hands) - how can the average Joe be so convinced that aspartame is bad for him? Wait - not just bad - but cancer causing.

I'm not sure it's a good idea to trust anything posted on the website of a company that has a HUGE financial interest in you believing aspartame is OK for you.

That would be about the same as believing all the new commercials on TV about how wonderful high-fructose corn syrup is. All you have to do is follow the money...

Dave

[dmauder]

Originally Posted by RRR

I get a headache every time I drink aspartame.

I'm not that invested in this debate right now, for quite a while I was convinced aspartame, fluoride, and mercury vaccinations were all plans to dumb down the population. I still remain convinced but now instead of worrying whether or not I am right I just don't use those products. I don't think my body will mind. I would continue your research into aspartame, I recall a few studies indicating diet soda drinkers gain weight.

Interesting... What do you brush your teeth with? I know there are non-flouride alternatives, but I'm not sure what they are. Also, what about water? Most municipal supplies contain some flouride.

Also, interesting point about diet soda drinkers gaining weight. My understanding (from much reading), is that our bodies react the same to aspartame as they would to real sugar. In other words, your body doesn't know the difference. So even though you're not taking in extra calories in the soda, you're body has an insulin response. So any excess calories in your diet are generally getting stored as fat by the insulin.

Dave

[WordKeeper]

The biggest problem with aspertame is that it is a neurotoxin just as flouride is, just as mercury is. Some people are more sensitive to the effects particularly with people whose neurotransmitters are compromised - people with depression, anxiety, autism and others.

The Dangers of Aspartame - Articles

[RRR]

Originally Posted by dmauder

Interesting... What do you brush your teeth with? I know there are non-flouride alternatives, but I'm not sure what they are. Also, what about water? Most municipal supplies contain some flouride.

Also, interesting point about diet soda drinkers gaining weight. My understanding (from much reading), is that our bodies react the same to aspartame as they would to real sugar. In other words, your body doesn't know the difference. So even though you're not taking in extra calories in the soda, you're body has an insulin response. So any excess calories in your diet are generally getting stored as fat by the insulin.

Dave

I use non-floridated toothpaste (Toms), I drink water delivered by arrowhead, my showers are probably fluoridated..that bothers me a bit every time I shower..I'll try to minimalize that (Navy showers).

My understanding is that with these neurotoxins the concern should be with pregnant women, infants, and small children. My body can probably handle them, but even the AMA suggests against giving infants fluoridated water. I am curious if these effects are real or imaginary, its bizarre to think about. The studies I've read on fluoride indicate a 20 point reduction in IQ in fluoridated populations...thats horrifying.

But I find it difficult to seperate the paranoia from the truth sometimes. I see no reason to have fluoridated water. I see no reason to drink aspartame. I see no reason to inject mercury. So I don't. There is no reason to have to defend not using them when the assertions that say they are "good for you" are not scientifically sound.

[Fullcrum]

Corporations can say whatever they want. I would put no stock whatsoever in what they say. Their profit margins depend on you believing what they say.

America's FDA and other food protection agencies are populated by the shareholders and CEOs of the very food corporations they attempt to protect.

Aspartame breaks down into several compounds. It is a known excitotoxin. Read about it here: Aspartame - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Among its catabolites are formaldehyde and methanol, two known carcinogens.

If you drink diet soda and do not feel its negative effects, your body is not clean and sensitive enough to properly assess the damage it is doing to the body. Just as the first time smoker coughs on inhalation and the addict does not, and just as drug tolerance increases, your tolerance to toxins increases, with compromises on many metabolic levels, as you continue to ingest them.

You cannot protect yourself from everything. But I would line the cards in my favor as strongly as possible.

[Joeschmoe]

Wow, one of the metabolic products is Methanol, methanol is extremely toxic. I'm sure it's not much, but still that is ridiculous. Also the NFPA health rating is a 1 which isn't much, but it's equivalent to ingesting turpentine. Ethanol (Drinking Alcohol) is rated 0 and it can kill you.

Well there goes my taste for Diet Coke.

[dmauder]

Originally Posted by Joeschmoe

Well there goes my taste for Diet Coke.

Unfortunately, it's not just Diet Coke you need to lose a taste for...

