Where's the evidence re: aspartame, msg, carbs, gmo etc?
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Just tagging cause this is hilarious. And I might learn something. But mostly it's just hilarious.
Hi honey! May I offer you a diet coke and some organic cherry tomatoes while you're here?0 -
BUMP0
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I have a friend that is irreparably, neurologically jammed up from consuming aspartame products for years. So when I see someone I care about following that path, I feel compelled to talk about it. When it comes up on forums like this, I feel compelled to talk about it.
What condition did they acquire and how was this proven to be caused by aspartame?
She had neurological symptoms that kept getting worse and worse to the point where she couldn't coordinate her brain with her hands, limbs, mouth, etc. At her worst she couldn't feed herself, dress herself or walk without assistance. She also had trouble speaking. Her husband brought her to a stream of doctors and no one could figure out what was happening. Her husband was freaking out because her neurological function kept deteriorating at a pretty rapid pace.
She had been drinking diet soda and other diet drinks for years. She bought everything "sugar free". A well meaning coworker brought it to the husband's attention that it could be the aspartame. He went right home and emptied out the pantry. As soon as she stopped taking aspartame, her symptoms stopped getting worse. And after a few months she did show improvements but she is still jammed up.
So someone you know experienced symptoms that doctors couldn't identify, and apparently still can't, you assumed it was the aspartame and then several MONTHS after eliminating the aspartame, she has begun to improve. Obviously, it couldn't be anything else, especially since she is now completely aspartame-free... still having symptoms... but that damn aspartame just had to be the culprit!
I honestly don't think you are qualified to make that coorelation... particularly when you are only talking about one subject out of the entire population.0 -
It's like carbonated vinegar made from a fungus. It tastes great as long as you completely mask the taste with other things.
Thanks... I'll take my chances with the aspartame. LOL!
you'll take the man-made chemical with no nutritional benefit (or other benefit for that matter) over the naturally occurring fermented drink that will do wonders for your digestive tract and thus your overall health? makes sense.
I'm sorry... have ever drank vinegar? Cause I used to... way back when I believed every horrible piece of crap I read.
I could just imagine the extra level of awful with carbonation added to it.
*shudders*
You should at least try Kombucha once to see if you agree with my description of it, and so say you did it. It's sort of like an extra tart cider or certain "sour mash" or "lambic" beers. I would also describe those as carbonated vinegar even though a lot of beer afficionados really like them. I like framboise beers though so I guess if you use raspberry as your source for kombucha I might enjoy it more.0 -
meanwhile I won't blindly put my faith in corporations, pharmaceutical companies, lobbyists and the government to tell me what's healthy and what isn't.
Oh the irony! So what makes a scientist suddenly decide to research the occurrence of brain cancer in diet soda drinkers (I'm just picking on this study because it was mentioned earlier). I mean... they don't just sit around and say hmmm... I bet there is something evil about aspartame... let me just go and figure out what it is.
No... they are paid by lobbyists of the sugar cane industry to find something wrong with aspartame... not that I have anything against sugar either, but my point is that studies, particularly those concerning food products, are generally biased in some way.
Oh... and I like to add that 30 years ago some scientists decided that aspartame is safe for human consumption. Since then, scientists have been trying to prove that it isn't safe... it's been 30 years... and they haven't proven it yet.
lol this is my point exactly. i don't trust lobby-funded research period. sugar's bad for you. aspartame's probably bad for you. let's move on. but if you wanna drink it go for it. doesn't affect me whatsoever.
Sugar is vital for you, see blood glucose.
this is true.
yet you just called it bad, so make up your mind
man... if only everything were black and white like you pretend it is.
natural sugar in fruit = good
refined sugar = bad
pretty sure there are some threads about this recently. I can post some links if you'd like.
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It's like carbonated vinegar made from a fungus. It tastes great as long as you completely mask the taste with other things.
Thanks... I'll take my chances with the aspartame. LOL!
LOL. It is NOT carbonated vinegar. Blech.
