Aspartame harmful or not?

[Nip/Tuck]

There are so many conflicted data and arguments! I'm really not sure if it's safe to chew sugar-free gum with aspartame in it. I read that it causes cancer in lab rats, but some claim humans has to inject pounds of it to be equivalent. I've been chewing STRIDE gum for a year now, pretty much everyday. Is this bad? Anyone know any gum that is sugar free without any harmful chemicals?

 

[Andromax]

Dude everything causes cancer.. probably any chemical can cause a cell to mutate (cancer).

Just don't smoke or chew, and don't drink too much, stay away from broadcast towers and don't volunteer to dig ditches around cherynobl.

Do they even make gum without the sugerfree sweeteners anymore?

 

[KarmaSutra]

Dude everything causes cancer.. probably any chemical can cause a cell to mutate (cancer).

Just don't smoke or chew, and don't drink too much, stay away from broadcast towers and don't volunteer to dig ditches around cherynobl.

Do they even make gum without the sugerfree sweeteners anymore?

Everything is a scare tactic nowadays. It's cliche' as fvck but MODERATION is key. If you're eating a box of Equal on top of your frosted flakes 3 timea a day then you may be a walking tumor.

Otherwise, what this brother said is good advice.

 

[KontrollerX]

Its completely safe as is Splenda.

Anyone that tells you different probably also believes that the world will end in 2012.

Anyway though if you are still worried you can counteract any potential cancerous effects this stuff may have by making sure you consume a good amount of antioxidant rich foods in your daily diet such as almonds, purple grapes, blueberries and others.

 

[kabatura]

If you believe in evolution:
We did no evolve eating aspartame, but eating sugar. So our bodies know how to process sugar, making sugar healthier.

If you believe God created everything:
It makes sense that it would be healthier for us to eat the things God made for us to eat, like sugar, not aspartame.

 

[insidious]

<ding dong> :nervous:
Religion blinds.

Anyways, if this god is all-powerful, he created aspartame as well, did he not...or is that the work of the devil!?? AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!

 

[kabatura]

no, the devil did not make aspartame. Man made it trying to copy and improve upon something that already worked quite well, called sugar.

Hey I'll believe what I want to, it's working out pretty well for me, you believe what you want, hopefully it works out well for you.

 

[Nip/Tuck]

I appreciate all the opinion, but I am really looking for facts. If your going to provide your insight please add some reliable sources.

 

[Bible_Belt]

The coloring in diet sodas is likely much more harmful than the artificial sweeteners.

In gum, you're only getting a small amount, I would not worry. It is better than rotting your teeth with sugar. People can actually die from infected cavities, yet there is no documented death from artificial sweeteners.

 

[Rhoto]

BSN has removed it from all their products, and boasts it as a brand feature, many other "big" sports supplementation companies do as well.

I don't believe there will be a clear answer to this question any time soon, but better to stay away the consume I say.

 

[Kuroro]

"Upon ingestion, aspartame breaks down into several residual chemicals, including aspartic acid, phenylalanine, methanol, and further breakdown products including formaldehyde, formic acid, and a diketopiperazine."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame

If this doesn't flash some warning signs, then I don't know.

A documentary about aspartame: Sweet misery

A site against aspartame: http://dorway.com/dorwblog/

 

[navyseal2101]

dig ditches around cherynobl

heh

 

[Throttle]

google "truth about aspartame" and see which links offer reliable sources by your standards.....

 

[Nip/Tuck]

google "truth about aspartame" and see which links offer reliable sources by your standards.....

Tried that already, but I want a more qualified individual like a DOCTOR or NURSE to help me distinguish what a reputable source is. More people searching = more data = increase in overall quality of information. Fvcking common sense. :wave:

 

[LoneSilver]

I started using a substiute called Altern no Calorie Sweetener. I would use the small packs just one in my glasses of tea and would drink a picture throughout the day and within days I noticed a big difference in my constant need to run to take a pee.

