Artificial Sweeteners good or bad?

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violetismysoul
violetismysoul Posts: 47
in Food and Nutrition
I have been reading lately about the harm artificial sweeteners can do to your body. For example, the chemical aspartame is used in diet coke, Snapple, and other diet/healthy drinks and I have discovered several articles about, when consumed for a long period of time, the substitute builds up inside your system and begins to poison it. In one of the articles, a women had gained exessive weight, though already beinging heavy, and lost the ability of mobility. She was exhausted all of the time and was unable to accomplish simple things like walking or sitting up. She became an awake vegetable. She went to plenty of doctors and stumped them all concerning what was causing her illness. One day her sister called her after reading an article about aspartame and diet drinks like diet coke, dr. pepper, etc. The sister told her to immediatly stop drinking diet cokes. In less than 32 hours the immobile woman could walk again. What had happened was that her body had been slowly poisoned with aspartame.

Aspartame is also known to cause:
blindness in one or both eyes
dizziness
depression
virtigo
seizures
slurring of speech
high blood pressure
hives
gradual weight gain
loss of control of diabetes
exessive thirst
irreversible brain damage
birth defects
lupus
chronic fatigue syndrome
cancer
etc
the list goes on and on

So I was wondering, since I would wish and encourage others to avoid these problems, what artificial sweeteners are "okay" to
use as substitutions for sugar. Is Splenda okay? Sweet n' Low?

Here is a link to one of the websites that confronts and informs readers about aspartame, for credibility purposes.

http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-side-effects.html
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Replies

  • leslisa
    leslisa Posts: 1,350 Member
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    As far as my doc is concerned, so long as I don't eat a bunch, it's OK. His opinion is that any artificial sweetener in large amounts should be avoided. So as a general rule, I stay away from them most of the time. When I do use an artificial sweetener it's usually sweet n low.

    Just FYI, sugar = 15 cal tsp, honey is 22 cal tsp.

    Unless you are using it like crazy a little sugar can be worked into the equation pretty easily. Lord knows I have a bit of honey from time to time. I love the stuff :bigsmile:
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
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    It might be safe, it might not, or it might cause weight gain. Regardless, who needs it? If you stop eating super sweet food your taste buds will adjust and you'll stop craving the sugar taste.
  • carld256
    carld256 Posts: 855 Member
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    I use artificial sweeteners without any ill-effects and don't worry about them at all. They've been tested and are generally recognized as safe.
  • kgprice11
    kgprice11 Posts: 750 Member
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    blah!! I like natural sweetener.....a pretty girl :)
  • leslisa
    leslisa Posts: 1,350 Member
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    It might be safe, it might not, or it might cause weight gain. Regardless, who needs it? If you stop eating super sweet food your taste buds will adjust and you'll stop craving the sugar taste.

    True to a certain extent, but I do still crave honey, especially when I'm sick. Probably goes back to the lemon and honey tea I drink when I have a cold.
  • violetismysoul
    violetismysoul Posts: 47
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    Don't get me wrong. I love natural sweeteners. I just have family members who I am concerned about and was wondering if anyone had Legitimate information about this. Many people don't realize that artificial substances are added to so much for an enhanced flavor. I'm not a go green kind of girl but this does worry me a bit.
  • kylTKe
    kylTKe Posts: 146 Member
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    Aspartame has not been shown to have any safety problems. The idea that it causes MS, lupus, cancer, and everything else under the sun is an internet hoax.

    Just a side note, consider how pervasive diet drinks are in America. If aspartame was so dangerous and caused all those health issues that you stated, would you really have to crawl into some dark corner of the internet to find out about it? Not that that qualifies as any sort of proof one way or the other, just a funny idea.