And it's not a fungus. It's tea fermented with a wonderful science fiction thing called a scoby, which is bacteria and yeast, I think. It's naturally carbonated, which is why I like it since it gives me that soda fizz. To me, it tastes sort of like a fruity Belgian beer. It's pretty low calorie and good for your gut. It is an acquired taste, and you have to try a bunch of flavors to find the ones you like. I'm a fan of GT's Multi-green. Looks awful, lots of green floaty things in it. Tastes great.
It has a small amount of alcohol from the fermentation. It used to give me a little buzz, but then they pulled all kombucha off the market for a couple of months because they realized that the longer it sat on the shelf, the more it fermented, the higher the alcohol content. They did some back room hippie magic at the Kombucha PROCESSING PLANT and now it's back on the shelves and no more buzz.0 -
I'm sorry... have ever drank vinegar? Cause I used to... way back when I believed every horrible piece of crap I read.
I could just imagine the extra level of awful with carbonation added to it.
*shudders*
I drank two quarts of Apple Cider Vinegar in high school when my parents were planning on drug testing me because a fellow stoner told me it would wash away the THC. It was gross, it made my cotton-mouth worse, and I still failed. Did I mention it was gross?0 -
It's like carbonated vinegar made from a fungus. It tastes great as long as you completely mask the taste with other things.
Thanks... I'll take my chances with the aspartame. LOL!
you'll take the man-made chemical with no nutritional benefit (or other benefit for that matter) over the naturally occurring fermented drink that will do wonders for your digestive tract and thus your overall health? makes sense.
I'm sorry... have ever drank vinegar? Cause I used to... way back when I believed every horrible piece of crap I read.
I could just imagine the extra level of awful with carbonation added to it.
*shudders*
You should at least try Kombucha once to see if you agree with my description of it, and so say you did it. It's sort of like an extra tart cider or certain "sour mash" or "lambic" beers. I would also describe those as carbonated vinegar even though a lot of beer afficionados really like them. I like framboise beers though so I guess if you use raspberry as your source for kombucha I might enjoy it more.
I'm not really a fan of beer, but mama taught me to always try new foods at least once.
That being said, I won't go out of my way to find it, but should it come my way, sure, why not?0 -
meanwhile I won't blindly put my faith in corporations, pharmaceutical companies, lobbyists and the government to tell me what's healthy and what isn't.
Oh the irony! So what makes a scientist suddenly decide to research the occurrence of brain cancer in diet soda drinkers (I'm just picking on this study because it was mentioned earlier). I mean... they don't just sit around and say hmmm... I bet there is something evil about aspartame... let me just go and figure out what it is.
No... they are paid by lobbyists of the sugar cane industry to find something wrong with aspartame... not that I have anything against sugar either, but my point is that studies, particularly those concerning food products, are generally biased in some way.
Oh... and I like to add that 30 years ago some scientists decided that aspartame is safe for human consumption. Since then, scientists have been trying to prove that it isn't safe... it's been 30 years... and they haven't proven it yet.
lol this is my point exactly. i don't trust lobby-funded research period. sugar's bad for you. aspartame's probably bad for you. let's move on. but if you wanna drink it go for it. doesn't affect me whatsoever.
Sugar is vital for you, see blood glucose.
this is true.
yet you just called it bad, so make up your mind
man... if only everything were black and white like you pretend it is.
natural sugar in fruit = good
refined sugar = bad
pretty sure there are some threads about this recently. I can post some links if you'd like.
Is this natural or refined sucrose? So hard to tell
0 -
Just tagging cause this is hilarious. And I might learn something. But mostly it's just hilarious.
Hi honey! May I offer you a diet coke and some organic cherry tomatoes while you're here?
You're a doll but I actually think diet coke tastes vile. The only way I'll have some is if you throw some booze in it.0 -
Just tagging cause this is hilarious. And I might learn something. But mostly it's just hilarious.
Hi honey! May I offer you a diet coke and some organic cherry tomatoes while you're here?
what else?0 -
meanwhile I won't blindly put my faith in corporations, pharmaceutical companies, lobbyists and the government to tell me what's healthy and what isn't.
Oh the irony! So what makes a scientist suddenly decide to research the occurrence of brain cancer in diet soda drinkers (I'm just picking on this study because it was mentioned earlier). I mean... they don't just sit around and say hmmm... I bet there is something evil about aspartame... let me just go and figure out what it is.
