Why Aspartame Isn't Scary

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  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    i wouldlike members to post real life facts about their experience with aspartame. e.g. when i drink snapple diet it stunts my weight loss.

    Well you have to remember, there are a thousand different factors at play. I highly doubt zero calorie aspartame stopped you from losing weight while in a calorie deficit.

    I've always used aspartame. Be it Sweet 'N Low packets or diet sodas. When I was tracking and in a calorie deficit it in no way hindered my weight loss. How could it?

    Bear in mind that doesn't prove anything. It's anecdotal evidence. Aaron up there is presenting hard evidence that you just can't beat. And I really appreciate him taking the time to do it. As much as other posters may get cranky about someone with "facts" and "evidence" getting in the way of their fear mongering.

    ^^basically this, except I use Splenda as I prefer the taste.
  • ThatBearsFan
    ThatBearsFan Posts: 8 Member
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    I don't let all the "warnings" about aspartame scare me. When I want diet soda, I'm going to have diet soda. I've never suffered any ill effects because of it, and I drink quite a bit of it. I drink more water with flavor enhancements now, admittedly, but I still like my soda.

    Besides, you can find something negative about everything you put into your mouth or body, and all of it is dire because it's going to kill you. That threat is so overdone, it's no longer the deterrent people think it is.
  • Meerataila
    Meerataila Posts: 1,885 Member
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    And you can put it back on the scary list now (maybe):

    "High doses of artificial sweeteners like saccharin, sucralose and aspartame can change the population of healthy gut bacteria in mice and in some humans. And those changes can affect how well their bodies metabolize sugar, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature."

    http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-artificial-sweeteners-microbiome-20140917-story.html#page=1
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Yes, one single study, using only saccharin, and a sample size of 7 people, is very convincing evidence of harm...
  • opus649
    opus649 Posts: 633 Member
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    http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-artificial-sweeteners-microbiome-20140917-story.html#page=1

    From that article: "Artificial sweeteners are not digested by the human body, which is why they have no calories."

    *sigh* It was already hard to take the LA Times seriously....
  • dnmoehring
    dnmoehring Posts: 64 Member
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    This. thread. rocks.

    Thank you to the people who actually posted answers that gave information!
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    And you can put it back on the scary list now (maybe):

    "High doses of artificial sweeteners like saccharin, sucralose and aspartame can change the population of healthy gut bacteria in mice and in some humans. And those changes can affect how well their bodies metabolize sugar, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature."

    http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-artificial-sweeteners-microbiome-20140917-story.html#page=1

    Don't have time to look into this at just this moment but to anyone who is interested here is the study itself.
    http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature13793.html

    I am admittedly skeptical given that artifical sweeteners are not chemically similar to eachother so the idea they would all have the same effect seems unlikely. As far as aspartame goes it is false that it is undigested as stated in the LA times article and our microbiome would be exposed to the digested products which are just common amino acids.
  • FunkyTobias
    FunkyTobias Posts: 1,776 Member
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    Yes, one single study, using only saccharin, and a sample size of 7 people, is very convincing evidence of harm...

    It took a dose equivalent to 40 diet sodas to elicit a response in only 4 of the 7 participants.


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  • UnicornAmanda
    UnicornAmanda Posts: 294 Member
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    Wow, I'm so surprised on how many people have no idea about the dangers of aspartame. This is why they put so many different chemicals in our food because everyone is so damn ignorant to educate themselves on what they are putting into their bodies. Aspartame IS dangerous. Yes, like it or not, we are all going to eventually die, but why put stuff into our bodies that is slowly KILLING us???
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,082 Member
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    Wow, I'm so surprised on how many people have no idea about the dangers of aspartame. This is why they put so many different chemicals in our food because everyone is so damn ignorant to educate themselves on what they are putting into their bodies. Aspartame IS dangerous. Yes, like it or not, we are all going to eventually die, but why put stuff into our bodies that is slowly KILLING us???

    Yes, these stupid scientists who are so ignorant and uneducated, paying attention to information from peer reviewed studies instead of ....... Well,instead of what exactly?? :indifferent:
  • ilovesnugglies
    ilovesnugglies Posts: 26 Member
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    I strictly stay away from the stuff. My doctor says it is poison!
  • snikkins
    snikkins Posts: 1,282 Member
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    Wow, I'm so surprised on how many people have no idea about the dangers of aspartame. This is why they put so many different chemicals in our food because everyone is so damn ignorant to educate themselves on what they are putting into their bodies. Aspartame IS dangerous. Yes, like it or not, we are all going to eventually die, but why put stuff into our bodies that is slowly KILLING us???

    Yes, these stupid scientists who are so ignorant and uneducated, paying attention to information from peer reviewed studies instead of ....... Well,instead of what exactly?? :indifferent:

    +1
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
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    Wow, I'm so surprised on how many people have no idea about the dangers of aspartame. This is why they put so many different chemicals in our food because everyone is so damn ignorant to educate themselves on what they are putting into their bodies. Aspartame IS dangerous. Yes, like it or not, we are all going to eventually die, but why put stuff into our bodies that is slowly KILLING us???