    ETA: However, what is more interesting is that diet drinks were correlated with long term weight gain. Whether they are a direct cause of weight gain or simply a food choice of those whose other habits cause weight gain was unclear.
  • vfnmoody
    vfnmoody Posts: 271 Member
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    look it up Wikapedia they have a fair analysis
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,701 Member
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    I want to see proof. Where are all the dead bodies with the maladies associated with the diseases from artificial sweeteners?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    I have been reading lately about the harm artificial sweeteners can do to your body. For example, the chemical aspartame is used in diet coke, Snapple, and other diet/healthy drinks and I have discovered several articles about, when consumed for a long period of time, the substitute builds up inside your system and begins to poison it. In one of the articles, a women had gained exessive weight, though already beinging heavy, and lost the ability of mobility. She was exhausted all of the time and was unable to accomplish simple things like walking or sitting up. She became an awake vegetable. She went to plenty of doctors and stumped them all concerning what was causing her illness. One day her sister called her after reading an article about aspartame and diet drinks like diet coke, dr. pepper, etc. The sister told her to immediatly stop drinking diet cokes. In less than 32 hours the immobile woman could walk again. What had happened was that her body had been slowly poisoned with aspartame.

    Aspartame is also known to cause:
    blindness in one or both eyes
    dizziness
    depression
    virtigo
    seizures
    slurring of speech
    high blood pressure
    hives
    gradual weight gain
    loss of control of diabetes
    exessive thirst
    irreversible brain damage
    birth defects
    lupus
    chronic fatigue syndrome
    cancer
    etc
    the list goes on and on

    So I was wondering, since I would wish and encourage others to avoid these problems, what artificial sweeteners are "okay" to
    use as substitutions for sugar. Is Splenda okay? Sweet n' Low?

    Here is a link to one of the websites that confronts and informs readers about aspartame, for credibility purposes.

    http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-side-effects.html

    Please find a credible source for the ridiculous accusations in this post. Absolutely ridiculous.
  • MrsLVF
    MrsLVF Posts: 787 Member
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    Any are considered "OK" as long as they do not cause you any harm. However they may have side effects / adverse effects on someone else.

    I cannot ingest Splenda (aka sucralose) without getting a horrible itchy bumpy rash/hives. But that doesn't happen to most people.
  • run2jeepn
    run2jeepn Posts: 183 Member
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    There is no Real solid Proof... When I was every young. I was ADHD at a young age. My parents took me to 2 Doctors. Both said Ritalin was the answer. They didn't want that for me. So a 3rd Doctor said Take Sugar away. All of it. Pretty much any thing that ended with an "OSE" and other sugars. Many Fruits were a no go. The Doctor told my Parents I would grow out of it as well. About the age of 13-14 I was. But from 3ish to my young Teens. I wasn't allowed any. Now I did sneak some behind there backs at times. But they could almost always tell from my behavior.. I believe for many parents with kids on Ritalin. This would fix there issues. It has to be a strict. Any slip with Sugar intake can you can tell the next day or even that evening. I know 1st. I lived and my son is a little like I was. Not as bad.

    All that being said. I grew up on Artificial Sweeteners in almost all my foods for 10yrs at least.

    I'm 32yrs old now and have Zero side effects from it.

    I'll also add. I never missed one day of school. I played every Sport my school dished out. I went from 1-12 in school with no missing. Who can say that? I think it was from my diet and the way I was raised. I never even had a Fever. I did get Chicken pocks in Kindergarten.

    Or even got sick till I was in my late 20's. Never throw up till my late 20's as well.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    Oh, my, low-cal sweeteners are getting a lot of mileage in the forums of late!

    A summary of a summary of my recent posts on the subject:

    1. The real benefit is that they make things taste sweeter without adding calories.
    2. There are side effects in some sensitive populations to each sweetener.
    3. Many of them (aspartame - fully approved in 1996, sucralose - fully approved in 2006) have not been around long enough for the populations who use them to have experienced any long-term effects yet.
    4. The constant intake of sweetened items can, in some people (like me) increase cravings for sweet things. Reduction in said intake eases craving control.

    Given the benefits (flavor), costs (makes it harder for me to avoid other sweets), and risks (small but unknown), I'll stick with sweeteners that have been around for a while and whose side effects and long-term impacts are very well known and well-documented. I completely respect the opinion and right of others to make their own decisions based on their own assessment of the risks and rewards.

