# Just how bad is diet soda?



## scout200 (Dec 21, 2010)

I was just wondering how bad diet soda is (in moderation) compared to   regular soda?  With regular soda, you're consuming empty calories... but there are several studies surrounding diet soda and how _bad it is for you_...What are your thoughts?


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## DarkHorse (Dec 21, 2010)

Many diet sodas contain Aspartame. Here's an article, draw your own conclusion.

*Aspartame is, by far, the most dangerous substance on the market that is added to foods.*

Aspartame is the technical name for the brand names NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure. It was discovered by accident in 1965 when James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company, was testing an anti-ulcer drug.
 
Aspartame was approved for dry goods in 1981 and for carbonated beverages in 1983. It was originally approved for dry goods on July 26, 1974, but objections filed by neuroscience researcher Dr John W. Olney and Consumer attorney James Turner in August 1974 as well as investigations of G.D. Searle's research practices caused the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to put approval of aspartame on hold (December 5, 1974). In 1985, Monsanto purchased G.D. Searle and made Searle Pharmaceuticals and The NutraSweet Company separate subsidiaries.
Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious including seizures and death.(1) A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include: Headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain.
According to researchers and physicians studying the adverse effects of aspartame, the following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame2) Brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, parkinson's disease, alzheimer's, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia, and diabetes.
Aspartame is made up of three chemicals: aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. The book "Prescription for Nutritional Healing," by James and Phyllis Balch, lists aspartame under the category of "chemical poison." As you shall see, that is exactly what it is.
*What Is Aspartame Made Of?*

*Aspartic Acid (40 percent of Aspartame)*

Dr. Russell L. Blaylock, a professor of neurosurgery at the Medical University of Mississippi, recently published a book thoroughly detailing the damage that is caused by the ingestion of excessive aspartic acid from aspartame. Blaylock makes use of almost 500 scientific references to show how excess free excitatory amino acids such as aspartic acid and glutamic acid (about 99 percent of monosodium glutamate (MSG) is glutamic acid) in our food supply are causing serious chronic neurological disorders and a myriad of other acute symptoms.(3)
*How Aspartate (and Glutamate) Cause Damage*



Aspartate and glutamate act as neurotransmitters in the brain by facilitating the transmission of information from neuron to neuron. Too much aspartate or glutamate in the brain kills certain neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells. This influx triggers excessive amounts of free radicals, which kill the cells. The neural cell damage that can be caused by excessive aspartate and glutamate is why they are referred to as "excitotoxins." They "excite" or stimulate the neural cells to death.

Aspartic acid is an amino acid. Taken in its free form (unbound to proteins) it significantly raises the blood plasma level of aspartate and glutamate. The excess aspartate and glutamate in the blood plasma shortly after ingesting aspartame or products with free glutamic acid (glutamate precursor) leads to a high level of those neurotransmitters in certain areas of the brain.
The blood brain barrier (BBB), which normally protects the brain from excess glutamate and aspartate as well as toxins, 1) is not fully developed during childhood, 2) does not fully protect all areas of the brain, 3) is damaged by numerous chronic and acute conditions, and 4) allows seepage of excess glutamate and aspartate into the brain even when intact.
The excess glutamate and aspartate slowly begin to destroy neurons. The large majority (75 percent or more) of neural cells in a particular area of the brain are killed before any clinical symptoms of a chronic illness are noticed. A few of the many chronic illnesses that have been shown to be contributed to by long-term exposure to excitatory amino acid damage include:

Multiple sclerosis (MS)
ALS
Memory loss
Hormonal problems
Hearing loss
Epilepsy
Alzheimer's disease

Parkinson's disease
Hypoglycemia
AIDS
Dementia
Brain lesions
Neuroendocrine disorders
The risk to infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and persons with certain chronic health problems from excitotoxins are great. Even the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), which usually understates problems and mimics the FDA party-line, recently stated in a review that:
"It is prudent to avoid the use of dietary supplements of L-glutamic acid by pregnant women, infants, and children. The existence of evidence of potential endocrine responses, i.e., elevated cortisol and prolactin, and differential responses between males and females, would also suggest a neuroendocrine link and that supplemental L-glutamic acid should be avoided by women of childbearing age and individuals with affective disorders."(4)
Aspartic acid from aspartame has the same deleterious effects on the body as glutamic acid.
The exact mechanism of acute reactions to excess free glutamate and aspartate is currently being debated. As reported to the FDA, those reactions include5)


 

