Aspartame - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

terminator · #1 08-23-2003, 02:10 PM

What are your thoughts on this product. I've been drinking diet Coke since 1996. I switched because of my sugar intake. Now I have friends tell me it is very bad for me. I've seen e-mails that list some pretty bad symptoms people seem to develop after using this product for a long time. Just curios what are your thoughts or experiences.

#2 08-23-2003, 04:37 PM

This is really an amazing subject involving memory, induced pleasure moments, and the use of psychotropic drugs in widespread consumer products.

Do you recall when this stuff was introduced wide-scale in the early 80's ...when Nancy Reagan was out stumping the "Just say no to drugs" message? The coincidence was just amazing to me at the time: just check out the BS "disclosure" on the side of a can of this soda: All it does is state something to the effect of : "Phenalkenourics: Contains Phenylalanine." What kind of “brain garbage” is that?

Well, Phenylketonurics is a class of substances which influence the brain. Phenylalanine is amongst a class of widespread proteins concentrated into extremely unnatural levels. This is heavy stuff to be using just sweeten consumer products…all apparently made to fly into our brains just below the radar of our collective awareness levels. This discussion does not relate to Phenylketonuria, which is a metabolic intolerance of Phenylalanine; I am talking about the psychotropic/memory/learning effects of what is really a powerful manufactured/concentrated drug that influences the nervous system, which we are all conned into accepting as a mere sweetener component! Well, the stuff occurs in nature all over the place, but in nowhere near the concentrations it gets refined into and placed into our foods as a component of the sweetener.

Have you ever wondered if your memory, and appreciation for little things like the significance and lessons of history, just might be affect by this stuff? What better way to control/influence a world population than to be influencing their brains with chemicals of known psychotropic influences to the pleasure centers of the brain? Why is the above "disclosure" tell us so little, and does not even directly link the Phenylketonurics as being directly associated with the sweetener? The whole thing is suspicious on its face, but nobody ever seems to want to talk about it.

Mark Shinnick
www.mastertimer.com

anthonyb · #3 08-23-2003, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by firestormer
What better way to control/influence a world population than to be influencing their brains with chemicals of known psychotropic influences to the pleasure centers of the brain?

So how does this explain why I can't stand the stuff?

Quote:

Why is the above "disclosure" tell us so little, and does not even directly link the Phenylketonurics as being directly associated with the sweetener? The whole thing is suspicious on its face, but nobody ever seems to want to talk about it.

Aspartame is essentially composed of two amino acids, aspartic acid (non-essential, ie your body makes it) and phenylalanine (essential, ie your body doesn't make it and needs a certain amount of it in the diet), linked by a methyl ester bond. And of course, amino acids are what the human body uses to make proteins.

The phenylalanine content is a serious issue for people with phenylketonuria, which is a disease resulting from the body's inability to metabolize that particular amino acid. If consumption is not properly monitored, phenylalanine levels can build up in the body, causing, among other things, serious brain damage.

However, if you don't have PKU, you probably don't have much to worry about. Aside from the nasty aftertaste.

dtkw · #4 08-23-2003, 10:43 PM

I have been drinking diet coke for years. A lot of time I have been pretty forgetful. Now that I stop drinking it and only occassionally, my brain seemed to remember things better. OMG

terminator · #5 08-23-2003, 10:57 PM

I don't know if I should keep drinking this stuff or stop, wait..... I forgot what I was going to say.

jsmith · #6 08-24-2003, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SP0CK
Hahaha! There was a scare a few years ago about the stuff that makes up toothpaste as well. It turned out to be false. Not to say it is equivalent though. I will look into this.

the stuff about toothpaste is true. sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is a very strong detergent. among other things, it has been found to have a correlation with mouth / canker sores. i used to suffer from canker sores from time to time, specially with stress. i switched to an sls-free toothpaste and i now very rarely get them, and if i do, it is only for e few days as opposed to a week or two otherwise...

jsmith · #7 08-24-2003, 11:15 PM

spock,

there's a gazillion references to SLS on the web. you have to make up your own informed decisions. my dentist didn't even know what the heck i was talking about. all i know is that since i switched to an sls-free toothpaste i don't get canker sores anymore.

terminator · #8 08-25-2003, 07:30 AM

But what about the aspartame.....again I forgot what I was going to say.

jsmith · #9 08-25-2003, 08:10 PM

switch to splenda - it's safer (until they figure out a way to feed our paranoia again)...

