Diet, Splenda, stevia etc
kkjoy71098
Posts: 6 Member
Soo I've known people who drink diet things their whole life and they're fit as a fiddle at their old age. Does artificial sweeteners really cause cancer and all these other things that people say they do? They make diet drinks sound scary, yet no one has died from them yet haha what're yalls thoughts?
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My thoughts are that I'll believe it when science proves it. There's a lot of scare tactics out there to get people to not drink this or not eat that.0
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kkjoy71098 wrote: »Soo I've known people who drink diet things their whole life and they're fit as a fiddle at their old age. Does artificial sweeteners really cause cancer and all these other things that people say they do? They make diet drinks sound scary, yet no one has died from them yet haha what're yalls thoughts?
Nope, they're fine.
Here's a long thread about aspartame in particular if you're interested.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308408/why-aspartame-isnt-scary/p10 -
I think its a YMMV situation. I have been searching for an alternative to sugar/hfcs for years. Here is what I learned about MY body:
1) Splenda is evil. Well, if you consume too much it is. I was consuming the equivalent of 40 packets a day (hey - free food right?) and after a few months had tons of auto-immune type symptoms and was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. Read the symptoms of splenda/sucralose overdosing online one night and realized it - cut it out and within 2 months all back to normal. I now consume splenda "in moderation". It is in everything now (water, salad dressing, etc), so you really have to watch it if you are trying not to overconsume.
2) Aspartame/nutrasweet makes my knees inflamed and ache. No clue why, but confirmed several times - after years of my knees hurting, that happened to co-inside with the years I was drinking a 12 pack of diet code red mtn dew daily (yes, I have problems with moderation!), I quit drinking it. After a few months, my knees were better. Since then, about every 6 months I think "hey - it was a fluke" and try to drink another one or two or three. By the time I get two in me, I literally cannot walk. With some experimentation, I found that it is specifically the code red ones that are worse, but even the regular ones cause some symptoms.
3) Stevia... hey - all natural? good for you? "clean"? Well... it depends. If you are diabetic, it is probably wonderful and perfect since it tends to lower blood sugar. If you have or are prone to low blood sugar (I am always at the bottom of "normal") it will totally tank it if you consume it without some carbs or protein to temper it. I.e. I started drinking instant tea with stevia in it. I would take a big jug on a hike with me. By the time I got 30 minutes into my hike (and 1/3 way through my bottle of tea) I would be seeing stars and hoping someone would come by and find me after I passed out. Took me a month and a lot of poking my finger with test strips to see the direct impact drinking stevia plain (0 cals drink) has on me. Now I know I can have it if it is in food (i.e. some quest bars, etc) but it has to have something that tends to raise blood sugar to temper it. For me anyway.
So... my current obsession is monk fruit extract. I am attempting to keep it in "moderation" and I do consume some splenda based products (sugar free syrups etc) now. So far so good...
I know at least two people who were diagnosed with auto-immune disorders (like lupus) who were either nearly "cured" or had a significant reduction in symptoms once they stopped drinking diet soda. Apparently overdosing on those mimic the symptoms of autoimmune diseases. In some people at least. These two people were only drinking diet soda and nothing else all day - probably a 2-liter or more a day. So who knows if they would have had the same experience if only an occasional diet soda instead.
Bottom line, pay attention to your body. Try going a few weeks without it and see what "improves". Then drink it again and see if it goes back to how it was. If no effect, go for it (but in moderation!!! LOL).0 -
You've got some great links here to aspartame information - I'll add that numerous studies have been done proving that aspartame doesn't cause cancer. The only studies that have shown any links between aspartame and cancer have been done in rats (which are already highly susceptible to cancer) and the amount of aspartame used was thousands of times greater than what humans could consume in a lifetime.
I already have cancer (brain cancer, which has nothing to do with diet) and I've no fear of consuming the occasional diet soda.0 -
Who knows. There's no conclusive link between cancer and artificial sweeteners, so I would say drink them up.
My husband's grandfather lived to 97, had all his teeth and died of old age, all the while drinking a case of beer and smoking 3 packs of cigarettes a day. He had zero health problems when he died, but I wouldn't say drinking and smoking that much is exactly good for you.
My mother, on the other hand, gets sick if you look at her the wrong way, has all kinds of issues going on with her thyroid, gall bladder and other things. She's only 63. She doesn't touch soda, coffee, any alcohol at all, except the occasional glass of wine on a holiday, never touched a cigarette or any type of illicit drug ever in her life yet she's really not in good shape with her health at all. She doesn't eat fast food, home cooks and bakes everything from scratch and drinks probably a 12-pack of water a day.
