Aspartame

[rainbow]

What do you guys think?

www.dorway.com/indexnew.htm

www.wnho.net/aspartamenews.htm

[Prin]

Everything causes cancer. Everything in moderation.

[rainbow]

Did you actually read the articles in three minutes?

[Prin]

Well the first one was really short. Unless I read it wrong... And I had read a lot of the second ones before.

[rainbow]

Did you click on any of the links? Do you drink diet pop? Or use any other aspartame products?

[Prin]

Yeah, a few of them. I don't eat much with aspartame. It gives some of my family migraines, so I've learned to avoid it.

[Maya]

My ex b/f was a Phd in chemistry went on to do a post doc at a prestigious university etc. He explained to me how it effects the brain, something to the effect of damaging pathways but that its probably not a big deal. He could not make toast, avoid injury while in the kitchen (put own hand in blender and turned it on), unable to exercise or stretch properly before and the list goes, so I definitely question when scientists say things are safe. Seriously though, it's about big companies pushing their products to make money, like the drug companies that are pushing all sorts of hazardous pharmaceuticals even though they know there are health risks. Most people are quite trusting, I guess they are trained to look up to authority for safety and don't want to believe that maybe they are just being used for profit.

[jawert1]

It's not just one food additive or substitute slowly killing people these days, it's a combination of all of it. Yes aspartame is a horrible substance and probably has indications far beyond the testing in lab animals show, we simply haven't had a long enough time line to see what harm it does in 50 or 100 years. The truth of it is, most all of our modern diet is killing us more quickly and in more horrible ways than that of 200 years ago. Heavily refined sugar (corn syrup the worst), refined and bleached grains, massive caffeine overload (my finger points at me - I'm a Tim's addict), lack of exercise and fresh vegetables and fruits. My family has an awful history of esophagael cancer, so I'm well aware of the dietary cannon pointed my way. I respect the information that DORway has compiled, and the work they continue, I just worry that folks fixate on one ingredient/chemical rather than looking at an overall picture.

Sorry for the jack Rainbow

[MyBirdIsEvil]

I didn't read the articles yet, but if they're about aspartame linked to cancer you have MUCH worse things to worry about.
I'm all for eating more natural foods, but so far there hasn't been any study that definitively says aspertame causes cancer. The original study was done on rats, where they were given amounts of aspartame that no one would consume. Most subsequent studies are flawed, and can be interpreted however one sees fit.
Either way, if you're worried about cancer, there's more to worry about than aspartame. Just about everything has been linked to cancer.

Overcooked food: If you so much as sear part of your food, you raise the amount of carcinogens.
If you grill your food you're adding carcinogens.
If you smoke; if you breathe in second hand smoke.
If you live somewhere with lots of air pollution.
If you eat lots of high fat foods; if you're overweight.
If you drink a lot of alcohol.

and that's just a few I can think of offhand.
There's also different risks associated with each type of cancer, so you're pretty much screwed. If you're alive you're at risk for some type of cancer.

The most you can do is try to be healthy overall. Exercise, stay at a healthy weight, eat healthy unprocessed foods, limit your exposure chemicals and pollution.

Aspartame is something that most people aren't consuming a significant amount of. If you're eating/drinking several things with it in there, you may want to cut down on it, but most likely there are worse things that contribute to your risk for cancer.

[Prin]

You forgot tomatoes. Tomatoes are my favorite media thing. One week they're anti-cancer, the next they're a major cause. It just keeps flipping.

btw, the articles say more about the damage of aspartame than just cancer.

[rainbow]

Originally Posted by MyBirdIsEvil

I didn't read the articles yet, but if they're about aspartame linked to cancer you have MUCH worse things to worry about.

You should read the articles first and click on some of the links and read those as well when you have time. It's not just cancer they're talking about.

[Angies Man]

Originally Posted by Prin

You forgot tomatoes. Tomatoes are my favorite media thing. One week they're anti-cancer, the next they're a major cause. It just keeps flipping.

btw, the articles say more about the damage of aspartame than just cancer.

MMM! TOE MAY TOES! (Hijacking the thread warning!) It sure has been a great year for growing tomatoes--maybe they'll end up killing me (I think not!) but what a way to go. . .

(Canning tomatoes with peppers this weekend, btw.)

(Oh, and I am a cancer survivor, not that I think about it much.)

[MyBirdIsEvil]

You should read the articles first and click on some of the links and read those as well when you have time. It's not just cancer they're talking about

I'm well aware of what the links probably say (I only clicked on a few), since for several years there have been websites with the EXACT same information.
I also read the article in the first link.

To prevent my post from becoming long and drawn out, please read this snopes article on aspartame.

While there are a certain amount of people that claim aspartame causes serious health issues, there are no reputable scientific studies that state such.
I can't come to a definitive conclusion on something, just based on what certain people put on their web pages, especially when it's not backed by scientific evidence.

