Why Aspartame Isn't Scary
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Nerdycurls wrote: »This review of data may have already been mentioned, too:
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/3496.htm
The facts are in-- aspartame won't rot anyone's brain. My personal issue with aspartame is the sweetness factor. It's hundreds of times sweeter than regular sugar, and my concern is people become accustomed to such a high sweetness level. It's kind of like salty food. Once people are accustomed to it, it can be very difficult to scale back-- which has the potential to lead to unhealthy habits (and have your dentist chew you out for legitimate reasons).
But the fact of its sweetness factor is WHY it is used as a low (nearly 0) calorie sweetener.
It's a protein. So it has 4 calories per gram. A can of soda contains about 200mg or so of aspartame. It's "comparable" in sweetness to a can of regular soda containing around 40 g of sugar. So it has 1/200th the amount but the same sweetness, hence 200x sweeter. (Side question, how does one measure sweetness?)
I am guessing here as I don't have time at the moment to look it up but my assumption would be that sweetness (like all flavors) is the result of binding of a small molecule to a receptor on your tongue and therefore "sweetness" can be quantitated as how strongly a molecule binds that receptor. A molecule with a picomolar Kd for the receptor will be much sweeter than a molecule with a micromolar Kd for example.
A molecule that is "sweeter" is therefore one that binds the receptor more strongly and therefore requires less of that molecule to be present before the receptor is bound and activated.
I'm guessing at the moment though, thats just what makes sense to me if it is truly quantitative.0 -
cool story bro0
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Are there any studies about the effects of aspartame (and other sweeteners I guess) on dental hygiene?
Also, I've heard that artificial sweeteners can increase insulin production unnecessarily; are there studies of such things, and if so do you know of any you can point out to those of us that are curious?0 -
As a physical chemist whose graduate work was in the field of carbohydrate metabolism I thoroughly endorse this post. Thank you for taking the time not only to wrote a clear description of aspartame and its physiological destination, but also replying to people with questions.1
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Aspartame almost killed me I ended up with blood poisoning and it's because of this! I went into anaphylactic shock I don't care what anyone says it's dangerous1
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Yeah, no.0
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mrshollamby2015 wrote: »Aspartame almost killed me I ended up with blood poisoning and it's because of this! I went into anaphylactic shock I don't care what anyone says it's dangerous
Strong first post, with a thread bump to do so!
Thanks for bumping this terrific and always timely thread, though.
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I just listen to my body and all I know is even the tiniest bit can send me to the hospital near death, throat closing over, in agony. I've been pumped full of adrenaline, unable to breathe... It's evil and toxic and should be banned everywhere.
Oh wait, we're not talking about peanuts? No one's on board my ban peanuts train? Paid shills for Big Peana the lot of you!
Ok, what about chickpeas? Latex? Anyone?1 -
mrshollamby2015 wrote: »Aspartame almost killed me I ended up with blood poisoning and it's because of this! I went into anaphylactic shock I don't care what anyone says it's dangerous
There must be something wrong with me because this post made me laugh out loud.
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One study also show HCG worked. Several other studies that tried to replicate it, showed that it didn't.There has been a study done that shows artificial sweeteners affect the bacteria in your gut. Which in turns may result in an increase absorption and resulting in weight gains and decreased production of a hormone that suppresses appetite
Can't just base a conclusion on one study.
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Sugar is FAR worse for dental hygiene than aspartame. Dental hygiene is based on how a person takes care of their teeth, not necessarily what they eat or drink (with the exceptions of those that "dye" your teeth, EX: coffee)Are there any studies about the effects of aspartame (and other sweeteners I guess) on dental hygiene?
If that were true, then the American Diabetes Association wouldn't recommend it as an alternative drink:Also, I've heard that artificial sweeteners can increase insulin production unnecessarily; are there studies of such things, and if so do you know of any you can point out to those of us that are curious?
What Can I Drink?
Food often takes center stage when it comes to diabetes. But don't forget that the beverages you drink can also have an effect on your weight and blood glucose!
We recommend choosing zero-calorie or very low-calorie drinks. This includes:
Water
Unsweetened teas
Coffee
Diet soda
Other low-calorie drinks and drink mixes
You can also try flavoring your water with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice for a light, refreshing drink with some flavor. All of these drinks provide minimal calories and carbohydrate.
- See more at: http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/making-healthy-food-choices/what-can-i-drink.html?loc=ff-slabnav#sthash.5vwbG3Yf.dpuf
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition 0 -
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UltimateRBF wrote: »mrshollamby2015 wrote: »Aspartame almost killed me I ended up with blood poisoning and it's because of this! I went into anaphylactic shock I don't care what anyone says it's dangerous
That just means it's dangerous to you.
Exactly. My daughter's friend has a peanut allergy. Consuming peanuts might result in anaphylactic shock for her.
So, I guess that means that peanuts are dangerous and should be avoided by everyone?
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booksandchocolate12 wrote: »UltimateRBF wrote: »mrshollamby2015 wrote: »Aspartame almost killed me I ended up with blood poisoning and it's because of this! I went into anaphylactic shock I don't care what anyone says it's dangerous
That just means it's dangerous to you.