    Yes you're right, the original post of nothing but science and hardcore facts proves that no one is educating themselves!!! It's DEFINITELY the people who turn to scientific studies who are ignorant; the people who just blindly believe the fear mongering they see on the internet are TOTALLY informed! Down with science!
  • annecsmith92
    annecsmith92 Posts: 1 Member
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    Just don't ingest it at a constant rate for long periods of time! The process that occurs when ingested can be broken down into the part that you guys really want to know. The aspartame is broken down in your system into methanol which is broken down by alcohol dehydrogenase. This converts is to a formal aldehyde, more commonly known as Formaldehyde. So just don't drink too much of it!
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,082 Member
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    Just don't ingest it at a constant rate for long periods of time! The process that occurs when ingested can be broken down into the part that you guys really want to know. The aspartame is broken down in your system into methanol which is broken down by alcohol dehydrogenase. This converts is to a formal aldehyde, more commonly known as Formaldehyde. So just don't drink too much of it!

    ^ gobbledygook nonsense
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Just don't ingest it at a constant rate for long periods of time! The process that occurs when ingested can be broken down into the part that you guys really want to know. The aspartame is broken down in your system into methanol which is broken down by alcohol dehydrogenase. This converts is to a formal aldehyde, more commonly known as Formaldehyde. So just don't drink too much of it!
    There's far more formaldehyde in an apple than there is in aspartame. Again, and as always, it's about the DOSAGE, not about the chemical.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    Wow, I'm so surprised on how many people have no idea about the dangers of aspartame. This is why they put so many different chemicals in our food because everyone is so damn ignorant to educate themselves on what they are putting into their bodies. Aspartame IS dangerous. Yes, like it or not, we are all going to eventually die, but why put stuff into our bodies that is slowly KILLING us???

    Did you actually read the OP?
  • fatcity66
    fatcity66 Posts: 1,544 Member
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    Yes, one single study, using only saccharin, and a sample size of 7 people, is very convincing evidence of harm...

    Well, 7 people...and a bunch of mice. The article reads: "The data in mice are very, very clear, The limited amount of research they did on humans at least suggests we need to examine our artificial sweetener use more carefully."

    ETA: Reading actual study now, since of course Aaron posted a link! :smile:
  • SpencerMama
    SpencerMama Posts: 11
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    Are there people who may be negatively affected by aspartame? Sure, they may have allergic reactions (it's a protein after all.) People are also negatively affected by strawberries, peanuts, shellfish, eggs, and milk, but that doesn't make any of those foods bad for the rest of the population.


    Exactly!

    For every product on the market, someone some place will have a negative reaction. This doesn't mean the product is bad. I can't take aspirin because of stomach sensitivity but I won’t run around screaming the sky is falling. It simply means I can’t take freaking aspirin.

    There is a broader question at hand. And that is, do we really want to do an experiment where we unnecessarily expose the populace to a host of synthetic chemicals that have only been part of the physical milieu for less than a dozen decades? (As just one "minor" illustration, even aspirin, in high doses, is linked to cerebral hemorrhage and other bleeding disorders.) There is no assurance that any of these chemicals are safe in the longer term--and NO ONE has any idea whether the COMBINATION of these synthetic chemicals is safe. As a further concern, epigenetics tells us that we may not only be endangering ourselves but future generations as well. Should we not question the unnecessary exposure to synthetic chemicals? Aspartame may or may not be "scary" but is it really necessary?

    1. I'm not an expert on epigenetics, but from what I understand of it I don't think that's really how that works.

    2. Most of these chemicals, including aspartame, are made up of components that we encounter all the time. There is zero reason to think that somehow because the chemicals were put together in a lab setting instead of synthesized in a plant that our bodies will somehow respond to them differently.

    3. This thread is going to roll on the next post. I will not be commenting again because I just want this damn thing off my recent topics list.

    1. Since you are not an "expert", what you "think" isn't really relevant.

    From "What is epigenetics?" The field of epigenetics is quickly growing and with it the understanding that BOTH THE ENVIRONMENT AND INDIVIDUAL LIFESTYLE CAN ALSO DIRECTLY INTERACT WITH THE GENOME TO INFLUENCE EPIGENETIC CHANGE. These changes may be reflected at various stages throughout a person’s life AND EVEN IN LATER GENERATIONS. For example, human epidemiological studies have provided evidence that prenatal and early postnatal environmental factors influence the adult risk of developing various chronic diseases and behavioral disorders.[1] Studies have shown that children born during the period of the Dutch famine from 1944-1945 have increased rates of coronary heart disease and obesity after maternal exposure to famine during early pregnancy compared to those not exposed to famine.

    2. "...Aspartame is an ARTIFICIAL, non-saccharide sweetener used as a sugar substitute in some foods and beverages... Aspartame is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide. It was first sold under the brand name NutraSweet; It was first SYNTHESIZED in 1965 and the PATENT expired in 1992..."

    Natural substances are not termed "artificial" nor are they patentable.
    You do realize the only thing that makes it artificial is the fact that they took the two amino acids and put them together, right? The amino acids themselves are natural, as they are created by bacteria. And plenty of natural substances are patented. Do you really think all these various cultivars of apples aren't patented by their creators? They are. Please stop talking if you don't know what you are actually talking about.

    by that logic everything on earth is "natural" everything is made by putting things that are natural together.

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