Aspartame - Another hotly debated topic

alyssamiller77

So every time the great water debate get ignited with another post about can this or that diet drink count toward my water intake for the day, it seems the subject of health risks associate with Aspartame come up. Now I had read some on this topic previously and was pretty comfortable with consuming this particular sweetener but am no expert on the topic by any means. So given the vigor with which some reject any consumption of Aspartame, I figured I should do more research and make sure i didn't miss something that would be of concern to me. Here's what I've found in terms of peer reviewed and/or clinical sources on the subject:

http://www.dieteticai.ufba.br/Temas/ACUCARES/ASPARTAME.pdf
This paper sites a number of different studies and research bodies. It takes a deep look at the results and the puts them in a very simple to read table. The end conclusion is that the only association between Aspartame and any health risk is in terms of developmental milestones and was only observed in cases where the sweetener was given in such extreme doses that it cause other nutritional deficits.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC520987/
This is an article from the British Medical Journal that sites a variety of academic and clinical sources regarding the topic. In the end, the results are "Evidence does not support links between aspartame and cancer, hair loss, depression, dementia, behavioural disturbances, or any of the other conditions appearing in websites.". It also states "evidence that aspartame prevents weight gain or obesity is generally inconclusive". This article also contains some good context on where a lot of the bad press against Aspartame comes from. This article does seem to have a "dis-spell the myths" tone to it.

http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/89/14/1072.full.pdf
This case-control study looks at the incidence of brain tumors in children exposed to Aspartame. Lots of good info but definitely a dry read (good bedtime material). The conclusion is the important thing, ultimately they find " Although our results cannot be confidently generalized to adults, we found no evidence to support the hypothesis that consumption of aspartame is related to pediatric brain tumor occurrence".

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1964906/
This is a report from a clinical study performed as a follow-up to an earlier experiment on Aspartame. It concludes that Aspartame in doses not significantly higher than the acceptable daily intake of Aspartame had carcinogenic effects on rats. Additionally they found that when exposure to Apsartame started at fetal stages, the effects were increased.

http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/15/9/1654.full.pdf
This is a report from a study of almost 500,000 people to determine the incidence of stem cell and brain malignancies. Ultimately through interviewing the candidates, reviewing their long term dietary intake and such, the study found that there was no link between Aspartame intake and the development of cancer.

I've read through about 14 other studies that I didn't include here. All can be found by searching Google Scholar for "Aspartame Health". I've tried to be as objective as possible. Basically what I've seen is the only consistent message about Aspartame is that it can be linked to headaches in some individuals. I've found a number of studies that refute claims of other health effects. The article above is the only one I found that supported carcinogenic effects but there are no studies involving human subjects to confirm it.

Everyone should draw their own conclusions from this and more importantly everyone should do their own research. From my perspective, I've not found Aspartame to cause me any headache issues so beyond that I'm comfortable consuming it on a daily basis.

philOHIO

I use it, not had any problems. Jorge Cruise (Fitness/diet guru) doesn't like it and prefers sugar alcohols. This alternative can leave you gassy. Tried Splenda, Truvia, but not convinced that any are better.

Nerdy_Rose

I feel like *kitten* when I have it, so I choose to avoid it.

HMonsterX

Ty Inter for another great post.

Will it be enough to convince the hater? Probably not. I still use it daily, and will continue to do so

tigersword

Great links. Well done. :drinker:

bcattoes

I think a lot of the confusion comes from the fact that Aspartme is a common allergen and a common migraine trigger.. But that doesn't make it bad for everyone, it just means some people have problems with it. Peanuts are a common allergen. Bananas are a common migraine trigger.

digitalsteel

After sifting through everything, the only thing I pulled out to actually be cautious about was:

Aspartame can cause a rapid increase in the brain levels of phenylalanine. Because of this, use products with aspartame cautiously if you:

Take medications such as monoamine oxidase inhibitors, neuroleptics or medications that contain levodopa
Have tardive dyskinesia
Have a sleep disorder
Have an anxiety disorder or other mental health condition

Otherwise it does seem to be fine in most cases

It certainly is better than the problems caused by consuming the same amount of sugar

Justkeepswimmin

I am an aspartame hater for 3 (4?) reasons?

1) It's not natural. What's wrong w/ zevia?

2) The flavor of the soda seems to drive my family to eat more, get seconds or thirds. With water they seem to have better..perspective....and with zevia we can't afford as much so it forces us not to over indulge.