Everyone is different and ultimately, your genetic makeup is going to determine what goes on with you.0 -
kkjoy71098 wrote: »Soo I've known people who drink diet things their whole life and they're fit as a fiddle at their old age. Does artificial sweeteners really cause cancer and all these other things that people say they do? They make diet drinks sound scary, yet no one has died from them yet haha what're yalls thoughts?
They've been studied pretty extensively with no indication that they are harmful to humans. And, as you point out, there are now people who have been drinking them for decades without harm. My thought is they are better than high calorie sugary drinks for most people. But they all still have a nasty aftertaste.0 -
Who knows really. I figure everything in moderation. My grandmother is 95 and very healthy and pretty much subsists on Diet Dr. Pepper. She never drinks water. But of course it'd be silly to look at individual examples as representative of the whole and all that.
I use a couple packets of Splenda a day in my coffee and drink diet soda occasionally. I love the taste of diet soda but I don't think it's particularly good for my body for a lot of reasons. It tends to make me feel sluggish and gives me heartburn if I drink too much. That said, I still like it and drink it now and then.
I have lupus (although have never had any symptoms from it) and I've been told that aspartame can cause complications with autoimmune diseases. So for that and other reasons, I definitely don't think I'd want to just consume artificial sweeteners with reckless abandon, but don't think they're so bad in moderation.0 -
MommyL2015 wrote: »Who knows. There's no conclusive link between cancer and artificial sweeteners, so I would say drink them up.
My husband's grandfather lived to 97, had all his teeth and died of old age, all the while drinking a case of beer and smoking 3 packs of cigarettes a day. He had zero health problems when he died, but I wouldn't say drinking and smoking that much is exactly good for you.
Is it possible to die with zero health problems?? Why would one die?-1 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »MommyL2015 wrote: »Who knows. There's no conclusive link between cancer and artificial sweeteners, so I would say drink them up.
My husband's grandfather lived to 97, had all his teeth and died of old age, all the while drinking a case of beer and smoking 3 packs of cigarettes a day. He had zero health problems when he died, but I wouldn't say drinking and smoking that much is exactly good for you.
Is it possible to die with zero health problems?? Why would one die?
Body just wears out. That's what happens.0 -
Old age. To clarify, he died of natural causes.0
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »MommyL2015 wrote: »Who knows. There's no conclusive link between cancer and artificial sweeteners, so I would say drink them up.
My husband's grandfather lived to 97, had all his teeth and died of old age, all the while drinking a case of beer and smoking 3 packs of cigarettes a day. He had zero health problems when he died, but I wouldn't say drinking and smoking that much is exactly good for you.
Is it possible to die with zero health problems?? Why would one die?
Of course technically you can't...
but what do you call it when a relative is bored of living, feels like a burden on the family (her words), can't read anymore because she can't see, can't watch TV because of hearing, and has no real place to go so loses the strength to move around. This would be summed up as "dying of old age".
Yes, she died of congestive heart failure while being in bed for the last 2 months of life. Yeah, that 2nd way to say it sounds better and more indicative of the truth.
Back to OP, few substances you consume have been more researched by those with and without agendas and by studies required for safety and those looking at obscure effect. Every scientific review (that I'm aware of) still concludes that they are safe for humans to consume in amounts expected of "normal consumption".0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »MommyL2015 wrote: »Who knows. There's no conclusive link between cancer and artificial sweeteners, so I would say drink them up.
My husband's grandfather lived to 97, had all his teeth and died of old age, all the while drinking a case of beer and smoking 3 packs of cigarettes a day. He had zero health problems when he died, but I wouldn't say drinking and smoking that much is exactly good for you.
Is it possible to die with zero health problems?? Why would one die?
Body just wears out. That's what happens.
What do you mean by "wears out"? Like our bodies have an expiration date? A healthy body does not die.0 -
Really? Yay! We can live forever!!!0
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »MommyL2015 wrote: »Who knows. There's no conclusive link between cancer and artificial sweeteners, so I would say drink them up.
My husband's grandfather lived to 97, had all his teeth and died of old age, all the while drinking a case of beer and smoking 3 packs of cigarettes a day. He had zero health problems when he died, but I wouldn't say drinking and smoking that much is exactly good for you.
Is it possible to die with zero health problems?? Why would one die?
Body just wears out. That's what happens.
What do you mean by "wears out"? Like our bodies have an expiration date? A healthy body does not die.
If I post an eye roll gif will I get a warning? Well, just pretend then. <eyeroll.gif>0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »MommyL2015 wrote: »Who knows. There's no conclusive link between cancer and artificial sweeteners, so I would say drink them up.
My husband's grandfather lived to 97, had all his teeth and died of old age, all the while drinking a case of beer and smoking 3 packs of cigarettes a day. He had zero health problems when he died, but I wouldn't say drinking and smoking that much is exactly good for you.
Is it possible to die with zero health problems?? Why would one die?
