how do people feel about aspartame?

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Replies

  • ghhosstt
    ghhosstt Posts: 112
    I still use it occasionally, although I've read that it's terrible for your brain, bones, and other organs. A better sugar substitute to look for is stevia, which is plant-based.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,029 Member
    I have no concerns over aspartame for myself.

    I have no concerns over other people using aspartame provided that they don't have any personal aversion to it and they don't have PKU (inability to metabolize phenylalanine).

    Aspartame immediately breaks down into aspartic acid and phenylalanine and neither of these are harmful, and both of these items are found in regular food sources.

    Now if I happened to get my information from documentaries instead of actual research, I would probably fear aspartame. That comment is not directed at you.
    100% this.

    Misinformation and Pavlov's Dog have many not reading actual peer reviewed research.

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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,029 Member
    Seen it and actual peer reviewed clinical studies have refuted it. Correlation isn't causation.

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  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    I hate the taste so avoid it for that reason.
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
    I still use it occasionally, although I've read that it's terrible for your brain, bones, and other organs. A better sugar substitute to look for is stevia, which is plant-based.

    you do realize that the scaremongers could point out that stevia has been linked to fertility problems and liver mutations. a study five or so years ago also screwed up the thyroid function in chickens.
  • CarolinaGirlinVA
    CarolinaGirlinVA Posts: 1,508 Member
    Within a few minutes of eating or drinking anything with artificial sweeteners, I will get horrible stomach cramps and vomit. I had a birthday cake made with sugar free jello when I was a teacher and I didn't taste the difference at first, but before I could finish it I was sick. I've never had a headache from it, but I imagine that is because my body rejects it so quickly. The only sugar free gum I can chew is Eclipse...I have no idea why it doesn't cause a reaction.
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
    Triggers migraines and other pain for me, so I avoid it.
    (By the way, a couple of times I've gotten sick because I ate something that I didn't know had aspartame. For instance, once I ate a different variety of bread from a brand that I'd been eating. Sadly, I liked the bread, so I had a few pieces in one day... I didn't read the label carefully enough because I made the bad assumption that as their raisin bread was fine, the cherry bread would be too. Oops, the next day I had one of the worst migraines I've had for years! Anyway, there have been about 3 times over the years when something like that has happened, so I'm pretty sure the effect is not psychologically triggered.)
  • missmegan831
    missmegan831 Posts: 824 Member
    No more aspartame = no more headaches. Reason enough for me to never touch the stuff again.

    ^^ Agreed!
  • dontgobacktosleep
    dontgobacktosleep Posts: 144 Member
    Funny I was just reading an article.......


    "It would be also be wise to avoid all aspartame, as well as bottled or canned fruit juices as they have methanol which your body converts to formaldehyde. This is even more dangerous than the formaldehyde in products, as your body carries the methanol like a Trojan horse to sensitive tissues like your brain where an enzyme converts it to formaldehyde."

    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/03/09/household-chemical-exposure.aspx
  • RainHoward
    RainHoward Posts: 1,599 Member
    Aspartame has been studied extensively, since 1965, with approximately 200 studies conducted in humans and animals. The safety of aspartame has been well established. The results of these scientific studies have shown that eating products sweetened with aspartame is no different from eating other foods and is not associated with adverse health effects.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    Funny I was just reading an article.......


    "It would be also be wise to avoid all aspartame, as well as bottled or canned fruit juices as they have methanol which your body converts to formaldehyde. This is even more dangerous than the formaldehyde in products, as your body carries the methanol like a Trojan horse to sensitive tissues like your brain where an enzyme converts it to formaldehyde."

    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/03/09/household-chemical-exposure.aspx
    See comments above re: Mercola. Quack Quack.
  • ikudbne12
    ikudbne12 Posts: 63 Member
    As a Neuro patient (MS) i avoid it like the plague. Won't take the chance that it could make my disease worse.
  • alexveksler
    alexveksler Posts: 409 Member
    Stevia would be my choice.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia
  • JerseyGirl081
    JerseyGirl081 Posts: 98 Member
    No more aspartame = no more headaches. Reason enough for me to never touch the stuff again.

    ^^ Agreed!

    Same here. It gave me massive headaches. :explode: Never again. Plus to me the taste is so disgusting. :sick: I don't chew gum and I stay away from artificial sweeteners period anyway. I'll stick with natural sugars and sweeteners. :smile: Also I have MS (Neurological disorder) so I have to be extremely careful what I ingest. You never know what could make it worse.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,029 Member
    Funny I was just reading an article.......