3) I have an allergic reaction to it!!! I didn't know this until I was exposed to formaldehyde. See 10% of asparatame breaks down to formaldehyde. I used to find my feet / legs itching massively, with some small hives... after drinking diet sodas. Then I was exposed to formaldehyde and broke up on hives everywhere!!! Almost had to be hospitalized. It took a long time to make this link - but ever since I cut out aspartame I have no hives/itches.

4) The more than sketchy approval process it went through with the FDA. Oh yeah you can quote lots of studies saying it's safe - but there was a weird chain of people getting A) Fired given better jobs to hush up and rush the approval process or C) deaths. So I don't really understand why this would happen, but it's enough for me to put this unnatural product on 'warning' and 'limited' use only status for my family. (ie. when we go to the movies...moderation and all)

http://www.janethull.com/newsletter/0408/abusing_the_fda_approval_process.php

The question isn't - is it safe - but why the sketchy approval process if it is?????

I have a feeling this post was intended to draw out a hater. I'm not a hater necessarily, just observant and careful.

HMonsterX

I doubt it was done to draw out a hater. There are haters of everything on this board, people who believe things with an almost religious fervour. You MUST drink 8 cups of water...you MUST have breakfast...you MUST avoid sweeteners etc. These people will never change no matter what evidence you put forward.

The OP i believe was putting out as much actual fact as we can find to show that in 99.99% of people, who consume it in moderation, it's absolutely fine. Some people will be umming and ahhing over it, and this post could help them.

armymil

I am an aspartame hater for 3 (4?) reasons?

1) It's not natural. What's wrong w/ zevia?

2) The flavor of the soda seems to drive my family to eat more, get seconds or thirds. With water they seem to have better..perspective....and with zevia we can't afford as much so it forces us not to over indulge.

3) I have an allergic reaction to it!!! I didn't know this until I was exposed to formaldehyde. See 10% of asparatame breaks down to formaldehyde. I used to find my feet / legs itching massively, with some small hives... after drinking diet sodas. Then I was exposed to formaldehyde and broke up on hives everywhere!!! Almost had to be hospitalized. It took a long time to make this link - but ever since I cut out aspartame I have no hives/itches.

4) The more than sketchy approval process it went through with the FDA. Oh yeah you can quote lots of studies saying it's safe - but there was a weird chain of people getting A) Fired given better jobs to hush up and rush the approval process or C) deaths. So I don't really understand why this would happen, but it's enough for me to put this unnatural product on 'warning' and 'limited' use only status for my family. (ie. when we go to the movies...moderation and all)

http://www.janethull.com/newsletter/0408/abusing_the_fda_approval_process.php

The question isn't - is it safe - but why the sketchy approval process if it is?????

I have a feeling this post was intended to draw out a hater. I'm not a hater necessarily, just observant and careful.

There is always a conspiracy theory. lol. Are there any facts to prove people lost their jobs, etc?

Onesnap

I am not able to have any artificial sweeteners. They are a headache inducer for me, and my doctor told me to stay away. My brother is the same way.

I live by this rule: If they are not safe for pregnant women, how are artificial sweeteners safe for the rest of us?

Also, if you want to put something made in a lab in your body go right ahead. To each their own, haters gonna hate. I've got to say though fake sugar is in everything and I have to be careful (re: headaches). Even gum with fake sugar = headache for me. Oddly enough, I'm not a headache person and never really take pain killers.

alyssamiller77

I am an aspartame hater for 3 (4?) reasons?

1) It's not natural. What's wrong w/ zevia?

2) The flavor of the soda seems to drive my family to eat more, get seconds or thirds. With water they seem to have better..perspective....and with zevia we can't afford as much so it forces us not to over indulge.

3) I have an allergic reaction to it!!! I didn't know this until I was exposed to formaldehyde. See 10% of asparatame breaks down to formaldehyde. I used to find my feet / legs itching massively, with some small hives... after drinking diet sodas. Then I was exposed to formaldehyde and broke up on hives everywhere!!! Almost had to be hospitalized. It took a long time to make this link - but ever since I cut out aspartame I have no hives/itches.

4) The more than sketchy approval process it went through with the FDA. Oh yeah you can quote lots of studies saying it's safe - but there was a weird chain of people getting A) Fired given better jobs to hush up and rush the approval process or C) deaths. So I don't really understand why this would happen, but it's enough for me to put this unnatural product on 'warning' and 'limited' use only status for my family. (ie. when we go to the movies...moderation and all)

http://www.janethull.com/newsletter/0408/abusing_the_fda_approval_process.php

The question isn't - is it safe - but why the sketchy approval process if it is?????

