An Overdue Ban On A Dangerous Sweetener

reply to post by ModernAcademia


This sugar substitute is already banned in Japan and other countries. I feel it is long overdue here. But look at our new Food Safety Czar, I don't think it will happen anytime soon.

The best we can do is watch what we consume ourselves.

my 2 cents.

When you think of Aspartame think of Donald Rumsfeld.

www.rense.com...

This creep gave us Aspartame and the Iraq war.

Exodus 22:18 “Suffer not a poisoner to live”

[edit on 3-8-2009 by wayouttheredude]

Aspartame and MSG are probably the most poisonous elements found in food today, and they're everywhere. MSG is the leading cause of obesity in this country. Scientist use it to make rats obese and both work very similarly (google it for details) and they should be illegal. They're killing americans with these drugs.

is aspartame addicting? i have tried quitting diet soda so many times and just cant do it! i like the taste better than regular soda, and whenever i try quitting i will crave it and finally end up giving in. I average 2-3 cans a day, i know this cant be good for me, but i seriously cant stop.

one good thing is i stopped using any type of sweetener in my coffee or tea a few years ago...

but seriously does anyone else feel like they are "addicted" to diet sodas??

I am awaiting an apology from Audus about his baseless comments in my 7 Things that Are Killing you thread in which he claimed that aspertames detrimental effects were simply "myths".

As has been mentioned. This stuff is marketed as diet, and so soem people think it must be good for you. That is the problem with it. It's marketed as something to help you to lose weight, get healthy and stuff like that. It's quite evil. It's kind of like marketing the sweet taste of antifreeze as a sweetener.

Troy

Originally posted by daniel815
Aspartame and MSG are probably the most poisonous elements found in food today, and they're everywhere. MSG is the leading cause of obesity in this country. Scientist use it to make rats obese and both work very similarly (google it for details) and they should be illegal. They're killing americans with these drugs.

They're addicting AND they make you crave food, especially sweets.

Read here:

www.sweetpoison.com...

I swear I heard something about this in the late 90s, and just now they are getting around to banning it? Maybe that was something else though.

They put so much crap in the food its not even funny. About 2 years ago my wife and I started cooking all our food from scratch, no more fast food or canned food or any of that crap. Neither of us really ever had a weight problem but just eating better has made us feel 100 times better, we never get sick or anything. My wife used to suffer from migraines and she hasn't had one since we changed our eating habits.

People see the word 'diet' and think it means its better for you when in reality most the time its worst!

If people really want to diet they just have to exercise and change their eating habits..etc..etc.

Peace


[edit on 4-8-2009 by jeasahtheseer]

This is interesting, I wasn't aware Aspartame was carcinogenic. I was aware based on previous research that dry aspartame was fairly stable, but that aspartame used in soft drinks for example (immersed in liquid) was unstable and formed toxic elements. If you've ever had diet soda sweetened with aspartame too long you will notice it even tastes bad, that's because it breaks down into toxic substances over time in liquids.

www.rense.com...

July 1, 1983-- The National Soft Drink Association (NSDA) urges the FDA to delay approval of aspartame for carbonated beverages pending further testing because aspartame is very unstable in liquid form. When liquid aspartame is stored in temperatures above 85 degrees Fahrenheit, it breaks down into DKP and formaldehyde, both of which are known toxins.

For a long time they didn't even print expiration dates on aspartame sweetened soft drinks, that was the biggest crime. And the instability in soft drinks was known when the FDA approved it. Finally some companies started at least putting expiration dates on aspartame soft drinks to limit the amount of toxins.

I still put some equal sweetener in my coffee from time to time but I stopped buying aspartame soft drinks. If this carcinogenic study is confirmed I may stop using equal, unless the amount of aspartame I'd have to consume to get cancer is 500 pounds a year or something like that, I probably only use a few ounces if that.

My mother started drinking diet soda as soon as it came out in the 80's. So far she's been diagnosed as having CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), Epstein Barr Virus, Optic Neuritis, and a few months ago she suffered a heart attack. She had a cardio-surgeon and her regular cardiologist both tell her to get the hell off of aspartame. They were extremely adamant about it making people sick. She hasn't had a drop since. The optic neuritis cleared up, CFS gone, and she's lost over 40 lbs since stopping her diet soda.

The stuff is no good. I had a 2 litre of it once in my home and after a few glasses became extremely dizzy, had tinnitus, and a metallic taste developed in my mouth.

I have realized the scam in so-called diet products and have avoided them like the plague for years. However, its happened to me more than once that I reached for something labeled only as having "half the sugar", or "sugar free" but upon reading the fine print realized that an artificial sweetener was substituted for the missing sugar. Of course I put it back, grumbling because it seems as often as not they are going out of their way to disguise the use of artificial sweeteners.

I hate really sweet things anyway. Why they don't just make things with half the sugar and nothing else added, I don't know, but I wish they would.

Originally posted by Next_Heap_With
Prohibition Round 6....

i don't like prohibition..., people should choose want they want to put in their bodies...the only thing the government should do warn about the dangers..but that is all..they should not ban...