Being one who has had problems in the past with my prostate even way back when I was in my 20's I knew this wasn't the cause. This progressed to the point it was causing inconinence where I would be standing fixing myself a hamburger or just polishing my truck and out of nowhere I would be peeing on myself and I thought WTF!

Never in my life has this happen and I knew something wasn't right so I googled and found alot of these no calorie sweeteners that have Dexrose Maltodextrin Sucralose and in some people can cause problems. Once I stopped using this and went back to regular sugar I stopped peeing on myself.

Now I bought a calorie free sweetener made with Aspartame and I never opened it for the simple reason I used Aspartame in the past and this particular brands ingredients has Dexrose with Maltodextrin Aspartame. I didn't know this until I got it home... why didn't I use it? Aspartame. In the past I had bloody stools on a constant bases until I stopped using it and I thought I was buying something better when I bought the Altern only to find out no one really knows the effects of these ingredients on the body and Sucralose surprisingly if I am not mistaken is made from real sugar but when man starts messing around with nature in the lab be cautious.

I would say stick to as close to nature as you can when it comes to putting stuff in your body and if you must try something manmade just keep this in mind if wierd stuff starts happening to your body it will save you alot of embarrassment just stop using and if your symptoms don't stop seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Hope this helps.

LoneSilver

 

[Axcell]

It IS harmful. Just google: "Aspartame harmful" and TONS of searches will be displayed, many of which are credible.
There is no SOLID proof that it is harmful, but take the test. Stay away from aspartame for 1 month, than start chewing one piece of aspartame gum + drink one can of diet coke/pepsi with aspartame, and see what happens to you.

It mostly has an affect on growing children/adults, by the way.

 

[KontrollerX]

It IS harmful. Just google: "Aspartame harmful" and TONS of searches will be displayed, many of which are credible.
There is no SOLID proof that it is harmful, but take the test. Stay away from aspartame for 1 month, than start chewing one piece of aspartame gum + drink one can of diet coke/pepsi with aspartame, and see what happens to you.

It mostly has an affect on growing children/adults, by the way.

Information brought to us all no doubt by the same geniuses that said Coca Cola can burn through a sidewalk and is used by the cops to clean up blood at a crime scene.

Lies that were quickly put to bed by Snopes.com.

The U.S government has a section on its website about artificial sweeteners and basically shows research that some have proven to be harmless while the results of others being bad or good is inconclusive.

Bottom line is though if you think to use it makes you sick you may actually be making yourself sick via placebo effect and if its not that you are probably having some unidentified allergic reaction to something in it.

I used this stuff for months on end every day almost during a particularly brutal diet and exercise regime since it was what sweetened my sugar free drinks and cans of fruit that were also sugar free with no ill effects ie no bleeding occured, didn't get headaches, didn't get nauseated, didn't get a hazy clouded mind, basically nothing happened other than my drinks and fruit cans getting sweetened about as much as can be without using actual sugar.

You guys can avoid this stuff if you want but millions of other people are drinking it down too with no ill effects and if it were really all that bad diet Coke bottles and cans and diet sugar free kool-aid packages and Crystal Light packages would have cigarette style warnings on them but they don't.

Certain chewing gum used to have such labels but then I'm pretty sure those got removed as well after more research was done after the brands had been out for a while.

Seriously just about everything is thought to kill you these days.

Its all fear mongering jumping to conclusions b.s.

You've got studies that come out that say don't eat too many eggs then another study will come out and say actually eat as many eggs as you want researchers have found its healthier than most food. Ditto for salt. One day its the antichrist the next day its our health savior.

Researchers need to make up their damned minds already.

Until they do though I think most people would be best served to give all food and drink products a chance until one actually causes harm to that person.

Then cut it out of your diet because its proven its not good for you in particular.

Anything else is just living in fear which is not a very comfortable existance to be in.

Edit: Just found a great Snopes article on Aspartme...