I have a feeling this post was intended to draw out a hater. I'm not a hater necessarily, just observant and careful.

Actually the intent of my post was to illustrate the type of research we all should be doing before we make judgements like this. Reading an article that is nothing more and a non-medically trained journalist's regurgitation of a single study's findings is not reliable. We certainly shouldn't be relying on that level of information as the "facts" upon which we base or statements to others about the safety or dangers of any product. This is why I encourage everyone to do their own research and draw their own conclusions. We all must decide what level of risk is acceptable to us.

I have no problem with people choosing to drink or avoid sweeteners like this. What I do have a problem with is people perpetuation mis-information when telling others about these big scary problems with this food or that when clearly they don't understand the facts at all.

Justkeepswimmin

I am an aspartame hater for 3 (4?) reasons?

1) It's not natural. What's wrong w/ zevia?

2) The flavor of the soda seems to drive my family to eat more, get seconds or thirds. With water they seem to have better..perspective....and with zevia we can't afford as much so it forces us not to over indulge.

3) I have an allergic reaction to it!!! I didn't know this until I was exposed to formaldehyde. See 10% of asparatame breaks down to formaldehyde. I used to find my feet / legs itching massively, with some small hives... after drinking diet sodas. Then I was exposed to formaldehyde and broke up on hives everywhere!!! Almost had to be hospitalized. It took a long time to make this link - but ever since I cut out aspartame I have no hives/itches.

4) The more than sketchy approval process it went through with the FDA. Oh yeah you can quote lots of studies saying it's safe - but there was a weird chain of people getting A) Fired given better jobs to hush up and rush the approval process or C) deaths. So I don't really understand why this would happen, but it's enough for me to put this unnatural product on 'warning' and 'limited' use only status for my family. (ie. when we go to the movies...moderation and all)

http://www.janethull.com/newsletter/0408/abusing_the_fda_approval_process.php

The question isn't - is it safe - but why the sketchy approval process if it is?????

I have a feeling this post was intended to draw out a hater. I'm not a hater necessarily, just observant and careful.

There is always a conspiracy theory. lol. Are there any facts to prove people lost their jobs, etc?

Yes - heading out to zumba, then daughters football game, and then picking up hubby fromthe airport, but I will obtain the information for you within a day or so (i'm obveously over busy/commited today) - although as I recall most of the people 'in the way were promoted to lofty government positions (skethcy looking) but there were some 'firings'.

For now I'd take this information: "From 1985 to 1995, approximately 400 aspartame research studies were performed both by Searle researchers and independent scientists. Most interestingly, those studies finding no problems with aspartame were one hundred percent funded by G.D. Searle. All studies funded by non-industry sources raised very serious questions and doubts concerning aspartame's safety in the public food supply."

Justkeepswimmin

I am an aspartame hater for 3 (4?) reasons?

1) It's not natural. What's wrong w/ zevia?

2) The flavor of the soda seems to drive my family to eat more, get seconds or thirds. With water they seem to have better..perspective....and with zevia we can't afford as much so it forces us not to over indulge.

3) I have an allergic reaction to it!!! I didn't know this until I was exposed to formaldehyde. See 10% of asparatame breaks down to formaldehyde. I used to find my feet / legs itching massively, with some small hives... after drinking diet sodas. Then I was exposed to formaldehyde and broke up on hives everywhere!!! Almost had to be hospitalized. It took a long time to make this link - but ever since I cut out aspartame I have no hives/itches.

4) The more than sketchy approval process it went through with the FDA. Oh yeah you can quote lots of studies saying it's safe - but there was a weird chain of people getting A) Fired given better jobs to hush up and rush the approval process or C) deaths. So I don't really understand why this would happen, but it's enough for me to put this unnatural product on 'warning' and 'limited' use only status for my family. (ie. when we go to the movies...moderation and all)

http://www.janethull.com/newsletter/0408/abusing_the_fda_approval_process.php

The question isn't - is it safe - but why the sketchy approval process if it is?????

I have a feeling this post was intended to draw out a hater. I'm not a hater necessarily, just observant and careful.

Actually the intent of my post was to illustrate the type of research we all should be doing before we make judgements like this. Reading an article that is nothing more and a non-medically trained journalist's regurgitation of a single study's findings is not reliable. We certainly shouldn't be relying on that level of information as the "facts" upon which we base or statements to others about the safety or dangers of any product. This is why I encourage everyone to do their own research and draw their own conclusions. We all must decide what level of risk is acceptable to us.

I have no problem with people choosing to drink or avoid sweeteners like this. What I do have a problem with is people perpetuation mis-information when telling others about these big scary problems with this food or that when clearly they don't understand the facts at all.