    At the moment, saccharin is the only thing with enough long-term use for me to consider it safe for my use, and that tastes like chemical-dipped *kitten* to me.

    Experimental test subjects: In 25 years, if y'all are still extolling the virtues of sucralose, or in 15 years if aspartame is still the paragon of zero-calorie sweetening virtue, I'll give it more thought. Thanks for testing it out for me, though!
    Hugs and kisses,
    - A member of the experimental control group.
  • marz42
    marz42 Posts: 223 Member
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    I've read that it is quite safe and all you read on the internet is hooey. I've also read on a lot of sites all the alleged bad effects.
    I've been drinking diet pop for years with no obvious ill effects, but most of the things listed (on the OP's post) could be caused by so many things, it would be hard to tell if nutrasweet was a factor or not. I've got high blood pressure, sometimes I get dizzy, I'm tired a lot..maybe nutrasweet is a factor, or maybe it's just salt/water/lack of sleep etc.

    I've got one friend who can't drink it without getting horrible headaches, another who gets sick to his stomach, and another who tells me she gets instantly really really grumpy. So it seems to me even if its "safe", it may still at least affect some people. IE, I can eat MSG and don't notice a thing. My ex would get a headache 30 minutes later, ever single time.

    I've also read that it's "safe" but can cause weight gain for reasons I don't quite remember having to do with it tasting sweet but not having any actual sugars in it, that that messes with your metabolism or at the very least makes you crave sweets more later.
    I don't remember the specifics, but I remember reading that artificial sweetners can still cause weight gain, in quite a few places.
  • violetismysoul
    violetismysoul Posts: 47
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    Please find a credible source for the ridiculous accusations in this post. Absolutely ridiculous.

    Okay people. Chill out. My grandma was emailed an informative message from her close friend about aspartame. I'm just asking questions here, not making scientific facts. My intention in posting this question was to get some answers and just see if anyone knew anything about it. Don't press me for answers because I don't know. If you want to start some bogus self-entertaining internet argument go find someone else. Again, I am asking a question and looking for real answers. Others have already made other post that discuss and argue aspartame so go to the 'Aspartame Thread' post and voice your 'opinion' there. I don't want your opinions...I want your knowledge.

    Also, the listing of the side effects were a question also;to make sure that the information was legit. Don't attack me.
  • rayvynn5374
    rayvynn5374 Posts: 272 Member
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    Here's a little story...
    About 11 years ago my husband and i started using splenda.
    About 6 years ago Hubby got extremely ill (hospitalized for 17 days due to bloody stools)
    About 4 years ago I got an intestinal issue called Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction
    About 3.5 years ago I became extremely allergic to tomatoes, berries of any kind, bananas, and eggs.
    About 1.5 years ago we came across an article listing side effects of splenda and stopped using Splenda
    all the above mentioned ailments have gone away with the exception of hubbys scarred intestines.....
    If it needs to be sweet I use sugar. Ever look at how some of the artifical sweetners are made? I was shocked about Splenda.

    My vote :BAD BAD BAD!!!
  • SueD66
    SueD66 Posts: 405 Member
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    I avoid them if at all possible. they may be in somethings i eat but if i have to add suger i use the real thing. I'll take the extra calorie for sure
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    I've read that it is quite safe and all you read on the internet is hooey. I've also read on a lot of sites all the alleged bad effects.
    I've been drinking diet pop for years with no obvious ill effects, but most of the things listed (on the OP's post) could be caused by so many things, it would be hard to tell if nutrasweet was a factor or not. I've got high blood pressure, sometimes I get dizzy, I'm tired a lot..maybe nutrasweet is a factor, or maybe it's just salt/water/lack of sleep etc.

    I've got one friend who can't drink it without getting horrible headaches, another who gets sick to his stomach, and another who tells me she gets instantly really really grumpy. So it seems to me even if its "safe", it may still at least affect some people. IE, I can eat MSG and don't notice a thing. My ex would get a headache 30 minutes later, ever single time.