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp

 

[Throttle]

hmmmm i looked for info at snopes and didn't get anywhere, thanks.

doctors and nurses will mostly cite the FDA's opinion that it's fine.

i'm less concerned about toxicity and more concerned about its affects on blood sugar, etc. especially when combined with caffeine:

http://www.westonaprice.org/modernfood/aspartame.html

 

[Axcell]

Information brought to us all no doubt by the same geniuses that said Coca Cola can burn through a sidewalk and is used by the cops to clean up blood at a crime scene.

Lies that were quickly put to bed by Snopes.com.

The U.S government has a section on its website about artificial sweeteners and basically shows research that some have proven to be harmless while the results of others being bad or good is inconclusive.

Bottom line is though if you think to use it makes you sick you may actually be making yourself sick via placebo effect and if its not that you are probably having some unidentified allergic reaction to something in it.

I used this stuff for months on end every day almost during a particularly brutal diet and exercise regime since it was what sweetened my sugar free drinks and cans of fruit that were also sugar free with no ill effects ie no bleeding occured, didn't get headaches, didn't get nauseated, didn't get a hazy clouded mind, basically nothing happened other than my drinks and fruit cans getting sweetened about as much as can be without using actual sugar.

You guys can avoid this stuff if you want but millions of other people are drinking it down too with no ill effects and if it were really all that bad diet Coke bottles and cans and diet sugar free kool-aid packages and Crystal Light packages would have cigarette style warnings on them but they don't.

Certain chewing gum used to have such labels but then I'm pretty sure those got removed as well after more research was done after the brands had been out for a while.

Seriously just about everything is thought to kill you these days.

Its all fear mongering jumping to conclusions b.s.

You've got studies that come out that say don't eat too many eggs then another study will come out and say actually eat as many eggs as you want researchers have found its healthier than most food. Ditto for salt. One day its the antichrist the next day its our health savior.

Researchers need to make up their damned minds already.

Until they do though I think most people would be best served to give all food and drink products a chance until one actually causes harm to that person.

Then cut it out of your diet because its proven its not good for you in particular.

Anything else is just living in fear which is not a very comfortable existance to be in.

Edit: Just found a great Snopes article on Aspartme...

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp

Like I said, it mostly plays a huge role on people who are growing. According to your profile, you are 27 years of age, and most likely not growing anymore. You will notice that it sparks those symptoms for people MOSTLY under the age of 20 (Especially young children), diabetics, and women who are pregnant.

As for what you stated: "You guys can avoid this stuff if you want but millions of other people are drinking it down too with no ill effects and if it were really all that bad diet Coke bottles and cans and diet sugar free kool-aid packages and Crystal Light packages would have cigarette style warnings on them but they don't."

There is no SOLID proof that it is harmful, and the FDA has most likely received bribes to allow products like this to the market, it is not the first time this has happened either. Anyway, I won't get into that, I strongly oppose the FDA for personal reasons. (Mainly because of the fact they only care about how much money they make and the fact that they look out for corporal interests rather than the interests of the public.) But I will give you some more FACTS with some credible sources..

I've done a ton of research on aspartame, and the first article I came across was posted on a non-credible site. However, I cross checked my resources, and made sure that the information mentioned on this site was also mentioned from a credible source as well.

Anyway the URL is below, but I will pick out the most relevant information.
http://bibleprobe.com/dietsoda.htm

Anyway, the site says one thing to sum up why aspartame is so dangerous:

"When the temperature of this sweetener exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants. The methanol toxicity mimics, among other conditions, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. Many people were being diagnosed in error. Although multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence, Methanol toxicity is!"

Cross-checked my references, and the following sites say the exact same thing:
http://www.heall.com/body/askthedoctor/nutrition/artificialsweeteners.html
Also, go the URL below, and there are MANY other sources which state the exact same thing. I am sure that ONE of these sources is credible:
http://www.google.ca/search?client=...+then+to+formic+acid&meta=&btnG=Google+Search


Anyway, in regards to diabetics, I found another site which appears to be quite credible, as it is sourced from a doctor.

"There is absolutely no reason to take this product. It is NOT A DIET PRODUCT!!! The Congressional record said, "It makes you crave carbohydrates and will make you FAT". Dr. Roberts stated that when he got patients off aspartame, their average weight loss was 19 pounds per person. The formaldehyde stores in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs.

