I cannot seem to give up Soda, where do I even begin?
Replies
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The green tea does nothing more then any other tea. Try to cut it down one can at a time to reduce the caffeine headaches. Like for the next month, 2 cans a day, then the next month, 1 can a day.1
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Maybe slowly break free from it. If you are currently drinking several cans a day, maybe reduce to one can a day for the first week. Then the 2nd week have one every other day. Then the 3rd week maybe just one on the weekend as a treat.
To keep yourself from over drinking your limit you set, only put that one can in the fridge the night before so only that one can is cold. I don’t know about you but I can’t drink soda at room temp. It has to be cold. Or if that doesn’t bother you then only make your one can visible to you and keep the others out of view.
Good luck with this. I’ve never been one addicted to soda but my husband can’t kick the habit. He controls himself to one glass with dinner now but he used to drink several a day. I know how hard this can be.1 -
I stopped drinking all carbonated beverages and it was amazing how quickly my stomach stopped hurting and I stopped having gas. I switched to zero calorie fruit flavored waters and the zero calories tea mixes. I know the sugar substitutes are also a big question in health but I do not notice any side effects from them. I will now occasionally have a carbonated fruit flavored water, but rarely. I have lost over 30 lbs and I am certain it really has come down to counting calories. Have your soda but make sure you are including the calories in food counts, I would rather have 120 calories something else than a soda.
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Low calorie fruit juices work for me.
Ocean Spray Diet Cran-Grape has only 5 cal/serving.
Welch's Lite Grape Juice has 45 cal/serving.
Minute Maid has light lemonade, fruit punch, and mango-passion fruit in 5 to 15 cal/serving.
Trop 50 and Minute Maid light orange juice has 50 cal/serving.
If you must go with soft drinks instead of juice, there are several flavors of the "-TEN" genre. Root Beer, Orange, Ginger Ale, RC Cola, 7 Up, and Dr Pepper. [Dr Pepper no longer supplies the 12 oz version, but I think the 2 liter bottles are still available.] To me, these are closer to the 'real thing' with little or no diet taste.
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People who say it can't be addictive well...anything can be addictive. It can be hard to drop.
If anything can be addictive, then saying something is addictive is kind of meaningless. And can anything be "addictive like heroin," which was the claim made?
I say this as someone who emotionally eats and finds it a struggle at times still, and sees real links to that and addictive behavior, and who also sees obvious differences between that and, say, alcoholism (and who would never say that anything I've struggled with is just like heroin addiction, because I have not been addicted to heroin, and know some who have, and some who have died from it).
I do certainly agree that caffeine, which is in diet and non diet soda (and my beloved coffee!) can result in something of a dependency. I cut down on caffeine (coffee, but same concept could apply to soda) from time to time, and it can be a tough adjustment at first. My guess is that's what's going on here, as well as perhaps some degree of using soda as a habitual crutch -- that part can be dealt with just by changing the habit or maybe finding a low/no cal beverage OP enjoys (I'm another who enjoys LaCroix, as well as an occasional diet coke and, of course, black coffee or homemade iced teas, unsweetened).4 -
Eh. For every study you hear about how bad pop is for you there are just the same amount of studies that say it's not that bad. I personally won't give it up completely. However, I have taken my habit down to one diet pop a day. I drink flavored water when not drinking pop.2
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Maybe try to cut back slowly or try some of the sparkling water stuff out there. you still get that carbonation but without the caffeine and sugar.0
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TeacupsAndToning wrote: »I wanted to give up soda pop completely. I used to drink diet pop - lots of it. Then I saw a documentary on aspartame, and I will never touch that stuff ever again! Sugared soda pop has glucose-fructose - this is terrible for your organs, it's not natural and your body cannot process it.
What I did was use Soda water and fruit juice. Too much fruit juice is also bad for your diet - lots of calories but doesn't make you feel full. You could try Crystal Light with soda water, at least that way you are drinking a "fizzy" drink.
