Aspartame

Carol_L

I was using water flavourers to help me get in all of my daily water intake but ended up having an allergic reaction - hives all over my palms. WTF? Took me quite a bit of trial and error to figure out what was causing the reaction but once I stopped adding artificial flavour (that included aspartame) to my water, the hives went away. Too bad cuz now I'm stuck with a desk drawer FULL of them.

Google "side effects of aspartame" to see what you might be dealing with. Who knew?
http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-side-effects.html

The complete lack of actual research citations at that site is telling. Random googling will not give you quality results - do you know how easy it is to skew the results so that something appears near the top of a search? Perhaps you might want to try something a little more science based, like PubMed.

Its interesting, as has been previously noted that people swear up and down that they are sensitive to Aspertame (or sucralose, or any other sweetener that has been vilified on the internet) but somehow fail to exhibit symptoms after consistently consuming something containing said evil substance if they are unaware that it's actually in there. And yes, I have witnessed this on multiple occasions with people I know.

ldrosophila

I did find a docket from the FDA and some interesting case studies about migraines and aspartame written in 2003:

If you do read this docket read the last paragraph. It's a bit chilling.

http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/03/Jan03/012203/02P-0317_emc-000200.txt

From: Mark Gold [mgold@shelltown.net]
Sent: Sunday, January 12, 2003 11:13 PM
To: fdadockets@oc.fda.gov
Subject: Docket # 02P-0317 Recall Aspartame as a Neurotoxic Drug: File
#5: Aspartame and Migraines/Headaches

Lalasharni

http://www.aspartame.info/science/aspartame_and_safety.asp

ldrosophila

yah i was told to eat small meals every few hours but sometimes i actually have to force myself to eat even to meet or get close to my 1,200 just because i dont feel like eating.

If you can't get to what I assume is a basic maintenance for you then you do not need to be drinking calorie free drinks. I would think that a supplement of juices and whole milk might help you to get to your calorie levels. If you can't do whole milk try some coconut milk thats a bit higher in calories.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I was using water flavourers to help me get in all of my daily water intake but ended up having an allergic reaction - hives all over my palms. WTF? Took me quite a bit of trial and error to figure out what was causing the reaction but once I stopped adding artificial flavour (that included aspartame) to my water, the hives went away. Too bad cuz now I'm stuck with a desk drawer FULL of them.

Google "side effects of aspartame" to see what you might be dealing with. Who knew?
http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-side-effects.html

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

Google is your friend but you have to be able to determine which information is reliable.

brower47

well today I ate nothing except when i was actually feeling better and I had fat free or low fat french fries bakes in the oven with ketchup; but probably 95% of the time I dont reach my calorie goal on the app and im under 1,200. I have an odd sleeping pattern/habit and I don't eat much but when i did eat it was unhealthy for me and is what caused me to gain so much weight. Could over exercising be doing this, I exercise 7 times a week from 30 mins to an hour.

You just described exactly why you're dizzy. Case solved. We're done here, Dr. Watson.

CrankMeUp

grandevampire

I used to get really bad cravings for anything containing aspartame (any brand Diet beverage). The best way I can describe it is that it was the feeling of hardcore thirst, but the only things that satiated me were drinks with that aspartamey flavour. Sugar didn't hit the spot.

I finally cut myself off when I realized I couldn't go a day without getting the intense urge to drink a Diet Coke/Diet Pepsi/Fresca, so from personal experience, I would say that it can be habit forming and thus something ain't completely right with it. I have known other people with diet soda addictions too, so I know I wasn't an isolated incidence.

I have never had such uncontrollable cravings for any of the other foods on that Phenylalanine, Aspartic Acid, Methanol list (chicken breast, boiled egg, etc) so it's probably not that part of it!

Sarauk2sf

Here's a good read from Science Based Medicine (which is a well-respected source of information and studies are provided to back up claims made). It's not terribly in depth but if you really want the science it's a good place to start.

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/are-artificial-sweeteners-safe/

People who are absolutely convinced they get adverse effects from aspartame have been proven wrong. For instance, the New England Journal of Medicine published a study of people who reported having headaches repeatedly after consuming aspartame. When they knew what they were consuming, 100% of them had headaches. In a double blind crossover trial, when they didn’t know what they were getting, 35% had headaches after aspartame, and 45% had headaches after placebo.

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/aspartame-truth-vs-fiction/

Aspartame is a highly studied food additive with decades of research showing that it is safe for human consumption. As expected, the research is complex making it possible to cherry pick and misinterpret individual studies in order to fear monger. But the totality of research, reviewed by many independent agencies and expert panels, supports the safety of aspartame.

A conspiracy to hide the risks of aspartame, however, remains a popular internet urban legend that will likely not disappear anytime soon.

I'm also convinced that your symptoms are from eating too little. Try gradually increasing your calories to avoid feeling overly full. You can also try smoothies, which will let you sip your calories instead of eating them. Greek Yogurt, some fruit, and a little honey blended up with some ice is a great way to get 300-400 calories in (depending on what fruit you use and how much you make). Toss in some peanut butter if you really need to make it more calorie-dense.

^^yep.

brower47

OMG! This is what happens? I'm NEVA drinking aspartame again. Well that and, you know, chemikills.

aylajane

Its completely anecdotal, but diet soda (mtn dew mostly) makes my knees hurt. I have iffy knees anyway, but they ache really bad after drinking soda. I did a ton of experimenting and absolutely confirmed it was something in that soda. It does not happen when I drink non-diet soda, or splenda or stevia based diet drinks (powdered kind you add, or zevia cans etc). So i have it fairly narrowed down to aspartame more than likely.

My chiropractor agreed that was likely the culprit and had some explanation about how parts of your body that are already weak/swollen/etc draw chemicals straight to it... she explained it much better and it did make some sense (sorry it doesnt here!) but it was enough to confirm I should stay away from them. Now if I could only actually do that (d*mn addictive things!)

As a side note, you can have a "reaction" to just about anything if you ingest enough of it. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia after essentially overdosing on splenda over the course of a year (I thought it was a "free" food, so I used liberally - as in about 45 packets a day... duh... ). Quit splenda, all fibro symptoms gone ever since. And everyone will tell you stevia is better because it is natural, but it is not always a safe alternative either. It is great for diabetics because it doesnt spike your blood sugar. But it does more than that - it can lower it as well. If you start with borderline lower/normal blood sugar, drinking something with stevia will have you getting tunnel vision and nearly passing out with an hour when you blood sugar drops too low.

These artificial sweeteners will kill me yet, I know... I have now switched to "monk fruit extract", the latest craze... So far so good, but I have definitely learned that moderation is best so I am gradually learning to use less and less to get used to the taste of things more unsweetened, in the hope one day I wont use any!