Exactly. My daughter's friend has a peanut allergy. Consuming peanuts might result in anaphylactic shock for her.
So, I guess that means that peanuts are dangerous and should be avoided by everyone?
Of course! Much easier than expecting the allergic person to simply avoid their allergen or carry an Epi-Pen.
I'm allergic to wasps. Yes, deathly allergic. I carry an Epi-Pen, but I would happily have wasps eradicated off the planet because I've never found a good or irreplaceable need for them in nature's food chain anyway. 2 -
This post could use a bump for visibility.0
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Peanuts. Soy. Latex. Lanolin. Goldenrod. Eucalyptus. Some random spice in Hunts' Ketchup. Formaldehyde (triggers respiratory distress & migraines). meta-xylene (same, plus hives! .. the things you learn when you're a chemist and work with purified substances). Polyester (wtf who's allergic to polyester?).
I'm a freaking walking allergy factory. So I'm not going to pooh-pooh that someone might have a sensitivity/allergic reaction to aspartame, no matter how improbable I find this as a chemist. Because they're simple amino acids and I'm personally REALLY shocked you aren't in a state of constant anaphylaxis over protein digestion or manufacture. But hey, there's a lot I don't know, so maybe its possible.0 -
Thank you for this post. I love Diet Coke and like many I find it even tastier than regular one. I needed to reduce the number of cans I had but that's due to the fact that it has high GI which was making me wanting more of the stuff... However it's good to know that I don't need to worry too much about foods that contain aspartame.0
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Peanuts. Soy. Latex. Lanolin. Goldenrod. Eucalyptus. Some random spice in Hunts' Ketchup. Formaldehyde (triggers respiratory distress & migraines). meta-xylene (same, plus hives! .. the things you learn when you're a chemist and work with purified substances). Polyester (wtf who's allergic to polyester?).
I'm a freaking walking allergy factory. So I'm not going to pooh-pooh that someone might have a sensitivity/allergic reaction to aspartame, no matter how improbable I find this as a chemist. Because they're simple amino acids and I'm personally REALLY shocked you aren't in a state of constant anaphylaxis over protein digestion or manufacture. But hey, there's a lot I don't know, so maybe its possible.
If someone is allergic to something, no problem obviously.
The problems arise when someone who has (or think they have) a problem with it make it out to be some kind of toxic substance responsible for all kinds of maladies.
Imagine if someone allergic to peanuts went around saying peanuts cause lung cancer or whatever. Ridiculous, right? Exactly that kind of stuff is happening with aspartame.1 -
Horse-pucky.0
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Aaron_K123 wrote: »In case it is relevant my background is a Ph.D. in molecular biology with a focus on protein biochemistry. 9 years of research experience with 5 years of infectious disease drug development research part of which is performing toxicology assays on potential drugs. In my opinion there is no evidence or reason to suspect mechanistically that aspartame is toxic or carcinogenic.
I do NOT think that expertise or background is proof that someone is correct so I invite anyone and everyone who is interested to look into this yourself. I just mention it because I know I will likely be asked.
Oh yeah, your background is relevant. I've spent the last 2 months reading everything I can regarding nutrition and especially aspartame, since I ingest it daily.
I will be reading your post multiple times (since I'm not nearly as smart as you) and will be reading it to my husband tonight. Your post explains aspartame's makeup better than anything I've read, and I will now have to make up my own mind.
Thank you so much for this.
You are now my favorite nerd.
Respectfully--0 -
I'm disappointed Diet Pepsi is now aspartame free. It doesn't taste as good.0
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If it's made in a lab it will kill you. Just like it did those poor mouses. RIP you brave soldiers. They just loved their diet coke.
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Years ago I switched over to aspartame and did it for a short while.. I never really liked the taste of it. It always left a strange after taste. I am back to using sugar but I have cut back on sugar a lot over the years. I guess everything in moderation is fine.
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I've been drinking diet coke since the 80s, I'm not worried about artificial sweeteners. Although I find saccharin nicer then aspartame and the awful stevia.0
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Thank you for this very informative thread. I've recently stopped drinking aspartame because of all the bad press. While I figure it's much cheaper to drink water In the long run, it's nice that I can quit worrying about the effects of my many years of excessive (6 pack or more a day) Diet Coke intake.0
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There are "conflicting" info on the Internet on artificial sweeteners. This is frustrating, especially for someone who's recently just started to pay more attention to his/her health. I also struggle to cut through the noise and find the real science.
I'm wondering what are your thoughts on ace k? it's got bad reputation too... Thx0 -
elga_thres wrote: »There are "conflicting" info on the Internet on artificial sweeteners. This is frustrating, especially for someone who's recently just started to pay more attention to his/her health. I also struggle to cut through the noise and find the real science.
I'm wondering what are your thoughts on ace k? it's got bad reputation too... Thx
The OP of this thread does a fantastic job explaining exactly what aspartame is made of, and he provides links to tons of studies that show that aspartame is harmless to the vast majority of people.0
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