Headaches/migraines
Nausea
Abdominal pains
Fatigue (blocks sufficient glucose entry into brain)
Sleep problems
Vision problems
Anxiety attacks
Depression
Asthma/chest tigShtness.
One common complaint of persons suffering from the effect of aspartame is memory loss. Ironically, in 1987, G.D. Searle, the manufacturer of aspartame, undertook a search for a drug to combat memory loss caused by excitatory amino acid damage. Blaylock is one of many scientists and physicians who are concerned about excitatory amino acid damage caused by ingestion of aspartame and MSG.
A few of the many experts who have spoken out against the damage being caused by aspartate and glutamate include Adrienne Samuels, Ph.D., an experimental psychologist specializing in research design. Another is Olney, a professor in the department of psychiatry, School of Medicine, Washington University, a neuroscientist and researcher, and one of the world's foremost authorities on excitotoxins. (He informed Searle in 1971 that aspartic acid caused holes in the brains of mice.)
*Phenylalanine (50 percent of aspartame)*

 
Phenylalanine is an amino acid normally found in the brain. Persons with the genetic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU) cannot metabolize phenylalanine. This leads to dangerously high levels of phenylalanine in the brain (sometimes lethal). It has been shown that ingesting aspartame, especially along with carbohydrates, can lead to excess levels of phenylalanine in the brain even in persons who do not have PKU.
This is not just a theory, as many people who have eaten large amounts of aspartame over a long period of time and do not have PKU have been shown to have excessive levels of phenylalanine in the blood. Excessive levels of phenylalanine in the brain can cause the levels of seratonin in the brain to decrease, leading to emotional disorders such as depression. It was shown in human testing that phenylalanine levels of the blood were increased significantly in human subjects who chronically used aspartame.(6)
Even a single use of aspartame raised the blood phenylalanine levels. In his testimony before the U.S. Congress, Dr. Louis J. Elsas showed that high blood phenylalanine can be concentrated in parts of the brain and is especially dangerous for infants and fetuses. He also showed that phenylalanine is metabolised much more effeciently by rodents than by humans.(7)
One account of a case of extremely high phenylalanine levels caused by aspartame was recently published the "Wednesday Journal" in an article titled "An Aspartame Nightmare." John Cook began drinking six to eight diet drinks every day. His symptoms started out as memory loss and frequent headaches. He began to crave more aspartame-sweetened drinks. His condition deteriorated so much that he experienced wide mood swings and violent rages. Even though he did not suffer from PKU, a blood test revealed a phenylalanine level of 80 mg/dl. He also showed abnormal brain function and brain damage. After he kicked his aspartame habit, his symptoms improved dramatically.(8)
As Blaylock points out in his book, early studies measuring phenylalanine buildup in the brain were flawed. Investigators who measured specific brain regions and not the average throughout the brain notice significant rises in phenylalanine levels. Specifically the hypothalamus, medulla oblongata, and corpus striatum areas of the brain had the largest increases in phenylalanine. Blaylock goes on to point out that excessive buildup of phenylalanine in the brain can cause schizophrenia or make one more susceptible to seizures.
Therefore, long-term, excessive use of aspartame may provid a boost to sales of seratonin reuptake inhibitors such as Prozac and drugs to control schizophrenia and seizures.
*Methanol (aka wood alcohol/poison) (10 percent of aspartame)*

Methanol/wood alcohol is a deadly poison. Some people may remember methanol as the poison that has caused some "skid row" alcoholics to end up blind or dead. Methanol is gradually released in the small intestine when the methyl group of aspartame encounter the enzyme chymotrypsin.
The absorption of methanol into the body is sped up considerably when free methanol is ingested. Free methanol is created from aspartame when it is heated to above 86 Fahrenheit (30 Centigrade). This would occur when aspartame-containing product is improperly stored or when it is heated (e.g., as part of a "food" product such as Jello).


