Any opinions on aspartame (ie. Nutrasweet)?

[brentspeak]

I've been a low-carb diet for the past six months, and so I ditched the sugar cola for diet cola. But my brother the other day told me that the aspartame in all diet drinks is something akin to a neurotoxin, and might eventually cause MS or premature Alzheimer's, or perhaps other neurological disorders.

Has this been verified?

[Maple]

1. No...it's the usual hokum

by the nuts-and-berries-lets-live-in-a-cave-crowd.

[Mr_Spock]

11. LOL - I like you're attitude!

lol

[miss_kitty]

55. I love this kind of 'know-it-all' dismissal with nothing to back it up

here's a link to a few scientific studies which points out the built-in biases:

http://kateladd.com/allaboutaspartame/id4.html

like "This study was mounted by Nutrasweet" "These docs work for Monsanto" and "This guy is an independent."

Read and think for yourself...:)

[Lindacooks]

57. No it isn't.

Don't use aspartame. It was approved when Reagan got into office in 1981 and gutted the FDA, and one of his cronies, who owned the company trying to get aspartame on the market, joined his administration. In Food Science classes I took in 1980, profs were sure it was never going to be approved because there were too many problems with it in human tests. Don't use it!!

[SpiralHawk]

2. Many serious questions have been raised about it

And its toxicity is now a blurry issue in the muddle of science.

I think its highly suspect crapola deluxe, and I avoid it.

[radwriter0555]

39. Considering that it was banned for 15 years until rummy stepped in, I

don't ingest anything that kills lab rats.

Stick to water, juice, dairy, etc. Better for you, tastes better, doesn't support 3rd world destruction.

[Southpaw Bookworm]

42. Amen n/t

[DianeG5385]

3. Don't eat foods that contain it.

Sugar's not all that bad, just moderate usage. I don't like to eat chemicals where there is no long term study as to what it does to you. Being the sister of a cancer victim (first in a huge family) who took the pill long term and ALSO was a nutrasweet freak (stole it from restaurants) I tend to prefer whole foods I make myself. Not a big fast food person either. I say, stick to the basics. Sugar and butter have not been shown to cause cancer. The substitutes? Who knows??

[CanuckAmok]

4. I'm allergic to it, as are many people.

My symptoms include severe headaches and a rather scary closure of my airway.

I avoid it, but it's in everything. The fact that it's cheaper to produce than sugar means it will eventually surpass sugar in commercial sweetening.

[Child_Of_Isis]

5. Google Rumsfeld and aspartame.

The truth is out there.

[jadedcherub]

6. It's not going to cause alzheimers, or anything like that. and it's not

toxic. but, i mean. Naturally is always better right?

.jc.
----



MIT News):
Even daily large doses of the high-intensity sweetener aspartame, also known as NutraSweet, had no adverse effect on study subjects' health and well-being, a visiting scientist at MIT reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition last week.

"We conclude that aspartame is safe for the general population," said Paul A. Spiers, visiting scientist in the Clinical Research Center (CRC).


(American Council on Science and Health):
Health scare artists have found a whole new medium for terrorizing the public — the Internet. Individuals in search of accurate health information may literally become caught in the Web, where health hoaxes and urban medical myths run rampant. The health scare messages are always the same — whatever it is, it will make you sick.

(FDA):
To date, FDA has not determined any consistent pattern of symptoms that can be attributed to the use of aspartame, nor is the agency aware of any recent studies that clearly show safety problems.

(The Lancet):
Our research revealed over 6000 web sites that mention aspartame, with many hundreds alleging aspartame to be the cause of multiple sclerosis, lupus erythematosis, Gulf War Syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, brain tumours, and diabetes mellitus, among many others. Virtually all of the information offered is anecdotal, from anonymous sources and is scientifically implausible.

[BiggJawn]

21. Who funds Dr. Spiers?

Follow the Money. In this day and age, I could probably get C. Everett Koop to say feces consumption is important for health. All I'd have to do is pay him enough.

I got curious a while back about HFCS (High Fructose Corn Sweetner) So, I figure I'd "google" my way to information.

I wonder if there's a reason that the first "hits" all wound up at some web page connected with the "Corn Refiners Association". And they quote doctors and scientists as saying "Sugar's sugar..."

Sounds too much like Milo Minderbinder's chocolate-covered cotton, if you ask me.

