[Zee_Bukhari]

so for the 2 weeks or so I've been avoiding any drinks or gum and other products containing aspartame such as pepsi max, diet coke, tango, Wrigley's sugar free gums etc... and have began feeling a lot better, less headache and less sleepy and happier too.

Also I've been about how bad aspartame is for you, but what about other sweetners like Sucralose? are these as bad as aspartame?

But what about other sweeteners like

[stvn758]

Coke have a version with Stevia, a plant extract. I read that's coming out here so I'm eager to try that being a cola addict. Tropicana already do an orange juice with it and you can buy the extract in many flavours, grape sounds nice.

I have some Zero electrolyte tablets you add water to that have sucralose, they taste very nice. When I drank Diet Coke I craved sugar and eat much more, aspartame is wretched stuff even if the health worries are more myth than fact.

[zx50]

I wouldn't knowingly touch any artificial sweetners with a 100ft barge pole. I'd rather have sugar.....as well as fruit.

[exlordlucan]

Don't like any because they leave a horrible taste in my mouth and so avoid if I can.

Sugar free drinks are yuk.

[CLL Dodge]

Possible side effects of Sucralose:

Skin Rashes/Flushing
Panic-like Agitation
Dizziness and Numbness
Diarrhea
Swelling
Muscle aches
Headaches
Intestinal cramping
Bladder issues
Stomach pain

You'd have to do some research to find any scientific studies (if they exist).

edit: research published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health in 2008 found that Splenda (Sucralose):

- reduces the amount of good bacteria in your intestines by 50 percent
- increases the pH level in your intestines
- affects a glycoprotein in your body that can have crucial health effects, particularly if you’re on certain medications as it can cause the rejection of drugs such as chemotherapy, AIDS treatments, and treatments for heart conditions
- is absorbed by fat (contrary to previous claims)

[zx50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stvn758

Coke have a version with Stevia, a plant extract. I read that's coming out here so I'm eager to try that being a cola addict. Tropicana already do an orange juice with it and you can buy the extract in many flavours, grape sounds nice.

I have some Zero electrolyte tablets you add water to that have sucralose, they taste very nice. When I drank Diet Coke I craved sugar and eat much more, aspartame is wretched stuff even if the health worries are more myth than fact.

And how do you know this for a fact?

[stvn758]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zx50

And how do you know this for a fact?

Do facts exist anymore, it's been consumed is such quantities I'm sure someone would have sued in the US if they thought they were sick because of diet pop. As I said I didn't like it, prefer sugar.

[Watcher #1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zee_Bukhari

so for the 2 weeks or so I've been avoiding any drinks or gum and other products containing aspartame such as pepsi max, diet coke, tango, Wrigley's sugar free gums etc... and have began feeling a lot better, less headache and less sleepy and happier too.

Also I've been about how bad aspartame is for you, but what about other sweetners like Sucralose? are these as bad as aspartame?

But what about other sweeteners like

Aspartame is only really bad for you if you have PKU. It's why it is labelled as a source of phenylalanine. Some people may have a sensitivity as well, but it could be that you've just cut out a lot of caffeine, or something else that affects you.

Otherwise, it's fine. The internet is full of an awful lot of unsubstantiated rubbish when it comes to food additives

[Zee_Bukhari]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Watcher #1

Aspartame is only really bad for you if you have PKU. It's why it is labelled as a source of phenylalanine. Some people may have a sensitivity as well, but it could be that you've just cut out a lot of caffeine, or something else that affects you.

Otherwise, it's fine. The internet is full of an awful lot of unsubstantiated rubbish when it comes to food additives

I still drink lucozade, pepsi etc.. which contain caffeine. It could be something else.

[walterwhite]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zx50

And how do you know this for a fact?

Because most places and websites telling you that aspartame (especially) is bad for you and run by nutjobs with no basis in science.

[epicurian]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CLL Dodge

Possible side effects of Sucralose:

Skin Rashes/Flushing
Panic-like Agitation
Dizziness and Numbness
Diarrhea
Swelling
Muscle aches
Headaches
Intestinal cramping
Bladder issues
Stomach pain

You'd have to do some research to find any scientific studies (if they exist).

edit: research published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health in 2008 found that Splenda (Sucralose):

- reduces the amount of good bacteria in your intestines by 50 percent
- increases the pH level in your intestines
- affects a glycoprotein in your body that can have crucial health effects, particularly if you’re on certain medications as it can cause the rejection of drugs such as chemotherapy, AIDS treatments, and treatments for heart conditions
- is absorbed by fat (contrary to previous claims)

In rats?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19567260
A recent study in rats investigated the retail sweetener product, Granulated SPLENDA No Calorie Sweetener (Splenda) (Abou-Donia et al., 2008. Splenda alters gut microflora and increases intestinal P-glycoprotein and cytochrome P-450 in male rats. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health A, 71, 1415-1429), which is composed of (by dry weight) maltodextrin ( approximately 99%) and sucralose ( approximately 1%). The investigators reported that Splenda increased body weight, decreased beneficial intestinal bacteria, and increased the expression of certain cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes and the transporter protein, P-glycoprotein (P-gp), the latter of which was considered evidence that Splenda or sucralose might interfere with the absorption of nutrients and drugs. The investigators indicated that the reported changes were attributable to the sucralose present in the product tested. An Expert Panel conducted a rigorous evaluation of this study. In arriving at its conclusions, the Expert Panel considered the design and conduct of the study, its outcomes and the outcomes reported in other data available publicly. The Expert Panel found that the study was deficient in several critical areas and that its results cannot be interpreted as evidence that either Splenda, or sucralose, produced adverse effects in male rats, including effects on gastrointestinal microflora, body weight, CYP450 and P-gp activity, and nutrient and drug absorption. The study conclusions are not consistent with published literature and not supported by the data presented

[Zee_Bukhari]

Quote:

Originally Posted by walterwhite

Because most places and websites telling you that aspartame (especially) is bad for you and run by nutjobs with no basis in science.

so its safer to consume aspartame and other chemical sweeteners than sugar?