    "It would be also be wise to avoid all aspartame, as well as bottled or canned fruit juices as they have methanol which your body converts to formaldehyde. This is even more dangerous than the formaldehyde in products, as your body carries the methanol like a Trojan horse to sensitive tissues like your brain where an enzyme converts it to formaldehyde."

    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/03/09/household-chemical-exposure.aspx
    And fruits and vegetables actually HAVE FORMALDEHYDE in them. True.

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  • LavenderBouquet
    LavenderBouquet Posts: 736 Member
    I personally do not like the taste and have it as rarely as possible. Proven unhealthy/harmful or not, I'd rather go for something more natural.
  • That_Girl
    That_Girl Posts: 1,324 Member
    :Poison.

    I know when it's in my body. I ache until it's out.
  • ghhosstt
    ghhosstt Posts: 112
    I still use it occasionally, although I've read that it's terrible for your brain, bones, and other organs. A better sugar substitute to look for is stevia, which is plant-based.

    you do realize that the scaremongers could point out that stevia has been linked to fertility problems and liver mutations. a study five or so years ago also screwed up the thyroid function in chickens.

    I'm aware of the reasons why it could be viewed as scaremongering. :) Maybe that was lazily-worded? I would just prefer to use Stevia over other artificial sweeteners like aspartame because aside from some of the studies done that have been done in very high doses and only on animals, so far physical symptoms like headache and muscle pain haven't been known to be widely reported with the former. (at least to my knowledge)
    I don't use either very often anyway.
  • suzywuzy90
    suzywuzy90 Posts: 20 Member
    No more aspartame = no more headaches. Reason enough for me to never touch the stuff again.

    Me, too. Sucralose does that to me as well.
  • Copaiba
    Copaiba Posts: 75 Member
    why not avoid it if you can? It tastes like crap and the only reason its in everything is to make some really awful people a lot of money. Of course they will hide and dismiss any negative test results. When I want something sweet, I use fruit or real sugar. Sometimes stevia. I'm sure someone is working on a way to adulterate almost anything natural in order to make a buck.
  • red9812
    red9812 Posts: 85 Member
    Awful. It makes me bloat. I avoid it like the plague.
  • Docmahi
    Docmahi Posts: 1,603 Member
    *popcorn*

    this should be good
  • SkyFerret
    SkyFerret Posts: 53 Member
    Not only does it taste absolutely awful, it gives me dreadful migraines for hours after. I avoid the stuff, as well as most other artificial sweeteners, like the plague.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,029 Member
    why not avoid it if you can? It tastes like crap and the only reason its in everything is to make some really awful people a lot of money. Of course they will hide and dismiss any negative test results. When I want something sweet, I use fruit or real sugar. Sometimes stevia. I'm sure someone is working on a way to adulterate almost anything natural in order to make a buck.
    Subjective. Tastes like crap to you, but to others it may not.

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  • lioness803
    lioness803 Posts: 325 Member
    I can't stand the taste, and it gives me a scratchy throat and a headache.
  • That's the first time I heard Splenda is not good. What's wrong with it?
  • has a funny taste, i don't like it
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
    why not avoid it if you can? It tastes like crap and the only reason its in everything is to make some really awful people a lot of money. Of course they will hide and dismiss any negative test results. When I want something sweet, I use fruit or real sugar. Sometimes stevia. I'm sure someone is working on a way to adulterate almost anything natural in order to make a buck.

    yeah! those damn capitalists! how dare they?!
  • brihodges
    brihodges Posts: 33 Member
    I gave up diet pop about a month ago because I was up to 5 or 6 cans a day! (sick, I know) About two days after I stopped I got really shaky, had a terrible headache, was nauseated, and had a fever and chills. My doctor said that this may have been my body's reaction to the lack of aspartame. (Couldn't have been caffeine, as I already tried to stay away from that as much as possible) I'm not saying it was the cause, but could have been behind it. The way I see it, if I can avoid it, I will. I haven't had a pop, much less a diet pop, since the first week in February. I've found that I'm losing weight much easier and I feel much better. (again, may not be aspartame related but could be a factor)
  • aleesh_
    aleesh_ Posts: 137 Member
    A lot of people don't like it, I was raised on the stuff though. Seriously, when I was like 7 or 8 I remember diet coke being packed in my lunches. I just recently cut waaaaaay back on all aspartame products 2 weeks ago and I don't feel any different. By cut back I mean I went from drinking a gazillion cans of diet coke a day to drinking maybe one 20 oz a week. Hopefully I don't get cancer before my time :p