Rex Trulove
It is difficult to call anything that doesn’t exist in nature a food, but if we think of foods as any consumable substance, aspartame would then be a food. Make no mistake; it is entirely man-made and it is dangerous.
It was first synthesized in 1961 as an artificial sweetener and sugar substitute. Known as E951 in Europe, it was widely marketed in the US under the name of NutraSweet. Aspartame is also known as acesulfame potassium, aspartyl phenylalanine methyl ester or APM.
Currently, it is sold in many soft drinks and as a sugar substitute under many brand names, including the best selling brand names like NutraSweet and Equal. Nearly all diet soda contains aspartame.
Failure as a sugar substitute
The initial idea behind aspartame was to produce a low-calorie substitute for sugar. Although aspartame is sweet, it fails miserably because it is not only dangerous, it also has 4 calories per gram. Table sugar has 3.9 calories per gram, so aspartame actually contains more calories than sugar, which has fewer side effects.
Additives in sweeteners
Not only is aspartame dangerous, the brands that sell it also mix it with maltodextrin. In the United States, maltodextrin comes from genetically modified or GMO corn. The GMO derived maltodextrin can be found in all aspartame based sugar substitutes produced in the US.
The dangers of aspartame
Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded in 2013 that aspartame could continue to be sold and used, the FDA has had more reports of reactions to aspartame than reported reactions to all other foods and additives combined.
There are more than 10,000 documented reports of such reactions and there is a strong indication that only about 1% of adverse reactions are actually reported. In fact, about three-quarters of the reports of bad reactions to food additives that the FDA receives are in regard to aspartame.
Most common reactions
Among the most common adverse reactions to aspartame are: headaches, stomach cramps, digestive pain, mood swings, blurred vision, insomnia, memory loss, hives, painful joints, abnormal heart rate, nausea, dizziness, convulsions, vomiting, weakness, seizures, chronic fatigue, and diarrhea. Several studies indicate that aspartame is a major trigger for migraines and irregular heartbeat. Aspartame has also been implicated in numerous premature births and studies have found that when used over a long period, aspartame greatly increases the chances of cancer. This sounds like a great thing to consume, doesn’t it?
Its use in diet soda coincides with a large spike in various cancers including brain cancer. There also appears to be a link between aspartame consumption and the incidence of multiple sclerosis, probably because when aspartame breaks down, one of the byproducts is methanol.
Methanol is better known as wood alcohol and this substance is toxic, even is small amounts.The dangers don’t end there. Aspartame causes headaches by causing extremely elevated brain neuron activity. In other words, the brain goes into overload. More recent studies have shown a connection between aspartame consumption and dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Disagreements about the dangers
The manufacturers of aspartame maintain that the associated problems are minor because of the small amounts that are consumed per person. The FDA agreed, in 2013, based on the fact that aspartame breaks down into other substances. The other substances were not thoroughly evaluated by the FDA, though some, such as the afore-mentioned methanol are known to be extremely poisonous.
In regard to the ‘small amounts consumed’, it should be noted that in the 1980’s, over a million pounds of Aspartame were consumed in the US. The consumption rate has increased by a fairly steady rate, particularly because of the popularity of diet soda pop.
People are often aware of the amount of gluten different foods contain. Many people make sure that they eat only low fat or fat-free foods. A large segment of the population stays clear of foods that contain milk products. And yet, people quite often consume substantial amounts of aspartame without a second thought. They then don’t understand why they don’t feel good.
In large part, this is probably because they aren’t aware of the dangers of aspartame. If they were, they would take major steps to not consume any product containing aspartame.
Aspartame is a failure in regard to its original purpose. There are far safer alternatives and even sugar is much safer to consume. Unfortunately, more and more products are likely to end up containing aspartame until the consumer becomes educated and stops buying foods that contain the substance.
The initial idea all soda
Excellent information here!
Thank you. The scary part is that there are still people who don’t believe the studies that have been done on aspartame, nor the logical conclusions that have been drawn about its dangers, but it doesn’t take much thought to understand the danger and act accordingly. It isn’t even particularly hard to find the studies. No doubt, more studies are being done, too, but I’m not sure they’ll help people who refuse to accept the results.
in my little about knowledge All Soda has not positive result of human body… its like a chill and also temporary enjoyable memory….. so beware using these all items….
It is true that none of them are good for the body, yet people pay for and drink hundreds of millions of dollars worth of soda pop every year, all around the world.
Aspartame leaves an extremely bad taste in my mouth. The moment I taste it, I spit out whatever I had put in my mouth and go brush my teeth to clean the evil substance from my body the best I can! When I visit the dentist, I refuse to let him use a sugar free product in my mouth due to the reactions it causes for me. Prefer pure sugar to all alternatives! Have multiple sclerosis basically since early grade school age.
It is every bit as nasty for people as it tastes, too. I don’t blame you for spitting it out.
