Aspartame---Safe or not?

[rothko]

not

[surfinillini]

you should read up on aspartame disease...

I used to drink 2-3 20oz of diet coke a day. I was constantly tired, irritable, had headaches constantly...

I gave up soda 100% in early October 06. I might've had a few sips since then but the headaches are gone and I feel a lot healthier.

switch to water man, best thing you'll ever do.

There is also a debate on whether aspartame is a neurocarcinogen. After reading some stuff I think it might increase risk factors (although not be the sole cause) but eitherway that made it even easier for me to quit cold turkey.

[evil twin]

There's no hard evidence out there that it's harmful in the form we consume it. There is plenty of circumspect non-scientific speculation that it's bad for you.

The thing is, I don't get why we risk it. It certainly doesn't have the well documented health benifits of drinking tea, green tea, water, or various other drinks. Don't bother with it, you'll feel better if you switch to tea or even something crazy like pure water.

[niss]

wrt to your chest pains -- do you have kids? I and some of my friends have experienced the same chest pain (and all thought OH NO HEART ATTACK), and it has universally been attributed (by doctors) to a muscle strain that most likely comes from picking up the kids.

[Senor Choppy]

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LOL!

Wow i wish i lived in your world, i wish i could believe that big corporations cared about the people who used there products

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He wasn't implying that they cared about consumers, only the financial implications of a class-action lawsuit that would be the result of injury them.

[AquaSwing]

I would tend to agree that it's not very good for you. My reason for not drinking diet soda is it tastes like CRAP. Aspartame barely resembles the taste of sugar. Same with that sucralose [censored].

Now if they could get real sugar back in Coca-Cola, that would rule because HFCS sucks too.

[esad]

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After doing some research, its not looking good. From some of the articles I read, they are comparing this debate with the debate on whether or not smoking was unhealthy. 90% of the studies say aspartame is very unhealthy, even deadly. The 10% that say its healthy are all funded by corporations selling aspartame products. The FDA even banned it after its initial study in 1980.

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Stop doing your research on the internet. It's filled with anti-aspartame health nuts who twist the facts. It's fine. Stop being a hypochondriac about it.

[durkahdurkah]

I've never heard of anyone getting ill because of aspartame unless that person has PKU, which would have been detected really early in life anyway.

It's quite possible it could be dangerous, but it's likely dangerous in the way that sacharrin is dangerous (i.e. dangerous if based off junk science)

[punkass]

I don't like the taste of diet sodas. I really don't drink sodas, but if I do (maybe 2-3x/month), it's full strength regular soda. I know what happens to sugar in my body.

I don't think aspartame/sucrolose/etc are bad for you. I just don't like the taste of it.

[traz]

When I drink soda, it's diet. If I die because of it, oh well. I haven't felt any ill effects for years, and if I drank regular coke instead of diet, I would be significantly fatter.

If its not for you, then thats fine. But anyone who knocks me drinking it I usually tell to [censored] off.