Anyway, to break the habit of drinking pop, I started with lots of juice and a little soda water. Every couple of days I would increase the amount of soda water and decrease the amount of juice. After a few weeks, I was able to drop the juice completely. Then I gradually switched soda water for plain water. It's not easy but with determination, you can do it. Just like any bad habit, it takes time. Some people can stop "cold turkey" (like smoking cigarettes), others need more time.
Better to take all the time you need to finally be free of pop!
Aspartame is fine. That documentary you watched wanted to scare you.
Actually, it's not. It doesn't leave your body. Instead it deposits in your brain as a tumor and stays there. My sister was studying to become a doctor and she did a paper on the study about aspartame. (It was on rats)
So, yeah, aspartame is not okay. Really no artificial sweeteners are okay. Our body reacts to them just like regular sugar.18 -
Switch to beer!!5
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My sister is a doctor and she sees nothing wrong with aspartame. I was T2 diabetic for years and absolutely our bodies do not react to aspartame "just like sugar". There are millions of diabetics in North America all testing their blood sugar daily in real time and if aspartame acted like sugar we'd all know.
One has to wonder, why is this false information about aspartame so persistent?4 -
Black coffee.0
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SweetEve340 wrote: »TeacupsAndToning wrote: »I wanted to give up soda pop completely. I used to drink diet pop - lots of it. Then I saw a documentary on aspartame, and I will never touch that stuff ever again! Sugared soda pop has glucose-fructose - this is terrible for your organs, it's not natural and your body cannot process it.
What I did was use Soda water and fruit juice. Too much fruit juice is also bad for your diet - lots of calories but doesn't make you feel full. You could try Crystal Light with soda water, at least that way you are drinking a "fizzy" drink.
Anyway, to break the habit of drinking pop, I started with lots of juice and a little soda water. Every couple of days I would increase the amount of soda water and decrease the amount of juice. After a few weeks, I was able to drop the juice completely. Then I gradually switched soda water for plain water. It's not easy but with determination, you can do it. Just like any bad habit, it takes time. Some people can stop "cold turkey" (like smoking cigarettes), others need more time.
Better to take all the time you need to finally be free of pop!
Aspartame is fine. That documentary you watched wanted to scare you.
Actually, it's not. It doesn't leave your body. Instead it deposits in your brain as a tumor and stays there. My sister was studying to become a doctor and she did a paper on the study about aspartame. (It was on rats)
So, yeah, aspartame is not okay. Really no artificial sweeteners are okay. Our body reacts to them just like regular sugar.
That's the most uninformed thing I've read about aspartame so far.7 -
SweetEve340 wrote: »TeacupsAndToning wrote: »I wanted to give up soda pop completely. I used to drink diet pop - lots of it. Then I saw a documentary on aspartame, and I will never touch that stuff ever again! Sugared soda pop has glucose-fructose - this is terrible for your organs, it's not natural and your body cannot process it.
What I did was use Soda water and fruit juice. Too much fruit juice is also bad for your diet - lots of calories but doesn't make you feel full. You could try Crystal Light with soda water, at least that way you are drinking a "fizzy" drink.
Anyway, to break the habit of drinking pop, I started with lots of juice and a little soda water. Every couple of days I would increase the amount of soda water and decrease the amount of juice. After a few weeks, I was able to drop the juice completely. Then I gradually switched soda water for plain water. It's not easy but with determination, you can do it. Just like any bad habit, it takes time. Some people can stop "cold turkey" (like smoking cigarettes), others need more time.
Better to take all the time you need to finally be free of pop!
Aspartame is fine. That documentary you watched wanted to scare you.
Actually, it's not. It doesn't leave your body. Instead it deposits in your brain as a tumor and stays there. My sister was studying to become a doctor and she did a paper on the study about aspartame. (It was on rats)
So, yeah, aspartame is not okay. Really no artificial sweeteners are okay. Our body reacts to them just like regular sugar.
Was studying to be a doctor? As in she didn't finish? May be a reason why.7 -
SweetEve340 wrote: »TeacupsAndToning wrote: »I wanted to give up soda pop completely. I used to drink diet pop - lots of it. Then I saw a documentary on aspartame, and I will never touch that stuff ever again! Sugared soda pop has glucose-fructose - this is terrible for your organs, it's not natural and your body cannot process it.
