Aspartame... is it really that bad?

brenteesha

Hey everyone. I have been calorie counting since early January, but quite a while before that I had removed aspartame from my diet. Up until spring/summer 2010, I was drinking anywhere from 4-6 cans of aspartame-flavored diet pop (or soda, depending on your locale) per day, plus whatever I drank at work since I was in food service at the time.

My older sister stays pretty up-to-date on newer health trends, such as the whole anti-high fructose corn syrup craze, quinoa, kale, etc. She sent me a link to an article written by a doctor, and talked about all the different health problems that have been linked to aspartame. It also talked about the way aspartame breaks down within the body -- apparently one of the bi-products is toxic. When reading that it was linked to depression and anxiety, I realized a correlation. Less than a year (probably closer to 6 months) after I switched to diet pop many years ago, I started an incredibly bad bout of depression that lasted several years. There were stressful events that contributed as well, and the depression subsided before I stopped drinking diet pop... but the possibility was enough to force me to make the switch. It also ended up being healthier, because I started drinking Pepsi Throwback (real cane sugar -- no artifical sweeteners or HFCS) and only one can a day.

However, now that I've decided to try and lose some weight, products such as aspartame are back in the forefront of my mind. I've started buying Diet Coke with Splenda or Pepsi One (also Splenda), but when I'm at work the vending machine doesn't have these choices. I was practically falling asleep at my desk today, and I ended up buying a Diet Mtn Dew to help with that. 20 oz of this is not a huge worry to me, but I wanted to inquire with others since I'm sure I will be having this debate in my head many times in the near future.

I've heard varying, conflicting reports about aspartame. In college, one of my professors told me that one would need to consume extremely large quantities of diet pop (gallons upon gallons each day) in order to consume enough aspartame to have negative consequences. However, the article I mentioned earlier made it sound much more serious, with a plethora of different consequences that may be attached, not to mention the toxic chemical released into your body after it breaks down.

This is where I ask my fellow MFPers for their input.... what do you think about aspartame? Have you had any personal experience with it? Or have you received any sound medical advice pertaining to the subject?

tigersword

Aspartame is aspartic acid + phenylalanine. Both of those are amino acids that your body needs on a daily basis anyway. They are also in every single protein source you eat. In fact, 4 oz of chicken breast contain as much aspartic acid and phenylalanine as 23 cans of diet soda.

Do some people have bad reactions to it? Sure, but millions of people have bad, sometimes instantly fatal reactions to peanuts or shellfish. Does that mean it's bad for everyone else? No.

Also, as for the "toxic chemical" during metabolism, I assume you mean either formic acid (formaldehyde) or methanol. Both are actually naturally occurring compounds in the human body, as well as found in a variety of fruits and vegetables, in higher concentrations than you'd get from a diet soda, so any article that pushes that as a negative on aspartame is scaremongering.

Mo_babee

Do some people have bad reactions to it? Sure, but millions of people have bad, sometimes instantly fatal reactions to peanuts or shellfish. Does that mean it's bad for everyone else? No.

I'm so glad I don't have to type this because it's exactly what I was going to say...thanks tigersword...

Besides anything in EXCESS is bad...

MariaMariaM

Yes, it is bad for you.

Splenda is not that great either.

rjt1000

Do some people have bad reactions to it? Sure, but millions of people have bad, sometimes instantly fatal reactions to peanuts or shellfish. Does that mean it's bad for everyone else? No.

I'm so glad I don't have to type this because it's exactly what I was going to say...thanks tigersword...

Besides anything in EXCESS is bad...

BAM, next post is the "its bad for you." I'm looking for a thread on aspartame where there are 5 accurate posts before the "it's bad, horrible, banned in all other countries" post.

rjt1000

Yes, it is bad for you.

why?

abradley114

Yes its awful for you. anything 0 calories besides celery is bad for you! and when i cut out diet coke and splenda I lost 10 pounds a few years back

rjt1000

Yes its awful for you. anything 0 calories besides celery is bad for you! and when i cut out diet coke and splenda I lost 10 pounds a few years back

i'm trying to figure out if you're serious or joking. I'm going to go with joking.

Acg67

Yes its awful for you. anything 0 calories besides celery is bad for you! and when i cut out diet coke and splenda I lost 10 pounds a few years back

Totally agree! Water is terrible for you!

UponThisRock

Yes its awful for you. anything 0 calories besides celery is bad for you! and when i cut out diet coke and splenda I lost 10 pounds a few years back

I started eating ice cream a few years back and lost 10 lbs. Thus, ice cream is essential to weight loss.

mstemen

Well according to "studies" what's good for you one day is bad for you another, take red wine for example. Conflicting studies are found all the time. I take them all with a grain of salt. My family uses aspartame and splenda because my husband is diabetic and although he loves his sweets, sugar would literally kill him. Just use it sparingly if you're concerned. There are plenty of other things in this world that are bad for us (smoking and drinking) and people do them all the time.

rebecky27

I'm curious on this as well. Tiger made some excellent points, backed by supporting data. Can the people that think it is bad support that statement with actual data? ("I lost 10 lbs when I cut it out" doesn't count, as I'm sure there were other factors involved in losing the weight - unless it was a controlled weight loss expierement..)

kaotika

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brenteesha

Yes its awful for you. anything 0 calories besides celery is bad for you! and when i cut out diet coke and splenda I lost 10 pounds a few years back

Totally agree! Water is terrible for you!