[jadedcherub]

30. I have no idea.

Paul A. Spiers, Ph.D. is vice chairman of the board of the Hemlock Society, the oldest and largest U.S. organization which supports legalization of assisted suicide. He is a clinical and forensic neuropsychologist who is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine and is affiliated with the Clinical Research Center of MIT. After being paralyzed in a riding accident in 1994, Paul has become a spokesman for choice in dying in the disabled community.

http://www.bernalbeach.com/ent/filmmake.html

there's a little background, and here's something he signed shortly after 9/11, (quick excerpt, follow the link for full)

The entire world stands behind the US, in the hope that the commission of crimes against civilization can be exterminated. Such solidarity was absolutely unthinkable even fifteen years ago. The US therefore has an unparalleled opportunity to demonstrate its unshakeable commitment to its own principles, particularly under such conditions of extreme duress, nd to provide the world with the hope that democracy and freedom can truly rise above the parochial ideological madness of the past. Such a demonstration would truly lift the American state above all past national institutions, and would continue the tradition of great spirit that allowed for the rehabilitation of Germany and Japan after the Second World War.

Perhaps the events of September 11 might therefore be regarded as the last war of the second Christian millennium, instead of the first war of the third. In consequence, we implore you to react with discrimination, to target only those truly responsible, and to avoid the cruel and thoughtless errors characterizing humanity's blind and ethnocentric past. Please punish only the guilty, and not the innocent. Otherwise the cycle of terror that seems an ineradicable part of human existence will never come to an end. Sincerely,

30. Paul A. Spiers, Ph.D., Clinical Research Center, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology

http://www.filosofos.org/articulos/apa_letter.htm

[BiggJawn]

37. So he's a Psychiatrist...

Who is rendering an opinion on something dealing with metabolism and neurology. I'd give him more weight if he was a Chemist.

Hey, I'm a VCR mechanic and pretty fair broadcast transmitter Engineer. Let me tell you how to fix spinal cord injuries. What? It's all electricity and circuits, isn't it?

Reminds me of the old saw "He was so proud of his new PhD in Romance Languages that when he went to the theatre and when they asked if there was a doctor in the house, he stood up..."

[kiahzero]

41. A neuropsychologist would be logically be part of the research team

Remember... the claim was that it caused Alzheimers.

http://www.tbidoc.com/Appel2.html

If this is an accurate representation of what a neuropsychologist is, he is far more qualified than you assert to discuss the matter at hand. But, as I implied in the subject line, it is not likely that he was the only one working on the research.

[BiggJawn]

45. Well, we're getting side-tracked here.

My ORIGINAL question was: Who's paying him to say that Aspartame is safe?
My qulifications have nothing to do with it. I don't NEED no steenkin' PhD to call a turd a turd when I smell one.

Follow the money.

[Taverner]

7. Well it tastes like ass, and Splenda (Sucralose) tastes better

but that's my opinion

[tjdee]

9. It does taste like ass.

:thumbsup:

I stick with sugar, though.

[Rick Myers]

8. All I know... If I consume a tiny bit of it...

I get a major league HEADACHE and feel like I'm high on tranqulizers!!!

Hey, where's the diet Coke...

[indigobusiness]

10. It is a serious problem...don't be fooled by the propaganda

There is good info on it despite the efforts to suppress it.

It's true that Rumsfeld worked for Searle to ram it through Regan's fda.

[legally blonde]

12. Good Lord I hope aspartame isn't a neurotoxin

if it is, I'm in trouble--I drink a lot of Diet Coke!

[qnr]

13. Seems I saw some studies recently where

it acts as an appetite stimulant, and discussing why they always advertise diet soft drinks with aspartame with chips and what not.

Just out of curiousity, who is it that is/was involved with the makers of Nutrasweet? Cheney? Rumsfeld? I forget.

[Child_Of_Isis]

18. Rumsfeld.

He also destroyed Stevia, due to the soft drink companies were going to go with Stevia. Now stevia is not even allowed to market itself as an edible.

[qnr]

20. Thank you n/t

[Child_Of_Isis]

27. Here is a link

http://www.swankin-turner.com/hist.html

[BlueJazz]

14. I use it a lot and I HAVE heard that it causes Memory Problems.

[FloridaPat]

15. There are lots of people who say it causes it lot of problems.

It has a lot of complaints to the FDA of people not feeling well with it. It's suppose to cause symptoms like MS. It also has been blamed on death of atheletes who get dehydrated and drink a lot to quench their thirst.