What I did was use Soda water and fruit juice. Too much fruit juice is also bad for your diet - lots of calories but doesn't make you feel full. You could try Crystal Light with soda water, at least that way you are drinking a "fizzy" drink.
Anyway, to break the habit of drinking pop, I started with lots of juice and a little soda water. Every couple of days I would increase the amount of soda water and decrease the amount of juice. After a few weeks, I was able to drop the juice completely. Then I gradually switched soda water for plain water. It's not easy but with determination, you can do it. Just like any bad habit, it takes time. Some people can stop "cold turkey" (like smoking cigarettes), others need more time.
Better to take all the time you need to finally be free of pop!
Aspartame is fine. That documentary you watched wanted to scare you.
Actually, it's not. It doesn't leave your body. Instead it deposits in your brain as a tumor and stays there. My sister was studying to become a doctor and she did a paper on the study about aspartame. (It was on rats)
So, yeah, aspartame is not okay. Really no artificial sweeteners are okay. Our body reacts to them just like regular sugar.
Total bs!2 -
"What Does Soda Do to Your Teeth?"
https://healthline.com/health/dental-oral-health/what-does-soda-do-to-your-teeth#11 -
Well, my response will be unpopular and probably get "wooed", but how does anyone cut out a habit or prevent binging episodes? By not inviting it into their home.1
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SweetEve340 wrote: »TeacupsAndToning wrote: »I wanted to give up soda pop completely. I used to drink diet pop - lots of it. Then I saw a documentary on aspartame, and I will never touch that stuff ever again! Sugared soda pop has glucose-fructose - this is terrible for your organs, it's not natural and your body cannot process it.
What I did was use Soda water and fruit juice. Too much fruit juice is also bad for your diet - lots of calories but doesn't make you feel full. You could try Crystal Light with soda water, at least that way you are drinking a "fizzy" drink.
Anyway, to break the habit of drinking pop, I started with lots of juice and a little soda water. Every couple of days I would increase the amount of soda water and decrease the amount of juice. After a few weeks, I was able to drop the juice completely. Then I gradually switched soda water for plain water. It's not easy but with determination, you can do it. Just like any bad habit, it takes time. Some people can stop "cold turkey" (like smoking cigarettes), others need more time.
Better to take all the time you need to finally be free of pop!
Aspartame is fine. That documentary you watched wanted to scare you.
Actually, it's not. It doesn't leave your body. Instead it deposits in your brain as a tumor and stays there. My sister was studying to become a doctor and she did a paper on the study about aspartame. (It was on rats)
So, yeah, aspartame is not okay. Really no artificial sweeteners are okay. Our body reacts to them just like regular sugar.
You are ill-informed. More time should be spent reading journals and scientific papers and less time perfecting selfies with filters. Your future income depends on it.4 -
SweetEve340 wrote: »TeacupsAndToning wrote: »I wanted to give up soda pop completely. I used to drink diet pop - lots of it. Then I saw a documentary on aspartame, and I will never touch that stuff ever again! Sugared soda pop has glucose-fructose - this is terrible for your organs, it's not natural and your body cannot process it.
What I did was use Soda water and fruit juice. Too much fruit juice is also bad for your diet - lots of calories but doesn't make you feel full. You could try Crystal Light with soda water, at least that way you are drinking a "fizzy" drink.
Anyway, to break the habit of drinking pop, I started with lots of juice and a little soda water. Every couple of days I would increase the amount of soda water and decrease the amount of juice. After a few weeks, I was able to drop the juice completely. Then I gradually switched soda water for plain water. It's not easy but with determination, you can do it. Just like any bad habit, it takes time. Some people can stop "cold turkey" (like smoking cigarettes), others need more time.
Better to take all the time you need to finally be free of pop!
Aspartame is fine. That documentary you watched wanted to scare you.
Actually, it's not. It doesn't leave your body. Instead it deposits in your brain as a tumor and stays there. My sister was studying to become a doctor and she did a paper on the study about aspartame. (It was on rats)
So, yeah, aspartame is not okay. Really no artificial sweeteners are okay. Our body reacts to them just like regular sugar.
