Is aspartame dangerous?

Oh yeah. Aspartame made me very very sick, but it took a couple of years before it started to show up. I drank diet soda for 2 whole years before I started experiencing pains in my legs and arms. It felt like I was being stabbed with an ice pick near the bone. I also developed vision problems and started to lose a great deal of vision in my left eye. I was only 34 at the time, and the doctor ran tests looking for what was wrong with me. They couldn't find anything... and I kept suffering. Finally had a friend tell me it was the diet soda.

When I stopped drinking it, it was hell. I had the shakes and I was sick for a few days. But once it was out of my system, I stopped having all of the problems. It was gone.

I would stay away from it as far as you can and check labels. I was one of these people you could never convince but now I believe it cause I lived it.

I am a self confessed fizzy drink addict, infact it is the only thing i drink apart from one or two cups of tea a week also, and pure orange juice.

I do suffer from quite a few of those things in that list, but the list is so big and wide ranging it should be expected right?

Little bit worrying reading this, i must say.

Originally posted by suicide__x
Thanks everyone.

I'll be staying clear of it now.

God knows how I'll convince my partner to though..

uh, just show her these posts... it convinced you, it will convince her.

Originally posted by valiant
I am a self confessed fizzy drink addict, infact it is the only thing i drink apart from one or two cups of tea a week also, and pure orange juice.

I do suffer from quite a few of those things in that list, but the list is so big and wide ranging it should be expected right?

Little bit worrying reading this, i must say.

If you like soda make sure you buy the ones that still use real sugar, there aren't many any more in the States but they're out there. Jones Soda is one brand I know of off the top of my head.

High Fructose Corn Syrup and the two most common artificial sweeteners (Splenda aka sucralose and Aspartame aka phenylalanine) are nothing short of poison. The human body does not process HFCS the same as sugar, which is why we have a much higher rate of obesity here in the US nowadays. Splenda is basically chlorinated sugar and was initially discovered when someone tasted a pesticide and found it to be sweet. Aspartame is a known exitotoxin/neurotoxin and is capable of much damage to various organs, as others here have already mentioned.

(Not to mention that all of the above do NOT help your immune system, and with all the discussion of the swine flu it's best to avoid all of the above and even limit sugar as much as possible.)

Stevia and Xylitol are the best for artificial sweeteners. Avoid the others like the plague. They aren't worth the health risks in the long run.

[edit on 27-9-2009 by Orion65]

molasses is sweet and supplies all the potassium you could ever need

Originally posted by suicide__x
Thanks everyone.

I'll be staying clear of it now.

God knows how I'll convince my partner to though..

I personally use Stevia. A natural herb thats a lot more sweeter than sugar, has no calories and has been used for thousands of years.

But still, some claim there are health issues with it - but mostly it's the FDA and people with a vested interest in the sale of artificial sweeteners.

I cannot stand the taste of aspartame or any of those saccharine alternatives. They leave such a horrid chemical taste in my mouth.

Some info - just a quick google result

I was addicted to diet coke for a few years. Then I began to get pain in my joints and it grew to the point where I was taking percocet 6 times a day. I gained 50 pounds. I read one day about aspartame and quit. in two weeks about half my pain went away and I found I wasn't as hungry as I was when I was drinking the coke. I was also very moody back then and depressed a lot. All that went away as well. Aspartame is an insidious drug like fluoride.

I switched back to ordinary sugar just yesterday, and to be honest, I feel A LOT better already.

Now, wether that's just a mental thing or not, I don't know. But nonetheless...

Xylitol is supposed to be good for you, 30% less calories than sugar and helps prevent cavities. Tastes just like sugar. Don't know anything about Stevia. Corn syrup is better than refined sugar. Honey is ok but too sweet for my taste buds. Maple syrup or molasses are fine.

[edit on 7-10-2009 by Sargoth]

I'm not earthy/crunchy but never had it never will. You can always burn up sugar through exercise. Avoid it like the plague.

I've tried staying away from this food additive ever since a chemist i knew warned me about the stuff. It would be helpful if we could post the brands / food and beverage products here on this thread.

[edit on 7-10-2009 by Circle]

Ok, after about 3 pages of anti-aspartame, I'll be the devil's advocate. I've been drinking diet soda for years. I haven't experienced any of these side effects. I'm fit, and healthy. I don't eat sweets very much, and don't drink coffee, but I'll admit diet cola's a bit of a vice... I suppose.

Anyway, do you all realize that when you have a classic coca-cola, it's equivalent to drinking liquid candy? Yep... that's much better.

Is it possible that some of you know that it's 'bad' and so you subconsciously make yourself ill after 'trying' it a few times? I'm not convinced. Generally, sugar substitutes like acefulmate-k is too long/complex to be absorbed into the digestive system. So it passes through unused.

Oh, the sky is falling btw.

To the OP, as a substitute you could try honey or fructose.

Originally posted by intrepid
It may not say "aspartame" on the label. It is also marketed as "phenylalanine". Keep an eye out for that.

I had no idea, thanks for pointing that out.

Originally posted by Circle
It would be helpful if we could post the brands / food and beverage products here on this thread.

I agree, I look at every label before I buy anything to make sure it doesn't have aspartame, acefulmate-k or MSG in it (and now also phenylalanine thanks to intrepid).

It is commonly in almost anything sugar-free, like...
- chewing gum
- diet sodas
...but sometimes they sneak it into arbitrary stuff like...
- mayonnaise
- soda water (even non-flavoured soda water)
- chips/crisps.

Originally posted by the siren
To the OP, as a substitute you could try honey or fructose.

Honestly, I've switched back to ordinary sugar. I live in a small town, unemployed, so the cheaper and most easily-accesible(sp?) one is always the best.

KJ

as long as we are talking about health and things in your body, while reading lables avoid "partially hydrogenated oils" this crap is in ALOT of stuff too. almost all big name peanut butter, margarine, almost ALL packaged cookies, donuts, bread, crackers, cakes, pies, popular cereals etc.

www.fitnessmantra.info...

you think humans had rampant diabetes, heart disease, obesity,ADD, irritable bowel sydrome, acid reflux, etc 100 years ago?? ITS THE FOOD !! take care of yourselves friends.