No... they are paid by lobbyists of the sugar cane industry to find something wrong with aspartame... not that I have anything against sugar either, but my point is that studies, particularly those concerning food products, are generally biased in some way.
Oh... and I like to add that 30 years ago some scientists decided that aspartame is safe for human consumption. Since then, scientists have been trying to prove that it isn't safe... it's been 30 years... and they haven't proven it yet.
lol this is my point exactly. i don't trust lobby-funded research period. sugar's bad for you. aspartame's probably bad for you. let's move on. but if you wanna drink it go for it. doesn't affect me whatsoever.
Sugar is vital for you, see blood glucose.
this is true.
yet you just called it bad, so make up your mind
man... if only everything were black and white like you pretend it is.
natural sugar in fruit = good
refined sugar = bad
pretty sure there are some threads about this recently. I can post some links if you'd like.
Is this natural or refined sucrose? So hard to tell
sugar attached to fiber or sugar attached to nothing? can you explain to me the difference?0 -
It's like carbonated vinegar made from a fungus. It tastes great as long as you completely mask the taste with other things.
Thanks... I'll take my chances with the aspartame. LOL!
LOL. It is NOT carbonated vinegar. Blech.
And it's not a fungus. It's tea fermented with a wonderful science fiction thing called a scoby, which is bacteria and yeast, I think. It's naturally carbonated, which is why I like it since it gives me that soda fizz. To me, it tastes sort of like a fruity Belgian beer. It's pretty low calorie and good for your gut. It is an acquired taste, and you have to try a bunch of flavors to find the ones you like. I'm a fan of GT's Multi-green. Looks awful, lots of green floaty things in it. Tastes great.
It has a small amount of alcohol from the fermentation. It used to give me a little buzz, but then they pulled all kombucha off the market for a couple of months because they realized that the longer it sat on the shelf, the more it fermented, the higher the alcohol content. They did some back room hippie magic at the Kombucha PROCESSING PLANT and now it's back on the shelves and no more buzz.
Yeast = fungus.
I like some flavors of kombucha but the straight-up made from tea one with nothing added is pretty awful to me. It's like a non-fruity lambic.0 -
meanwhile I won't blindly put my faith in corporations, pharmaceutical companies, lobbyists and the government to tell me what's healthy and what isn't.
Oh the irony! So what makes a scientist suddenly decide to research the occurrence of brain cancer in diet soda drinkers (I'm just picking on this study because it was mentioned earlier). I mean... they don't just sit around and say hmmm... I bet there is something evil about aspartame... let me just go and figure out what it is.
No... they are paid by lobbyists of the sugar cane industry to find something wrong with aspartame... not that I have anything against sugar either, but my point is that studies, particularly those concerning food products, are generally biased in some way.
Oh... and I like to add that 30 years ago some scientists decided that aspartame is safe for human consumption. Since then, scientists have been trying to prove that it isn't safe... it's been 30 years... and they haven't proven it yet.
lol this is my point exactly. i don't trust lobby-funded research period. sugar's bad for you. aspartame's probably bad for you. let's move on. but if you wanna drink it go for it. doesn't affect me whatsoever.
Sugar is vital for you, see blood glucose.
this is true.
yet you just called it bad, so make up your mind
man... if only everything were black and white like you pretend it is.
natural sugar in fruit = good
refined sugar = bad
pretty sure there are some threads about this recently. I can post some links if you'd like.
Is this natural or refined sucrose? So hard to tell
sugar attached to fiber or sugar attached to nothing? can you explain to me the difference?
But if you add refined sugar to a fibrous substance... let's just use applesauce as an example... would it not bind with the same fibers that the naturally-occuring sugar is bound to?0 -
The purpose of this thread is simple, if you think aspartame, msg, carbs, gmo foods, animal protein etc etc are bad for you, simply post a few links to the human studies that show it is bad for you. This is not for conspiracies on why there is no evidence something is harmful, simply present some of the current literature that shows that it is.
With all the people here who climb out the woodwork to tell people how bad something is, surely there is evidence that those people are basing their conclusions on.
Note: This is not saying that if there is no evidence something is bad for you, that it is good for you. Just at the present time, there is no evidence to warrant the fear mongering over such substances.