LOL
I mean, this post was sarcastic, right? RIGHT?
http://www.businessinsider.com/aspartame-sensitivity-and-health-effects-2015-6
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OP, if you are still here, just try to cut back slowly. I doubt all the symptoms you are experiencing are tied to your soda consumption, but regardless, if you want to stop drinking so much, weaning yourself off is probably the best bet. There is no need to detox or gulp down green tea. Though the green tea may help by replacing some of the caffeine so you don't go through caffeine withdrawal. People have already given you lots of great ideas for substitutions. Hope you feel better.1
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When I cut soda, I did it cold turkey....upwards of 5 Mtn Dew 20oz bottles per day. I didn't buy it, didn't order it at restaurants, and started drinking water instead. I quickly saw how much money I was saving and every time I thought of Mtn Dew, I reminded myself of the "wasted" money. I went a year without any sugary drinks, decided I missed them, and added them back in...but I only drink them when I go out to eat. I don't keep them in the house or in my office at work like I used to.0
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The only thing that worked for me is going cold turkey. Avoiding other sugary foods and salty foods helped with the cravings. I also needed to avoid the things that triggered me - being around the sound of my husband opening his cans, for example. I changed my drive home so I don't go past the corner where I used to get a soda every day.
Drinking coffee and eating dark chocolate provides some of the same taste satisfaction, for me, anyway.
I'm a diabetic, so soda is literal poison to me now, but there's no one for whom it's good food. I'm much happier without it.0 -
By the way, the graphic being discussed in this thread greatly oversimplifies the insulin response. An insulin response to sugar is normal, and does NOT "make your liver grab all the sugar and turn it to fat." Your muscles can use Coke to power through a workout just fine, if you happened to drink a Coke before a workout. There's nothing particularly magical about the sugar in Coke except that there's a lot of it and it tastes delicious which makes it easy to consume too much.2
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SweetEve340 wrote: »TeacupsAndToning wrote: »I wanted to give up soda pop completely. I used to drink diet pop - lots of it. Then I saw a documentary on aspartame, and I will never touch that stuff ever again! Sugared soda pop has glucose-fructose - this is terrible for your organs, it's not natural and your body cannot process it.
What I did was use Soda water and fruit juice. Too much fruit juice is also bad for your diet - lots of calories but doesn't make you feel full. You could try Crystal Light with soda water, at least that way you are drinking a "fizzy" drink.
Anyway, to break the habit of drinking pop, I started with lots of juice and a little soda water. Every couple of days I would increase the amount of soda water and decrease the amount of juice. After a few weeks, I was able to drop the juice completely. Then I gradually switched soda water for plain water. It's not easy but with determination, you can do it. Just like any bad habit, it takes time. Some people can stop "cold turkey" (like smoking cigarettes), others need more time.
Better to take all the time you need to finally be free of pop!
Aspartame is fine. That documentary you watched wanted to scare you.
Actually, it's not. It doesn't leave your body. Instead it deposits in your brain as a tumor and stays there. My sister was studying to become a doctor and she did a paper on the study about aspartame. (It was on rats)
So, yeah, aspartame is not okay. Really no artificial sweeteners are okay. Our body reacts to them just like regular sugar.
Aspartame is just a methylester of a common dipeptide of two amino acids aspartate and phenylalanine. Upon injestion the peptide bond between the amino acids is rapidly hydrolyzed by peptidases and the methylester is broken down by hydrolysis to methanol and the constituite amino acids. The mass ratio of methanol to the whole molecule is 1 to 9 so the amount of methanol you get from a can of soda with aspartame in it is about equivalent to the amount you'd get drinking just a little bit of any fruit juice. The amount of aspartate and phenylalanine is tiny relative to any protein source and would be equivalent to the amount you'd get from a bite of chicken.
There is no evidence of any harm, toxicity or carcinogenicity caused by aspartame in humans. The study you reference in rats was the Soffritti study which is the one study touted by those who fearmonger aspartame. It was conducted in Sprague-Dawley rats (an inbred strain of rat that naturally develops tumors (45% of them develop tumors normally) and the amount of aspartame that was given to them was an insane amount equivalent to a human drinking something like 2000 cans of soda a day. They took pictures of the rats covered in tumors (which again happens normally to these rats) and went to the media with it making an emotional plea.
