Should I eliminate aspartame from my life? My Doctor says yes!

FitForL1fe

galgenstrick wrote: »

^^^ Yup, I've fired many a doctor and endocrinologist. No regrets.

sixxpoint

Some things I trust Doctor's for; other things I dont --> Mainly when it comes to Nutrition, unless the Doctor has some sort of previous sports medicine/fitness training experience or substantial studies in Biochem.

Stevia is the same sort of processed food, and it is possibly even worse than them all!!

Everything in moderation. If you're not consuming pounds of it per week, then you likely have nothing to worry about.

Christine_72

I know it's not scientific, but my gut feeling tells me to stay away from aspartame. I've never drunk a diet soda in my life. I bought a huge bottle of cranberry juice a few months ago, and noticed when I got home it had aspartame in it, I poured it down the sink. I just cant do it....
I'm sure it's been in stuff that I've consumed before. I just make sure and read food labels more closely these days..

brianpperkins

galgenstrick wrote: »

I don't consume aspartame or MSG because both of those make me feel like crap, not exactly sure why.

There have been studies about aspartame and weight gain, and I've seen it blown way out of proportion. For example, here's an article titled "Artificial Sweeteners Cause Greater Weight Gain than Sugar, Yet Another Study Reveals"

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/04/saccharin-aspartame-dangers.aspx

It states that aspartame makes you fat............. Then you look at the study they reference and the study is done on rats, no humans, and states:

"It has been suggested that the use of nonnutritive sweeteners (NNSs) can lead to weight gain, but evidence regarding their real effect in body weight and satiety is still inconclusive."

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666312004138


I see a lot of doctors get lazy and read these articles, but not the actual research and give a bunch of false information to their patients.

You cited Mercola (a quack who fails peer review) and a pay to publish journal with dubious peer review ... then complain that doctors don't read the actual research. Priceless.

MercuryBlue

People have been trying to prove that aspartame is the devil since the eighties, without success. There's really no concrete evidence that it's in any way harmful for human consumption. Not that I'm a fan (I don't care for the taste), but it's not as bad as people make it out to be. As I understand it, the one biggest downfall of artificial sweeteners is that it doesn't help with our 'sweet tooth'. What I mean by that is that it can be hard to switch from "junk food" to "healthy food" because the average diet is so chock-full of sugar or salt that, when we eat something that's good for us, it tends to taste bland. The more you eat healthy foods, the more sensitive your taste buds become to salt and sugar (which is why you might notice that, after eating well for a while, foods you used to crave suddenly taste WAY too salty or sweet, to the point where it's almost unappetizing). On the other hand, if your foods are all sweetened artificially, you're continuing to teach your body that sweet = good, which makes you more likely to crave sugary junk and seek it out.

I'd personally be really suspicious of a doctor that told me not to eat aspartame at all because, as a health care professional, I expect them to make recommendations based on facts. Of course, I don't know your personal medical history, so the doctor may be saying that based on reasons we're not aware of....

Christine_72

Call me a conspiracy theorist, but don't coca cola et al use bucket loads of aspartame in their products? ?
Are research facilities going to go up against these Billion dollar companies and tell the public that their products are dangerous or harmful...

MercuryBlue

That's the

christinev297 wrote: »

Call me a conspiracy theorist, but don't coca cola et al use bucket loads of aspartame in their products? ?
Are research facilities going to go up against these Billion dollar companies and tell the public that their products are dangerous or harmful...

That's the exact same logic anti-vaxxers use, and it's the reason why kids are dying in first-world countries of preventable diseases. If the science isn't there to support it, I don't believe it. In this case, it's not even a matter of "we don't know because there haven't been enough studies done"; to the contrary, people have actively been studying the effects of aspartame for over three decades now and STILL haven't found it to be harmful. If that's not convincing enough, I don't know what is.

Besides, people have been talking about how Coca Cola and the like is bad for you for decades; it's hardly being sold as a health product (unless you count all the Vitamin Water BS) . There's no hush-hush secret agenda there. These companies sell diet products as a calorie-free alternative to their sugar-filled products, so they can appeal to a wider customer base. It's as simple as that. When the conspiracy theorists say "aspartame is bad!" and they get bad press, they just start making their diet products with Splenda instead. If production cost goes up as a result, they just raise their prices.

brianpperkins

christinev297 wrote: »

Call me a conspiracy theorist, but don't coca cola et al use bucket loads of aspartame in their products? ?
Are research facilities going to go up against these Billion dollar companies and tell the public that their products are dangerous or harmful...

Make sure you wear a home made AFDB (aluminum foil deflector beanie). The ones you can buy allow the satellites to monitor your thoughts.

As mentioned already, decades of study into aspartame have failed to find it harmful. Even the EU couldn't find a reason to label it dangerous.