Body just wears out. That's what happens.
What do you mean by "wears out"? Like our bodies have an expiration date? A healthy body does not die.
Um, yes it does. Healthy bodies wear out all the time. That's why old people die. Blood vessel walls just get weak and break in the brain (aneurysm) or the heart beats weakly enough that a clot forms and either goes to the brain (stroke) or the lungs (pulmonary embolism). When you're elderly, these aren't signs of poor health, they're just signs of the body wearing out. When things get old, they just stop working.0 -
MommyL2015 wrote: »Really? Yay! We can live forever!!!
Probably not. At some point wear and tear from life will likely cause a health problem. I don't want to derail the thread, but "old age" is not a disease or something we die from. But it is possible to die without any known diagnoses or ailments.0 -
hollydubs85 wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »MommyL2015 wrote: »Who knows. There's no conclusive link between cancer and artificial sweeteners, so I would say drink them up.
My husband's grandfather lived to 97, had all his teeth and died of old age, all the while drinking a case of beer and smoking 3 packs of cigarettes a day. He had zero health problems when he died, but I wouldn't say drinking and smoking that much is exactly good for you.
Is it possible to die with zero health problems?? Why would one die?
Body just wears out. That's what happens.
What do you mean by "wears out"? Like our bodies have an expiration date? A healthy body does not die.
If I post an eye roll gif will I get a warning? Well, just pretend then. <eyeroll.gif>
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »MommyL2015 wrote: »Who knows. There's no conclusive link between cancer and artificial sweeteners, so I would say drink them up.
My husband's grandfather lived to 97, had all his teeth and died of old age, all the while drinking a case of beer and smoking 3 packs of cigarettes a day. He had zero health problems when he died, but I wouldn't say drinking and smoking that much is exactly good for you.
Is it possible to die with zero health problems?? Why would one die?
Body just wears out. That's what happens.
What do you mean by "wears out"? Like our bodies have an expiration date? A healthy body does not die.
Um, yes it does. Healthy bodies wear out all the time. That's why old people die. Blood vessel walls just get weak and break in the brain (aneurysm) or the heart beats weakly enough that a clot forms and either goes to the brain (stroke) or the lungs (pulmonary embolism). When you're elderly, these aren't signs of poor health, they're just signs of the body wearing out. When things get old, they just stop working.
Oh, my bad. I thought things things like stroke, aneurysms, etc. were health problems. Carry on.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »MommyL2015 wrote: »Who knows. There's no conclusive link between cancer and artificial sweeteners, so I would say drink them up.
My husband's grandfather lived to 97, had all his teeth and died of old age, all the while drinking a case of beer and smoking 3 packs of cigarettes a day. He had zero health problems when he died, but I wouldn't say drinking and smoking that much is exactly good for you.
Is it possible to die with zero health problems?? Why would one die?
Body just wears out. That's what happens.
What do you mean by "wears out"? Like our bodies have an expiration date? A healthy body does not die.
Um, yes it does. Healthy bodies wear out all the time. That's why old people die. Blood vessel walls just get weak and break in the brain (aneurysm) or the heart beats weakly enough that a clot forms and either goes to the brain (stroke) or the lungs (pulmonary embolism). When you're elderly, these aren't signs of poor health, they're just signs of the body wearing out. When things get old, they just stop working.
Oh, my bad. I thought things things like stroke, aneurysms, etc. were health problems. Carry on.
why does the semantics matter and how is this helping the OP? And who has a soapbox for "I want people to be correct when they classify how their loved one passed away".0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »MommyL2015 wrote: »Who knows. There's no conclusive link between cancer and artificial sweeteners, so I would say drink them up.
My husband's grandfather lived to 97, had all his teeth and died of old age, all the while drinking a case of beer and smoking 3 packs of cigarettes a day. He had zero health problems when he died, but I wouldn't say drinking and smoking that much is exactly good for you.
Is it possible to die with zero health problems?? Why would one die?
Body just wears out. That's what happens.
What do you mean by "wears out"? Like our bodies have an expiration date? A healthy body does not die.
Um, yes it does. Healthy bodies wear out all the time. That's why old people die. Blood vessel walls just get weak and break in the brain (aneurysm) or the heart beats weakly enough that a clot forms and either goes to the brain (stroke) or the lungs (pulmonary embolism). When you're elderly, these aren't signs of poor health, they're just signs of the body wearing out. When things get old, they just stop working.
Oh, my bad. I thought things things like stroke, aneurysms, etc. were health problems. Carry on.
Excellent job derailing the thread.0 -
@Need2Exerc1se , how about the body slowing down like skin thinning because it is growing slower, the entire metabolic system slowing down altogether? How about the ever shortening telomere? At some point, there's no telomere left.
It is possible to be perfectly healthy and age, too.0
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