Citations:
Review and meta-analysis of the literature with regards to aspartame safety and toxicity in humans: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17828671
Sofritti study showing cancer in Sprague-Dawley rats dosed with aspartame: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24436139
Sprague-Dawley rat spontaneous tumor formation rate:
http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/canres/33/11/2768.full.pdf
http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/16/3/194
Metabolic breakdown of aspartame:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1865825
The only possible concern for aspartame is for phenylketonurics (PKU) who are hypersensitive to phenylalanine, but to that point look at the conclusion of the linked metabolic study
Conclusion from the study of aspartame metabolism in humans:
"Whereas some high-intensity sweeteners may have been subjected to more extensive animal testing for the purpose of demonstrating safety for use in the food supply, it is doubtful if any additive has received more clinical study than aspartame. As noted in this study, aspartame has been fed under a variety of conditions to normal adults, known PKU heterozygotes, 1-yr-olds, and IDDM and NIDDM subjects. Clinical tests have focused on doses of aspartame compatible with its use in the food supply in addition to its use under abuse situations. Administration of aspartame to humans occurred in the fasting state, as part of a meal, or in repeated loading studies. Pharmacokinetic data developed for plasma phenylalanine concentrations indicate that a bolus dose of 34 mg/kg body wt, the 99th percentile of projected daily intake, repeated at intervals of 2 h does not increase plasma phenylalanine concentrations above those levels experienced after ingesting a protein-containing meal. Aspartate and methanol released from aspartame under the conditions of these clinical studies did not constitute an excessive metabolic load."
Note that 34 mg/kg for me would be 2720 mgs. There is 125mg of aspartame in a can of diet coke (which is the highest, Coke Zero is 58mg for comparison). So keep in mind they were dosing here at the equivalent of drinking 21 cans of coke per day (hence the 99th percentile of daily intake). In that study there was no significant increase of plasma phenylalanine concentraions in the blood.12 -
bellaesprita wrote: »Try kombucha. It's a fermented tea that has a soda-like fizz. It's chalk full of probiotics. A bottle of kombucha will be half the calories and adds a wealth of health benefits.
I second this, if it's available and affordable to you. My favorite kind/flavor (never get sick of it deliciousness) is G.T.'s Trilogy (raspberry, ginger, lemon and 60 calories in a bottle). I find that 'booch' as I affectionately call it fills in when I have cravings for soda or alcohol. It's fizzy, it's tangy, but it's much more nutritious.
That said there is no replacement for a real coke at the end of a looooong bike ride.
Good luck!0 -
SweetEve340 wrote: »TeacupsAndToning wrote: »I wanted to give up soda pop completely. I used to drink diet pop - lots of it. Then I saw a documentary on aspartame, and I will never touch that stuff ever again! Sugared soda pop has glucose-fructose - this is terrible for your organs, it's not natural and your body cannot process it.
What I did was use Soda water and fruit juice. Too much fruit juice is also bad for your diet - lots of calories but doesn't make you feel full. You could try Crystal Light with soda water, at least that way you are drinking a "fizzy" drink.
Anyway, to break the habit of drinking pop, I started with lots of juice and a little soda water. Every couple of days I would increase the amount of soda water and decrease the amount of juice. After a few weeks, I was able to drop the juice completely. Then I gradually switched soda water for plain water. It's not easy but with determination, you can do it. Just like any bad habit, it takes time. Some people can stop "cold turkey" (like smoking cigarettes), others need more time.
Better to take all the time you need to finally be free of pop!
Aspartame is fine. That documentary you watched wanted to scare you.
Actually, it's not. It doesn't leave your body. Instead it deposits in your brain as a tumor and stays there. My sister was studying to become a doctor and she did a paper on the study about aspartame. (It was on rats)
So, yeah, aspartame is not okay. Really no artificial sweeteners are okay. Our body reacts to them just like regular sugar.
