Crystal Light

I find it difficult to say this without sounding mean spirited to the other posters but I mean no disrespect to anyone. I hope I will not offend anyone with my statements.

Having said that, there is no credible evidence that any artificial sweetener is unsafe.

In the 70’s saccharin got a bad rap because a study indicated that it caused bladder cancer in MALE rats. As a result the FDA proposed a ban of saccharin in 1977. It was years before the real truth came out. The real truth was that male rats have a genetic predisposition to bladder cancer because of urinary proteins that are not present in female rats or humans. That study and several others have been reviewed a number of times over the years until in 1991 the FDA formally withdrew its 1977 proposal to ban the use of saccharin, and in 2000, Congress repealed the law requiring saccharin products to carry health warning labels.

Today the focus seems to be on aspartame. You can easily find a lot of information (misinformation) claiming that aspartame is unsafe. However, if you pay attention to the sources of such information, you will start to notice that the sources saying that artificial sweeteners are unsafe want to sell you products, usually detox products. On the other hand, if you look at more credible sources such as the American Heart Association, the Mayo Clinic, the National Cancer Institute, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences they will all say that artificial sweeteners are safe.

As a side note I should point out that aspartame is unsafe for people with a rare disorder known as phenylketonuria (PKU), who are unable to metabolize phenylalanine.

Just remember that message forums such as this one are often rife with misinformation. That’s not to say everything here or on other forums is bad or wrong. There is a lot of very good advice in the forums of this site, but please understand that you are getting opinions (including mine) and not facts in most cases. Many times posters are simply repeating something they heard or read without doing any due diligence before passing it on. That is unfortunate because in almost every case the comments are well meaning and they believe what they pass on to be true, but again it’s just so easy to get misinformation. Often they will draw on personal experience. Statements will often be based on assumptions such as having a particular symptom when using a particular product. Perhaps they do have a reaction. Perhaps they are more sensitive to an additive than most others, etc. However, such statements are erroneous at best. They assign causal results with little information. For example, how can one be sure that aspartame is the cause of any given symptom when they do not consider other likely compounds such as butylated hydroxyanisole (bha), soy, phenylalanine, potassium citrate etc. All of which are in Crystal Light. All of which some people have sensitivities or allergies to.

As I said this is only my opinion and you don’t have to (and you shouldn’t) take my word for it. If something is of concern to you, do all the research you can and decide for yourself. Just remember to consider the source and its credibility. Regarding artificial sweeteners I offer the following:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/artificial-sweeteners/MY00073

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4447

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/artificial-sweeteners

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=56064

As you ponder whether you feel artificial sweeteners are right for you consider this: The comments you received about unsweetened tea and plain water are definitely excellent advice. I would highly recommend them both, especially the water. Water is so important in a healthy diet and in weight loss. Take it from me. I used to drink 12 to 20 cans of soda each day. When my 5’ 9” frame reached 220 lbs. I decided enough was enough. I initially replaced soda with Crystal Light because, like you, I just couldn’t stand plain water. I worked to drink more water and as time went on I was able to drink more and more. I still drink 2 or 3 glasses of Crystal Light every day, but I also drink a gallon and a half of water every day. I can’t tell you what a huge difference it made simply removing from my diet all that sugar that came from the soda. Even on the low end of my range 12 cans times 140 calories / 39 grams of sugar equals 1680 calories / 468 grams of sugar every day. Then add to that all the poor food choices I was making and I was easily exceeding 4500 calories every day. I look back and wonder why I wasn’t 420 lbs instead of 220.

To your original question, I do not have any issues with canker sores but I have noticed that Lemonade Crystal Light burns my throat slightly. Other flavors do not. I’m curious, what flavors you drink?

Good luck and I say if you want to have a couple of glasses of Crystal Light at the gym then go for it, just be sure and get as much water as you can stand each day as well.