More questions about aspartame, diet soda, etc.?!


Question: More questions about aspartame, diet soda, etc!.!?
I am 15 years old and I was diagnosed with type one diabetes on X-mas day, 2006!. Since then, I have drank (very) roughly 1/2 of a liter of diet soda a day!. Everywhere I go on the internet it seems someone has a different opinion on aspartame!. I realize most of you aren't doctors or dietitians, however I'm just looking for some more opinion!. Some people say they suffered migraines and memory loss, and after stopping the consumption of diet soda, their symptoms stopped!. I, for one, have never felt any different now then I felt before I started drinking diet soda!. Others say that the whole deal with aspartame being a poison is all a hoax!.

I guess what I want to know is, what do you think of aspartame!? Have you or friends/family suffered any sort of symptom which ceased after the exclusion of diet soda from the diet!? Will I suffer long term effects (such as cancer, brain tumors) if I continue to drink as much diet soda as I do!?

Thanks in advance!.Www@Answer-Health@Com


Answers:
Here's the thing!.!.!.I've had Type 1 for 24 years, and I've been drinking Diet Coke constantly since then!. I used to have as many as 6-8 cans' worth a day, now I'm down to 1 or 2 because I'm avoiding caffeine!. If there was anything wrong with aspartame, I would be so dead by now!. I have never heard of a documented case of someone getting ill from it, or a credible link to it's use!. So I think it's as safe as anything else!. There are a lot of paranoid statements out there like "Aspartame is also an ingredient in antifreeze" and stuff like that!. Well, so is water! Lots of things have common ingredients, so that's a bunch of nonsense!.

Also, one answerer said that diet soda has very high sodium - it's actually very low, 1 can only has 2% of your recommended daily intake!. But it does have a lot of acid, which can damage tooth enamel and can cause stomach problems if you have an existing ulcer!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

well, one thing to consider with soda, of any kind, is that they have very high sodium content, which is going to dehydrate you!. so forgetting any of the other stuff that fake sugar does to your body, i would say dehydration is enough of a reason to limit intake!.

remember that with diabetes you run a much higher risk of medical complications, so it's super important that you have a healthy diet!. you need to drink water and flush out your kidneys!. limit how much soda you drink per day (i limit myself to one can a day)!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

Aspartame (the artificial sweetener used in over 9000 products) has over 92 known side effects that impact your health!. It was listed as a bio weapon by the government to be used against our nations enemies before it was approved to be put in our food and drink!.

Do yourself a favor and drink good water!.

www!.diet-and-exercise-for-health!.com/a!.!.!.

Good health and good luck!Www@Answer-Health@Com

Well when I was doing my research I found and heard some of the info you gave me too!. I'm not really sure if thats true though, but technically all sodas are bad for you- even if they are diet!. Scientists proved that diet sodas will make you fat!. How!? Well technically when you eat sugar your body makes some sort of acid to dissolve the sugar, but since there is no sugar but aspartame your body will crave more sugary foods in order to get rid of that acid in your stomach-and technically thats how you gain weight!. It is even proven that obese/overweight people drink alot of diet sodas thinking that it will help them on the long run, but it actually doesnt!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

I am a dietitian!. I am not aware of any complications in relation to diabetes and diet soda!. I don't think that it necessarily causes weight gain either!.

The best information on aspartame I have found on the net is from the American Cancer Society!. It has some really good background info on where all the rumors started!. And they are just rumors!. If it was as dangerous as many people think, it would not be approved for inclusion into food!. Have a look, its very interesting!.

Animal studies in the 1970s found that rats could eat 4 grams of aspartame per kilogram of body weight without showing health problems!. To be safe, the JECFA divided this dose by 100, and set the Acceptable Daily Intake of aspartame for humans at 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight!.

The FDA, now has stated that the acceptable daily intake of aspartame for humans is 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight!.

This is equivalent to 3500 milligrams per day for a typical 70-kilogram (about 150 pounds) adult, far more than most adults take in daily!. For comparison, a can of diet soft drink contains about 180 milligrams of aspartame !. So a typical adult could drink 19 cans of diet soft drink each day before going over the recommended level!. A 30-kilogram (66 pounds) child would have to drink more than 8 cans of diet soda daily to reach the ADI for aspartame!.

Does Aspartame Cause Cancer!?

Soon after aspartame was introduced to the market, its safety was questioned!. Its role in cancer risk has been widely debated over the last few decades!. Concerns still exist today and studies continue to look at the safety of aspartame and other artificial sweeteners!.

As recently as April 2007, the FDA released this statement: "Considering results from the large number of studies on aspartame's safety, including five previously conducted negative chronic carcinogenicity studies, a recently reported large epidemiology study with negative associations between the use of aspartame and the occurrence of tumors, and negative findings from a series of three transgenic mouse assays, FDA finds no reason to alter its previous conclusion that aspartame is safe as a general purpose sweetener in food!."

What Do the Experts Say!?

Aspartame has been approved for use as a sweetener by the FDA and by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, and the World Health Organization!. They have concluded that aspartame does not cause cancer or other adverse health effects in the general population!. Though research into a possible link between aspartame and cancer continues, no study to date has had results that change this conclusion!.

Does Aspartame Cause Any Other Health Problems!?

Phenylketonuria (PKU)

People born with a rare genetic disorder called phenylketonuria or PKU cannot break down (metabolize) the amino acid phenylalanine!. This amino acid occurs naturally and is found in aspartame!. PKU is usually detected in babies by a routine blood test at birth!. People with the disorder are placed on a phenylalanine-restricted diet and must avoid aspartame!.

Other Complaints

The FDA received hundreds of complaints of various symptoms after aspartame was introduced!. The most common symptoms were headache, dizziness, stomach (gastrointestinal) symptoms, and change in mood!. Less often, seizures were reported!. The symptoms did not follow any particular pattern and most were minor!. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that "although it may be that certain individuals have an unusual sensitivity to the product, these data do not provide evidence for the existence of serious, widespread, adverse health consequences attendant to the use of aspartame!."

Claims are still made that aspartame is related to numerous health effects including: Alzheimer disease, birth defects, cancer, diabetes, Gulf War syndrome, attention deficit disorders, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and seizures!. However, there is very little scientific evidence to support these claims!. Human exposure studies done to date, in which volunteers eat known quantities of aspartame, have not shown any evidence of harm!.

Methanol, one of the breakdown products of aspartame, is toxic to humans when large doses are eaten and could possibly cause blindness and even death!. However, the amount of methanol produced when aspartame is broken down is minimal and well below the level that is a risk to human health!.

http://www!.cancer!.org/docroot/PED/conten!.!.!.Www@Answer-Health@Com





The consumer health information on answer-health.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.
Copyright © 2007-2011 answer-health.com -   Terms of Use -   Contact us

Health Categories