Aspartame is used in 6000+ products around the world. Here's a brief list from a website I found: carbonated soft drinks, powdered soft drinks, chewing gum, confections, gelatins, dessert mixes, puddings and fillings, frozen desserts, yogurt, tabletop sweeteners, and some pharmaceuticals such as vitamins and sugar-free cough drops.

[Liveformx64]

Originally Posted by Rebecca800

I drink a can of diet coke a day, and its really starting to bother me when friends say "oh wow, that's got aspartame in it - you're gonna get cancer!"

It bothers me because they can't point to any scientific evidence to back it up. Don't get me wrong -- if aspartame is genuinely harmful to my body then I want to know about it. But people jump on the aspartame bandwagon just because they think there must be some kind of conspiracy going on.

On the Coca Cola website, they offer a few facts about aspartame - what it is made up of, how every major food safety association endorses it, and how there is no evidence to suggest it causes cancer.
Coca-Cola - The Truth About Aspartame

It also links to an independent international review of all the research done on aspartame, which concludes that aspartame is safe to consume.
Aspartame: A Safety Evaluation Based on Current Use Levels, Regulations, and Toxicological and Epidemiological Studies - Critical Reviews in Toxicology

Assuming this is all true (otherwise Coca Cola would have a few law suits on their hands) - how can the average Joe be so convinced that aspartame is bad for him? Wait - not just bad - but cancer causing.

There will always be scandals and misinformation and maybe one day someone will find a link between aspartame - or any additive for that matter - and cancer. What I really want to know is does anyone have any hard scientific data that aspartame is harmful? Seriously, please educate me!

I challenge you to eat fruits vegetables, and nuts and drink only water for 30 days. (a cleanse basically)

After those 30 days drink a diet coke and see how you feel. That will be the only proof you need. At one time asbestos was deemed "safe" to put in buildings, and in a court of law it was "proven" that there was no correlation between cigarettes and health problems.

The human body is the greatest example of perfection we will have this side of the casket. Sometimes we just have to get out of the way and let it do its job.

[Writertype]

Originally Posted by Joeschmoe

Wow, one of the metabolic products is Methanol, methanol is extremely toxic. I'm sure it's not much, but still that is ridiculous. Also the NFPA health rating is a 1 which isn't much, but it's equivalent to ingesting turpentine. Ethanol (Drinking Alcohol) is rated 0 and it can kill you.

Well there goes my taste for Diet Coke.

Seconded.


See on the far right of the structure there is an "OMe" written? That is an oxygen linked to a carbon and three hydrogens, or OCH3. If that is broken off and it picks up a hydrogen from the water in your body (H2O), that makes HO-CH3, or methanol. It seems plausible to me, and methanol (wood alcohol) is bad stuff. I would avoid aspartame in large amounts if I were you.

Check into the history on studies that "prove" it's safe, I have heard there is a good deal of bias there.

[Andrew Brunelle]

The truth about aspartame is that it is toxic. In small amounts, like a couple of cans a week, it probably won't cause much damage, but if taken on a daily basis may or may not cause brain cancer and a whole other host of problems.

Aspartame is what scientists and doctors call an excitotoxin, meaning it excites your brain cells to death. Simply put, aspartame kills brain cells in almost the same way as MSG. A little now and then won't kill you, but it is best to avoid it at all costs. Even Splenda has it's problems.

If you're looking for an artificial sweetener that has no calories or hardly any, try Stevia, but the whole leaf, not that Truvia crap. Stevia is an herb and is proven to be sweet and does not have any or less than 5 calories per serving. And it is natural, but not addictive or calorie-intensive.

Or you could avoid sweeteners alltogether. I don't sweeten my coffee or tea and don't drink soda. It is a healthy lifestyle choice to rid yourself of white sugar and artifical sweeteners. If you want sweet, eat a piece of fruit.

[KeithS]

Diet pop is bad anyways, so why bother?

[Fullcrum]

Besides, you support evil corporations. *Evil*

You would support people who subsidze corn farmers, allowing food prices to skyrocket as the foolish are lead to believe ethanol fuel is our savior.

You support people fattening up people around the world and contributing to cultural hegemony. Think of the statement you're making when you eat at McDonalds. That's what you're doing when you drink coke or coke products. Any of the major soda companies is equally at fault.

I love carbonated beverages, but I can make them myself with naturally carbonated water and ingredients of my choosing. They taste better than coke anyway.