LMAO!! I'm sure mustard is probably toxic too, then...

brenteesha

Yes, it is bad for you.

Splenda is not that great either.

Thanks for your reply. I'm sure that Splenda isn't great either, I'm leery of most artificial sweeteners... but that same article that scared me about aspartame suggested that Splenda isn't quite as bad.

As far as your claim of being bad for you, can you elaborate? Why do you think it is bad for you?

DeenieWeenie

I'm not a doctor. But I do know what it does to me! It causes me to have Migraines! My Endocrinologist, Dentist and family doctor told me to stay away from it, that it's not good for me. So I quit drinking it.

MariaMariaM

There are many threads that discuss aspartame, splenda, and other artificial sweeteners. You an also google it and find the many reasons artificial sweeteners are not good for you.

Whatever I type here will be attacked by all of those who don't agree with my statement and I don't feel like going back and forth on the subject. I have read many threads discussing similar issues and whoever doesn't agree with the majority gets hammered, specially if the person believes in natural / organic way of life.

Finally, I believe that an autoinmune disease I have is linked to diet sodas I drank in the past. Never had them before coming to the United States and then got hooked on diet coke. A few years later, I got a rare autoinmune disease that doctors don't know much about. I was told that I would have to let it progress and there wasn't much that could be done. I went online and started looking for answers and reading. I decided to clean up my act, eliminate processed foods, eliminate diet coke and eat just natural/organic. Disease stopped progressing and it is dormant. Drs have no idea why but told me to continue doing whatever I am doing.

I can mention many names that explain the reasons but those names are hated in this message board.


The OP asked if it is really that bad for you and I answered: Yes, it is bad for you.

This is all I would say about this.

MariaMariaM

Yes, it is bad for you.

Splenda is not that great either.

Thanks for your reply. I'm sure that Splenda isn't great either, I'm leery of most artificial sweeteners... but that same article that scared me about aspartame suggested that Splenda isn't quite as bad.

As far as your claim of being bad for you, can you elaborate? Why do you think it is bad for you?

Here is a link that I have on hand about aspartame and splenda, I am sure the post will be ridiculed and attacked. After you read them, you can decide for yourself on whether it is good or bad for you.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/06/aspartame-most-dangerous-substance-added-to-food.aspx
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2000/12/03/sucralose-dangers.aspx

LorinaLynn

It's bad for some people, and seems ok for others. Some people have sensitivities to some products, some don't. My niece can't use artificial sweeteners, but I haven't had any issues. There were times that I thought I might have had issues, because reading about aspartame, I had some of the side effects, but all those symptoms went away with improved mental and physical health, while still drinking diet soda & Crystal Light.

I do break out in a rash from Ivory Soap and the adhesive on Bandaid brand bandages, but those products seem ok for others, too.

rjt1000

There are many threads that discuss aspartame, splenda, and other artificial sweeteners. You an also google it and find the many reasons artificial sweeteners are not good for you.

Whatever I type here will be attacked by all of those who don't agree with my statement and I don't feel like going back and forth on the subject. I have read many threads discussing similar issues and whoever doesn't agree with the majority gets hammered, specially if the person believes in natural / organic way of life.

Finally, I believe that an autoinmune disease I have is linked to diet sodas I drank in the past. Never had them before coming to the United States and then got hooked on diet coke. A few years later, I got a rare autoinmune disease that doctors don't know much about. I was told that I would have to let it progress and there wasn't much that could be done. I went online and started looking for answers and reading. I decided to clean up my act, eliminate processed foods, eliminate diet coke and eat just natural/organic. Disease stopped progressing and it is dormant. Drs have no idea why but told me to continue doing whatever I am doing.

I can mention many names that explain the reasons but those names are hated in this message board.


The OP asked if it is really that bad for you and I answered: Yes, it is bad for you.

This is all I would say about this.

Ahh, it's bad for YOU. Doesn't mean it's bad for me. In fact, it's not bad for me. I drink 6-8 cans of diet coke a day and have for 20 years at least. I'm 50 years old, weight 165 pounds and am very healthy. I have a bad shoulder and some lower back pain from injuries. I never get sick except an occasional cold. Haven't had flu in at least 25 years. Haven't taken 2 days off in a row from work for sickness since I can't remember. Clearly, aspartame is not bad for ME.

So, let's stick to reality. Aspartame is bad for people who have sensitivity to it. As nuts are to my niece. so, nuts are bad for everybody? no, bad for her. not bad for me.

brenteesha

Yes, it is bad for you.

Splenda is not that great either.

Thanks for your reply. I'm sure that Splenda isn't great either, I'm leery of most artificial sweeteners... but that same article that scared me about aspartame suggested that Splenda isn't quite as bad.

As far as your claim of being bad for you, can you elaborate? Why do you think it is bad for you?

I will post some links when I get home but as I said earlier, I am sure the post will be ridiculed and attacked. After you read them, you can decide for yourself on whether it is good or bad for you.

I understand your concern about the drama that occurs in the message boards... I have seen it many times myself. Rest assured that I won't ridicule or harrass you, even if I don't agree with you. Thank you for offering to send the links, I would like to read up more on it. And, thanks for replying to my post!