Methanol breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde in the body. Formaldehyde is a deadly neurotoxin. An EPA assessment of methanol states that methanol "is considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed. In the body, methanol is oxidized to formaldehyde and formic acid; both of these metabolites are toxic." They recommend a limit of consumption of 7.8 mg/day. A one-liter (approx. 1 quart) aspartame-sweetened beverage contains about 56 mg of methanol. Heavy users of aspartame-containing products consume as much as 250 mg of methanol daily or 32 times the EPA limit.(9)
Symptoms from methanol poisoning include headaches, ear buzzing, dizziness, nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances, weakness, vertigo, chills, memory lapses, numbness and shooting pains in the extremities, behavioral disturbances, and neuritis. The most well known problems from methanol poisoning are vision problems including misty vision, progressive contraction of visual fields, blurring of vision, obscuration of vision, retinal damage, and blindness. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, causes retinal damage, interferes with DNA replication and causes birth defects.(10)
Due to the lack of a couple of key enzymes, humans are many times more sensitive to the toxic effects of methanol than animals. Therefore, tests of aspartame or methanol on animals do not accurately reflect the danger for humans. As pointed out by Dr. Woodrow C. Monte, director of the food science and nutrition laboratory at Arizona State University, "There are no human or mammalian studies to evaluate the possible mutagenic, teratogenic or carcinogenic effects of chronic administration of methyl alcohol."(11)
He was so concerned about the unresolved safety issues that he filed suit with the FDA requesting a hearing to address these issues. He asked the FDA to "slow down on this soft drink issue long enough to answer some of the important questions. It's not fair that you are leaving the full burden of proof on the few of us who are concerned and have such limited resources. You must remember that you are the American public's last defense. Once you allow usage (of aspartame) there is literally nothing I or my colleagues can do to reverse the course. Aspartame will then join saccharin, the sulfiting agents, and God knows how many other questionable compounds enjoined to insult the human constitution with governmental approval."(10) Shortly thereafter, the Commissioner of the FDA, Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr., approved the use of aspartame in carbonated beverages, he then left for a position with G.D. Searle's public relations firm.(11)
It has been pointed out that some fruit juices and alcoholic beverages contain small amounts of methanol. It is important to remember, however, that methanol never appears alone. In every case, ethanol is present, usually in much higher amounts. Ethanol is an antidote for methanol toxicity in humans.(9) The troops of Desert Storm were "treated" to large amounts of aspartame-sweetened beverages, which had been heated to over 86 degrees F in the Saudi Arabian sun. Many of them returned home with numerous disorders similar to what has been seen in persons who have been chemically poisoned by formaldehyde. The free methanol in the beverages may have been a contributing factor in these illnesses. Other breakdown products of aspartame such as DKP (discussed below) may also have been a factor.
In a 1993 act that can only be described as "unconscionable," the FDA approved aspartame as an ingredient in numerous food items that would always be heated to above 86 degree F (30 degree C).
*Diketopiperazine (DKP)*

DKP is a byproduct of aspartame metabolism. DKP has been implicated in the occurrence of brain tumors. Olney noticed that DKP, when nitrosated in the gut, produced a compound that was similar to N-nitrosourea, a powerful brain tumor causing chemical. Some authors have said that DKP is produced after aspartame ingestion. I am not sure if that is correct. It is definitely true that DKP is formed in liquid aspartame-containing products during prolonged storage.
G.D. Searle conducted animal experiments on the safety of DKP. The FDA found numerous experimental errors occurred, including "clerical errors, mixed-up animals, animals not getting drugs they were supposed to get, pathological specimens lost because of improper handling," and many other errors.(12) These sloppy laboratory procedures may explain why both the test and control animals had sixteen times more brain tumors than would be expected in experiments of this length.
In an ironic twist, shortly after these experimental errors were discovered, the FDA used guidelines recommended by G.D. Searle to develop the industry-wide FDA standards for good laboratory practices.(11)
DKP has also been implicated as a cause of uterine polyps and changes in blood cholesterol by FDA Toxicologist Dr. Jacqueline Verrett in her testimony before the U.S. Senate.(13)


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## theryano (Dec 21, 2010)

I had no idea it was this bad...i drink water constantly but i like a diet every now and then, but no more. Thanks for this alot dude.


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## hackskii (Dec 21, 2010)

Damn, bump for home


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## IrishMonk (Dec 21, 2010)

Yeah, Aspartame is horrible... watch out for it in protein powders.


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## LAM (Dec 21, 2010)

the less chemicals that you put in your body over the course of the lifespan the better off you will be...


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## scout200 (Dec 22, 2010)

DarkHorse said:


> Many diet sodas contain Aspartame. Here's an article, draw your own conclusion.



Wow, that's truly incredible!  It's interesting to see the correlation amongst depression and aspartame.  Thanks for posting this!!


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## Built (Dec 22, 2010)

Aspartame tastes terrible. Splenda tastes a lot better. I wonder why they don't use that instead?


