The Aspartame Thread

I don't understand why this is even an issue. If something is more than questionable, why would you consider putting it in your body? There's absolutely no justification for it. Now, if you want it, just say you want it, but don't try to defend it as a sensible choice when you're asked about it.

So don't eat vegetables and fruits because it DOES turn into formaldehyde in your body. That's not a lie. See what I did there?
It's only questionable to people who have limited knowledge on the actual science of how human physiology works. Things like, "it's a chemical and we know what chemicals do to the body" yet everything that happens in the body is a chemical reaction done with chemicals that interact with each other. There's even arsenic in our bodies, however the levels are low. So are the levels of aspartic acid and phenylalaine in a diet soda.
If comparisons are going to be done, then do it fairly. I will AGREE that drinking a case of diet soda daily is probably going to cause an issue same as if I ate 10lbs of prunes, I'd be in big trouble.

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A. I forget that this forum is stone age
B. Is that your best attempt at humor?

History is usually a good place to look for indicators of future outcomes.

Might as well keep worrying about the end of the world too.

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Yeah and the end of the world seems more likely at this point then getting an argument from this thread FOR Apartame other than "it taste like crap but it has 0 calories."

Cardboard has zero calories too but you don't eat that...well, then again weren't there some burgers in China being infused with cardboard a while back.

How else would they get their fiber?:laugh: :laugh:

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Your first sentence was a personal insult against someone you know nothing about. Not a great start to your argument.

The rest of your post...cry me a river.

I've read your posts in this thread. That's all I really need to know. Your posts demonstrate a clear distrust and misunderstanding of science. If that's not really you, then perhaps you should work on your presentation. Your posts also demonstrate a propensity for snakiness, rudeness, and childish insults, while in the same breath you cry 'foul' when someone turns the table. Again, if that's not really you, perhaps you should work on your presentation.

I did not intend to personally insult you, but I still stand by what I said. You don't seem to know how science works. You can take that as an insult (which you obviously did), or you can say 'gee... maybe I was wrong?'

The beauty of being human is that you can reason and learn. Or you can cling to your beliefs despite evidence to the contrary.

The rest of my post? Not written for the benefit of gaining sympathy. It was written to clarify a very common misunderstanding. There isn't much money in sciences. The people who make the big bucks are the business guys who become CEOs of pharmaceutical industries, or the guys good at politics and administration who become department chairs, deans, etc...

It will take another 5 to 10 years before my salary hits the 70,000 range. By the time I retire, I MIGHT be making 150,000 to 200,000. That's a decent salary. But that's not the millions you'd have to pay me to get me to hide secrets from the world.... secrets like OH MY GOSH ASPARTAME WILL MAKE YOU GROW TWO HEADS!


By the way... DDT and Aspartame have been around for a similar number of years. Aspartame might have harmful effects in some people, but for the average person, it's just two amino acids bonded together that gives a sweet and low calorie flavor to drink and food.

Actually, this is pretty mild compared to some of the alarmist misinformation circulating on the Internet. There we are told that there is a widespread epidemic of aspartame poisoning, causing headaches, seizures, Alzheimer’s, cancer, diabetes, blindness, multiple sclerosis, birth defects, even Gulf War Syndrome. We are told that “If you…suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred vision, or memory loss-you probably have ASPARTAME DISEASE!” We are expected to believe the lie that “When they remove brain tumors, they have found high levels of aspartame in them.”

All this misinformation has been identified as a hoax, an urban legend, by various sources including Time.com, Snopes.com and About.com. Much of it hinges on a widely disseminated e-mail by a “Nancy Markle” who was accused of plagiarizing it from Betty Martini. Martini is the founder of Mission Possible World Health International, which is “committed to removing the deadly chemical aspartame from our food.” She is also anti-vaccine, anti-fluoride, anti-MSG, a conspiracy theorist, and thinks she was cured of breast cancer by an herbal formula.

Her website consists of misinformation, testimonials, and hysterical rants. She implores readers: YOUR personal horror story needed NOW!. She is associated with a number of others notorious for circulating unreliable information, including the infamous Joseph Mercola.

There’s even a book, Sweet Poison, by Janet Hull, creator of the Aspartame Detox Program.

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/are-artificial-sweeteners-safe/

Your first sentence was a personal insult against someone you know nothing about. Not a great start to your argument.

The rest of your post...cry me a river.

I've read your posts in this thread. That's all I really need to know. Your posts demonstrate a clear distrust and misunderstanding of science. If that's not really you, then perhaps you should work on your presentation. Your posts also demonstrate a propensity for snakiness, rudeness, and childish insults, while in the same breath you cry 'foul' when someone turns the table. Again, if that's not really you, perhaps you should work on your presentation.

I did not intend to personally insult you, but I still stand by what I said. You don't seem to know how science works. You can take that as an insult (which you obviously did), or you can say 'gee... maybe I was wrong?'

The beauty of being human is that you can reason and learn. Or you can cling to your beliefs despite evidence to the contrary.

The rest of my post? Not written for the benefit of gaining sympathy. It was written to clarify a very common misunderstanding. There isn't much money in sciences. The people who make the big bucks are the business guys who become CEOs of pharmaceutical industries, or the guys good at politics and administration who become department chairs, deans, etc...

It will take another 5 to 10 years before my salary hits the 70,000 range. By the time I retire, I MIGHT be making 150,000 to 200,000. That's a decent salary. But that's not the millions you'd have to pay me to get me to hide secrets from the world.... secrets like OH MY GOSH ASPARTAME WILL MAKE YOU GROW TWO HEADS!