Hmmmm what's wrong with water? It's cheap (thus enabling one to purchase the so called 'expensive healthy food'), doesn't bloat, and is natural.

uubulldawg06

i avoid it as it triggers migraines for me. there is always going to be reasons not to eat and use things in this world, i say to each his own.

Rilke

Meh. I avoid it because it's artificial. . . . I don't need any other reasons. Also, Monsanto produced it. Instant thumbs down.

HMonsterX

Hmmmm what's wrong with water? It's cheap (thus enabling one to purchase the so called 'expensive healthy food'), doesn't bloat, and is natural.

It tastes like crap.

That's all, really

tigersword

I am an aspartame hater for 3 (4?) reasons?

1) It's not natural. What's wrong w/ zevia?

2) The flavor of the soda seems to drive my family to eat more, get seconds or thirds. With water they seem to have better..perspective....and with zevia we can't afford as much so it forces us not to over indulge.

3) I have an allergic reaction to it!!! I didn't know this until I was exposed to formaldehyde. See 10% of asparatame breaks down to formaldehyde. I used to find my feet / legs itching massively, with some small hives... after drinking diet sodas. Then I was exposed to formaldehyde and broke up on hives everywhere!!! Almost had to be hospitalized. It took a long time to make this link - but ever since I cut out aspartame I have no hives/itches.

4) The more than sketchy approval process it went through with the FDA. Oh yeah you can quote lots of studies saying it's safe - but there was a weird chain of people getting A) Fired given better jobs to hush up and rush the approval process or C) deaths. So I don't really understand why this would happen, but it's enough for me to put this unnatural product on 'warning' and 'limited' use only status for my family. (ie. when we go to the movies...moderation and all)

http://www.janethull.com/newsletter/0408/abusing_the_fda_approval_process.php

The question isn't - is it safe - but why the sketchy approval process if it is?????

I have a feeling this post was intended to draw out a hater. I'm not a hater necessarily, just observant and careful.

What's wrong with Zevia? Nothing. Same with aspartame. You are aware that Stevia (the ARTIFICIAL sweetener in Zevia) is just as artificial and processed and "made in a lab" as aspartame, right? Just because Stevia's marketing department pushes the fact that it's plant based, doesn't mean it isn't lab created. Aspartame can push itself as plant based as well, as the ingredients used to make it are also found in plants (beans.) Also, there are just as many "studies" showing stevia to have health risks as well. Also, stevia was briefly banned as "unsafe" in the US, very similarly to the "conspiracy" you're pushing with aspartame.

madams92

I have been drinking diet coke, which includes aspartame, since I have been 11 or 12 years old. I, too, have heard so many rumors about how aspartame will cause cancer, tumors, and other nutritional deficits but honestly, I've come to a conclusion of my own. Diet Coke is sugar-free and diabetics drink it. Knowing my family history, this is a good alternative to fatty regular cokes that have sugar, and i'm able to drink this beverage with guiltless pleasures. I appreciate your research, for it only furthers the fact that people are debating whether or not Aspartame is good or bad. Let's face it: too much of ANY good thing is bad for everyone. There's always something causing cancer, so I'd just assume to drink my Diet Coke and be happy about it.

madams92

I have been drinking diet coke, which includes aspartame, since I have been 11 or 12 years old. I, too, have heard so many rumors about how aspartame will cause cancer, tumors, and other nutritional deficits but honestly, I've come to a conclusion of my own. Diet Coke is sugar-free and diabetics drink it. Knowing my family history, this is a good alternative to fatty regular cokes that have sugar, and i'm able to drink this beverage with guiltless pleasures. I appreciate your research, for it only furthers the fact that people are debating whether or not Aspartame is good or bad. Let's face it: too much of ANY good thing is bad for everyone. There's always something causing cancer, so I'd just assume to drink my Diet Coke and be happy about it.

madams92

I have been drinking diet coke, which includes aspartame, since I have been 11 or 12 years old. I, too, have heard so many rumors about how aspartame will cause cancer, tumors, and other nutritional deficits but honestly, I've come to a conclusion of my own. Diet Coke is sugar-free and diabetics drink it. Knowing my family history, this is a good alternative to fatty regular cokes that have sugar, and i'm able to drink this beverage with guiltless pleasures. I appreciate your research, for it only furthers the fact that people are debating whether or not Aspartame is good or bad. Let's face it: too much of ANY good thing is bad for everyone. There's always something causing cancer, so I'd just assume to drink my Diet Coke and be happy about it.