Holy *kitten*, no. I absolutely hope your sister failed her course. If not, then may whatever deity/ies you believe in help whomever the pour souls are that she treats.3 -
Its been almost six months now I have soda almost everyday (Pepsi, Fanta, Sprite etc...) sometimes as much as 3 glasses a day.
I feel this is doing some hidden internal damage to me (I am beginning to urinate a whole lot more, cannot seem to digest food properly without soda and worst of all the depression that I experience when I don't have a can for more than a day)
I do try to cleanse my body daily with having unsweetened green tea daily (If that even works) and have about 2 liters of plain water daily but I dont think that can really undo the damage caused by soda.
Bottom line, where do I even start to getting rid of such a habit?
OP. Soda, or any liquid, causes you to urinate more because you are ingesting liquid. I am not sure how you are determining that you can't digest food without soda so can't comment there. Soda contains caffeine. If you are used to caffeine and then you lessen the amount of caffeine you intake it can feel like depression. Green tea also has caffeine so any affect you are getting lessening your "symptoms" from drinking green tea is most likely just that you are replacing what your body is actually withdrawing from which is the caffeine.
Really the only active ingredient in soda is caffeine and your symptoms are pretty explainable as caffeine withdrawl. If you really want to get off caffeine from being addicted to it then wean yourself off of it slowly replacing with water or non-caffeinated beverages and eventually things like lethargy, depression and headaches associated from the withdrawal should subside. If you just substitute soda (that has caffeine) with green tea (which actually has more caffeine) then you aren't really changing much of anything.4 -
SweetEve340 wrote: »TeacupsAndToning wrote: »I wanted to give up soda pop completely. I used to drink diet pop - lots of it. Then I saw a documentary on aspartame, and I will never touch that stuff ever again! Sugared soda pop has glucose-fructose - this is terrible for your organs, it's not natural and your body cannot process it.
What I did was use Soda water and fruit juice. Too much fruit juice is also bad for your diet - lots of calories but doesn't make you feel full. You could try Crystal Light with soda water, at least that way you are drinking a "fizzy" drink.
Anyway, to break the habit of drinking pop, I started with lots of juice and a little soda water. Every couple of days I would increase the amount of soda water and decrease the amount of juice. After a few weeks, I was able to drop the juice completely. Then I gradually switched soda water for plain water. It's not easy but with determination, you can do it. Just like any bad habit, it takes time. Some people can stop "cold turkey" (like smoking cigarettes), others need more time.
Better to take all the time you need to finally be free of pop!
Aspartame is fine. That documentary you watched wanted to scare you.
Actually, it's not. It doesn't leave your body. Instead it deposits in your brain as a tumor and stays there. My sister was studying to become a doctor and she did a paper on the study about aspartame. (It was on rats)
So, yeah, aspartame is not okay. Really no artificial sweeteners are okay. Our body reacts to them just like regular sugar.
Holy *kitten*, no. I absolutely hope your sister failed her course. If not, then may whatever deity/ies you believe in help whomever the pour souls are that she treats.
Well to be fair to her sister her sister didn't post that, she posted that and just claimed it came from her sister to be able to attach some authority to it by association to someone who is at least in training to become involved in medicine. Have no idea if her sister would agree with her or not or what her sister wrote or anything. This is just an appeal to authority where the "authority" is a pre-med who wrote a paper once on something they read.9 -
bellaesprita wrote: »Try kombucha. It's a fermented tea that has a soda-like fizz. It's chalk full of probiotics. A bottle of kombucha will be half the calories and adds a wealth of health benefits.
Problem here with Kombucha is Kombucha is also caffeinated and your symptoms are likely related to your caffeine intake not the particular source of caffeine.
Soda has 21mg of caffeine in a can, Kombucha has more than than...about 36mg in the same amount.4 -
Aaron_K123 wrote: »SweetEve340 wrote: »TeacupsAndToning wrote: »I wanted to give up soda pop completely. I used to drink diet pop - lots of it. Then I saw a documentary on aspartame, and I will never touch that stuff ever again! Sugared soda pop has glucose-fructose - this is terrible for your organs, it's not natural and your body cannot process it.
