This was in a book used in an upper level college course and the teacher used it as a test question.
"According to a growing number of scientists, aspartame is the most dangerous substance added to foods. Aspartame currently accounts for more than 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration."
~ Simon, D. Elite Deviance, 2002. Allyn and Bacon.
The discussion continues for several pages, and also quote publications from the F.D.A. and other sources.
Decades ago there were numerous articles in those same publications warning about possible dangers of Aspartame. There was kind of a scare about it. Your parents probably remember those articles. I wouldn't say your parents are crazy or call people stupid for this. This is simply a case of misinformation, which is still perpetuated obviously.
When things like this happen, who do you believe? Simon, author of the book, is a professor at a college. Do you believe the media, or a published college professor? The media is often the source of misinformation. This is not a case of "people are stupid."
Gee...
Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2004 | 08:48 AM
I said people are stupid because most of them, especially the ones who forwarded the e-mail shown in snopes, didn't bother to do any research. The just said "Oh, my goodness!" to themselves and forwarded away!
Any e-mail about "a friend" is suspect...then there's that much too long laundry list of ailments caused by aspartame...I mean come on...who'd believe that?
As to who do you believe? Certainly not an e-mail written by someone you've never heard of. I just wonder how many of these nuts actually asked a doctor about aspertame BEFORE sending it on.
Besides, you know that no one but you heard about this thing from a book...everyone else read the e-mail!
Bill
Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2004 | 02:17 PM
Yes, you are right. There are plenty of times I think that people are unwise for doing sending emails like this. I misunderstood and thought you were calling his parents stupid. There's no discussion of them receiving this email.
Actually, the "laundry list" of possible repercussion which you describe as being "too long" comes directly from an FDA report.
Report on All Adveerse Reactions in the Adverse Reaction Monitoring System. February 25 and 28, 1994. Department of Health and Human Services.
Gee...
Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2004 | 05:18 PM
Actually, this is what the FDA says about aspertame...now...
After reviewing scientific studies, FDA determined in 1981 that aspartame was safe for use in foods. In 1987, the General Accounting Office investigated the process surrounding FDA's approval of aspartame and confirmed the agency had acted properly. However, FDA has continued to review complaints alleging adverse reactions to products containing aspartame. 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.
Carefully controlled clinical studies show that aspartame is not an allergen. However, certain people with the genetic disease phenylketonuria (PKU), those with advanced liver disease, and pregnant women with hyperphenylalanine (high levels of phenylalanine in blood) have a problem with aspartame because they do not effectively metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine, one of aspartame's components. High levels of this amino acid in body fluids can cause brain damage. Therefore, FDA has ruled that all products containing aspartame must include a warning to phenylketonurics that the sweetener contains phenylalanine.
Bill
Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2004 | 08:41 AM
Yes, that's what they say now. But I've show other places where other opposite information was posted.
Which is why I completely understand people who still believe that Aspartame is bad. This is a more reasonable bit of misinformation to believe than, say, the Bill Gates Email Hoax or scores of countless other stupid things that people believe.
Diva
in Louisiana
Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 | 07:28 AM
As with many of you, I am a skeptic. It is difficult to make me believe something like this. But...I will speak from my own experience. Not the tale told by a friend of a friend, but me personally.
Up until 2 days ago I've been drinking Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper. Probably 3 or more cans a day. Progressively, i've felt worse and worse over the past several months. I also started drinking more and more diet drinks.
My niece warned me about Aspartame. I didn't listen and kept on drinking the Diet sodas. My symptoms included declining eyesight, fatigue, headaches, dizziness, aches in my neck, overpowering stress and a feeling of desparation. I did not want to get out of bed in the morning, I could have slept all day.
Two days ago I stopped drinking the sodas. It is the first time in over a year and a half that i've gone this long without a diet soda. The day after I stopped, I woke up feeling better. This morning, it is twofold. I feel better than I have in months. I've got a great energy level. I can breathe better, see more clearly, think clearly and I hopped out of bed.