Science 1, Conspiracies 0

galgenstrick

brianpperkins wrote: »

galgenstrick wrote: »

I don't consume aspartame or MSG because both of those make me feel like crap, not exactly sure why.

There have been studies about aspartame and weight gain, and I've seen it blown way out of proportion. For example, here's an article titled "Artificial Sweeteners Cause Greater Weight Gain than Sugar, Yet Another Study Reveals"

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/04/saccharin-aspartame-dangers.aspx

It states that aspartame makes you fat............. Then you look at the study they reference and the study is done on rats, no humans, and states:

"It has been suggested that the use of nonnutritive sweeteners (NNSs) can lead to weight gain, but evidence regarding their real effect in body weight and satiety is still inconclusive."

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666312004138


I see a lot of doctors get lazy and read these articles, but not the actual research and give a bunch of false information to their patients.

You cited Mercola (a quack who fails peer review) and a pay to publish journal with dubious peer review ... then complain that doctors don't read the actual research. Priceless.

That's what my post said. Did you even read it? Mercola posted an article claiming that aspartame made you fat based on a poorly conducted rat study that was inconclusive, and that some doctors spread that information. Your comprehension skills are laughable.

Christine_72

I'm definitely not anti vaccinations! More harm than good (if any) comes from not vaccinating our kids.
In fact, our government is bringing in a law that if welfare recipients don't vaccinate their children, then their benefits will be slashed to a pittance!

galgenstrick

christinev297 wrote: »

I'm definitely not anti vaccinations! More harm than good (if any) comes from not vaccinating our kids.
In fact, our government is bringing in a law that if welfare recipients don't vaccinate their children, then their benefits will be slashed to a pittance!

When did vaccinations enter the discussion?

Edit: found the comment... Please proceed.

Christine_72

MercuryBlue wrote: »

That's the

christinev297 wrote: »

Call me a conspiracy theorist, but don't coca cola et al use bucket loads of aspartame in their products? ?
Are research facilities going to go up against these Billion dollar companies and tell the public that their products are dangerous or harmful...

That's the exact same logic anti-vaxxers use, and it's the reason why kids are dying in first-world countries of preventable diseases. If the science isn't there to support it, I don't believe it. In this case, it's not even a matter of "we don't know because there haven't been enough studies done"; to the contrary, people have actively been studying the effects of aspartame for over three decades now and STILL haven't found it to be harmful. If that's not convincing enough, I don't know what is.

Besides, people have been talking about how Coca Cola and the like is bad for you for decades; it's hardly being sold as a health product (unless you count all the Vitamin Water BS) . There's no hush-hush secret agenda there. These companies sell diet products as a calorie-free alternative to their sugar-filled products, so they can appeal to a wider customer base. It's as simple as that. When the conspiracy theorists say "aspartame is bad!" and they get bad press, they just start making their diet products with Splenda instead. If production cost goes up as a result, they just raise their prices.

Galgenstrick it was mentioned in the above post

Edited after seeing your Edit I just do NOT want to come across as some health food, anti chemicals nazi. I don't have problems with any foods or drinks, other than aspartame. it just sticks in my throat for some reason...

galgenstrick

christinev297 wrote: »

MercuryBlue wrote: »

That's the

christinev297 wrote: »

Call me a conspiracy theorist, but don't coca cola et al use bucket loads of aspartame in their products? ?
Are research facilities going to go up against these Billion dollar companies and tell the public that their products are dangerous or harmful...

That's the exact same logic anti-vaxxers use, and it's the reason why kids are dying in first-world countries of preventable diseases. If the science isn't there to support it, I don't believe it. In this case, it's not even a matter of "we don't know because there haven't been enough studies done"; to the contrary, people have actively been studying the effects of aspartame for over three decades now and STILL haven't found it to be harmful. If that's not convincing enough, I don't know what is.

Besides, people have been talking about how Coca Cola and the like is bad for you for decades; it's hardly being sold as a health product (unless you count all the Vitamin Water BS) . There's no hush-hush secret agenda there. These companies sell diet products as a calorie-free alternative to their sugar-filled products, so they can appeal to a wider customer base. It's as simple as that. When the conspiracy theorists say "aspartame is bad!" and they get bad press, they just start making their diet products with Splenda instead. If production cost goes up as a result, they just raise their prices.

Galgenstrick it was mentioned in the above post

Thanks, I missed that post earlier. I edited my post above!

galgenstrick

christinev297 wrote: »

MercuryBlue wrote: »

That's the

christinev297 wrote: »

Call me a conspiracy theorist, but don't coca cola et al use bucket loads of aspartame in their products? ?
Are research facilities going to go up against these Billion dollar companies and tell the public that their products are dangerous or harmful...

That's the exact same logic anti-vaxxers use, and it's the reason why kids are dying in first-world countries of preventable diseases. If the science isn't there to support it, I don't believe it. In this case, it's not even a matter of "we don't know because there haven't been enough studies done"; to the contrary, people have actively been studying the effects of aspartame for over three decades now and STILL haven't found it to be harmful. If that's not convincing enough, I don't know what is.