[BlueJazz]

16. I use it a lot and I HAVE heard that it causes Memory Problems.

[BlueJazz]

17. I use it a lot and I HAVE heard that it causes Memory Problems.

[BlueJazz]

19. I use it a lot and I HAVE heard that it causes Memory Problems.

[qnr]

22. heheheh n/t

[dddem]

40. do you remember

where you heard that?

[NV Whino]

23. play it safe and avoid it

A little sugar is good for you. Soft drinks (with or without aspartame, with or without sugar) are not.

[brentspeak]

25. Problem is, I have high cholesterol and trigs

So I was told to stay off the carbs. (And I'm pretty young!)

Whatever happened to good old saccharine? Did the makers of aspartame bully all the other artificial sweeteners out of the business?

[Child_Of_Isis]

29. Stevia can be found in health food stores.

You should really check it out. Especially if you are a low carber.

[Robeson]

34. Go with Stevia

You'll get used to it, and before you know, you want won't anything else.

[indigobusiness]

50. It is the best. ... Swansons sells 4 oz jars cheap.

But the best deal is bulk from herb vendors.

Stevia, (pronounced steh vee uh) is excellent and good for blood sugar levels and blood-pressure.

stevia

n 1: any plant of the genus Stevia or the closely related genus Piqueria having glutinous foliage and white or purplish flowers; Central and South America 2: any plant of the genus Piqueria or the closely related genus Stevia

[oregonjen]

24. My Naturopathic doc/sister-in-law says don't use it

Use Splenda instead. She doesn't go near Nutrasweet. : )

Edited to add: Diet Rite Cola uses Splenda and so does Costco's Kirkland brand cola.

[politicat]

26. Don't use it as a meal substitute.

Many people get headaches because they have a diet soda instead of eating something when hungry and end up with a sugar-crash headache. So you have to eat something with it if you're prone to hunger headaches. You can eat a low calorie, high fiber snack, but it has to be something.

Splenda does taste better. The science on the "poison in the soda" side is shaky, but the science on the "corporate chemical additive" is just as shaky. Read a lot about it.

I'm personally a bigger fan of saccharine. I think it tastes better but it's harder to find. It also has a much longer history and the "bladder cancer" studies on saccharine have been refuted. Splenda is decent, too. Stevia is nasty and bitter.

You might try finding Knudson's Spritzer Lights (they're soda water with a small amount of fruit juice) or Whole Foods' Grapefruit Italian Soda (since grapefruit is very low in sugars.)

Pcat

[brentspeak]

28. Thanks, I'll check them out (n/t)

[BlueHandDuo]

32. I hate the taste of saccharine...

...especially the bitter aftertaste, but I was quite fond of the cyclamates.

[politicat]

51. Cyclamates are very nice... but find a canadian friend.

Impossible to find down here.

I like bitter tastes in general so I don't mind saccharine. But then again, there are a lot of foods that I like that other people think I'm crazy for enjoying... so that's me.

Pcat

[catchthefever]

31. Have you tried Diet Rite?

Diet Rite and (lame name) Dr. Good Guy are sweetened with Splenda, a sugar derivative.

[indigobusiness]

33. Links to CDC Report, Peer Reviewed Papers, links...etc

http://www.dorway.com/

While two anti-aspartame web sites (1996) grew to tens of thousands (as of Oct, 2001, Google.com had over 80,000), and while Nutrasweet's 28 million pounds of aspartame sold during 1996 slipped to only 20 million pounds during 1998, Monsanto sought to counter the truth (and their negative "good growth") with more pro-aspartame WEB sites.

When the "Nancy Markle" Email appeared during December, 1998, Monsanto and friends panicked. Monsanto, FDA, ADA, IFIC, MSFacts, TIME, CNN, LA Times, and a lot more who stand to LOSE if aspartame is recalled ALL JOINED HANDS to call our information and the facts... an "Internet hoax". Want a hint at the whole truth? Simply compare their messages... and then look for the $$$ connection. FDA? Just think future industry jobs and the fact that they are culpable of approving this cumulative toxic poison.