[Watcher #1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zee_Bukhari

so its safer to consume aspartame and other chemical sweeteners than sugar?

It appears to not be unsafe.

If there was any truth to the claims, the food industry would have moved hell and high water to replace it. (There is an AWFUL lot of time and money spent removing/reducing stuff most people haven't even heard of)

[BlueEyedMrsP]

I try to avoid them as much as I can, it's hard though, the squash we buy has 'NO SUGAR ADDED!!!' on the label but it contains artificial sweetener. There are very few brands that don't have the fake stuff, I guess it's cheaper to manufacture or they've found that people prefer the 'no sugar added' kind.

If consumed in moderate amounts, it's probably no worse than sugar or any other additive, but I would maybe question those who think the fake stuff is better than sugar. Other than having fewer calories, we're not really doing ourselves any favors by ingesting large amounts of it, like people who drink a lot of diet soda.

[Watcher #1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueEyedMrsP

I try to avoid them as much as I can, it's hard though, the squash we buy has 'NO SUGAR ADDED!!!' on the label but it contains artificial sweetener. There are very few brands that don't have the fake stuff, I guess it's cheaper to manufacture or they've found that people prefer the 'no sugar added' kind.

Mostly because we repeat buy based on taste, and people (on the whole) like sweet things. And as sugar has been 'bad' for a long time (for your teeth if nothing else), sweeteners are a way to give that flavour without the calories/tooth decay risks.

If they made a 'NO SUGAR ADDED' without artificial sweeteners, a lot of people simply wouldn't buy it more than once, because it wouldn't taste nice enough.

[BlueEyedMrsP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Watcher #1

Mostly because we repeat buy based on taste, and people (on the whole) like sweet things. And as sugar has been 'bad' for a long time (for your teeth if nothing else), sweeteners are a way to give that flavour without the calories/tooth decay risks.

If they made a 'NO SUGAR ADDED' without artificial sweeteners, a lot of people simply wouldn't buy it more than once, because it wouldn't taste nice enough.

Possibly. I think for me, I wouldn't mind having an option that contains only sugar (no artificial stuff) because I don't drink much of it anyway, I like to have a few drops in a large glass of water to give it a little flavor. The front label (I've just checked) also has 'no artificial colors or flavors added' on it. Hmm, that's a bit tricksy of them, if I'm honest. Not that I think people are buying it in the belief that it's 'one of your five a day', but if something has aspartame, isn't that an artificial flavor?

[Zee_Bukhari]

there are many products that contain aspartame and sugar like the sugar versions of Fanta, Tango and Robinsons squash, which surprised me.

[epicurian]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueEyedMrsP

I try to avoid them as much as I can, it's hard though, the squash we buy has 'NO SUGAR ADDED!!!' on the label but it contains artificial sweetener. There are very few brands that don't have the fake stuff, I guess it's cheaper to manufacture or they've found that people prefer the 'no sugar added' kind.

If consumed in moderate amounts, it's probably no worse than sugar or any other additive, but I would maybe question those who think the fake stuff is better than sugar. Other than having fewer calories, we're not really doing ourselves any favors by ingesting large amounts of it, like people who drink a lot of diet soda.

Why do you question it?

I don't think my Diet Coke habit is doing me any favours, but everyone has their vice and I absolutely believe the fake stuff to be preferable to real sugar. Aside from getting too much caffeine, as long as I'm within the acceptable daily intake for aspartame I don't see why I should worry.

[JumpTheShark]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zee_Bukhari

Also I've been about how bad aspartame is for you, but what about other sweetners like Sucralose? are these as bad as aspartame?

But what about other sweeteners like

Don't listen to what you've been "told", do some research! Artificial sweeteners are one of the most tested food products in the world because of all the myths about them killing us all off slowly, and there is no evidence that they are dangerous for us, especially in the quantities that a normal person would consume them.

[zx50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Watcher #1

It appears to not be unsafe.

If there was any truth to the claims, the food industry would have moved hell and high water to replace it. (There is an AWFUL lot of time and money spent removing/reducing stuff most people haven't even heard of)

Unless there's a medical reason as to why someone can't have sugar, I honestly don't understand why quite a few go for artificial sweetners.

[Bluescope]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zx50

Unless there's a medical reason as to why someone can't have sugar, I honestly don't understand why quite a few go for artificial sweetners.

I believe every thing in moderation is about okay. The problem is I rather like tea but given how much sugar is in most other products having it in tea as well was pushing it. So I cut out the sugar in tea and used sweeteners to cut down.

In terms of the OP question. Their is little medical suggestion that aspartame will cause any of the issues you had nor that removing from your diet it would cure those problems. A reduction in your overall caffeine levels might explain it but you suggest this is not the case.

Still we are all different and if you think it works for you then I would carry on. Often making a change can have a mental effect on the body even if the the change it's self has no medical benefits.

[John_Hunter3]

The quack that started this myth claims Aspartame causes Gulf War Syndrome.

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blasp2.htm

It's complete nonsense. Aspartame is safe.

[Addisonian]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zx50

Unless there's a medical reason as to why someone can't have sugar, I honestly don't understand why quite a few go for artificial sweetners.

Those who are opposed to the thought of spending a lot of time/money at the dentist, for one.

[Bedlam_maid]

I've tried the Canderel with Stevia (green label). I liked it.

[zx50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Addisonian

Those who are opposed to the thought of spending a lot of time/money at the dentist, for one.

I'm guessing that would be down to sugar overload.