Is NutraSweet Safe?

[pimentoLoaf]

According to this article (http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/nutraswt.htm), it isn't.

Have you had any odd symptoms after ingesting it?

[hvfsl]

As long as you don't eat too much of it, you will be fine. A lot of those results were obtained by giving near fatal amounts of the stuff (even sugar can kill you if you eat too much).

[rainman::|:|]

yeah debate rages on about whether it can build up in your system or not... but at low doses it's not unsafe, and i don't personally believe this one causes any long-term harm to most people. Remember those urban-legends about the yellow dye in Mt. Dew shrinking people's testicles? Turned out you'd need to ingest gallons of the dye all at once for it to cause any such problems. Didn't stop people from being taken by it.

paul

[Neserk]

Headaches. I won't touch it.

If I want something sweet I just go for good old fashioned sugar. The secret is moderation. The only people who can't do that are diabetics.

[dopefiend]

Remember those urban-legends about the yellow dye in Mt. Dew shrinking people's testicles?
paul

I thought it was suppose to lower your sperm count.... :confused:


I guess the myth changes a little all around the country, hehe.

A lot of those results were obtained by giving near fatal amounts of the stuff (even sugar can kill you if you eat too much).

Exactly and so can water!

Seems like everything these days can hurt you/cause cancer/mess up something...

I say, enjoy in moderation and don't worry about the stuff too much!

[armchainmstenw]

Yea, it messes you up...my parents have told me this for years (they're MDs)

[G5orbust]

I blame the 1980's health craze for ruining the world. And Dr. Atkins. Im glad hes dead because hes ruined every meal I have with my parents (theyre big Atkins diet fans). Too bad his legacy didnt die with him.

Why people cant have just plain old sugar escapes me... I mean, we've been eating the stuff for thousands of years. It didnt just suddenly become unhealthy.

[dopefiend]

I blame the 1980's health craze for ruining the world. And Dr. Atkins. Im glad hes dead because hes ruined every meal I have with my parents (theyre big Atkins diet fans).

A form of the Atkin's diet saved my dads life....

That diet is great!

[applemacdude]

I thought it was suppose to lower your sperm count.... :confused:

!

That would be mountain dew...

[virividox]

you know that food is best taken in moderation.

[dopefiend]

That would be mountain dew...


Uhh...thats what were talking about here dude.

Yellow dye in mountain dew

edit: thats what the post I qouted was talking about :p

[JordanNZ]

I try to avoid anything that contains methanol... Gives me headaches, and does strange things to my vision.

[dopefiend]

I try to avoid anything that contains methanol... Gives me headaches, and does strange things to my vision.

Yesh, I hope you do considering Methanol is an alcohol fuel! :eek:

[caveman_uk]

I've read a few of the quotes listed there and as a PhD qualified chemist quite a lot of them are scientific BS such as these

Dr. James Bowen explained that the methyl alcohol of aspartame is arranged in such a fashion that it is “500 to 5,000 times more active in producing toxicity” than the methyl alcohol that is commonly found in alcoholic beverages.
So one form of methyl alcohol is somehow more toxic than another? Seeing as there is only one form of methanol (CH3OH) then that is obviously wrong. I think they've got their ethyl and methyl mixed up as the form commonly found in alcoholic beverages is ethyl alcohol....which incidently is also toxic.

Aspartame is an extremely volatile substance that, under ordinary storage conditions, breaks down quickly into methanol, a known neurotoxin. The methanol then breaks down into formaldehyde.

It is not volatile - it's a white crystalline solid. It may well slowly hydrolyse to release methanol but methanol does not spontaneously decompose to formaldehyde. We've got great big bottles of methanol here and trust me - they ain't going off...

In a simple word you would just as soon have DDT in your food as Splenda, because sucralose is a chlorocarbon. The chlorocarbons have long been famous for causing organ, genetic, and reproductive damage.

Utter ************. Aspartame is not a chlorocarbon. It is the hydrochloride salt of a dipeptide. You have strong hydrochloric acid in your stomach. Any protein you eat forms hydrochloride salts in your stomach. This is scaremongering by someone who knows the chemical symbol for Cl and C but knows very little else.

When the temperature of Aspartame exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. (Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants).

I've boiled methanol for days at 150 deg F and it's still methanol, not formaldehyde. This report makes it sound like the aspartame is in wood alcohol or something. It isn't. The methanol is actually part of the molecule of aspartame though there may be the potential for it to be released.

I personally don't drink diet drinks because I think they taste like ****. If I want a drink I'll drink the sugar version - but hey wait....doesn't that cause cancer or something. ;)

If you're drinking so much of a drink that the sugar in it is making you fat - DRINK LESS OF IT. Water is cheap, refreshing and actually has no calories.

