Aspartame: A Discussion

[Carcharodon]

I'm (practically) addicted to diet soda. I wouldn't say I'm functionally addicted, but I do find myself experiencing strange cravings for it. This being the case, it seemed wise to research its most controversial component: aspartame.

I've long heard about the so-called "dangers" of aspartame, left unconvinced of its supposed harmful effects in part because of the available scientific literature and also due to the manner in which concern has been presented: it reads like a conspiracy theory.

I've also become aware that most people don't know what aspartame actually IS.

So express your concern, or lack thereof, in this thread, and let's get a discussion going about one of the most widely-used artificial sweeteners worldwide.

 

[SLVRSR4]

I hate artificial sweeteners I heard they were bad for you and now I'm stuck in my ways, but i've never liked the taste of diet sodas anyways. I suppose if keeping calories down is important to you then continue drinking substandard soda!

 

[Wylie Times]

I can't stand diet sodas or anything that has aspartame in it. I try and stay away from most "diet" foods in general though.

 

[-Arya-]

I drink alot of Diet soda myself.

My sister in law was the first to make me conscious about aspartame. She claimed that it did not allow one to recieve the proper nutrients that the body needs. Something along those lines.

Anyway, I didn't listen to her and kept on drinking. It's been about....6 years since then

 

[Master Chief]

Meh. From what I remember there's not really any solid evidence linking Aspartame to any severe medical conditions. Anything artificial can't be good for ya though, but you only get one life so... go crazy.

 

[Carcharodon]

I hate artificial sweeteners I heard they were bad for you and now I'm stuck in my ways, but i've never liked the taste of diet sodas anyways. I suppose if keeping calories down is important to you then continue drinking substandard soda!

If sodas would use normal sugar I'd drink them more often. HFCS can be really bad news if you're not careful. It's not necessarily a poison, as is the claim with aspartame, but large amounts of fructose can bypass metabolic controls that help us keep glucose metabolism in check.

What to do, what to do....

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

I don't drink soda much anymore. I do crave sweets....NOM NOM NOM!

 

[Manic]

I don't like the taste of diet sodas, so I avoid them all the time. I heard that too much aspartame can be dangerous, but so can too much normal sugar or the corn syrup they put in regular sodas.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

I don't drink soda enough for this to affect me. So if it really does harm regular soda drinkers...sucks for you guys. If not, I'm still good. As a result, I've never put in the time to research it. It's the empty calories and sugar(real or artificial) that wouldn't be conducive to my bodybuilding so I avoid it.

 

[Aesop Rocks]

Isn't diet pop worse for you than regular pop?

 

[Majic Walrus]

I don't like the taste of diet sodas, so I avoid them all the time. I heard that too much aspartame can be dangerous, but so can too much normal sugar or the corn syrup they put in regular sodas.

This.

I don't drink much soda of any variety (If I drink any soda it's usually like grape soda or Sunkist) but no matter whether you drink straight or diet soda you should do it in moderation. Too much of anything can be bad.

 

[Carcharodon]

Isn't diet pop worse for you than regular pop?

Based on what, though? That's what we're discussing: whether the sweetener found in diet soft drinks is, in fact, dangerous.

Just one of the problems people seem to have with aspartame is that it breaks down into several compounds, one of which, for example, is methanol. Methanol ("wood alcohol") is a poison, and the anti-aspartame sites list this as one of their key arguments. What they don't tell you is that you get approximately the same amount of methanol from an intake of aspartame as you would, say eating fruit, and even when you're exposed to large quantities of aspartame, your body is able to metabolize it to an extent that the level of methanol in your body stabilizes at safe levels.

It's this selective presentation of information that makes me very skeptical of the whole anti-aspartame movement, but I'm not 100% convinced either way. Hence this thread.

 

[Carcharodon]

This.

I don't drink much soda of any variety (If I drink any soda it's usually like grape soda or Sunkist) but no matter whether you drink straight or diet soda you should do it in moderation. Too much of anything can be bad.

Yeah, but if one gives you cancer...(unsubstantiated claim).

 

[SLVRSR4]

If sodas would use normal sugar I'd drink them more often. HFCS can be really bad news if you're not careful. It's not necessarily a poison, as is the claim with aspartame, but large amounts of fructose can bypass metabolic controls that help us keep glucose metabolism in check.

What to do, what to do....

Now i'm going to be paranoid about drinking regular soda! I'm the type of person who wouldn't drink tap because of so many people were throwing their pills into the water.

 

[Carcharodon]

Now i'm going to be paranoid about drinking regular soda! I'm the type of person who wouldn't drink tap because of so many people were throwing their pills into the water.

Somebody on these boards once made an excellent suggestion: treat a standard can of soda (12 oz?) as you would a large candy bar. I'll drink regular soda, but I always try to limit myself when I do.

The problem is that people usually don't limit themselves to, say, 12 oz per day. In fact, they tend to get Big Gulps and large drinks at fast-food restaurants, not realizing that the soda they're drinking makes up a huge portion of the calories they're consuming. Add the sheer volume to the fact that HFCS bypasses enzymatic control systems meant to regulate the amount of sugar your body processes at a given time, and what you're really looking at is a rapid fat-generator. Unless, of course, you promptly burn it off. But we're talking LOTS of calories to get rid of.

So I'm not trying to scare you away from it completely. As people have stated in this thread, moderation is the key.

 

[Majic Walrus]

Yeah, but if one gives you cancer...(unsubstantiated claim).

That's a big ol' if there though.

I mean what if cheese and bacon give you cancer?

 

[Manic]

What doesn't give you cancer? If the thing about cellphones is true, today's kid won't live past their 30's before their brain tumors turn malignant.

 

[SLVRSR4]

Somebody on these boards once made an excellent suggestion: treat a standard can of soda (12 oz?) as you would a large candy bar. I'll drink regular soda, but I always try to limit myself when I do.

The problem is that people usually don't limit themselves to, say, 12 oz per day. In fact, they tend to get Big Gulps and large drinks at fast-food restaurants, not realizing that the soda they're drinking makes up a huge portion of the calories they're consuming. Add the sheer volume to the fact that HFCS bypasses enzymatic control systems meant to regulate the amount of sugar your body processes at a given time, and what you're really looking at is a rapid fat-generator. Unless, of course, you promptly burn it off. But we're talking LOTS of calories to get rid of.

So I'm not trying to scare you away from it completely. As people have stated in this thread, moderation is the key.

I usually stick to one can a day

 

[Maximus One]

Doesnt diet soda cause anal leakage?

 

[Majic Walrus]

Doesnt diet soda cause anal leakage?

What doesn't cause anal leakage?

 

[Maximus One]

Good point. And btw that was just a joke. Its the low-fat or fatfree or whatever potatoe chips that cause anal leakage. Im starting to think Vodka does as well

 

[Majic Walrus]

That's more about your ass than I needed to know bro.

 

[Maximus One]

HAHAHA ya gotta admit it was pretty funny though huh? BTW it was just a joke.

 

[katie_girl09]

He wanted more but was too shy to ask, Eklypze.

 

[Majic Walrus]

HAHAHA ya gotta admit it was pretty funny though huh? BTW it was just a joke.

It was pretty funny... We need an Olestra thread but I don't think I'm going to start it.