"Diet Drinks"...Aspartame

[Missy]

I know I have talked about aspartame before and people shrugged most of the information off. I just recently met a lady who has a side effects from using products with aspartame in it. She informed me she has had 60 mini-strokes in her life so far because of what aspartame products did to her heart. She walked with a cane for over a year due to how damaging the aspartame was on her body. Please, please stop using these products. The effects are real and they can kill you.

http://www.aspartame.com/

[susieokla]

Hi Missy- I have also heard stories of aspertane and how it can make people feel ill.

During the end of the year in 2004 I had a very bad spell. I was going numb and tingly all over, felt like my brain was in a fog, couldn't concentrate, had really bad fatigue and just felt like my body was shutting down. It lasted until October or so of 2006. I went to a doctor that mentioned I might have MS (Multiple Sclerosis). They did a brain MRI, nothing showed up. She sent me to a Neurologist who did a C-Spine MRI and an exam. Again, nothing showed up to confirm a diagnosis. I had a follow up with the Neurologist and it came down to him telling me that I did not have MS and that all of my symptons were probably caused from stress and depression.

Well, then people started telling me about aspertame and how it can make you have the same type of symptons. Now all of this time I only drank like 1 or 2 Diet Dr. Peppers a day but that was about all I was drinking and I was eating a few other things that were made out of artifical sweetners. I cut out all of it and I seemed to start feeling better. I don't know exactly what was wrong with me whether it was stress and I dealt with it or if it was the aspertane poisining my body. I'll never know for sure. I still drink a diet soft drink every once in a while. Maybe one a week and it doesn't seem to bother me.

[Missy]

I heard the symptoms of aspartame can show up anywhere between 1 and 40 years.

You may not notice anything until 40 years after the fact. That is scary. I was using Crystal Light...the stuff you put in water to flavour it...it has aspartame in it. I have since quit using it because I am scared to use anything with aspartame in it.

[Missy]

Here is the long list of possible side effects:
http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-side-effects.html

Aspartame is apparently twice as dangerous when it's heated...like in coffee or teas
Multiple Sclerosis like symptoms
When the temperature of Aspartame exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in Aspartame coverts to Formaldehyde and then to Formic Acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. (Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of Fire Ants.) The Methanol toxicity mimics Multiple Sclerosis; thus, people were being diagnosed with having Multiple Sclerosis in error. The Multiple Sclerosis is not a death sentence, where Methanol toxicity is.

I have also read, that products with aspartame make you drink MORE of it...which makes you gain more weight
http://aspartametruth.com/

[Missy]

This drug also causes birth defects. There is absolutely no reason to take this product. It is NOT A DIET PRODUCT! The Congressional record said, "It makes you crave Carbohydrates and will make you FAT." Dr. Roberts stated that when he got patients off aspartame, their average weight loss was 19 pounds per person.

The formaldehyde stores in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs. Aspartame is especially deadly for diabetics. All physicians know what wood alcohol will do to a diabetic. We find that physicians believe that they have patients with retinopathy, when in fact, it is caused by the aspartame. The aspartame keeps the blood sugar level out of control, causing many patients to go into a coma.

[Missy]

Helps Control Weight Gain

"I drank diet soda for the obvious reason -- to avoid sugar and to avoid weight gain" claims a businesswoman in a case reported to Dr. Roberts (qtd. In Roberts 147). It's not unusual for people who are dieting to reach for an aspartame product verses a product containing sugar. Aspartame is "200 times sweeter" than ordinary sugar so fewer calories are consumed (Deskins G1). With a weight conscious society, fewer calories can be attractive. However, a closer look shows that aspartame may not help control weight gain.

Outlined in the following list are some reasons why aspartame might not be effective in controlling weight:

1. According to an article in Technology Review, "aspartame may actually stimulate appetite and bring on a craving for carbohydrates" (Farber 52). 2. An article in Utne Reader claims, "researchers believe that any kind of sweet taste signals body cells to store carbohydrates and fats, which in turn causes the body to crave more food" (Lamb 16). 3. From the San Francisco Chronicle, Jean Weininger states that "studies have shown that people who use artificial sweeteners don't necessarily reduce their consumption of sugar -- or their total calorie intake. . . . Having a diet soda makes it okay to eat a double cheeseburger and a chocolate mousse pie" (1/ZZ1). 4. "The American Cancer Society (1986) documented the fact that persons using artificial sweeteners gain more weight than those who avoid them" (Roberts 150)

Whether you are trying to lose pounds or maintain your weight, using an artificial sweetener such as aspartame does not seem to have any significant effect on weight control. Those extra calories you saved by drinking a diet pop won't make much of a difference if you still need to satisfy your hunger and indulge in several cookies later. If it is actually increasing your appetite, why use it? Common sense tells you that proper diet and exercise are more beneficial. Even if you believe that aspartame may aid in dieting, is this worth risking your health?

FDA approval and natural ingredients may signal safety at first, but the mounting evidence against aspartame reveals many hidden dangers and possible risks. If you are experiencing any of the adverse reactions, stop using aspartame and see if the symptoms disappear. Now that you are aware of the problems with aspartame, inform others of the symptoms of aspartame poisoning. Notify the FDA of any adverse reactions that you may experience and encourage others to do the same. Don't just stop using aspartame, but make a difference by returning any aspartame products you may now have. If sales go down, hopefully aspartame will be pulled off the market and put an end to the aspartame dilemma.

[helena]

I dont drink any fizzy pop,i used to drink alot! the thing is though they put aspartame in so many things, it is really hard to avoid it!! i just drink plain water!!