-- If you think is dangerous to you then don't drink it... there is no reason to take away other people's enjoyment..

I would like to disagree with you there. Being a diabetic I cannot drink many drinks containing sugar. When I buy a drink I either have to have water or a drink containing Aspartame. There does not seem to be any other choice. If it is banned then they will be forced to use another sweetener. I dont mind if its slightly more expensive as long as its safe.

reply to post by ModernAcademia

This post struck me as interesting due to the fact that I just wrote a paper regarding the negative effects of governmental regulation in regards to health-care. Within said paper, I referenced the toxicity of artificial sweeteners as well as governmental proposals that encourage the use of these harmful substances. Aspartame is included along side sucralose. Here is an excerpt from my paper:

The current governor of New York, David Paterson proposed in 2008 that non-diet sodas be taxed to serve as an anti-obesity measure (Governor Paterson proposes 'Obesity Tax,' a tax on non-diet sodas). Such an action has the capacity to influence consumers to purchase a diet soda over a soda that is considerably higher in caloric value. However, diet soda can be more detrimental to one’s health than a regular soda. This is due to the application of artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose.

According to Russell L. Blaylock, M.D., in an article written for the Journal of the Association of the American Physicians and Surgeons titled Food Additive Excitotoxins and Degenerative Brain Disorders, aspartame causes damage to neurons in the brain (Blaylock). Sucralose, another leading artificial sweetener, is harmful if swallowed and has the ability to injure fetuses and cause “impaired fertility.” In addition to the reproductive and developmental toxicity of sucralose, it also exhibits properties that adversely affect the brain and the immune system (Splenda/Sucralose 4). Proposing legislation that advocates the use of these chemicals over natural sugars is, at best, irresponsible. Doing so goes in direct opposition to the proclaimed intention of a policy that supports activities that benefit an individual’s health.

While not stated in my paper, Blaylock goes on to say in his article that despite aspartame having the capacity to invoke life-threatening reactions, the effects thereof are usually cumulative. Aspartame may also serve to exacerbate neurodegenerative afflictions, for instance, Alzheimer's. Blaylock, in addition, addresses the fact that the FDA ignores the harmful nature of the food additive MSG and continues to permit the use thereof in food products. Blaylock seems to implicate, while not explicitly stating so, that the United States' government as well as corporations involved with food production are intentionally allowing consumers to ingest harmful chemicals.

It's actually quite a good read. This is considering that one enjoys reading medical journals. Here's the link: Food Additive Excitotoxins and Neurodegenerative Brain Disorders

Originally posted by ModernAcademia

Can we finally see a ban on this poison?

In response to this statement, I question the necessity of regulations regarding aspartame. Currently, does the FDA adequately regulate the safety of American food products? The fact that MSG is still recognized as a safe food additive indicates they do not. Rather than a ban, which is unlikely due to matters of profitability, education as to the harmful nature of aspartame, other artificial sweeteners, and certain food additives may be instituted. While this may seem unfeasible, consider the following when advocating a ban of aspartame: while the United States' government has imposed restrictions in respect to various drugs, the use thereof continues to permeate society; also, they remain as some of the world's most popular and profitable commodities. The previous may not entirely substantiate my claim that a ban of aspartame is not necessary. Nonetheless, it provides sufficient pretext for doubting the efficacy of bans in general.

[edit on 4-8-2009 by o22a6ar]

The problem that I have with all this is that everything these days seems to be carcinogenic. Everything gives you cancer... It gets stupid really. Aspartame = cancer. Cell phones = cancer. Computers = cancer. Cigarettes = cancer. Life = oh no, cancer!

Just follow me on this one.
Aspartame was invented in 1974 (well initially approved, they started manufacturing the good stuff in 1975) and in 1996 the shocking study was released that tied the increase of people getting brain tumors and the invention of the bloody substance. Now, if you stop tearing your hair out, slow down for a minute and do some research you'll see that according to the National Cancer Institute, statistics show that the increase of brain and central nervous system cancers began in 1973, and from here you can make a connection. The increase in this whole tumor thing is not correlated with aspartame's creation. If you do a little more research you'll see that some people did a study and fed the equivalent of about 8 cans of soda (for humans) a day to rats (that's about 2000 cans for them). Rats were fine and cancer free.

Maybe the whole thing was forged, we'll never know, but the point is that everybody is running scared that they'll get cancer and it seems like EVERYTHING gives you cancer (but I'm repeating myself). If you think aspartame is evil - don't eat it. If you think your cell phone is killing you - don't use it. The thing is though - everybody else does, so really you have accept the fact that you're doomed.

This whole thing is just getting silly...

Originally posted by ModernAcademia
I love my single malt with diet 7UP, it's lovely.

O

MY

G-D

You...
you...

you...

BARBARIAN!



As if putting ice in it isn't bad enough. Nooooooooooo have to put in... Diet 7UP???

Aaaaaaaaaaaargh.

