Aspartame

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Mark
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Hi,

My family is a Diet Pop junkie. Lately I've had some unexplained stomach problems. Doc is trying some things, but I've been reading some information about aspartame -- an artificial sweetener. There's one e-mail flying around that really exagerates how bad aspartame is, which snopes.com shot down (as one helpful visitor (Wes) pointed out). Still, ya wonder about the affects of aspartame.

Myself, I'm going to switch to regular pop and see if that helps my stomach. And I should also cut back on pop of all kinds.

Anyone out there have any good or bad experiences with aspartame?

By the way, here's the report from snopes.com. It definitely quotes a lot of big company sources who want to keep aspartame around, so ya wonder if the report is a bit tainted or not. http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp

Mark
Last edited by Mark on Sun Jan 27, 2008 11:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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texasprairierose
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Mark,

I have never drank a lot of diet drinks that contain aspartame but a few years ago, I was drinking more than I realized. I became concerned when I started having problems with my memory; all of a sudden, I could not remember things such as phone numbers (my cell phone, my husband's work phone, etc.), and I just seemed to be in a mental fog. Years ago, we had an employee that drank a lot of diet drinks and she suddenly became very forgetful. My husband had heard that this could be a side effect of aspartame so he talked to her about it and as an experiment, she quit drinking diet drinks and her forgetfulness ceased. So when this began to happen to me, my husband asked me about my consumption of aspartame. I stopped drinking the drinks with aspartame and my memory cleared up.

We try to find things sweetened with Splenda, but I am sure that a report will come out that shows that Splenda has just as many side effects as aspartame!

Diane
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Harry
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Hi

A couple of years ago I had a run-in with aspartame. I developed an irregular heart beat. The Dr gave me all the tests and prescribed medicine which had little effect. I was also throwing blood clots due to the irregular heartbeat and got put on blood thinners.

It turned out I was consuming a lot of diet soda with aspartame and other foods and Metamucil containing aspartame. As soon as I got off aspartame my heart returned to normal rhythm…..going on two years.

I just Googled “aspartame problems” and got 666,000 hits. If only 1% is credible info you still have a big number.

My Dr will only admit that certain people are intolerant to certain foods.

The last time I looked the FDA still approves aspartame but there is a RDA (recommended daily allowance).

Harry
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Greg
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I have always said everything in moderation, too much of anything is not good for you.
I learned the hard way about Caffeine, I used to drink a LOT of Coke, the better part of 24 a day. On Sundays I would sleep in and wake up with a pounding headache. I finally put 2 + 2 togather and backed way off on Caffeine, funny thing the headaches stopped!!!
The easiest (and cheapest) way to find out if it is causing the problems is just drink something else for a week or two. Greg
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Demolition
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I go to the Dollar Store and get fruit drinks. One gallon for $1.50
Sometimes I water it down so it will go further.

In the summer, I get a gallon jug of water and put two alka-seltzer in there. The baking soda makes the stomach better and the asprin helps aching muscles.

We had an 18 year old doing construction work with us. He drank many mountain dews every day and had a kidney infection at the age of 18
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Koiflowers
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Greg

On a whim, I decided to just not drink coffee anymore. For four days I sat at my desk with a throbbing headache. I went to the lunch room and sat at the table with my head in my hands wishing someone would shoot me. I couldn't function. A friend asked me if I was trying to quit drinking coffee and I said "yes". "Why?" She said you're having caffeine withdrawals. I jumped up got a cup of coffee and I was cured!

Love that morning cup of coffee - fix yer right up. How you could drink that much cola in a day though - whew!
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Harry
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Hi

I got off caffeine years ago. I now do only 2 tea bags a day without ill effects.

My youngest daughter is hooked on caffeine in soda and has the bad headaches when she tries to quit. She knows her kidneys are taking a beating.

Harry
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Koiflowers
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Harry, prod her along to cut way back. My husband and I both have had some real problems after drinking too many colas (Pepsi). We tend to take off in the boat with that ice chest full, and its 100 deg. out. After my sons last visit from Iraq (out on boat running trout lines, cat fishing, all day) we went through a few cases of Pepsi. Hubby and I both ended up at the doctors office, and he had to go through several visits to a urologist. That stuff is caustic on the ole plumbing.
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Yanita
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Hi,

My sons Dr. told him that caffeine is a major cause of kidney stones in men.

I do believe that the results of these "studies" are based on who is doing them, and who pockets more change.

Yanita
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kashton
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I took my son to the hospital a while back, after two birthday parties, and dinner out. The Doc asked what he had all day. By the time we left the hospital after allot of "sick" the Doctor told us my son had an Aspartame overdose.

As for caffeine. I'm on the Decaf (which still has some caffeine) coffee, and tea. My guts are doing somewhat better!
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Mark
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I still got 3 more days of pills from the doctor to take. But since I've started taking the pills I've cut out aspartame and cut back on caffeine and fried foods. So far I've had 4 pretty good days with very little stomach problems.

As I'm always on the go, I also eat a lot of fast food. Today we were on the road with hockey games, so fast food was on the menu. Although the last 4 days have been pretty good, today I probably had the most stomach issues (which wasn't much, but still some). So I wonder if fast food can also be a factor although I still tried to avoid fried fast food?

In trying to cut out caffeine, I figured why not drink flavored water? Well, guess what's in many flavored waters -- aspartame. Guess I'll have to follow my Mom's suggestion. If you want flavored water, just put a lemmon in a glass of water! Unfortunately, not too many convenience stores have sliced lemmons available. But that's something I could do at home, just have to remember to buy lemmons. LOL.

Mark
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Robert
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Mark,

We use lemon juice in a bottle for road trips as we've been doing the lemon water for a few years.

As I told ya, I've had severe stomach issues for 25+ years and am now as good as I've ever been.


Lemon water was one of the changes at beginning of this.



It's easy and helps cleanse stomach passage ways.


It also helps as most people do not drink enough water.




Robert
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Koiflowers
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Mark

If you're wondering if fast food could also be a culprit in your stomach issues, you just have to watch "Supersize Me." In case you haven't seen the video a guy decides he will eat from the McDonald's menu 3 meals a day for 30 days. He undergoes tests before and during the trial to monitor his organ functions and overall health. The movie chronicles a decline in health so sudden and severe his doctors fears for his life.

It was a real eyeopener for me.
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Robert
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Prior to beginning of my stomach woes in 1980, I ate at MickeyD's at least every other day if not every day.


Didn't do the 3 times a day for 30 days, but have no doubt that I lived the video.


I have had so many tests done and been hospitalized and made trips to ER due to my stomach issues.


I have been on stomach meds off and on for 28 years and every day since June '03.

I have to be tested every 3 years.


I was also on the go as a cop and running HVAC calls, so fast food was common.


Prior to problems, I was a teen and ate ther alot cause it was only fast food chain we had.


I now have the stomach issues, diabetes and heart disease,,,,,,,,eat healthy to avoid has much as possible.



SUBWAY !!


Take care and best wishes,
Robert
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Serena

I used to get eye twitches, stomach cramps, headaches, and pains here and there. I'd feel irritable or worse; and had this, that, and the other go awry.

I did a Google search with "dangers of Aspartame" and got off the stuff right away.

Here's one link:
http://www.321recipes.com/aspartame.html

Splenda isn't safer, by the way.

I use stevia and Rapadura, an evaporated cane juice by the company Rapunzel. I also use grade B maple syrup. Lots of folks like agave nectar.
Honey gives me the sugar blues, so I don't use it much.
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