In my opinion ALL soda with or without sugars are not good for the body.
They really aren’t. I still remember the simple experiment we did in school, where we put a chicken bone in a glass of soda pop. The next morning, the bone was gone and there was some fine residue in the bottom of the glass…the only thing that remained of the bone.
Still, the sugar is better for people than aspartame, which is poisonous and highly allergenic.
It’s time they ban aspartame and find healthier alternatives.
I agree and they have healthier alternatives. For instance, stevia is far healthier and isn’t poison, yet it contains no sugar and has no caloric value. Unfortunately, it is also extremely sweet, so a teaspoon of stevia is equivalent to a cup of sugar. That reduces the bulk in recipes, so people must find something to make up for the lost bulk.
Thank God I don’t drink any kind of soda.
That is a wise decision!
They say if you keep using artificial sweeteners you will soon get artificial diabetes. Heheh.
Seriously though why do FDA and similar government agencies keep allowing companies to use these toxic substances?
lol..nice one
In a word, money.
I have always have issues with Asparteme, so don’t consume it, I do use Stevia which I like a lot!
What is Stevia?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia
thanks
No problem!
In fact, I grow stevia in pots. It is very simple to grow.
We use stevia a lot, too. In fact, the last few years, I’ve been making ‘special’ zucchini bread for our pastor, who is diabetic. He loves it and his doctor has confirmed that it is good for him (I think the doctor wants me to make him some. lol)
Excellent information here!
Thank you very much. I hope it helps people to make an informed choice.
This is why I can’t stand drinking soda!
In 2017, I drank exactly 2 cans of soda, both times because I had the choice of that or becoming dehydrated. Water wasn’t an option. I used to drink a lot of pop, but I’ve never, ever cared for diet pop.
Great article. I don’t drink sodas and I don’t give It to my children (I only give them water or home made orange juice from my backyard oranges) and I never buy the diet version of yogurts and other things, it is better to consume a little bit of sugar than artificial sweets.
The problem is the companies want to sell and as people think that the enemy is the sugar they buy the light version that is worst.
You are absolutely right. It also means that until the consumers become educated about the dangers of manmade sweeteners (and preservatives, etc) and stop buying the products, the companies will continue using poisons to sweeten the drinks. It is all driven by money.
Great article, I knew the facts but you wrote them out in an interesting and informative way!
I love my coke zero, that’s my addiction since I have to give up sugar….I know it’s honestly not any better, but tastes so good. Coke (or pepsi) needs to make a stevia version!
Thank you for the compliment, and I agree; they really do need a stevia version. At least you know the dangers. A lot of people don’t.
Just stating the truth! And that’s true, a lot don’t know about it. I know because being diabetic I have to know what foods or “chemicals” affect my blood sugar. So I’ve researched a lot on different sugar substitutes.
There is a drink called Zevia sweetened with stevia, but wasn’t the biggest fan of that.
omg
Then there is also the problem of how the stevia is refined. It is so extremely sweet that if it isn’t refined correctly, it can be very bitter. I can make extract using vodka as a base, but while extracts of other herbs usually take 2 weeks or so, stevia leaves can’t be left in the vodka longer than 3-4 days, or it will become bitter.
Yes that is true about the bitterness! That’s probably why I don’t normally use Stevia alone…I get a mix of stevia and erythritol. I’ve never tried to make my own, but that’s a good idea.
interesting post.
Thank you
Kind of an ‘Eye Opener’ writing, very informative and at the same time interesting note. Well done my friend.
It really is. It is also interesting, too. There are about a half-dozen people locally that I know quite well who are on a gluten-free diet, but who have never been diagnosed with celiac disease. The reason, to treat the symptoms listed in this article. Every single one of them drinks diet soda. There is an excellent chance that their problems are caused by aspartame and *NOT* by gluten.
I am pretty sure it’s addictive as well. Being diabetic I consume too much of this and know it. I also know it makes me feel bad, I have most of the symptoms listed above. I am addicted to Diet Coke. When I first learned about aspartame I quit drinking it all together, and felt great. Now I have started drinking it again. I really need to stop. Great article and wonderful information.
It could very well be addictive. It isn’t like there isn’t an alternative, either. Stevia is safe for diabetics and others, has no calories, and is sweeter than sugar. I should write about Stevia. LOL
I have tried it, it raises my sugar like sugar does. Though for a non diabetic it would be good, id just stick to honey or refined if I wasnt.
Diabetics around here are told by doctors treating them to use stevia, period. There is 0 sugar in it, none at all. Some stevia products, though, do use maltodextrin or similar that they blend with stevia and maltodextrin is sugar. If your blood sugar went up when you tried stevia, I suspect that you had some of the blend. With pure stevia (which is VERY sweet, so it must be used sparingly), stevia shouldn’t increase your blood sugar. For that matter, it shouldn’t decrease it, either.
Well that makes sense. I might have to try another brand, thanks so much.