300EVIL · #10 08-25-2003, 10:14 PM

Here's something to chew on.

If you think about it, to a point, too much of anything will kill you. Example: too much water, too much oxygen, ect. ect. I personally believe anything concentrated or refined is even worse because it is not in a natural state. I believe that these concentrated and refined substances become an environmental hazard until the environment is able to break them down to their original state or divide up the concentration.
As for aspartame, I believe it is very bad for you. It's a complex chemical injested into your body that cannot be used much less broken down. It just sits there reeking havoc with your organs. Even regular granulated sugar is bad for the body because it is refined. The human body is not designed to absorb such large quantities at a time.

There is my two cents,,,, I should listen to my own advice but I am too busy to concentrate on my health!

sfloriII · #11 08-25-2003, 11:16 PM

Thank God I hate diet drinks! Can't stand the aftertaste. My brother-in-law drinks diet-Coke all day long. If he's suffering because of it, I couldn't tell. He handles marketing in his company for the enitre country and now makes somewhere up in the six-digits. 'Course, he's got brain cells to spare, I don't!

I do believe that it harms the body, though. I'll have to give up those little after-coffee mints from Starbucks!

terminator · #12 08-26-2003, 12:09 PM

I did not know what to think when a co-worker e-mailed me about a woman who thought she had MS but turned out her problems where from aspartame. Now you can't always believe what you read the first time around so I decided to check on the net and ask you guys. I am use to the taste of diet drinks, so for me its hard to stop. There is only so much water I can stand to drink, and I don't want to start drinking regular drinks because of the sugar. Is this going to be like smoking, we won't know how bad it is until 40 years from now when we are all in wheel chairs?

That Guy · #13 08-26-2003, 12:21 PM

And from what I recall, there is a heat component that has to be introduced before Aspartame becomes dangerous to ingest. Somwhere around 100 degrees fahrenheit if I remember correctly. There was some thought that it might be a contributor to the Gulf War syndrome in the early 90's when a lot of diet soda was shipped to Kuwait and was exposed to desert temps. The symptoms listed for Aspartame "poisoning" were frequent headaches and pain in the legs. Of course I haven't gone and found the sources for this info so take this with a grain of salt.

I'm with Adam. I try and stay away from "altered" foods. No Lite, Low Fat, Diet foods for me. There aren't any free tickets in this world so if you're avoiding fat and such your taking on other risks. I'm a big believer in eating whatever I want in MODERATION. Don't be afraid to throw away food once you feel full. If you can't handle the calories in a soda, bite the bullet and drink water.

Now for my ultimate hypocrisy, I'll never give up my Bud Light!

#14 08-29-2003, 02:14 AM

Interesting read, worth the time! http://www.dorway.com/betty/afaaltr.html

Looks like warning are starting to appear for Pilots on many US Major Airlines, US Airforce, and the US Navy. Hummm, I wonder why???

I'm no health nut, but...... my scientific "gut feeling" tells me when something is wrong. And this stuff is plain wrong.

Click here for tons of info, http://www.dorway.com/

#15 08-29-2003, 02:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by That Guy
There was some thought that it might be a contributor to the Gulf War syndrome in the early 90's when a lot of diet soda was shipped to Kuwait and was exposed to desert temps. The symptoms listed for Aspartame "poisoning" were frequent headaches and pain in the legs.

I suspect this to be very close to the truth, I worked with many guys who fit this bill when I was in the Army.

People may ask, "Soda stored out in the open in Kuwait?". My answer, very likely on a regular basis.

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