Aspartame is especially deadly for diabetics. All physicians know what wood alcohol will do to a diabetic. We find that physicians believe that they have patients with retinopathy, when in fact, it is caused by the aspartame. The aspartame keeps the blood sugar level out of control, causing many patients to go into a coma. Unfortunately, many have died. People were telling us at the Conference of the American College of Physicians, that they had relatives that switched from saccharin to an aspartame product and how that relative had eventually gone into a coma. Their physicians could not get the blood sugar levels under control. Thus, the patients suffered acute memory loss and eventually coma and death.

Memory loss is due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are neurotoxic without the other amino acids found in protein. Thus it goes past the blood brain barrier and deteriorates the neurons of the brain. Dr. Russell Blaylock, neurosurgeon, said, "The ingredients stimulates the neurons of the brain to death, causing brain damage of varying degrees. Dr. Blaylock has written a book entitled "EXCITOTOXINS: THE TASTE THAT KILLS" (Health Press 1-800-643-2665). Dr. H.J. Roberts, diabetic specialist and world expert on aspartame poisoning, has also written a book entitled "DEFENSE AGAINST ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE" (1-800-814-9800). Dr. Roberts tells how aspartame poisoning is escalating Alzheimer's Disease, and indeed it is."

URL: http://tafkac.org/ulz/xnutrasweet.html

And from my first source:
"We found that some physicians, who believed that they had a patient with retinopathy, in fact, had symptoms caused by Aspartame.
The Aspartame drives the bloodsugar out of control. Thus diabetics may suffer acute memory loss due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are NEUROTOXIC when taken without the other amino acids necessary for a good balance.

Treating diabetes is all about BALANCE. Especially with diabetics, the Aspartame passes the blood/brain barrier and it then deteriorates the neurons of the brain; causing various levels of brain damage, seizures, depression, manic depression, panic attacks, uncontrollable anger and rage."

Diet soda is NOT a diet product! It is a chemically altered, multiple SODIUM (salt) and ASPARTAME containing product that actually makes you crave carbohydrates. It is far more likely to make you GAIN weight!

These products also contain formaldehyde, which stores in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs. Formaldehyde is an absolute toxin and is used primarily to preserve "tissue specimens." Many products we use every day contain this chemical but we SHOULD NOT store it in our body!

In addition, I have some more information. This time, from the New York Times. (Credible newspaper from New York, United States.)

The New York Times reported, on a major new study of aspartame by an independent research laboratory. The large-scale study, which tested approximately three times the number of aspartame-fed rats as the number of rats used in the manufacturer's studies during the FDA approval process, showed very significant numbers of cancers. The original news article can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/12/b...l?r=1&th=&oref=slogin&emc=th&pagewanted=print

You have to register to read the article online, but registration for the NY Times Online is free.
If you want to see the article without registering, go to the site below:
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=285607
(Where the information below is taken from.)

There are several interesting aspects of the article, but what struck me most of all was the sheer size of the study, involving some 1,900 rats (as opposed to the 600-odd rats used in studies funded by Searle, the makers of aspartame, which is marketed as Equal).

(Go to the next page to see my second portion of my post.)

 

[LoneSilver]

What I experienced wasn't some kind of placebo effect for at the time wasn't even aware of any research that claimed harmful effects in some people.

The government agency that's supposed to protect us is the FDA. It was only until recently with all the news with harmful drug recalls, food safety screw ups that the FDA stands for Freaking Dumb Asses and only protect the profit makers and care less about the health and welfare of the average consumers.

I won't even get started on the lead issues coming out of China that are found in kids toys our Christmas trees etc., where this government is supposed to protect our future from. But I am sure some airhead will say it's all proproganda and it's just people pissed at corporations for sending the jobs oversees for cheaper wages. Simply put the greed of many corporations NOT ALL and the drug companies has caused some big bites to be taken out of their fat butts and at the expense of harming the health of innocent people.



LoneSilver