Artificial sweetener thoughts?

[NDSkinsguy]

I generally try to avoid aspartame due to my concern over some potential adverse health-effects later in life. Additionally, I even circumvent Splenda/sucralose due to lack of evidence thus far on whether or not there are any ill results. Am I overreacting? Basically what this comes down to is that my current protein shake tastes like crap.

[dfitzo53]

I just recently started drinking Sprite and Coke Zero because unlike their Diet counterparts, they don't taste like crap. Everything I've read has suggested that the health risks are overblown, but what do I know?

[skinsfan44]

Everything I've read has suggested that the health risks are overblown, but what do I know?

They are not "overblown."

My Mom got a piece of sugar-free pie at a restaurant a couple of years ago and it had Splenda in it. She had never had it before and about 10 minutes after she ate the pie, she broke out into hives and got shortness of breath and went to the Emergency room. We were very concern about what was going on with her since she is very healthy for her age.

The Doctor said she had a reaction to the Splenda and that this is not uncommon

She has never in her life had this happen to her, so she stays clear of Splenda now and has not had the problem since.

Not long ago I bought some Ice Tea that had Splenda in it and didn't know it when I first bought it. I had never had it before so I didn't think it was going to do anything to me, so I drank it.

Boy, was I wrong.

Shortly after I finished my tea, my ankles and my lower legs swelled up big time.

That has never happen to me before either, so I now avoid Splenda myself.

[wysknz1]

I can't eat or drink any of the artof, arte, artife, Fake sweetners. I get severe headaches if I do.

[PeterMP]

I don't use them. I think the health affects for most people aren't likely to be severe, but why take the risk.

[speardog1]

They are not "overblown."

My Mom got a piece of sugar-free pie at a restaurant a couple of years ago and it had Splenda in it. She had never had it before and about 10 minutes after she ate the pie, she broke out into hives and got shortness of breath and went to the Emergency room. We were very concern about what was going on with her since she is very healthy for her age.

The Doctor said she had a reaction to the Splenda and that this is not uncommon

She has never in her life had this happen to her, so she stays clear of Splenda now and has not had the problem since.

Not long ago I bought some Ice Tea that had Splenda in it and didn't know it when I first bought it. I had never had it before so I didn't think it was going to do anything to me, so I drank it.

Boy, was I wrong.

Shortly after I finished my tea, my ankles and my lower legs swelled up big time.

That has never happen to me before either, so I now avoid Splenda myself.

having an allergic reaction to something is hardly cause for alarm in terms of long term effects. You're and your mom are allergic to splenda, therefore you won't drink it. I think the OP was talking more along the lines of cancer and kidney issues and what not when you get older.

By the way, I use it in moderation. I'll switch between sugar, splenda, etc.

[China]

Anything in sufficiently high quantities is toxic. If you're worried about the health effects, don't drink so much diet soda.

Personally, I don't drink any diet soda. Not because of my concern over the health effects of the artificial sweeteners but because I don't like the taste of any of them.

I limit my intake of sodas anyway, as they contain too much processed sugar which is just empty calories.

[dfitzo53]

They are not "overblown."

My Mom got a piece of sugar-free pie at a restaurant a couple of years ago and it had Splenda in it. She had never had it before and about 10 minutes after she ate the pie, she broke out into hives and got shortness of breath and went to the Emergency room. We were very concern about what was going on with her since she is very healthy for her age.

The Doctor said she had a reaction to the Splenda and that this is not uncommon

She has never in her life had this happen to her, so she stays clear of Splenda now and has not had the problem since.

Not long ago I bought some Ice Tea that had Splenda in it and didn't know it when I first bought it. I had never had it before so I didn't think it was going to do anything to me, so I drank it.

Boy, was I wrong.

Shortly after I finished my tea, my ankles and my lower legs swelled up big time.

That has never happen to me before either, so I now avoid Splenda myself.

Sounds like an allergy to me.

I was talking more about the supposed long term effects of aspartame. Not saying they aren't there, but you have to think about how much of this stuff some people consume with folks buying 32oz diet drinks at 7-11 or McDonalds. I had a friend who used to drink seven or eight Mountain Dews a day, and then switched to the same quantity of Diet Mountain Dew. That was of course bad for his body for all sorts of reasons. He finally cut back, and I'm not sure he drinks it at all any more.

