Splenda vs Equal...

[Plantman]

In an effort to keep it sanitized around here, I have come up with the following:

Splenda v Equal.

Which do you prefer and which one is better for you?

As I understand it, splenda is made from sugar, w/o all the bad crap in sugar, which is why i use it.

Equal has formaldahyde in it whihc may cause some people to have unfavorable reactions to it, memory lapses, etc....

What was I typing about?

[boneheaddoctor]

I drink Pepsi Edge....becasue Splenda has the least objectional taste to me.....Plus since I drink 2 or 3 sodas a day it helps cut down on calories.

Nutrasweet (Asperteme) gives me a headache so bad you have double vision if I have more than just a little of it.

Sacharine I flat out can't stand the taste of....

Equal is a mix of Sacharine and Asperteme if I am not mistaken........two things I have different problems with.

[super SEC]

"Aspartame, a dipeptide composed of phenylalanine and aspartic acid linked by a methyl ester bond, is not absorbed, and is completely hydrolysed in the intestine to yield the two constituent amino acids and free methanol. Opponents of aspartame suggest that the phenylalanine and methanol so released are dangerous. In particular, they assert that methanol can be converted to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, and thus cause metabolic acidosis and neurotoxicity.

Although a 330 ml can of aspartame-sweetened soft drink will yield about 20 mg methanol, an equivalent volume of fruit juice produces 40 mg methanol, and an alcoholic beverage about 60-100 mg. The yield of phenylalanine is about 100 mg for a can of diet soft drink, compared with 300 mg for an egg, 500 mg for a glass of milk, and 900 mg for a large hamburger (1). Thus, the amount of phenylalanine or methanol ingested from consumption of aspartame is trivial, compared with other dietary sources. Clinical studies have shown no evidence of toxic effects and no increase in plasma concentrations of methanol, formic acid, or phenylalanine with daily consumption of 50 mg/kg aspartame (equivalent to 17 cans of diet soft drink daily for a 70 kg adult) (1, 2)." http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/1998/aspartame-0916.html

Snopes says BS to that urban legend too:
http://www.snopes.com/toxins/aspartame.asp
http://neuro-www.mgh.harvard.edu/forum/MultipleSclerosisF/2.7.9912.14PMTIMEarticler.html

[Jason Beal]

Do a search on aspartame. Nasty nasty nasty stuff.

I quit drinking diet cokes about 18 months ago and feel like a million bucks now.

Drinking diet sodas after 4 yrs:

Always tired
Dark circles under my eyes
Mood swings
Stomach pain
Joint pain (near the end)
Shortness of breath
Constant headaches
Face broken out (acne and grey hair...yea!!)
Constant craving for carbs
Blurry vision

I had gone to the doc and was given migrane medicine, stomach medicine, antibiotics for acne, asthma inhaler for daily use, you name it. My mood swings were so severe I began to wonder if I was not right in my head.

I was feeling so lousy (and so fed up with feeling that way) I took a look at what I could be putting in my body. Diet Coke was the last thing I could think of. I did a search on it and found many sites listing symtoms of aspartame consumption. I had about 99% of the symptoms. One of them was tumors, and I had a lump on my right thumb at the time. I poured the soda down the sink and never drank one again.

I had a surgeon remove the lump and it was a tumor. He said he had never seen one like that before....I can not prove it, but from other stories I read, I bet my aspartame intake created it. I still have a small lump the size of a pea inside my left cheek that I am having trouble getting doctors to look at (whole different story).

Since quiting:

Skin on my face looks the best it has in my whole life
Increased energy
No headaches
No acne
No mood swings
No stomach pain
No medicine
Waste size went down 4 sizes (I don't eat carbs all day now-pretzels, snack food etc).
No nuthin!

So.......you tell me.

Splenda causes bladder irritation with me.

I guess I'm touchy with all drugs. I only drink coffee (black) and water now. Sometimes iced tea.

Don't put that crap in your body!!!

[super SEC]

Bull $hit!!!! You find so much disinformation on the internet it's not even funny. The main ingredient of Aspertame is phenylanine. That is a naturally occuring amino acid that tastes sweet. Move on with this crap!

[Jason Beal]

Originally Posted by super SEC

Bull $hit!!!! You find so much disinformation on the internet it's not even funny. The main ingredient of Aspertame is phenylanine. That is a naturally occuring amino acid that tastes sweet. Move on with this crap!

I disagree.

I had a doctor tell me it was not safe years ago when I began to drink it. I wish I had listened to him then.

Many pilots won't drink it for the same reason.

I guess I just made that entire list up and it was all in my head?

If you want to call me a liar then I can not change your mind. But I know, via life experience, how I felt and how it affected me and you can not change that.