I'm surprised nobody has commented on this human study that I posted. Did you read it?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22681873
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) intake is associated with the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in a rural Thai population.
Insawang T, Selmi C, Cha'on U, Pethlert S, Yongvanit P, Areejitranusorn P, Boonsiri P, Khampitak T, Tangrassameeprasert R, Pinitsoontorn C, Prasongwattana V, Gershwin ME, Hammock BD.
Source
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, 40002, Thailand. ubocha@kku.ac.th.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Epidemiology and animal models suggest that dietary monosodium glutamate (MSG) may contribute to the onset of obesity and the metabolic syndrome.
METHODS:
Families (n = 324) from a rural area of Thailand were selected and provided MSG as the sole source for the use in meal preparation for 10 days. Three hundred forty-nine subjects aged 35-55 years completed the study and were evaluated for energy and nutrient intake, physical activity, and tobacco smoking. The prevalence of overweight and obesity (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2), insulin resistance (HOMA-IR >3), and the metabolic syndrome (ATP III criteria) were evaluated according to the daily MSG intake.
RESULTS:
The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was significantly higher in the tertile with the highest MSG intake. Further, every 1 g increase in MSG intake significantly increased the risk of having the metabolic syndrome (odds ratio 1.14, 95% confidence interval-CI- 1.12 - 1.28) or being overweight (odds ratio 1.16, 95% CI 1.04 - 1.29), independent of the total energy intake and the level of physical activity.
CONCLUSION:
Higher amounts of individual MSG consumption are associated with the risk of having the metabolic syndrome and being overweight independent of other major determinants.0 -
There is so much evidence/so many studies on both sides of each of these issues! You can find evidence to corroborate whatever stance you want to take, and I think that's the problem here.
(I'd post links as examples, but I don't know how.)0 -
In b4 I am done my Coke Zero.
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp
I have been requested by the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research to respond to your request for an evaluation of the article received via an e-mail message on the alleged toxicities of the artificial sweetener, aspartame.
My name is David Hattan and I am currently Acting Director of the Division of Health Effects Evaluation in the United States Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. I have worked on questions relating to the safety of aspartame repeatedly since 1978 and am familiar with the safety studies that have been conducted to support the safety of this food additive. There were well over 100 separate toxicological and clinical studies conducted to establish the safety of aspartame before it was approved for regulatory acceptance. Since its approval in 1981 by the USFDA, there have been many additional studies performed to follow up on some of the more creditable reports of aspartame- mediated adverse effects. Below I have tried to succinctly respond to certain of the allegations of toxicity proposed in the e-mail message.
First, reports of the ingestion of aspartame in patients who later have suffered multiple sclerosis or systemic lupus is obviously not scientifically sustainable evidence that aspartame is responsible for the occurrence of either disease. Both of these disorders are subject to spontaneous remissions and exacerbations so it is entirely possible that when patients stopped using aspartame they might have also coincidentally have had remission of their symptoms. There is no credible evidence that I am aware of that suggests that aspartame elicits multiple sclerosis or systemic lupus.
Second, the claim that aspartame ingestion results in the production of methanol, formaldehyde and formate: These claims are factual. In the gastrointestinal tract aspartame is hydrolyzed to one of its component materials, methanol, as well as the two amino acids, phenylalanine and aspartic acid. This methanol is taken up by the cells of the body and metabolized first to formaldehyde and then to formate. The key information that is missing in the description by Ms. Markle is that the levels of ingestion are very modest. In fact, there are other foodstuffs that we ingest that supply as much and sometimes even more methanol; e.g., citrus fruits and juices, and tomatoes or tomato juice. There are even higher quantities of methanol ingested when ethanol is consumed. Thus, in the final analysis this methanol is the same as from other sources and in the quantities consumed from aspartame, it is readily and naturally metabolized via the one-carbon biochemical cycle to entirely innocuous and natural body components.