By the way... DDT and Aspartame have been around for a similar number of years. Aspartame might have harmful effects in some people, but for the average person, it's just two amino acids bonded together that gives a sweet and low calorie flavor to drink and food.

You just characterized me as "snaky, rude and childish" and then said you didn't intend to insult me.

:yawn: I now know why most forums have an ignore user feature.

I distrust corporate sponsored science motivated by greed.

"Log off the internet"...you're in need of some new material, my friend.

Then find something in peer reviewed journals of medicine (like the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism) that states that aspartame will kill you.

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I never said it will kill you. I do believe it has very negative side effects. Can some of those side effects lead to death? Maybe. Hard to prove when there's not a med examiner in the world that will investigate Aspartame poisoning as a cause of death.

You can find a negative side effects to anything. Even Vitamin C has negative effects on some people. Peanuts can kill people. Exercising can kill you if you exceed your ability. Keeping a disinfected house can actually make you sick when you go out (since you need "sickness" to boost your immunity).
I trust science enough to follow "current" findings. Our technology now is much more advanced and with all the watch dog groups around, if there's sufficient enough evidence to prove something is killing us, it will get pulled.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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I'm still not seeing an argument for use of Aspartame in particular. That other products have harmful effects does not somehow make Aspartame okay. Not sure where you're going on this one...

Thanks for remaining civil though. I have quite a sarcastic streak but I think you and the other guy get it.

I distrust corporate sponsored science motivated by greed.

"Log off the internet"...you're in need of some new material, my friend.

Then find something in peer reviewed journals of medicine (like the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism) that states that aspartame will kill you.

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

I never said it will kill you. I do believe it has very negative side effects. Can some of those side effects lead to death? Maybe. Hard to prove when there's not a med examiner in the world that will investigate Aspartame poisoning as a cause of death.

You can find a negative side effects to anything. Even Vitamin C has negative effects on some people. Peanuts can kill people. Exercising can kill you if you exceed your ability. Keeping a disinfected house can actually make you sick when you go out (since you need "sickness" to boost your immunity).
I trust science enough to follow "current" findings. Our technology now is much more advanced and with all the watch dog groups around, if there's sufficient enough evidence to prove something is killing us, it will get pulled.

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

I'm still not seeing an argument for use of Aspartame in particular. That other products have harmful effects does not somehow make Aspartame okay. Not sure where you're going on this one...

Thanks for remaining civil though. I have quite a sarcastic streak but I think you and the other guy get it.

I think people have stated the use for aspartame.Basically, they enjoy it. They like the sweetness without the calories and many do not find it makes them crave more sweets and actually find that it satiates the craving.

I am a nursing student with two semesters to go; this is my third bachelors degree and I am an old fart- I've been researching clinical studies for years so I am pretty good at hunting around for info in scientific journals. I studied animal nutrition for years because I raised horses and farm animals of all types.

A pilot friend told me some years back that the FAA banned Aspartame for pilots; that pilots were grounded if they consumed aspartame within X hours of flying. Last fall, as part of a nutrition presentation for high school kids, I researched this because I was going to include it in my project. Nothing. Anywhere. I'm not saying it's not out there somewhere, but if it is- I certainly never found it.

I think there is a lot of "junk science", false beliefs, and uneducated opinions out there regarding nutrition and nutritional products. Not just aspartame, but in general. There is also a woeful lack of knowledge about how our bodies actually work. That's not a cut directed at anyone, just a statement of fact.

That said, I try to avoid aspartame- it gives me migranes. And I do resent it being in so many foods since I do react to it. I do use stevia- I have no poor reactions to it at all. I figure to each his or her own- we need to do our own research and make our own decisions about these issues. I use foods and products that make sense... to me.

Sometimes people push the "Oh I use this because it's natural!" And my off the cuff reply is usually "So is hemlock." :bigsmile:

I don't understand why this is even an issue. If something is more than questionable, why would you consider putting it in your body? There's absolutely no justification for it. Now, if you want it, just say you want it, but don't try to defend it as a sensible choice when you're asked about it.

I wish there was a *like* button!

I distrust corporate sponsored science motivated by greed.

"Log off the internet"...you're in need of some new material, my friend.

Then find something in peer reviewed journals of medicine (like the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism) that states that aspartame will kill you.

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

I never said it will kill you. I do believe it has very negative side effects. Can some of those side effects lead to death? Maybe. Hard to prove when there's not a med examiner in the world that will investigate Aspartame poisoning as a cause of death.

You can find a negative side effects to anything. Even Vitamin C has negative effects on some people. Peanuts can kill people. Exercising can kill you if you exceed your ability. Keeping a disinfected house can actually make you sick when you go out (since you need "sickness" to boost your immunity).
I trust science enough to follow "current" findings. Our technology now is much more advanced and with all the watch dog groups around, if there's sufficient enough evidence to prove something is killing us, it will get pulled.

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

I'm still not seeing an argument for use of Aspartame in particular. That other products have harmful effects does not somehow make Aspartame okay. Not sure where you're going on this one...

Thanks for remaining civil though. I have quite a sarcastic streak but I think you and the other guy get it.

The argument is that as a sweetener and zero calories, it's a great substitute over drinks with high calories. We don't have to argue that being overweight is associated with many more health issues, than being at normal weight. Being able to satisfy your "sweet tooth" with an artificial sweetener rather than indulging in full sugared drinks saves you on calories. A regular Pepsi at 12 oz is 150 calories. Drink 2 and that's 300 calories. I'd rather contribute that 300 calories to food rather than regular soda. But at least drinking a diet Pepsi, I can get my "sweet" treat in without having to worry about calories.

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