It's crap!!!!

Nothing natural about it at all.

Don't put it in your body!

If it's so safe to use, why are they slowly switching out splenda for nutrasweet right now? They know it's not safe! That is why.

I don't drink too much pop-soda-coke I normally grab a Snapple or lipton iced tea.

I settle for nothing less than the real thing SUGAR, I can pick up a micron of the fake stuff my wife made an attempt once that was easily detected and spit out.

Diet anything sucks, enjoy the real thing but in moderation. If your thirsty drink water or juice.

[R Leo]

Originally Posted by MedMech

I don't drink too much pop-soda-coke I normally grab a Snapple or lipton iced tea.

I settle for nothing less than the real thing SUGAR...

Med,
Better check the label on yer Snapple or Sweetened Lipton's...betcha the first ingrediment is corn sweetener...definitely not Aspartame but it sure ain't sugar either.

[boneheaddoctor]

I hate Snapple Ice tea..............

Tradewinds makes the only palitable packaged tea.

I prefer to make my own............

My favorite.......Twinings Earl Grey Iced tea made from teabags sweetened with honest to goodness cane sugar made by myself....

[super SEC]

If you want to call me a liar then I can not change your mind. But I know, via life experience, how I felt and how it affected me and you can not change that.

I'm not calling you a liar. I won't go into psychosomatic illness but you can make yourself sick by thinking that you are.

I would be very weary of a doctor that tells you something without empirical evidence to back up his claims. To date, there has not been proof that phenylalanine causes any problems for anyone but babies with phenylketonuria.

[aklim]

I had a friend whose dentist claimed that mercury in fillings causes all sorts of problems. As such, in good conscience, he will only use gold fillings. This girl went home and checked it out. Seems like she had every one of the symptoms. After all her mercury fillings (4) were out and replaced with gold ($$$), she immediately felt that all her symptoms vanished.

Personally, I want to see proof before I believe. Show me you have run an unbiased test to form an opinion instead of running tests to justify one. I want to see tests done by an independent facility with acceptable scientific processes and not something done by observing 1000 people and coming up with an opinion.

Lets face it. Splenda, Sacharrine, etc will ALL have some sort of effect. THERE IS NO FREE LUNCH. Further to that, YOU ARE GOING TO DIE. However, lets say you stall it for 10 years with your healthy lifestyle. Which 10 years are you getting? The ones where you are 20-40 yrs old? Nope. Probably you extend your stay in a Long Term Care Facility (aka Nursing Home) by 10 years. Personally, I'd rather call it a day when my good life is over than to hang on for another 30 years but locked up in a LTCF, sitting in a wheelchair.

[sfloriII]

I don't drink sodas, except for a root beer here in the DC area that's brewed at an actual brewery and uses natural sugar. The stuff's fantastic!!

Other than that, I use turbinado sugar, which is sugar that hasn't been bleached like regular white sugar. Tastes better and it's not bad for you.

I just stay away form artificial stuff for the most part. I don't cook or use margarine, only real butter. Just use it in moderation, that's all.

[Jason Beal]

Originally Posted by super SEC

I'm not calling you a liar. I won't go into psychosomatic illness but you can make yourself sick by thinking that you are.

I would be very weary of a doctor that tells you something without empirical evidence to back up his claims. To date, there has not been proof that phenylalanine causes any problems for anyone but babies with phenylketonuria.

Knock yourself out on the diet sodas my friend.

I know I will never drink any of that crapola again.

Guess it was all in my head, and my hand, and my cheek....huh?

As long as people are falling over dead after smelling Peanut Butter, I do believe Jasons issue with phenylalanine.

I googled phenylalanine and none of the hits talked about the good qualities.

Update here's a paste.

L-phenylalanine is an essential amino acid (cannot be produced by the body) and thus must be obtained through the diet. Phenylalanine is used in different biochemical processes to produce neurotransmitters, dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. It is claimed but not proven that phenylalanine can promote sexual arousal, and there is evidence that phenylalanine can increase mental alertness (Grevet et al. 2002) and release hormones affecting appetite. D-phenylalanine has been shown to inhibit the metabolism of opiate-like substances called enkephalins in the brain. It is claimed that DL-phenylalanine is effective in the treatment of chronic pain (Walsh et al. 1986; Russell et al. 2000). There is some evidence that phenylalanine can help to overcome alcoholism and other drug addictions.

___________________________________________________________________

So Phenylalanine helps create epinephrine, which red blotches are a side effect to people sensitive to phrine's.

The only thing going on in your head Jason is a Biochemical process that you had adverse reaction's to.

It sucks being human, you know everyone being different and all.