Aspartame

[Deleted]

So I'm wondering if it's safe or not.
I don't often drink soda but I like to sometimes, and I would rather drink the diet stuff so I can save 800 calories and a massive insulin spike.

I can't find any concrete information, people are like HURR ITS POISON, and you get videos saying it causes cancer and shit, but there's no evidence.
I am healthy, I work out, I don't have depression, I don't get memory problems or headaches or anything when I drink a diet soda, but if I KNOW something is bad for you, I won't do it, like smoking, or drinking alcohol every day.

What's your opinion?

[XDurionX]

Aspartame is 100 times more dangerous than normal sugar, but as long as you don´t consume diet products excessively, you´re safe, i guess. And there´s enough evidence that it´s harmful, in huge doses, though.

[Deleted]

Yes it is poisonous in large doses, but even drinking diet soda all day you will never hit that limit. Pretty much too much of anything is deadly, just don't go crazy with it.

[Deleted]

Well, general scientific opinion is - IRC - that aspartame/diet shit is healthier than consuming the huge amounts of sugar found in regular stuff.

HOWEVER, aspartame and similar substances have drawbacks as well. Dehydrates you, makes you hungrier, makes you crave sugar, etc.

[time0ut]

I don't know how dangerous it is, but it makes me feel sick if I have any. I avoid both real and artificial sugar as much as possible. Neither are good for you.

[Deleted]

In the small quantities it's found in diet soda it's unlikely to have any side effects, certainly in comparison to the harm that normal sugar can contain. That being said, caffeine, food colouring, corn syrup, they can all be bad for you. If you want guarantees, drink filtered water.

Best thing to do is just read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame_controversy and make your own mind up. The most important part is probably this

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) commenced a re-evaluation of aspartame as part of the systematic re-evaluation of all food additives authorised in the EU prior to 20 January 2009. In May 2011, EFSA was asked by the European Commission to bring forward the full re-evaluation of the safety of aspartame (E 951), which was previously planned for completion by 2020.[54] In September 2011, the EFSA made all 600 datasets it is using in its full re-evaluation available publicly. This includes previously unpublished scientific data, "including the 112 original studies on aspartame which were submitted to support the request for authorisation of aspartame in Europe in the early 1980s."[55][56][57] On January 8, 2013, the EFSA released its draft report, which found that aspartame and its metabolites "pose no toxicity concern for consumers at current levels of exposure. The current Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) is considered to be safe for the general population and consumer exposure to aspartame is below this ADI."

It's the most recent study that has a scientific / official conclusion.

[Lightwysh]

Aspartame is the devil. There are lots of reports and surveys on it. Personally I would advise to avoid it, but it has crept into a lot of common processed foods. Some people even have a sensitivity to it.

Google the reports and make up your own mind.

[Deleted]

In my opinion just don't let your kids intake aspartame and it's ok.

[Alandalus]

It's pretty much the most tested food ingredient ever in history, and all available evidence suggests there is nothing wrong with it.

[Klutzington]

Well, general scientific opinion is - IRC - that aspartame/diet shit is healthier than consuming the huge amounts of sugar found in regular stuff.

HOWEVER, aspartame and similar substances have drawbacks as well. Dehydrates you, makes you hungrier, makes you crave sugar, etc.

This is the only evidence supported scientifically atm. Anyone else trying to bring in ANYTHING ELSE is spouting bullshit and has no idea what they are saying. What DanielBrems is saying here:

Dehydrates you, makes you hungrier, makes you crave sugar, etc.

is merely speculative and is essentially suggested. It itself has not even been proven.

I would rather drink 0 calories and enjoy a drink than drink 200+ calories of soda everyday. I prefer eating calories overly wastefully drinking them.

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In my opinion just don't let your kids intake aspartame and it's ok.

Not sure why. I would rather a child drink diet soda over something that has 140 calories for no reason. Better yet, water is an awesome alternative. Aspartame is not evil and people like you give stuff a bad name for no reason. Jumping on a severely uneducated bandwagon only pushes people's ignorance further and further from the truth.

It's kind of like the anti-vaccination crowd.

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Aspartame is 100 times more dangerous than normal sugar, but as long as you don´t consume diet products excessively, you´re safe, i guess. And there´s enough evidence that it´s harmful, in huge doses, though.

Yes it is. IIRC the deadly dose estimated in laboratory mice was EXCEEDINGLY high. The average human male would need to consume 47L of soda in a single day to actually reach it.

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So I'm wondering if it's safe or not.
I don't often drink soda but I like to sometimes, and I would rather drink the diet stuff so I can save 800 calories and a massive insulin spike.

