Why Aspartame Isn't Scary

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Replies

  • terramurray
    terramurray Posts: 3 Member
    totally LOVED THE ORIGINAL POST HERE. Wanted to add that aspartame is one of the most heavily researched food products in history....and there is NO LINK between aspartame and cancer and other "health" problems. Some people do seem to be sensitive to it (headaches) and just as some people are sensitive to caffeine and other food products. So avoid if that is you or you don't like thae taste.

    But I think problem the OP is discussing is that there are lots of claims about artificial sweeteners that re NOT based on evidence.... it is scare tactics based on no evidence or really lousy evidence.

    And Dr Oz's claim that it tricks your mind into wanting to eat more is NOT based on substantive evidence either. Just an FYI for all those wondering about that one.
  • thingest
    thingest Posts: 19 Member
    totally LOVED THE ORIGINAL POST HERE. Wanted to add that aspartame is one of the most heavily researched food products in history....and there is NO LINK between aspartame and cancer and other "health" problems. Some people do seem to be sensitive to it (headaches) and just as some people are sensitive to caffeine and other food products. So avoid if that is you or you don't like thae taste.

    But I think problem the OP is discussing is that there are lots of claims about artificial sweeteners that re NOT based on evidence.... it is scare tactics based on no evidence or really lousy evidence.

    And Dr Oz's claim that it tricks your mind into wanting to eat more is NOT based on substantive evidence either. Just an FYI for all those wondering about that one.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/23/brain-artificial-sweeteners-calories_n_3976115.html

    There is an study for everything now and the world is full of evidences. It's your perception of the evidence what make the difference!
  • MichelleLaree13
    MichelleLaree13 Posts: 865 Member
    Just curious and maybe you can explain...
    Why doesn't the process produce ATP (energy). If these compounds are similar to the breakdown of protein, do they enter the citric acid cycle and go through the electon transport chain? Are not calories just the amount of ATP that results? But aspartame is calorie (energy) free. Why?
  • Heath_Wharton
    Heath_Wharton Posts: 1 Member
    I love all the science but can only speak from experience. Aspartame in just about anything for me equates to muscle twitches, light headaches, and ocular migraines. I experience these side effects for the next 24 hours, almost without fail...even after eating something as simple as chewing gum. While I appreciate all of the scientific evidence and chemistry provided here, its not a compelling argument. There are things going on chemically that are simply not being explained. I think all of the scientists would do better to tackle those issues of common and frequent side effects, voiced by many, many people than in trying to tell us all that the stuff is harmless. Two cents...based on my experience as an aviator who was grounded for six months after experiencing an ocular migraine attributed to a response to artificial sweetener.
  • darkguardian419
    darkguardian419 Posts: 1,302 Member
    I think you're no longer arguing the validity of the science and research, but are now up agains the cognative dissonance of individuals.
  • robertbowden
    robertbowden Posts: 2 Member
    Interesting analysis, I think part of the problem with aspartame was the underhanded political path that the government approval process took with Donald Rumsfeld, GD Searle and the politics of big business and government working together. If the product was that good, why did they have to literally force it through a rigged approval process? It makes the whole product suspect.
  • terramurray
    terramurray Posts: 3 Member
    True
    - which is why I stated "substantive" evidence. A single study, performed on mice, who were starved, is hardly convincing to me.

    Your point is spot on, there is a study for everything - which is why one should, generally speaking, not change a thing based on the results of one study or even a handful of studies. The "proof" is not in every single study. the "proof" ( I hate to use that word) is in a substantive body of evidence, or consensus.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/23/brain-artificial-sweeteners-calories_n_3976115.html

    There is an study for everything now and the world is full of evidences. It's your perception of the evidence what make the difference!
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Just curious and maybe you can explain...
    Why doesn't the process produce ATP (energy). If these compounds are similar to the breakdown of protein, do they enter the citric acid cycle and go through the electon transport chain? Are not calories just the amount of ATP that results? But aspartame is calorie (energy) free. Why?

    It technically is not calorie free. IIRC it is still roughly 4 calories per gram of aspartame, but because such a small amount produces sweet flavor, the caloric contribution is negligible.
  • Tla0126
    Tla0126 Posts: 207 Member
    EAT ALL THE EQUAL!
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Just curious and maybe you can explain...
    Why doesn't the process produce ATP (energy). If these compounds are similar to the breakdown of protein, do they enter the citric acid cycle and go through the electon transport chain? Are not calories just the amount of ATP that results? But aspartame is calorie (energy) free. Why?

    It would go through that process, it would produce ATP and it would have a caloric yield as a result. Thing is in a can of soda is 180mg of aspartame. If we considered aspartame to be protein, which it pretty much is, and protein has 4 calories per gram that means its caloric yield in an entire can of soda is 0.18 * 4 or 0.7 calories. 0.7 calories is below the threshold for reporting caloric value set by the FDA so they just call it zero.