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## DarkHorse (Dec 22, 2010)

*ASPARTAME VERSUS SPLENDA (SUCRALOSE)*

The dangers of aspartame are now widely known, but the risks of using Splenda are not documented ??? until now. Splenda may not penetrate the blood brain barrier as aspartame does, hence entering the brain and creating neurotoxin havoc at the brain center, but Splenda CAN adversely affect the body in several ways because it IS a chemical substance and not natural sugar. 
December newsletter Equal Sues Splenda
The same patterns with aspartame (NutraSweet/Equal) are repeating with sucralose (Splenda). Their claims of product safety and research results are identical to those used by The NutraSweet Company.  Note the comparisons and repetitions between the products, the corporations, and marketing.  Maybe now, consumers can prevent damage to human health sooner than with NutraSweet, which has damaged the health and lives of millions of innocent consumers since it was placed in the public food supply in 1982.
Has the FDA repeated the aspartame approval process for sucralose, allowing a product with proven carcinogens to flood our food supply?  Only time will tell, as it has with aspartame. Yet at the cost of human lives.
Knowledge is power.  As an educated consumer, you have the awareness to choose what you and your family will ingest.  Unnatural artificial sweeteners may affect your health.  Why take the chance?  With this book, you woke up and smelled the coffee just in time.  Now you can drink it safely.   
*SPLENDA® Is It Safe or Not?*

After twenty years of NutraSweet® (aspartame) dominating the sweetener market, people are realizing for themselves that aspartame really is a foul food chemical tragically harmful to their health. Now, people think Johnson & Johnson???s Splenda, made from sucralose, has come to the rescue as the newest chemical sugar replacement ???made from real sugar.??? People don???t want to hear that it may be just as dangerous as aspartame, and this white knight of sweeteners is no better improvement.  
New chemical sweeteners (like Splenda) and the sweetener blends (aspartame, sucralose and acesulfame K blended together in one product) may be causing users to show signs of weight gain, disruption of sleep patterns, sexual dysfunction, increases in cancer, MS, Lupus, diabetes, and a list of epidemic degenerative diseases. The corporations continue to stand tough in their denial of any connection to chemical sweetener additives.
This website takes you into the world of Splenda; _ready or not, here we go again._
*The Chlorine In Splenda*

Chlorine is commonly found in nature, but almost always in combination with other building block elements. Chlorine's structure makes it very reactive and because it is so reactive, it is very useful to chemists, engineers and others involved in making things humans use every day. 
The inventors of Splenda admit around fifteen percent (15%) of sucralose is absorbed by the body, but they cannot guarantee us (out of this fifteen percent) what amount of chlorine stays in the body and what percent flushes out.
So, do you feel lucky today as you sprinkle that yellow packet of powder in your tea?  You will be alarmed once you realize how chlorine, this common chemical we???ve trusted as a ???purifier???, is actually affecting our health in more ways than you know.  Hopefully, this chapter will make you hesitate before you let your toddler take another sip of your diet cola. 
What Are Sweetener Blends?
I???ve written about how artificial sweeteners like sucralose (found in Splenda) and aspartame (found in NutraSweet) can have a negative impact on your health.  Now the sweetener industry has gone a step further in their quest to copy real sugar???s sweet flavor. They are mixing Splenda and NutraSweet and other artificial sweeteners together! Mixtures of any artificial sweeteners are called ???sweetener blends.???
Instead of one harmful chemical coursing through your body, you now have two or three (or more) interacting with each other, and in ways we may not know yet.  If one substance is hazardous, do you think adding toxins to it will make it better?  It is just one more potent ???alien??? mixture with unknown interactions that your poor body will try to use, excrete, or store. Its mix n??? match chemistry at the expense of your health.
The Unsafe Sweeteners Out There
Artificial sweeteners: This category of non-nutritive, high-intensity sugar substitutes includes ASPARTAME, ACESULFAME-K, NEOTAME, SUCRALOSE, and ALITAME. The two sweeteners that have recently undergone current and pending FDA approval are SUCRALOSE and ALITAME, respectively. Cyclamate lost its FDA approval in 1970, but is currently up for re-approval. Numerous new sweeteners are currently in various stages of development and approval.
Saccharin, Stevia and Other Safe Alternative Sweeteners
Sugar and the quest for weight loss represent an enormous growth opportunity for the food and beverage manufacturers worldwide. And as everyone in the industry knows, the average human prefers taste to nutrition.  Let???s see how we can reverse this trend.
The two safest choices of sweeteners to date are saccharin and stevia. Yes, saccharin! Saccharin is actually similar to stevia in its origin.  It originally came from a plant imported from China, and in its original form, is a complex sugar extract from the plant itself.  Stevia is extracted from a plant grown in South America, and is also a complex sugar extract. 
According to FDA documents, saccharin has never caused cancer. Years ago, saccharin was sold in tiny pin-sized pellets, and merely two or three were enough to add sweetness to coffee or iced tea.  This is what I consider a natural sucrose (sugar) substitute! 
The Real Scoop On Sugar
Everyone needs to know that there is a difference between sugars - natural sugar, refined sugar, and corn syrup.  Sugar is like a two-sided coin: heads ??? if natural, it can be useful to the body, and tails ??? if altered by man, it can be harmful to the body.  How do you know the difference, and where can you buy the right kind of sugar products?  Here???s the scoop...artificial sweeteners are not the solution. 
Dying To Be Thin: Weight Loss and Weight Gain
Do diet sweeteners really help you lose weight, or do you eat more and gain weight in the long run?  Do diet sweeteners make you fat? Yes, because they trick your body and don???t feed it what it needs
According to researchers, there is no clear-cut evidence that sugar substitutes help people lose weight. These days, more and more data suggests that these chemical sweeteners may actually stimulate appetite_._  Aspartame has been on the market for over twenty years, so most of the information in this chapter refers to weight gain in relation to products made with aspartame.  It is too early to know how these patterns will repeat with sucralose (Splenda). 
Are Your Kids Depressed and Aggressive?
If you have kids, you???ll be the first one to notice health and behavioral changes in your children. Children are reacting to artificial sweeteners in harmful ways, but this aspect of the sweetener wars has gone unnoticed in the mainstream health community.  The sweetener corporations market to children by placing soft drink machines in public elementary schools, and by influencing doctors that diet sweeteners don???t cause abnormal behavior and emotional stress in children. When you have exhausted all the other reasons for your child???s poor health or mental/emotional problems, then diet chemicals could be the culprit.
The rising numbers of mental disorders have gone unexplained until now. A diet of chemical foods means a diet of malnutrition, and when the body is starved of nutrients, it becomes mentally and physically stressed. Don???t raise your children on diet chemicals ??? search for healthy alternatives.
Sugar-Free With Diabetes
Diabetes may be a common disease these days, but it is still misunderstood.  Most people think diabetes is simply a disease that means you just can???t eat sugar. The artificial sugar industry markets fake sugars as totally harmless to the diabetic, and tempts them into believing they can eat and drink all they want by ???tricking??? their bodies. But what works for one person may not work for another. What makes this matter even more difficult to understand: diabetes is just a little bit different for every diabetic.  This is why no one artificial sweetener company can truly make a blanket statement that their product is ???safe for diabetics.???  
As delicate as diabetes is, how then, can diet chemical sweeteners be safe when a person with diabetes requires such precise chemical management?  
*Who Will Win The Sweetener Wars?*