I ask myself...is this merely coincidence? There is nothing else i've changed in my diet or routine. If I was hearing this from a friend then I may doubt some but this happened to me...just this week.
The energy I feel is natural, not that of any stimulant. My attitude is that I could conquer the world and I have my confidence back.
This experience is enough to make me never consume Aspartame again. When I see a diet coke, it looks like a skull and crossbones to me...and I don't miss it at all.
Hmm, lemme see... something everybody uses every day that has chlorine in it...
Nope, nothing instantly comes to mind.
Except table salt (sodium CHLORIDE) and chlorinated drinking water. Holy crap, we've all been dead for the last forty years and we didn't even realize it!
Mike
in MA
Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 | 11:01 AM
I think that it's safest to be skeptical of at least some of these "advances" in food science. Considering the volumes at which many people consume diet drinks, it's not hard to imagine them developing health problems. For instance, people who eat too much sugar can end up diabetic because of the overload... so who's to say that you can't develop something similar to PKU or "hyperphenylalanine" when you consume too much aspartame (see the packaging on many sugar-free breath fresheners: "contains phenylketonurics"). I'll bet there are people out there who drink nothing but diet soda and pop these mints all day. Would it be surprising to learn that they might be at risk?
Splenda also worries me. According to what I've read, it's essentially two sugars bound with chlorine. Now, we all know that, just because there's a molecule of chlorine, it isn't necessarily unsafe (table salt NaCl)... but this is a new, lab-engineered chemical that just happens to be sweet and resistant to metabolization in the body (scientists believe this is specifically because of the chlorine, if I remember correctly)... now everybody's in a hurry to start using it instead of sugar... in the interest of what, health???
Personally, I think it's best to stick to sugar for cooking, and then you can use it as sparingly as you see fit. Then, when you buy a drink or a snack, it probably won't hurt to buy something with an artificial sweetener if you're that concerned about calories. No matter what, I think it's safe to say that in the long run, it's probably better to sacrifice a few sweet snacks in our diets in exchange for better health.
Well, I found it to be a great alternative to put in coffee. Still like the sugar better, but after blood work last week, I gotta stay away from it for a while.
winona
Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2005 | 06:02 PM
My husband (diabetic) has been using Stevia extract in his coffee. You might want to try it, tho he says it tastes like saccarin. (Which I like, but most people don't).
One caveat, he says, if you use too much it starts to get bitter.
(I think this is "barely-on-topic day" for me, sorry guys).
meaganUGA
Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 | 05:17 AM
Why is it that all of these emails about aspartame relay stories about a friend of a friend? The Internet is great, but I’ve learned to take everything I read with a grain of salt. I did some research on my own and found out that aspartame has been studied a lot! When will this rumor subside? Enough already! Check out [url=http://www.aspartame.org]http://www.aspartame.org[/url]
Okay, so my take on this... I've been a diet coke addict for years and I've never had a problem with the aspartame. My mom on the other hand will be sick for three days if she has even a little bit. But then she also has the same problem with a lot of other chemicals. I think it just depends on each person.
As to the Splenda craze, I personally love the stuff. When they start making the diet coke with splenda in convenient cans instead of just 20oz and 2ltr bottles, I will definitely make the switch. But like I've told everyone who asks me about it, you really have to like the taste of splenda (I do). Just like regular diet coke has an aspartame aftertaste, the new stuff has a splenda aftertaste. I don't know if the new stuff is any healthier, but I like it!
Dany
in Waco, Texas Member
Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 | 09:42 AM
I think they do have some coke with Splenda in it. But I could be wrong.
I agree with meaganUGA there is a lot of rubbish about aspartame on the net. OK maybe some people are allergic to it but then there are people that are allergic to bread, milk - just about anything. For a sensible view check out <a >http://www.aspartame.info</a>.
Saint Cad
Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2005 | 03:35 PM
I love Splenda and use it is the ratio 3:1 when making Kool-aid since it doesn't have the syrupy after effect when drinking it. C2 was great and the new Coke w/Splenda is pretty good. My opinion is that a combination of sugar and Splenda is the way to go.