For somebody drinking 12 oz. of diet drinks or less per day, I don't think there's much evidence of serious problems. On the other hand, the chemicals haven't been around long enough to say for sure, and no scientifically conducted long-term studies have been published.

[#98QBKiller]

The health-effects later in life are overblown. This is a good page on artificial sweetners from the National Cancer Institute

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/artificial-sweeteners

[Phalanx07]

I understand that by themselves they may be harmless, but what about mixing them over a long period of time? My doctor warned me that since they are not tested in various combinations, you do not know what long term effects could be. It is reasonable that a person may mix the two even if he/she is not aware of it. I have a serious medical condition, my neurosurgeon was the one who warned me. My guess is that for the average healthy person, it would be fine, but in some people a chemical reaction within the brain could occur.

[“Misdirection”]

I can't stand that stuff. It tastes horrible and if I want some sugar, I'm gonna use some real sugar damn it. In diet sodas the whole soda tastes like splenda. I'd rather not drink one at all then try and shove down one of those.

Again, if I'm gonna drink a soda, I'm gonna make sure it tastes good and just drink less of them.

[.Guy.]

Gimme a Diet Pepsi any day of the week :drool:

[PeterMP]

I understand that by themselves they may be harmless, but what about mixing them over a long period of time? My doctor warned me that since they are not tested in various combinations, you do not know what long term effects could be. It is reasonable that a person may mix the two even if he/she is not aware of it. I have a serious medical condition, my neurosurgeon was the one who warned me. My guess is that for the average healthy person, it would be fine, but in some people a chemical reaction within the brain could occur.

And not even in combination w/ one another. I'll bet even the LONG term health affects w/ caffine haven't been studies in great detail.

[“Misdirection”]

"They say Diet Dr Pepper tastes just like regular Dr Pepper. Well, then, they ****ed up!"

[The King]

None of that stuff is good for you. This is the only sugar I eat.

The rest of that stuff in poison bleached white to make it look good.

[The Villi Phanatic]

I don't think the health risks of aspartame and other artificial sweeteners are overblown at all. To the contrary, I think they are downplayed and dismissed more than they should be.

When considering the risks of a product like aspartame, there are various aspects I analyze. A few include the approval process for the product, the makeup of the product itself, the studies and research relating to the product, and how the product has been identified in affecting people I know. I don't have time to go into details now, but I have concerns regarding aspartame in relation to all of these aforementioned aspects.

One thing to point out is how ubiquitous artificial sweeteners have become in American diets. In addition to the generally recognized items like diet/sugar-free drinks and nearly all gum, I've seen them listed on ingredient lists in products ranging from cottage cheese and yogurt to tortillas to cough drops (and I'm sure there are tons of other foods that they're in if you check ingredient lists). All of this should be considered with some of the discussion earlier in the thread as most people don't simply get their consumption from having a diet soda per day, for example.

Personally, I recommend people to avoid these items as much as possible with gum being the most difficult, or at least taking a bit more time and effort to find alternative products. For other foods, I think it's safer to go with the versions with sugar then the sugar-free ones and just limit the intake of given products, particularly those with blood sugar concerns.

And lastly, the concerns aren't just relating to cancer as has been primarily discussed in this thread. The main concerns I have, especially with my health issues, are the neurological symptoms and issues linked to aspartame. These do not typically manifest with an immediate reaction like an IGE allergy such as the anyphylactic and dermatologic type reactions discussed and may not be noticeable as identifiable symptoms until years after consumption of the sweeteners. Consequently, it is often very difficult to pinpoint the etiology of the symptoms and in many cases impossible, especially when presenting with concomitant medical issues.

A few related sidenotes to point out. One, I believe Hawaii has a bill seeking to ban the sale of products with aspartame though I don't know the status of the bill nor the support it has, and I'd expect the Monsanto bigwigs to step in and halt this in its tracks (I think Hawaii's actually the second state to try this but don't quote me on that). Additionally, I believe at one time that aspartame was by far the number one item in the food supply for which adverse reactions were reported to the FDA (don't know the more recent data).