The immediate dramatic success of Splenda has shaken things up in the artificial-sweetener business, dominated for decades by the rivalry between the blue and pink - Equal and Sweet'N Low®.  Each of these brands has come up with a new marketing approach to deal with the ravenous dynamics of the ???diet??? marketplace.  Are they playing fair or playing on consumer trust? 
In the midst of the continued controversy over aspartame, many pharmaceutical and health food manufacturers - Pro Lab, Twin Lab 
and Ross Products, makers of Pedialyte®, for example - have switched to using sucralose in their manufactured products.  But who _are_ these major big corporations ???fighting??? in the artificial sweetener wars, and what do these mega corporations really stand for?  This is an important question to answer before buying their products.
*Rising From The Grave???s Disease*





Justin Dumais is a 2004 Athens' Olympic Silver Medalist, a Grave???s Disease survivor, and aspartame victim. Merely months before the Olympic trials, Justin contacted me for nutritional help in recovering from a diagnosis of Grave???s Disease caused by diet colas with aspartame. He read my first book Sweet Poison, followed my recovery experience from my own case of Grave???s caused by aspartame, and cured his disease in six weeks (just like I did) by simply removing aspartame from his diet, cleansing, and restoring his depleted nutrients. His recovery from a ???false??? diagnosis of Grave???s Disease came merely months before the 2004 Athen???s Olympic Trials. But, like me, did Justin really have Grave???s or merely aspartame disease? 
Nutritional Alternatives To Stay Healthy
Nutritional diets are critical to long-term health, but when you are polluted with chemical toxins from your foods, such as chlorine in sucralose and methanol in aspartame, it is important to remove these toxins as quickly and as safely as possible. Removing chemicals from the human body is a two part process ??? eating right and cleansing from the chemicals permeating your tissues.  
Go here for the nutritional protocol for restoring good health I used to recovery from my own near-fatal disease. I pass on to you the best of my nutritional programs and recommendations for removing harmful food chemicals from your body in the 10 Steps to Detoxification and The Richardson Cancer Diet, most importantly ??? how to cleanse from artificial sweetener chemicals.
*Splenda Product List*

