aspartame poisoning?

i drink diet pop almost every day...usually not more than a can or two. and i've also heard the rumors that its harmful...upon further research, it seems like for it to really hurt you, you would have to drink 36 cans of diet pop a day....for years. that is 432 oz, or 54 glasses of water a day. do you drink that much? because i certainly do not...no where close, actually.
i think a lot of people use it as an excuse to not drink diet pop...because they don't like the taste. i have a friend who is also trying to lose weight, but refuses to give up pop, and will not drink diet. and aspartame poisioning is her excuse...and a poor one, if you ask me. regular pop is much, much worse for you. and full of empty, unfilling calories.
obviously, water is the best choice. but a diet coke isn't going to hurt you...it actually helps me. it gives me a little kick of energy, and it makes dieting easier. i also use sweet and low in green tea.
people will tell you its poisionous and will hurt you. but there is no actual proof. unless, of course, you drink 36 cans of diet pop a day for years. then you are up poo creek without a paddle. good luck!

Snopes.com is a myth busting website that delves into common stories like this and it says the stories are false. Unless you have a sensitivity to aspartame or PKU (phenylketonuria-usually diagnosed at birth) it would be hard to really poison yourself. I personally go by the theory to eat/drink everything in moderation.

Personally, for me, there is too much conflicting information out there so I won't consume anything that contains it. Not easy because I actually like it as well as the diet sodas.

My biggest trust issues about it is that it was approved after Monsanto bought the company. Monsanto is one huge corrupt corp and they have or at least had executives in congress and other big roles in the govt. They have deep pockets and run to lobbyists as soon as they don't get their way.

Aspartame was approved for use in beverages in 1983. Monsanto bought Searle in 1985.

Personally, for me, there is too much conflicting information out there so I won't consume anything that contains it. Not easy because I actually like it as well as the diet sodas.

My biggest trust issues about it is that it was approved after Monsanto bought the company. Monsanto is one huge corrupt corp and they have or at least had executives in congress and other big roles in the govt. They have deep pockets and run to lobbyists as soon as they don't get their way.

I didn't know that, thanks for posting it. I share your feeling about Monsanto,and I worry that food lobbyists have far too much say in what is considered safe or unsafe.

Yet one more reason to kill my diet coke habit.

Aspartame put me in hospital but my mate doesn't have a problem with it.

Every time I eat anything with aspartame in it I get sick. Not 'i've been poisoned' sick. I come down with a cold. I can taste when aspartame is in something without it being listed (a lot of alcohols have aspartame and don't list their ingredients) and it can give me a headache as well as a sore throat.

I think it's terrible for you and it should be avoided, which is hard because it hides in things with 'healthy' labels.

Here is the link to the mentioned aricle in snopes.com. Makes sense to me

http://snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp

I use splenda with almost everything people try to preach to me about stopping but at the sametime they are eating meat and other bad things so...... dog on hypocrites!!!!!!!

I have heard that its only harmful if it is stored above 90 degrees farenheit. So I suppose if it sat in a warm car than someone drank it or on an unrefridgerated shelf or something. But I don't like it all too much just cuz it makes you have to pee alot and it makes you crave sugar more than other types of drinks.

Oooh that reminds me, someone on here mentioned the show 'Secret Eaters' so I was watching it for a couple of days. Most of it is just people eating crap and not counting the calories but in one case they did mention diet soda as a possible appetite trigger. Like I need anything else to make me hungry. Thanks, if I want to be mysteriously hungry I'll drink vodka like a real man...er...woman. Or something.

I haven't read it, where's the link to the article?

I can say from my personal experience that it does give me horrible migraines and I have read it is an endocrine disruptor. Anything artificial like that isn't really healthy for your body, and I avoid sweeteners as much as possible. :flowerforyou:

Some science

http://euroscientist.com/2011/04/pivot-points-is-your-diet-cola-blinding/

Awesome article!

As referenced by several other posters, in order to drink enough diet soda to reach levels of poisoning, you'd have to drink several hundred cans per day. You'd likely die from an electrolyte imbalance from processing all of the liquids (even diet soda is still 99% water) before you died of aspartame poisoning.

That being said, if you believe you have a sensitivity to it (and certainly if you have PKU or another medical condition), then don't consume it. If it doesn't bother you, however, there's no reason to avoid it in moderation.

I went through this a year or so ago... I personally decided to cut way back and i *did* get headaches, etc. for a few days. Also, it HAS been shown to work with your body and create more of a spike/ crash.

I am DEFINITELY more hungry when I drink diet coke throughout the day than when I drink water and tea, so while I do have one occaisionally, I have noticed that I do go through better weight-loss periods when I swear it off.

There are some sodas that use Splenda now instead of Aspartame. Orange Crush is one, but I am in Canada, so I don't know if you have it where you are. I have found "rainbow" packs of Orange, Grape, Creme Soda, and Rootbeer that use Splenda instead of Aspartame. I try to avoid it, but if all they have is a diet drink with it, one once in a while won't hurt.

I avoid Splenda. Bad for my IBS.

It can certainly have bad health effects. How many kilos of it are you eating in a day?