    The reason aspartame is "diet" is not because it has no caloric value, it actually has the same caloric value as sugar by weight...it is that it is 700 times more "sweet" than sugar so you need substantially less of it. Weight by weight aspartame and sugar have the same caloric value.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Just curious and maybe you can explain...
    Why doesn't the process produce ATP (energy). If these compounds are similar to the breakdown of protein, do they enter the citric acid cycle and go through the electon transport chain? Are not calories just the amount of ATP that results? But aspartame is calorie (energy) free. Why?

    It technically is not calorie free. IIRC it is still roughly 4 calories per gram of aspartame, but because such a small amount produces sweet flavor, the caloric contribution is negligible.

    Yeah this.
  • April_KT
    April_KT Posts: 332 Member
    Yeah, Mr. White, science!

    This is a great post, thanks!


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[/img]
  • thingest
    thingest Posts: 19 Member
    True
    - which is why I stated "substantive" evidence. A single study, performed on mice, who were starved, is hardly convincing to me.

    Your point is spot on, there is a study for everything - which is why one should, generally speaking, not change a thing based on the results of one study or even a handful of studies. The "proof" is not in every single study. the "proof" ( I hate to use that word) is in a substantive body of evidence, or consensus.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/23/brain-artificial-sweeteners-calories_n_3976115.html

    There is an study for everything now and the world is full of evidences. It's your perception of the evidence what make the difference!
    Even with the proliferation of studies everywhere and for everything. I still think that what is important is the quality and the intention of the study or their supporters, not the quantity.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member

    Even with the proliferation of studies everywhere and for everything. I still think that what is important is the quality and the intention of the study or their supporters, not the quantity.

    It is not an either/or. Both the quality of a study and the quantity of research available on a given topic are things to consider when evaluating evidence for or against something.
  • MichelleLaree13
    MichelleLaree13 Posts: 865 Member
    That makes sense. I feel a little more educated today. Thank you!
    Just curious and maybe you can explain...
    Why doesn't the process produce ATP (energy). If these compounds are similar to the breakdown of protein, do they enter the citric acid cycle and go through the electon transport chain? Are not calories just the amount of ATP that results? But aspartame is calorie (energy) free. Why?

    It would go through that process, it would produce ATP and it would have a caloric yield as a result. Thing is in a can of soda is 180mg of aspartame. If we considered aspartame to be protein, which it pretty much is, and protein has 4 calories per gram that means its caloric yield in an entire can of soda is 0.18 * 4 or 0.7 calories. 0.7 calories is below the threshold for reporting caloric value set by the FDA so they just call it zero.

    The reason aspartame is "diet" is not because it has no caloric value, it actually has the same caloric value as sugar by weight...it is that it is 700 times more "sweet" than sugar so you need substantially less of it. Weight by weight aspartame and sugar have the same caloric value.
  • thingest
    thingest Posts: 19 Member

    Even with the proliferation of studies everywhere and for everything. I still think that what is important is the quality and the intention of the study or their supporters, not the quantity.

    It is not an either/or. Both the quality of a study and the quantity of research available on a given topic are things to consider when evaluating evidence for or against something.

    By quantity I meant the number of studies.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member

    Even with the proliferation of studies everywhere and for everything. I still think that what is important is the quality and the intention of the study or their supporters, not the quantity.

    It is not an either/or. Both the quality of a study and the quantity of research available on a given topic are things to consider when evaluating evidence for or against something.


    By quantity I meant the number of studies.

    Yes, and if you have 1 study with a few design limitations you can't necessarily conclude anything from it. And if you have 100 of these studies that all have a mix of various design limitations but the majority of them point in one direction then this becomes potentially meaningful.

    Which is why in some cases number of studies can be important.

    I wouldn't claim that quantity does not matter.
  • davesands
    davesands Posts: 2
    As a science teacher, I appreciate what you are saying. However, I discovered, quite accidentally without knowing it was a thing, that aspartame gives me headaches.

    I was getting headaches. It wasn't for a while that I realized I got them after drinking Crystal Light or Coke Zero. After I stopped consuming those beverages, I stopped getting headaches. Could be a coincidence, I agree. However, maybe a few months later, I was getting headaches again. Remembering the Coke Zero, I looked at anything new I had been eating. Turns out some low sugar granola bars had aspartame in them. Stopped eating, headaches went away. This happened once more with aspartame containing yogurt. I finally got the message and now I usually check. Once in a while I'll get a headache and sure enough, something has slipped by, some product I wasn't expecting aspartame to be in so I didn't check. The last offender was a Ricola cough drop.

    I don't believe the hype about it. But I have had it happen too many times to ignore the fact that it gives me headaches.
  • davesands
    davesands Posts: 2
    Could aspartame cause headaches for some people? I don't see how really but that is just to say I don't see how (in the literal sense). That doesn't mean it doesn't, I just don't see what the mechanism would be and I haven't heard anyone or any study propose or substantiate a mechanism.

    In these cases I'd agree with the doctor who responds toa patient that says "Doctor, it hurts when I do this" by saying "Then don't do that."

    It's actually very frustrating for me. I was happy that I found a low cal soda I could enjoy in Coke Zero. Now I'm stuck drinking water like a dog. :P

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