I learned a very hard lesson about that sh*t man. I am actually allergic to it. It constricts the blood vessels of the brain. It caused such bad bad migraines that i was going to do anything to make them stop. I know cannot have gum diet soda or anything for diabetics. I was chewing gum to help me stop biting my nails and then all of a sudden i started getting migraines worse and worse. I had to be rushed to the hospital because i started to pass out from the pain, is what i thought, no it was because my brain was shutting down because of lack of blood flow. So you know what. you get a star and flag. It is about time.

reply to post by dizziedame

How much aspartame does a person have to ingest to possibly have toxic effects?

My advice, avoid this stuff like plague !

My entire life I'd been a very healthy person rarely had even a cold as a child so rarely missed school (through illness at least lol) started working at 14 -15 and never had a days illness for the following 20 or so years.

In around 2000 I started getting bouts of illness, sever flu like/food poisoning symptoms, check ups with my GP were finding nothing, the guy didn't even know who I was my records were still on paper one sheet of no illness.

I took ill in work one day with the same symptoms again and was laying on the ground in the car park unable to stand my body paralyzed with pain and vomiting.

Following this I went to the GP who sent me for blood tests at the hospital, I passed out in the waiting room and was taken into casualty.

After a couple of days in hospital I was released (bed shortage so encouraged to go home) diagnosis ? Nothing !!

Not a bloody thing was found although my temperature was so high at one point, I had to be picked up off the hospital floor where the tiles were cool.

These bouts of fevers crippling pain etc, steadily increased,sometimes worsening sometimes less so. Needless to say life was getting quite miserable I had 2 young children and a mortgage to pay.

Getting time off work for medical treatment was a mare as I couldn't afford to lose work, so would often spend 6 till 6 dying on my feet.

After a few years of investigation I was diagnosed with chronic Fibromyalgia which my GP had never heard of.

When looking for a triggering event for this illness I could only come up with one thing that had changed in my life or my diet.

Aspartame !! I was a heavy coffee drinker with 2 sugars in each mug and at one point decided to cut the calories.

I was probably taking over 11 aspartame tablets a day, and coincidentally started becoming ill around this period.

The irony is I was never ill to begin with lol dropping sugar seemed to have destroyed my life.


Of course, I could be completely wrong about the aspartame but it is too much of a coincidence for me to come to any other conclusion.

Avoid , better safe than sorry.

wow, do you really need the government to tell you not to drink poison? if so there are some bigger issues you need to work through. the problem is the information, rather than lies, instead of refering to aspertame as a sweetner, it should instead be refered to as a sweet poison. see how it sells then. if it still sells then well, maybe those who drink it deserve whats coming to them

Donald Rumsfeld was the CEO of G.F. Searle , aka Searle Labs, the makers of Nutrasweet(Aspartame) from 1977 to 1985.

The FDA had actually BANNED Aspartame based on the 1980 findings of 3 independent scientists that had discovered the it created tumors and seizures in test laboratory animals.

On January 21st, 1981, The day after Reagan's inauguration Searle reapplied to the FDA to use aspartame as a food sweetener. The Reagan administration replaced the existing FDA commissioner whom had been supportive of the BAN of Aspartame with a new Searle sponsored commissioner, Arthur Hayes Hull Jr. who by installing a new member to the commission in addition to his own vote overruled the existing BAN, endorsing its approval.

My personal experience ......

I work in the field of software. Lots of late nights and deadlines to be met. People consume caffeine regularly.

I had a co worker with whom I worked that was addicted to Diet Coke AND happened to be Obese. I was surprised when I would see her drinking the stuff first thing in the morning with breakfast.

She would regularly , almost daily , pick up breakfast at McDonalds with a Diet Coke

Long story short. She and her family , who were also Diet Coke addicts, ended up with these textbook neurological types of illnesses.

She, my coworker actually lost the use of her hands due to the sensation of pins and needles in her fingertips which her doctors had diagnosed as carpal tunnel.
She had the carpal tunnel surgery done twice IMA and after healing, both times, the same symptoms returned.

Her son, whom we had hired as a summer intern, over the 2-3 months of summer had actually constructed a 4 foot tall pyramid of coke cans in his cubicle ! He coincidentally was plagued with unexplained seizures and couldn't drive because of them.

Her Daughter, in her late teens, had a mystery Illness resembling Lupus and/or MS where she would simply lose control of her muscles. Doctors couldn't diagnose her ailments.

And finally, Her Husband lost his vision in one eye.

Interesting because everyone knows that blindness is also symptomatic with the consumption of methanol or wood alcohol.
A by product of Aspartame.

I am posting this to get the word out. These are my actual experiences and it will hopefully benefit others as to the potential dangers of this chemical.

reply to post by tigermoff

I would like to disagree with you there. Being a diabetic I cannot drink many drinks containing sugar. When I buy a drink I either have to have water or a drink containing Aspartame. There does not seem to be any other choice. If it is banned then they will be forced to use another sweetener. I dont mind if its slightly more expensive as long as its safe.

Try googling Xylitol. It is a terrible sounding name, but you would be surprised at the benefits of this natural sweetener. It is also advertised as safe for diabetic and individuals with hyperglycemia.

As with anything take it with moderation.