    I've also read that it's "safe" but can cause weight gain for reasons I don't quite remember having to do with it tasting sweet but not having any actual sugars in it, that that messes with your metabolism or at the very least makes you crave sweets more later.
    I don't remember the specifics, but I remember reading that artificial sweetners can still cause weight gain, in quite a few places.

    There is a lot of conflicting information out there on all of them as to any bad side effects, though they are generally considered safe for most people. There's a LOT of scaremongering out there on the side effects, and sweeteners get blamed for anything from sudden unexplained death to mild sadness.

    What you want to do is simply consider - how are they benefiting you? By making your beverages taste sweeter?

    To me, that's simply not enough reason to take the very small risk that appears to exist in using them in any quantity.

    If you suspect the sweetener might be causing your side effects, though it probably isn't, you might want to consider giving them up for a month and see if the symptoms subside. I mean, it's not like you're going to die of insufficient diet pop intake - the pop isn't actually giving your body anything it needs for proper operation other than hydration, and you can get that from water.

    Of course, if it's caffeinated diet pop, you might FEEL like you're going to die for a couple of days, but caffeine withdrawal symptoms pass, and you can always find another caffeine source like black coffee or unsweetened tea (with my apologies for mentioning the term "unsweetened tea" if you happen to live south of the Mason-Dixon line, of course :wink: ).
  • AimersBee
    AimersBee Posts: 775 Member
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    Oh, my, low-cal sweeteners are getting a lot of mileage in the forums of late!

    A summary of a summary of my recent posts on the subject:

    1. The real benefit is that they make things taste sweeter without adding calories.
    2. There are side effects in some sensitive populations to each sweetener.
    3. Many of them (aspartame - fully approved in 1996, sucralose - fully approved in 2006) have not been around long enough for the populations who use them to have experienced any long-term effects yet.
    4. The constant intake of sweetened items can, in some people (like me) increase cravings for sweet things. Reduction in said intake eases craving control.

    Given the benefits (flavor), costs (makes it harder for me to avoid other sweets), and risks (small but unknown), I'll stick with sweeteners that have been around for a while and whose side effects and long-term impacts are very well known and well-documented. I completely respect the opinion and right of others to make their own decisions based on their own assessment of the risks and rewards.

    At the moment, saccharin is the only thing with enough long-term use for me to consider it safe for my use, and that tastes like chemical-dipped *kitten* to me.

    Experimental test subjects: In 25 years, if y'all are still extolling the virtues of sucralose, or in 15 years if aspartame is still the paragon of zero-calorie sweetening virtue, I'll give it more thought. Thanks for testing it out for me, though!
    Hugs and kisses,
    - A member of the experimental control group.

    ^this
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    Again, I am asking a question and looking for real answers

    I regret to say that you probably won't find any solid answers. Any thorough tests were done by the manufacturers who want to sell it, and most of the claims about ill effects are made by people who want to scare you into magical cleanses made of the finest unicorn horn powder they want to sell you. As a great philosopher/poet once said, "It's all about the Benjamins, baby!"

    An unbiased properly-controlled study doesn't exist, because such things are extremely expensive and the only people interested in funding them would need a profit motivation to do so. So what we have is biased studies, lots of correlation, and hyperbole.

    There simply isn't a great deal of information on the safety of products that have been around for so little time.

    My personal bias is to mistrust them until they have a proven track record, and there hasn't been enough time to develop that track record to convince me. Aspartame has been in common unrestricted use since 1996. That's about 16 years that we've had a solid experimental group out there taking it.

    I'm 43 years old. I figure if I'm lucky I have another 50 years left. So in 15 years, 35-ish left at most. By then, Aspartame will have 31-year track record. That pretty much matches the time I'll have left to live, so if there are any long-term effects they'll happen when I'm about ready for my dirt nap anyway.

    In the meantime, once again, props to my experimenters! I appreciate y'all going out of your way to make sure Aspartame is safe long-term. Love y'all. :love: :heart:

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