As of May 2004, the list of over 3,000 products containing Splenda was thirty-four pages in length.  Note: some of the products are not labeled sugar-free, and some products also contain aspartame.  The best advise is to read ALL the labels on anything you buy for you or for your children???s safety.
The list includes a variety of foods and food products, pharmaceuticals and children???s medications, vitamin supplements, protein powders, protein bars and weight loss products, liquid and powdered drinks, popcorn, gums and mints, toothpaste, and water.
*Aspartame Case Histories*

Case histories are an excellent way to share the experiences of those who have faced one of life???s hardest challenges ??? nutritionally turning disease into health.  Most of these case histories have happy endings, and after considering the evidence, especially after their long and arduous struggles for health, what these people have learned serves as a beacon of hope for others.  
Aspartame has been on the market since 1981, so over twenty years of aspartame use has passed.  Let???s hope our new awareness of the influences of sucralose and the other chemical sweeteners comes much sooner to prevent any more human suffering.
*NutraSweet Product List*

The original product list containing NutraSweet???s twenty-year product monopoly is impossible to find these days.  Taken from my book on aspartame, Sweet Poison, the original list of NutraSweet???s novel 5,000 products from the 1980s was sent to me directly from the NutraSweet Company.
*Splenda Research Studies*

Bottom line ??? what???s the research say about sucralose?  Well, the studies proving the safety concerns are out there, but they are hard to find and technical.  Nonetheless, they prove the claims of concern are valid and I have spent the past 10 months uncovering the research thanks to my contacts around the world.


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## irish_2003 (Dec 22, 2010)

i don't care about any of these reports.....i'm gonna keep drinking my diet cokes!!!


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## Built (Dec 22, 2010)

DarkHorse said:


> *blah blah blah...* histrionics.


 
Find me something peer-reviewed and recent. What you posted is scare-mongering drivel.


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## DarkHorse (Dec 22, 2010)

Built said:


> Find me something peer-reviewed and recent. What you posted is scare-mongering drivel.


 
All I'm doing is relaying information. If someone has a question and I can supply them with an article, they can draw their own conclusion. That article was written by Dr. Janet Hull. If it's just drivel then supply your own data. I'm not saying that I believe in everything these articles state. I still drink diet sodas. Someone asked a question and I supplied them with an interesting reading. A reading that draws things into question. Once they read this information they can continue to research further if they decide. You want something more current? Then I'll post something more current, but I don't have peer reviewed medical journals in my possession at this time.

*About Dr. Hull*

Janet Starr Hull has a very diverse background with academic degrees and experience in geology, international geography, environmental science, fitness training and nutrition. She is an OSHA Certified Environmental Hazardous Waste Emergency Response Specialist and Toxicologist, a former firefighter and college professor.
In 1991, Dr. Hull had an unexpected change in career after she was diagnosed with “incurable” Grave’s Disease. Through diligent research and her thorough understanding of toxicity, she later discovered her “Grave’s Disease” was actually aspartame poisoning. She has since worked to inform consumers about the health dangers of artificial sweeteners.
Dr. Hull’s experiences have provided pieces to a life-long puzzle – the damaging effects of artificial sweeteners. She combined her various skills to form a unique application to natural medicine. Her work is based upon the interrelationships of all sciences as she personally discovered “what works in nature, can surely work in man.”
</H1>


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## DarkHorse (Dec 22, 2010)

Built said:


> Find me something peer-reviewed and recent. What you posted is scare-mongering drivel.


 

If you want some interesting scientific data read this *Purdue University* study which is copywrited by the *American Psychological Association*: Click on the link http://www.splendaexposed.com/articles/PurdueSucraloseStudy.pdf.pdf


If you want a more current article, containing information from Journals, then here you go:

*New Splenda, Sucralose Study Reveals Shocking Potential Harmful Effects*

Source: Chairman of Citizens for Health Declares FDA Should Review Approval of Splenda
Chairman of Citizens for Health Declares FDA Should Review Approval of Splenda
New Study of Splenda and Sucralose Reveals Shocking New Information About Potential Harmful Effect on Humans