Besides, people have been talking about how Coca Cola and the like is bad for you for decades; it's hardly being sold as a health product (unless you count all the Vitamin Water BS) . There's no hush-hush secret agenda there. These companies sell diet products as a calorie-free alternative to their sugar-filled products, so they can appeal to a wider customer base. It's as simple as that. When the conspiracy theorists say "aspartame is bad!" and they get bad press, they just start making their diet products with Splenda instead. If production cost goes up as a result, they just raise their prices.

Galgenstrick it was mentioned in the above post

Edited after seeing your Edit I just do NOT want to come across as some health food, anti chemicals nazi. I don't have problems with any foods or drinks, other than aspartame. it just sticks in my throat for some reason...

I don't think you come across that way. It makes me feel like crap, like I mentioned above + I don't even like the flavor. There's not much evidence (if any) that shows it's harmful, however I avoid it nonetheless.

MercuryBlue

christinev297 wrote: »

I'm definitely not anti vaccinations! More harm than good (if any) comes from not vaccinating our kids.
In fact, our government is bringing in a law that if welfare recipients don't vaccinate their children, then their benefits will be slashed to a pittance!

I'm sorry, I wasn't implying that you were an anti-vaxxer. What I said, verbatim, was "that's the exact same logic anti-vaxxers use, and it's the reason why kids are dying in first-world countries of preventable diseases." Because, really, it is the same. You suggested that research facilities weren't going to go against million-dollar companies and tell people that their product wasn't safe as a reason why aspartame was harmful, and anti-vaxxers use the same logic to promote their agenda. They say, "scientists aren't going to go against Big Pharma and tell the public their vaccinations are causing [whatever bogus thing they've attached to vaccinations that week]" and use that to support their belief that vaccinations are harmful. My point is that that logic is flawed, and that it doesn't make sense to make decisions based on something that maybe, theoretically could be possible if all the ducks were lined up just right. It makes more sense to make decisions based on evidence and facts.

Of course, if you choose not to consume aspartame for your own reasons, that's totally fine. I don't either, because I don't like the taste. I know some people have sensitivity to aspartame and it makes them feel sick (just like some people have sensitivities to MSG, or to peanuts, or to dairy, etc.) I'm just pointing out that that kind of reasoning can be- and has been, in the case of vaccinations (which is why I used that as an example)- harmful overall. In recent years, people have become increasingly vocal about 'chemicals', without realizing that everything that we consume, natural or otherwise, is made of chemicals. I think that it's dangerous to be vocal about chemicals in foods unless we have an academic understanding of chemistry, because otherwise you wind up with a culture of people who make dietary decisions based on the paranoid delusions of some random housewife with a blog.

To clarify: Please do not feel like I'm criticizing you personally. Rather, I'm objecting to an overall way of thinking about the world and serious issues that has become increasingly common online. I feel it's important for people to educate themselves based on facts instead of hearsay. I'm especially concerned about the fact that healthcare professionals are giving medical advice based on superstition and paranoia, as opposed to scientific facts. That's really unnerving to me. What's next, is my doctor going to tell me that I can keep myself healthy by keeping an onion in the corner of my bedroom?

try2again

I keyed in on your statement that "all diet foods" have it. Just eat regular food. I buy yogurt with splenda in it, but I can't think of any other diet-marketed product I buy. Just log carefully and use moderation with things like sugar.

Christine_72

All good @MercuryBlue
i appreciate you taking the time to reply I was not at all familiar with the anti vaxxers stance.

californiagirl2012

I found that when I used various artificial sweeteners that it increased my cravings expecially at night. I only used them for about a year. I quit all those over a year ago and lost the 10-15 pounds I had gained from it, and have maintained well ever since. I stick to mostly foods with 1-5 ingredients or less and foods I mostly prepare at home, which I mostly did before. The doctor said I had probably messed up my gut bacteria with the artifical chemicals, so I started eating fermented foods, just a little each day. I'm feeling great now and the cravings are gone.

Maybe the chemicals causing cravings thus eating more is what they mean by "slowing down weight loss".

gdyment

christinev297 wrote: »

Call me a conspiracy theorist, but don't coca cola et al use bucket loads of aspartame in their products? ?
Are research facilities going to go up against these Billion dollar companies and tell the public that their products are dangerous or harmful...

You should look up how huge the Sugar lobby is. They HATE any artificial sweetener, obviously. I would put money on them fiddling with the research more than someone like Coke who has products on both sides and doesn't care which one you buy as long as it's not Pepsi.

Edit: And for the record I have no issues at ALL about Aspartame or fake sugars. Diet Coke, sugar free gum, splenda/equal in the coffee, even bake with splenda.