I can't find any concrete information, people are like HURR ITS POISON, and you get videos saying it causes cancer and shit, but there's no evidence.
I am healthy, I work out, I don't have depression, I don't get memory problems or headaches or anything when I drink a diet soda, but if I KNOW something is bad for you, I won't do it, like smoking, or drinking alcohol every day.

What's your opinion?

There is no evidence suggesting it is bad for you. Don't listen to the people who blindly follow things they know nothing about, because they like to follow questionably funded JUST post-grad students who like to do studies for some money in their pockets.

[Deleted]

Agenda 21

[Darsithis]

There is nothing wrong with aspartame. Nothing. Any studies showing any issues with it were conducted with amounts so high you'd need to drink several gallons of aspartame in order to come close. As long as you're drinking diet drinks in moderation with plenty of water you are just fine.

I drink 3 - 5 cans of diet soda a day and a good gallon of water. I have never suffered any ill effects myself. I realize I am just one person but I have yet to meet anyone who consumes aspartame that has reported any significant problems.

[Deleted]

Not sure why. I would rather a child drink diet soda over something that has 140 calories for no reason. Better yet, water is an awesome alternative. Aspartame is not evil and people like you give stuff a bad name for no reason. Jumping on a severely uneducated bandwagon only pushes people's ignorance further and further from the truth.

It's kind of like the anti-vaccination crowd.

First of all, the anti-vaccination people are just plain stupid and gullible. The science behind vaccination as a process is solid, but long term effects of aspartame are still foggy, and some kids gulp down a litre or more of diet sodas daily.
I'm not saying it's some big evil, but just make your kids drink water/milk to be on the safe side. I'm the kind of person who doesn't even use artificial fertilizers or repellants in my garden.

[XDurionX]

First of all, the anti-vaccination people are just plain stupid and gullible. The science behind vaccination as a process is solid, but long term effects of aspartame are still foggy, and some kids gulp down a litre or more of diet sodas daily.
I'm not saying it's some big evil, but just make your kids drink water/milk to be on the safe side. I'm the kind of person who doesn't even use artificial fertilizers or repellants in my garden.

Don´t know what vaccination has to do with this topic, but there are several good reasons to be against vaccination, unless the potential disease can have severe and irrevertible outcomes as in polio or measles for potentially pregnant women or the like. In most cases, it´s just smarter to treat an acute onset, both economically and sanitary. There´s abssolutely no need to insult people who are thinking critically about vaccination, and it´s quite ignorant to do so.

There´s ilnesses where vaccination is absolutely reasonable, and some that are vaccinated against only for the benefit of the pharma industry.

[time0ut]

There is nothing wrong with aspartame. Nothing.

It tastes terrible!

The best is soda with real sugar, not that HFCS crap or artificial stuff. Yum. I'd rather have one can of that a week than all the diet and HFCS I want.

[TZucchini]

Nearly all scientific bodies have concluded, thus far, that there is nothing wrong with aspartame. However, if you have phenylketonuria, it's considered good measure to avoid aspartame.

[Masark]

First of all, the anti-vaccination people are just plain stupid and gullible. The science behind vaccination as a process is solid, but long term effects of aspartame are still foggy, and some kids gulp down a litre or more of diet sodas daily

If by "foggy", you mean "evidence of any negative effects has not yet been found".

And a litre is still only a bit more than half even the EU's "just-to-be-safe" recommendation of consuming less than 40mg/kg/day (FDA says 50mg/kg/day), assuming a 23kg kid.

If they're knocking back a 2 litre bottle a day, that should probably be curbed a bit, if only to ensure appropriate vitamin/mineral intake.

[MerinPally]

It'll be fine, don't get concerned over whether you're taking sugar or aspartame. You won't hit a dangerous level of aspartame any easier than you would sugar or something else so don't fret.

[Funky Kong]

Aspartame is the devil. There are lots of reports and surveys on it. Personally I would advise to avoid it, but it has crept into a lot of common processed foods. Some people even have a sensitivity to it.

Google the reports and make up your own mind.

Find one report that is:
A) Peer-reviewed by multiple researchers
B) Isn't funded by either a sugar or aspartame producer
C) Is conducted with a large sample size and the results can be said to be statistically significant

Otherwise I'll assume you're just flapping your mouth about something you probably saw shared on facebook without a credible source linked to it.

[belfpala]

I'd be more worried about http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzene_in_soft_drinks in diet sodas than aspartame.

Maybe I'm weird.