While I agree that everyone has a right to their opinion, most of these web pages use exaggeration and fear to sway opinions, and I don't find it extremely reputable when people put up websites with antecdotal evidence claimed as fact.

I'm not saying nothing written on the webpages are true, but the way the people putting out the info decide that it's valid is extremely flawed, so there's no way I can take them seriously.

[MyBirdIsEvil]

You forgot tomatoes. Tomatoes are my favorite media thing. One week they're anti-cancer, the next they're a major cause. It just keeps flipping.

Eggs are the worst.

"Study shows that eggs may be poisonous and even cause death...wait...this just in....eggs are the answer to all the worlds problems!"

Ok, not quite, but not far off, lol.

[rainbow]

I'm well aware of the snopes article. I drink diet pop, do you?

[MyBirdIsEvil]

I drink diet pop, do you?

Sometimes, but I rarely drink anything with aspartame 'cause it tastes like crap.
Sometimes I drink Diet Rite which has splenda in it. I don't really drink soda much though, and lately when I do I've been making my own 'cause I got a bunch of monin syrups.

[rainbow]

Aspartame isn't only in diet pop and, I agree, it tastes like crap.

Splenda is another sweetener derived from chemicals.

What are monin syrups?

[MyBirdIsEvil]

I know it's not only in diet pop.

Monin makes all kinds of gourmet syrups for sodas and mixed drinks and baking. They have just about every flavor you can think of.

[CyberKitten]

I think we had this discussion before ans seriously - NEVER drink the stuff. It is carcinogenic and if that is not bad enough - and it IS (I see those results daily!), when processed in the body, it turns to fermaldehyde (which since it's late and I am a bad typist I have spelled it incorrectly) which the thought of alone is enuf.

I did not have time to read the posted articles - my recommendations are based on peer reviwed (as in non pharmacutical sponsored) scientific studies in some of the best medical journals before they became as beholding as they currently are to the pharmacutical industry (as great as that group is in supplying me with samples galore and tempting me and my colleagues with all kinds of goodies).

I use splenda and if I have to sugar. I would NEVER NEVER NEVER used anything with aspertame in it.

And this is one of the few posts I would sign off on with my medical and biochem background and stake my medical and research career on. I would guess a little won't hurt you but over time - and it is in so many diet drinks for ex - we wll see the results (and are to some extent now).

It is not alone of course amg the carcinogens we are exposed to but it one of the most innocuous.

[rainbow]

I've never heard of it and, according to their website, Monin is only available in Ottawa, Ontario in Canada.

Did you read this? (I only skimmed it cuz I'm too tired).

http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame...nol.html#foods

[MyBirdIsEvil]

I've never heard of it and, according to their website, Monin is only available in Ottawa, Ontario in Canada.

I order it online, I can't find anything here in this town, it sucks.

[rainbow]

MBIE...have you read this yet?


http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame...nol.html#foods

[MyBirdIsEvil]

Page not found

[phoenix]

Originally Posted by rainbow

Splenda is another sweetener derived from chemicals.

Splenda IS a chemical. So is sugar. So are air and water.

I HATE when people use the word 'chemical' as bad. You and everything around you are conglomerations of chemicals and chemical reactions!

(ok, science teacher rant over)

Anyway, my understanding is that splenda is derived from sugar. My husband is a diabetic and so we have a lot of artificial sweeteners to think about... I have found Splenda to be the best so far. (taste, and I think, safety from what I've read). There is also stevia, a "chemical" extracted from the stevia plant. I grew some this year... the leaves are delicious! Very expensive to buy in powdered form, though.

I do think that the moderation route is best in the case of aspartame.

[rainbow]

Originally Posted by MyBirdIsEvil

Page not found

Try my first link on post #20

[technodoll]

eating large quantities of anything is dangerous (even button mushrooms!), so to heck with that... drink plenty of water and natural fruit juices, and occasionally have that soda or whatever if you feel like it: either way, in that soda, you're ingesting a huge amount of sugar or some form of replacement chemical! the key is KNOWING what you're doing and being aware, and being careful. as my tag-line says... what a RIDE! LOL

[rainbow]

I just found the solution (taken from the link on post #20):

It is well known that alcoholic beverages such a wine contain a large amount of ethanol, a protective factor which prevents methanol poisoning by preventing the conversion of methanol to the highly toxic formaldehyde (Leaf 1952, Liesivuori 1991, Roe 1982). Because alcoholic beverages contain protective factors which prevent chronic poisoning from methanol metabolites (formaldehyde, formate), comparisons between the methanol derived from aspartame and the methanol derived from alcoholic beverages are inappropriate.

[technodoll]

so... no pepsi, drink vodka?

[rainbow]

and mix with what?

[pamha]

orange juice of course