Take back your health. I cannot stand the taste of soda now. I will never ever drink it again in my life. This was one of the food items that took no effort to drop for me. White flour, I still eat that on occasion. And meat, I eat almost everyday. The health benefits of such a regime continue to be debated today. But soda should not be a part of this mix.

[jdhesse]

Interesting analysis on the breakdown to Methanol. I've also read studies that discussed the breakdown to formaldehyde as well! Here is a generic description on wikipedia

[Rebecca800]

Thanks guys for all your responses. It's given me 'food for thought'

[funchy]

I also agree that there isn't a single ingredient in Diet Coke that has any positive health benefits, and there are several of them (aspartame included) which are believed to be harmful.

[Holistic Star]

This is completely anecodatal and I know it isn't evidence - but I wouldn't touch aspartame with a barge pole!


A few years ago my mum kept having dizzy sensations and the sensation that she was falling through the floor. It was very frightening for her. She had tonnes of tests but the doctors couldn't find anything.

I heard from someone else about anaspartame poisoning and sent the info to my mum as she ate diet products every day, particularly diet drinks and diet yoghurts.

The symptoms cleared up. However she told her doctor that's what she thought had helped and the doctor said that aspartame was safe and wouldn't be having any affect on her.

So my mum started eating diet yoghurts again - guess what - the symtoms are back.


I appreciate this isn't a double blind controlled experiement. Maybe there is something else in yoghurt that is causing it, or maybe it's just coincidence.

But personally I believe that it damages the brain, and depending on where it attacks the brain, depends on the symptoms you get.

I don't feel deprived without it - so I don't take the risk.

[Fullcrum]

Use stevia instead. Get the herb itself rather than the powder, if the diet aspect is important to you.

Or, just use maple syrup and honey like I do. Honey is the better of the two, but I also employ maple syrup in my nut milks as I enjoy the flavor it confers. I use bananas in a smoothie context for sugars, and they provide a satisfying meal by themselves.

Eating a splotchy-brown ripe banana on an empty stomach is one of my favorite culinary experiences. It's like eating creamy sugar, but with potassium, fiber, water content, and a whole host of other stuff.

[Amandaaa]

Aspartame definitely isn't good for you... but I hope it doesn't cause cancer, because there's no way that I can give up my Orbit gum.

[JMononoetoe]

Originally Posted by Amandaaa

Aspartame definitely isn't good for you... but I hope it doesn't cause cancer, because there's no way that I can give up my Orbit gum.

I know, right? I had no idea there was aspartame in chewing gum until I did more astartame research. I never buy chewing gum anymore, but sometimes I can't resist when people ask me if I want some chewing gum.

"Well.. I don't know.. Hmm, well just one should be fine."

[Peter Toth]

I am just watching document Aspartame - Sweet Misery, A poisoned World.

This document is clearly againts the aspartame and trully I have no time to check the whole problem and see which side is right BUT

1. If people againts aspartame are wrong then great, nothing bad happens, just few people would drink less of sweetened products.

2. If people who thinks or claim that aspartame is ok are wrong then it could cause really bad results.

Which side worth the risk?

[adaira]

Originally Posted by dmauder

I'm not sure it's a good idea to trust anything posted on the website of a company that has a HUGE financial interest in you believing aspartame is OK for you.

That would be about the same as believing all the new commercials on TV about how wonderful high-fructose corn syrup is. All you have to do is follow the money...

Dave

kudos!!

[Indiana]

Originally Posted by RRR

IThe studies I've read on fluoride indicate a 20 point reduction in IQ in fluoridated populations...thats horrifying.

Really? That's not just horrifying, it's monstrous. It's the difference between normal and borderline retarded, or advanced and normal.

Could you post some links? I would have no trouble believing a 2 point reduction in fluoridated communites, but 20 points, I find astounding.

[brendannz]

I used to drink a can of coke zero everyday, but I had to cut back to only drinking it on the weekends because I got dental errosion,

but that's also that I eat a lot of fruit.. plug I have low fat yoghurts that are quite acidic.

I'd say it probably would be worth cutting back to drinking it 3 times a week, rather than everyday. If not for health reasons then drinking it everyday makes it less enjoyable I find, and it's more like an addiction..

I used to love drinking ordinary coke but now I find it's really sore on the teeth with all the sugar. So now I drink beer instead