Third, the claim that the two amino acids, phenylalanine and aspartic acid have neurotoxic effects. This is true in certain individuals and in high enough doses. The only subpopulation of individuals potentially susceptible to adverse effects from phenylalanine is homozygous phenylketonurics and in this case, food itself with much higher levels of phenylalanine from the protein in the diets contributes much higher toxicity for these unfortunate individuals. For those individual phenylketonurics that want to carefully control their intake levels of phenylalanine, they can do that by simply taking into consideration the amount of phenylalanine supplied by the aspartame product or, even more likely, simply refraining from use of these products. The USFDA requires that the aspartame product be labeled specially for phenylketonurics patients so that they will be aware of its presence in these products. As for the other amino acid in aspartame, the levels of aspartic acid ingested with aspartame use are many fold less than those levels responsible for causing adverse effects on the brain of animals and/or man. In fact, it is not clear that the experimentally derived data from animals is relevant to man. In any case, the levels of aspartic acid intake from aspartame are many fold below those needed to mediate neurologic effects.
Fourth, there have been numerous animal and human studies done to evaluate the possibility that aspartame causes seizures or enhances the susceptibility to seizures. In clinical studies done in adults and children with pre-existing seizures, there was no evidence of contributing to the frequency of occurrence or severity of seizures in seizure-prone individuals. There were additional studies done on seizure-prone experimental animal models to assess the possible influence of aspartame on their seizuring activity. Again, the result was the same and no influence was demonstrated on the frequency or severity of seizures.
Fifth, aspartame was comprehensively evaluated for its potential to mediate reproductive effects and birth defects. In all cases of animal testing, there was no evidence of aspartame-mediated effects on the experimental animals at doses many times higher than those to which the human population is exposed.
Sixth, more recent allegations about aspartame mediating an increase in the incidence of brain tumors in the human population has been thoroughly refuted by both government and academic scientists.
The legitimate attempts that have been made to confirm and replicate allegations of adverse reactions from aspartame ingestion have not been successful and the USFDA continues to consider this to a be among the most thoroughly tested of food additives and that this information continues to confirm the safety of aspartame.
David G. Hattan, Ph.D.
Acting Director, Division of Health Effects Evaluation
But hey, eat or don't eat what you want. The problem is, people pushing it one way or the other.0 -
Oh, how embarrassing. And I'm a bio major! For shame.
(re my saying yeast wasn't a fungus)0 -
Aspartame
http://digitaljournal.com/article/336384
http://www.naturalnews.com/037772_aspartame_leukemia_lymphoma.htm
I also spoke with a chiropractor recently who stated that he can tell, by their bad bones, the people that drink diet soda.
Honestly, unnatural or processed foods are not going to be the best for us. This makes sense to me.
Will it hurt every single person in the long run? Maybe not... but to say it is completely harmless to me seems a bit ignorant.0 -
meanwhile I won't blindly put my faith in corporations, pharmaceutical companies, lobbyists and the government to tell me what's healthy and what isn't.
Oh the irony! So what makes a scientist suddenly decide to research the occurrence of brain cancer in diet soda drinkers (I'm just picking on this study because it was mentioned earlier). I mean... they don't just sit around and say hmmm... I bet there is something evil about aspartame... let me just go and figure out what it is.
No... they are paid by lobbyists of the sugar cane industry to find something wrong with aspartame... not that I have anything against sugar either, but my point is that studies, particularly those concerning food products, are generally biased in some way.
Oh... and I like to add that 30 years ago some scientists decided that aspartame is safe for human consumption. Since then, scientists have been trying to prove that it isn't safe... it's been 30 years... and they haven't proven it yet.
lol this is my point exactly. i don't trust lobby-funded research period. sugar's bad for you. aspartame's probably bad for you. let's move on. but if you wanna drink it go for it. doesn't affect me whatsoever.
Sugar is vital for you, see blood glucose.
this is true.
yet you just called it bad, so make up your mind
man... if only everything were black and white like you pretend it is.
natural sugar in fruit = good
refined sugar = bad
pretty sure there are some threads about this recently. I can post some links if you'd like.
Is this natural or refined sucrose? So hard to tell
sugar attached to fiber or sugar attached to nothing? can you explain to me the difference?
But if you add refined sugar to a fibrous substance... let's just use applesauce as an example... would it not bind with the same fibers that the naturally-occuring sugar is bound to?
i don't know. do you?0
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