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 22, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- James Turner, chairman of the national consumer education group Citizens for Health expressed shock and outrage after reading a *new report from scientists at Duke University*. "The report makes it clear that the artificial sweetener Splenda and its key component sucralose pose a threat to the people who consume the product. Hundreds of consumers have complained to us about side effects from using Splenda and this study, published this past week in the *Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health* Part A, confirms that the chemicals in the little yellow package should carry a big red warning label," said Turner.
*Among the results in the study by Drs. Mohamed B. Abou-Donia, Eman M. El-Masry, Ali A. Abdel-Rahman, Roger E. McLendon and Susan S. Schiffman* is evidence that, in the animals studied, Splenda reduces the amount of good bacteria in the intestines by 50%, increases the pH level in the intestines, contributes to increases in body weight and affects the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in the body in such a way that crucial health-related drugs could be rejected. Turner noted that the P-gp effect "could result in crucial medications used in chemotherapy for cancer patients, AIDS treatment and drugs for heart conditions being shunted back into the intestines rather than being absorbed by the body as intended."
The study was conducted using male rats over a period of twelve weeks. The manufacturers of Splenda also used a rat study when they applied for and received approval to market the product from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. At the time, the findings from their rat studies were extrapolated as to possible effects on humans. This is standard FDA practice and this study is consistent with that practice.
Turner said, "This report followed accepted policies and procedures and the results make clear the potential for disturbing side effects from the ingestion of Splenda. It is like putting a pesticide in your body. And this is at levels of intake erroneously approved by the Food and Drug Administration. A person eating two slices of cake and drinking two cups of coffee containing Splenda would ingest enough sucralose to affect the P-glycoprotein, while consuming just seven little Splenda packages reduces good bacteria." Although the effect of consuming Splenda does not result from a one time use, the side effects do occur after accumulated use. Turner also noted unmistakable evidence that Splenda is absorbed by fat, contrary to the claims of Johnson & Johnson.
Turner announced, "We are calling today on the FDA to immediately accept our petition filed over a year ago and initiate a review of its approval of sucralose and to require a warning label on Splenda packaging cautioning that people who take medications and/or have gastrointestinal problems avoid using Splenda. The new study makes it clear that Splenda can cause you to gain weight and lose the benefits of medications designed to improve and protect your health. The FDA should not continue to turn a blind eye to this health threat."
Citizens for Health will testify in Sacramento, CA, on October 3, 2008, before the California Assembly Committee on Health which is examining the use of deceptive advertising to promote sales of potentially unhealthy food additives, particularly artificial sweeteners.
About Citizens for Health
Citizens for Health (citizens.org) is an international non-profit consumer advocacy group working to broaden healthcare options, create an integrative health system based on wellness, and advance the freedom to make health choices. The group promotes the fundamental policies needed to improve health choices and information in the U.S. and internationally. The group works with grassroots and education organizations and partners to ensure consumer access to dietary supplements, safe foods, a healthy environment and a wide range of healing therapies. Citizens for Health fosters active citizen leadership and organizes natural health consumers to create political and legislative solutions that support those rights.
CONTACT: Citizens for Health
Jim Turner
202-255-8040* begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 202-255-8040 end_of_the_skype_highlighting*
jim@swankin-turner.com


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## Nightowl (Dec 22, 2010)

First off I'd like to thank you, especially Dark Horse for all those words of wisdom.  I am grateful to have the likes of you  here, for it is indeed very informative.  I was steadily reading until the ending of the issue of Saccharin. Whereas, I felt did not clarify enough of how many of the newer generation didn't meet up with the likes of Saccharin; as many of us did with our own usage to that of other relatives and such through the 60 and the 70's. Nothing brought forth of knowledge when "its" removal on the shelves in stores!?  It was considered on the list for a danger as will noted to being a carcin agent.  I have no clue as to how this issue is not brought forth in this article.  I remember in the 70's the use of Saccharin all too well.  First off, my grandmother was a total tea lover, heck with bridge and the ladies socials it was the life of the party to have tea and sandwiches and such, she lived in Canada and was a duel citizen, United States, and Canada. So, saccharin was (I think) available in Canada as well, back then.  I remember, her little metal pill box all too clearly, as she would take out her little white pills and drink her tea with saccharin.  I remember the taste, it had a strange taste, never liked it much, but do remember it.  Anyhow, we were told that the substance Saccharin, had been removed off the market for it was "dangerous" and there was some notes and  hints of Cancer causing agents.

Later, we've found that many of our everyday items are watered down with sodium saccharin. Which have invaded our mouthwashes, toothpaste, and alternatives in breath mints. Now, your article may hold up, that later the scare was not founded, but there was indeed a "saccharin" scare in the 70's.