What I did was use Soda water and fruit juice. Too much fruit juice is also bad for your diet - lots of calories but doesn't make you feel full. You could try Crystal Light with soda water, at least that way you are drinking a "fizzy" drink.
Anyway, to break the habit of drinking pop, I started with lots of juice and a little soda water. Every couple of days I would increase the amount of soda water and decrease the amount of juice. After a few weeks, I was able to drop the juice completely. Then I gradually switched soda water for plain water. It's not easy but with determination, you can do it. Just like any bad habit, it takes time. Some people can stop "cold turkey" (like smoking cigarettes), others need more time.
Better to take all the time you need to finally be free of pop!
Aspartame is fine. That documentary you watched wanted to scare you.
Actually, it's not. It doesn't leave your body. Instead it deposits in your brain as a tumor and stays there. My sister was studying to become a doctor and she did a paper on the study about aspartame. (It was on rats)
So, yeah, aspartame is not okay. Really no artificial sweeteners are okay. Our body reacts to them just like regular sugar.
Aspartame is just a methylester of a common dipeptide of two amino acids aspartate and phenylalanine. Upon injestion the peptide bond between the amino acids is rapidly hydrolyzed by peptidases and the methylester is broken down by hydrolysis to methanol and the constituite amino acids. The mass ratio of methanol to the whole molecule is 1 to 9 so the amount of methanol you get from a can of soda with aspartame in it is about equivalent to the amount you'd get drinking just a little bit of any fruit juice. The amount of aspartate and phenylalanine is tiny relative to any protein source and would be equivalent to the amount you'd get from a bite of chicken.
There is no evidence of any harm, toxicity or carcinogenicity caused by aspartame in humans. The study you reference in rats was the Soffritti study which is the one study touted by those who fearmonger aspartame. It was conducted in Sprague-Dawley rats (an inbred strain of rat that naturally develops tumors (45% of them develop tumors normally) and the amount of aspartame that was given to them was an insane amount equivalent to a human drinking something like 2000 cans of soda a day. They took pictures of the rats covered in tumors (which again happens normally to these rats) and went to the media with it making an emotional plea.
Citations:
Review and meta-analysis of the literature with regards to aspartame safety and toxicity in humans: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17828671
Sofritti study showing cancer in Sprague-Dawley rats dosed with aspartame: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24436139
Sprague-Dawley rat spontaneous tumor formation rate:
http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/canres/33/11/2768.full.pdf
http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/16/3/194
Metabolic breakdown of aspartame:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1865825
The only possible concern for aspartame is for phenylketonurics (PKU) who are hypersensitive to phenylalanine, but to that point look at the conclusion of the linked metabolic study
Conclusion from the study of aspartame metabolism in humans:
"Whereas some high-intensity sweeteners may have been subjected to more extensive animal testing for the purpose of demonstrating safety for use in the food supply, it is doubtful if any additive has received more clinical study than aspartame. As noted in this study, aspartame has been fed under a variety of conditions to normal adults, known PKU heterozygotes, 1-yr-olds, and IDDM and NIDDM subjects. Clinical tests have focused on doses of aspartame compatible with its use in the food supply in addition to its use under abuse situations. Administration of aspartame to humans occurred in the fasting state, as part of a meal, or in repeated loading studies. Pharmacokinetic data developed for plasma phenylalanine concentrations indicate that a bolus dose of 34 mg/kg body wt, the 99th percentile of projected daily intake, repeated at intervals of 2 h does not increase plasma phenylalanine concentrations above those levels experienced after ingesting a protein-containing meal. Aspartate and methanol released from aspartame under the conditions of these clinical studies did not constitute an excessive metabolic load."
Note that 34 mg/kg for me would be 2720 mgs. There is 125mg of aspartame in a can of diet coke (which is the highest, Coke Zero is 58mg for comparison). So keep in mind they were dosing here at the equivalent of drinking 21 cans of coke per day (hence the 99th percentile of daily intake). In that study there was no significant increase of plasma phenylalanine concentraions in the blood.
Love having you around, Aaron!
4 -
Wow, I did not login for a few days and come back to a whole discussion going on.
Thank you folks for your kind support and valuable insight.0
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