aspartame

Former Member

the sweetener, not andy

does anyone have, or know where i can get, any reliable information on it, and it's affect on health.

i've googled it, but the internet is full of scaremongering, and i just want some factual information.

Former Member

This might be of some help...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/ask_doctor/aspartame.shtml

Former Member

I don't have any factual links for you, but i will tell you this - Aspartame can trigger worse symptoms in sufferers of M.E. I was in bed with Chronic Fatigue for 8 months, and we did some research and i cut aspartame out of my diet, and within 2 weeks, i was up and about again. I still can't eat or drink anything with it in because it triggers all my M.E symptoms again.

Oh yeah, and just cos something isn't low fat/no added sugar doesn't mean that it won't have aspartame in it. Things like regular Lilt and some Tango have it in as well.

Grrr :mad:

Former Member

thank you lucy

i'm asking because i've been ill for a couple of years, and the doctors are at their wits end, blaming it on stress, on anti-depressants, on just about anything.

and i do eat a lot (like, really loads) of sugar free chewing gum, so when i was chatting to someone they suggested it might be because of the sweetners in the gum.

but when i asked my doctor she said it was all rumour and scare-mongering, and that all the sweeteners were proven to be safe.

i've got a hospital appointment tomorrow, so i'll ask the specialist what he thinks.

Former Member

Aspartame is EVIL! I'm allergic to it ... and yes, its in sooo many products you wouldn't believe; from drinks (diet & regular), to yoghurts as well as crisps, sweeties, chocolates.

Its not too bad now I'm older as a) it has less effects on me and b) I know to read labels ... but its a pain in the arse.

Did you know supposedly it converts to formalderhyde (sp?) in the human stomach ... thats what they keep things in, in biology labs!!!

Former Member

Originally posted by Sa-ra-ra-ra
I don't have any factual links for you, but i will tell you this - Aspartame can trigger worse symptoms in sufferers of M.E. I was in bed with Chronic Fatigue for 8 months, and we did some research and i cut aspartame out of my diet, and within 2 weeks, i was up and about again. I still can't eat or drink anything with it in because it triggers all my M.E symptoms again.

Oh yeah, and just cos something isn't low fat/no added sugar doesn't mean that it won't have aspartame in it. Things like regular Lilt and some Tango have it in as well.

Grrr :mad:

I was just about to post about you sararara, I remember you saying this in one of the other threads about aspartame.
Its right not to blindly believe scaremongering, but aspartame has been linked to lots of problems. Obviously not everyone will have reactions to it but i dont believe that it is a safe additive.

Former Member

Don`t know anything about aspartame Kaffrin, but I just wanted to say I sympathise about the situation you`re in, cause my partner is exactly the same. He`s been ill for about 18 months now and no-one seems to be able to tell us whats wrong with him. It sucks. Big time.

Former Member

i dnt know how dangerous aspartame is or neting but i'm diabetic and have to avoid unnecessary sugar so i mostly have aspartame as my sweetener. but if aspartame isn't good for health then what alternatives do i have?

Former Member

I'm not too knowledgeable on food additives, but i'm pretty sure tat there are other sweeteners .... what about sacarin (sp?)

But it seems that something that is good for one part of you, is bad for another. Like how we're supposed to eat 5 portions of fruit 'n' veg a day ... my Mum went to the tooth hygenist recently & was informed that actually that was bad for your teeth to do that!

Former Member

just out of interest, those of you who know aspartame affects you..how does it make you feel?

Former Member

Originally posted by Zizzle
I'm not too knowledgeable on food additives, but i'm pretty sure tat there are other sweeteners .... what about sacarin (sp?)

there are other artificial sweetners, none of them are 100% safe, but most of them are better than aspartame. Saccharin has been linked to bladder cancer in rats when taken in high doses, but Its still not as bad as aspartame. Apparently Sucralose isnt as bad as its actually based on sugar. The brand name for sucralose is splenda (aspartame is nutrasweet and I think saccharin is sweetex).
Your best bet is to just have sugar and try and cut down your intake gradually and make sure you brush your teeth regularly!
Im trying to reduce the amount of sugar I have in coffee, but sugar isnt that high calorie anyway. Theres only 15 calories in a teaspoon.

Former Member

My experience with aspartame:

When I was about 9 I very suddenly (over a period of 3 days) lost almost all the sight in both my eyes. It's a condition called retrobulbar neuritis. The optic nerves in my eyes became inflamed, and I couldn't see any object I was focusing on - to the extent that I couldn't see my grandparents' caravan.

I was staying at my aunt's at the time, and when my parents picked me up they realised quite how serious I was being about my blindness (the caravan incident happened on the way home) and so rushed me into hospital. I was treated with a very high dose of steroids, which calmed the inflammation and allowed my sight to (eventually) return to normal.

The doctors reckoned that this condition, in me, was caused by artificial sweetners, such as aspartame, building up in my system over time, (Rather like cholesterol does) then suddenly affecting me physically by causing this inflammation. The condition's actually highly rare in people as young as I was, hence the doctors didn't know how to treat me and gave me WAY too high a dose of steroids, which pretty much destroyed my immune system, but thankfully it all worked out in the end.

So basically, sweetners aren't good, for some people.

Former Member

Originally posted by lipsy
just out of interest, those of you who know aspartame affects you..how does it make you feel?

For me, it just triggers or exacerbates my Chronic Fatigue symptoms - i get headaches, tiredness - not just, ooh, i'm a bit sleepy, but to the extent that i find it physically draining just to get out of bed. I have very low energy during the day, and sleep doesn't refresh me, no matter how much i get. Sore throats, poor concentration and memory, muscular aches, insomnia or reversed sleep patterns, the lot. Ah, CFS is a fun condition to have The aspartame MAINLY makes the fatigue worse, but it does occasionally trigger my muscle aches too.