  Any how, now the tables have turned and the findings of the past prove different. Now, we've gotten rid of Saccharin, as our "Popular" alternative... only to now have likes of these other sugar coated (so to speak) enemies.  Can we win?!?  Yes, your point is right, we as the consumer have the right to make way with what we induce, but I will say this...why are more and more companies using aspartame in other products?!?  I wonder why the use of beet sugar is not made into something of a diet means(maybe they can't)

Still its Crazy!

great topic, I needed a kick in the pants, heck, guess who has been sucking down ice tea when she is out and using those ugly yellow, tired scary things!

thank you!!!


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## Built (Dec 23, 2010)

DarkHorse said:


> If you want some interesting scientific data read this *Purdue University* study which is copywrited by the *American Psychological Association*: Click on the link http://www.splendaexposed.com/articles/PurdueSucraloseStudy.pdf.pdf



This study was performed on male rats bred for calmness but not for obesity. The nutritive sweetener used in comparison to the artificial sweetener was dextrose. Dextrose promotes a nice, strong insulin response, which in non-obese individuals with normal insulin resistance suppresses ghrelin, elevates leptin and promotes satiety. Had the experiment used ordinary table sugar (sucrose) or HFCS, the fructose component would have attenuated this effect, through the reduction of insulin response. 

I would be more interested in seeing something that checked postprandial satiety on formerly obese, dieted down humans for whom the insulin/leptin response does not properly induce satiety. 



DarkHorse said:


> If you want a more current article, containing information from Journals, then here you go:
> 
> *New Splenda, Sucralose Study Reveals Shocking Potential Harmful Effects*
> 
> ...



The article makes clear the potential ... for rats.

Neither of these studies addresses the problem of former fatties like me who have already uncoupled appetitive mechanisms and use splenda as a means to eat sweetened food that doesn't contribute to further hunger - foods sweetened with sugar make me hungry. Splenda does not. Hence my use of it.


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## tucker01 (Dec 23, 2010)

Built said:


> Aspartame tastes terrible. Splenda tastes a lot better. I wonder why they don't use that instead?




Some Brands use splenda.

The Crush brand does. so Diet orange, Diet Cream Soda, Diet Grape all with Splenda


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## tucker01 (Dec 23, 2010)

irish_2003 said:


> i don't care about any of these reports.....i'm gonna keep drinking my diet cokes!!!




This


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## fraseram (Dec 23, 2010)

I do all my 'junk' in moderation and just try not to go crazy with anything/ its hard sometimes when something DOES taste SOOOO yummy lol 
as for me I use stevia whenever poss and even buy my soft drinks with it from the health foods store. However that being said I will and do drink the diet pepsi or can out on town ... not to mention my beloved starbucks AHHHH which is ofcourse sweetened with sucralose


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## OneWheyOrAnother (Dec 24, 2010)

I use Zevia

ZEVIA - WITH STEVIA - NATURE'S ANSWER TO DIET SODA


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## vortrit (Dec 27, 2010)

Built said:


> Aspartame tastes terrible. Splenda tastes a lot better. I wonder why they don't use that instead?



They do make a version of Diet Coke with Splenda. It's what I usually get. It taste just like RC Cola - if you've ever had that anyway...


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## awhites1 (Dec 27, 2010)

There's a lot of jibber jabber science here






I'm pretty sure everything in excess is bad. A few diet cokes here and there i would think won't cause you to get cancer or all that other stuff. but if your pounding a 6 pack a day then you might have some side effects. 
lets do a study on drinking 2 cans of semen a day... seriously. i bet someone gets sick


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## vortrit (Dec 27, 2010)

awhites1 said:


> There's a lot of jibber jabber science here
> 
> 
> 
> ...



No disrespect bro, but that's what this forum is for. Jibber jabber (as you put it) about food and whatnot. I do tend to agree with what you're saying though.


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## oufinny (Dec 27, 2010)

IainDaniel said:


> Some Brands use splenda.
> 
> The Crush brand does. so Diet orange, Diet Cream Soda, Diet Grape all with Splenda



I love splenda and wish they would use it more but it is expensive and not enough is available to make all diet soda with it like aspartame (which sucks).


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## braveand (Dec 28, 2010)

I personally removed it from my diet..


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## scout200 (Dec 30, 2010)

braveand said:


> I personally removed it from my diet..




I've tried but failed lol  - I think it's time to look for an "alternative" to diet soda...


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## rzrbak (Dec 30, 2010)

I have added it to my diet .  I went years without drinking soda but when Coke came out with Coke Zero I had to try it.  Now... unfortunately I like it.  I do limit myself to 1 a day at most.


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## rzrbak (Dec 30, 2010)

Just posting this one to get to #20.


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## DarkHorse (Dec 30, 2010)

rzrbak said:


> Just posting this one to get to #20.


 

Congratulations on your outstanding achievement


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