During mid February, 1999, when the many PRO aspartame articles seemed to be failing to turn the tide, Monsanto seems to have made a momentous decision and they stopped visiting DORway until after July. In April they sold their Phenylalanine facilities (half of aspartame) to Great Lakes Chemical (GLC) for 125 million dollars. (A year later, GLC sued Monsanto for the 71 MILLION dollar shortfall in expected sales.) On the first of July, 1999, Monsanto put the Nutrasweet Co. on the auction block with TWO other companies... the THREE of which had "combined sales of a billion dollars". So much for "good growth". It took another ten months for Monsanto to find an investment firm that would relieve them of their growing burden.

Dr. Friedman, who quit the FDA when Jane Henney was selected to become the permanent FDA commissioner (1999), elected to sign on with G. D. Searle as a senior vice president at a purported cushy $500,000 a year.

Going to work for someone who he was supposed to REGULATE (AND for someone who he helped to DEFEND <60 Minutes, Dec. 1996, along with Monsanto's Dr. Welden> instead of investigate) seems very WRONG! Could this new job be his reward for ignoring citizen complaints and defending aspartame and rbGH? Perhaps more importantly, does the US have a congress that cares? Is there a justice department really interested in prosecuting fraud and genocide for huge profits? So far... the answers have all been NO!

DORway consists of hundreds of pages. Most TEXT files on this site can be obtained from the archives. For a good overview and commented links please download a copy of help.txt

[Tafiti]

44. There was another thread like this in the Meeting Room...

...and I suggested a book to someone in there, along the lines of what you're talking about. It's called "Trust Us, We're Experts" by John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton. The book explores the PR industry and the science industry, and the fact that its rife with propaganda and obfuscation on issues of public health - especially when the scientific research is funded by corporations like Monsanto for prodcuts they're manufacturing. They literally recruit "corporate-friendly" scientists to write peer reviews and debunk otherwise legitimate scientific findings. Oh, and they also pay these scientists nice sums of money, too, but I guess that goes without saying.

They'll also form these scientific "coalitions" with perfectly legitimate names for the sole purpose of reporting their own "findings", which basically serves as damage control propanganda. Anyway, it's a great book, you should check it out.

[indigobusiness]

46. Thanks...There is a real shell-game going on that I didn't buy into

for a long time. But, since I try to look at all sides, it became undeniable after a closer look.

The health industry in America is disasterous minefield.

[ghostsofgiants]

35. I don't know any medical side effects, but I do know this:

It tastes fucking AWFUL.

[The Zanti Regent]

36. Doctor tells me to stay away from any artificial sweetners

My Kaiser Dr tells me their neurosurgery unit has had a epidemic of brain tumors from people using Nutra sweet!

[RebelOne]

38. Check out Snopes.com.

http://www.snopes.com/toxins/aspartame.asp

Lots of info there.

[indigobusiness]

48. Snopes blows

They have been proven wrong so much lately as to be useless...Sad.

[RebelOne]

52. OK, how about this site?

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/n/nutrasweet.htm

[indigobusiness]

53. I prefer to look at all the evidence

and do my own survey.

[kick-ass-bob]

43. I use it all the time. And my ass leaks.

Or maybe it's the WOW! chips that are doing that...

:shrug:

[indigobusiness]

54. Perhaps you are using it

wrongly.

[getoffmytrain]

47. I'm sure..

there are a tons of post before mine on this thread saying the same thing....... but I'll say it again.... aspartame is simply THE WORST thing ever approved by the FDA. There is tons of validated info on the web about it... read it and you'll never eat/drink it again.

[immoderate]

49. It tastes like shit!

Er, not that I would know what shit tastes like.

--IMM:think:

[Frangible]

56. WAY too much paranoia about this

This thread is sort of like an X-Files episode, only without hot redhead chicks.

Anyway, I've seen a lot of absurd claims on the internet and webpages about how "evil" aspartame is but precious little fact to back it up. According to the FDA it's the most studied substance ... ever, and they can't find anything wrong with it.

That said, there are other problems with diet pop; the acidity eats away your teeth. Diet pop is more acidic than regular pop.

It's expensive too. I don't drink diet pop much these days, but I wouldn't worry about the aspartame. I did a lot of reserach on it, and all of the "aspartame is poison!" webpages were about as scientifically sound as aromatherapy.