[Sun Baked]

If you're drinking so much of a drink that the sugar in it is making you fat - DRINK LESS OF IT. Water is cheap, refreshing and actually has no calories.Unless you're drink some of the crap foisted off on us by the Cola companies as a cleaner alternative to tap water, then their name-brand products polluted by sugar, dyes, and chemicals are probably less expensive.

[takao]

If I want something sweet I just go for good old fashioned sugar. The secret is moderation. The only people who can't do that are diabetics.

i would consider that statement as a myth..
my 12 year old brother has diabetes since 2 years ..my uncle since perhaps 13 years..and both were far away from the "eating sugar all the time" image..
nowadays it is pretty clear that the biggest part of getting diabetes is genetic related...doctors nowadays can easely say that somebody is in danger when looking at their relatives...they can not say _if_ somebody will get it nor _when_ they will get it..

[caveman_uk]

Unless you're drink some of the crap foisted off on us by the Cola companies as a cleaner alternative to tap water, then their name-brand products polluted by sugar, dyes, and chemicals are probably less expensive.
What's wrong with the tap water?

Incidently Coke tried Dasani on the UK but were forced to remove it from the market within a month after they first revealed it was in fact purified tap water with calcium chloride added. This process increased the price from 0.0001 pence to 95 pence.

The second killer blow was when it was found to contain too much bromate that they had to recall all the product. The bromate came from a trace bromide impurity in the calcium chloride they'd added. The ozonation process to sterilise the water had converted the safe bromide into unsafe bromate.

They gave up after that....

[MongoTheGeek]

What's wrong with the tap water?

Incidently Coke tried Dasani on the UK but were forced to remove it from the market within a month after they first revealed it was in fact purified tap water with calcium chloride added. This process increased the price from 0.0001 pence to 95 pence.

The second killer blow was when it was found to contain too much bromate that they had to recall all the product. The bromate came from a trace bromide impurity in the calcium chloride they'd added. The ozonation process to sterilise the water had converted the safe bromide into unsafe bromate.

They gave up after that....

Same thing for Aquafina and Pepsi. At least it is the same product. I don't think pepsi had the uproar about it in europe.

The only reason I get bottled water is for a bottle to carry water around in. I refill it from drinking fountains.

Besides I drank tap water from Pittsburgh for 4 years, that comes out of the Mon... My system is tuned to run on impurities. :)

[Abstract]

I've read a few of the quotes listed there and as a PhD qualified chemist quite a lot of them are scientific BS such as these

So one form of methyl alcohol is somehow more toxic than another? Seeing as there is only one form of methanol (CH3OH) then that is obviously wrong. I think they've got their ethyl and methyl mixed up as the form commonly found in alcoholic beverages is ethyl alcohol....which incidently is also toxic.


It is not volatile - it's a white crystalline solid. It may well slowly hydrolyse to release methanol but methanol does not spontaneously decompose to formaldehyde. We've got great big bottles of methanol here and trust me - they ain't going off...

Utter ************. Aspartame is not a chlorocarbon. It is the hydrochloride salt of a dipeptide. You have strong hydrochloric acid in your stomach. Any protein you eat forms hydrochloride salts in your stomach. This is scaremongering by someone who knows the chemical symbol for Cl and C but knows very little else.

I've boiled methanol for days at 150 deg F and it's still methanol, not formaldehyde. This report makes it sound like the aspartame is in wood alcohol or something. It isn't. The methanol is actually part of the molecule of aspartame though there may be the potential for it to be released.

I personally don't drink diet drinks because I think they taste like ****. If I want a drink I'll drink the sugar version - but hey wait....doesn't that cause cancer or something. ;)

If you're drinking so much of a drink that the sugar in it is making you fat - DRINK LESS OF IT. Water is cheap, refreshing and actually has no calories.

Hmmm....I think CavemanUK may be on to something. :p

[takao]

Same thing for Aquafina and Pepsi. At least it is the same product. I don't think pepsi had the uproar about it in europe.

you know why ? because pepsi is a underdog over here... pepsi is in the position where they have to sell as cheap as they can.. sometimes you can get 2x2liter bottles of pepsi for 1 euro and normaly it's about 0,89 for 2 liters of pepsi...coca cola sells 6-7 times more bottles (or even more) at nearly twice the price per bottle ....
most people consider pepsi as "too sweet" ...me included i buy it from time to time(i'm a student at it is cheap...) but i have to mix it with water to make it drinkable...
yeah and of course coca cola has already buyed one of the local market leaders of mineral water (not purified tap water ;) ) http://www.roemerquelle.at/


The only reason I get bottled water is for a bottle to carry water around in. I refill it from drinking fountains.


exactly...i'm doing the same thig..but from tiem to time i buy a bottle of coke for a week end ...

[idkew]

i would consider that statement as a myth..
my 12 year old brother has diabetes since 2 years ..my uncle since perhaps 13 years..and both were far away from the "eating sugar all the time" image..
nowadays it is pretty clear that the biggest part of getting diabetes is genetic related...doctors nowadays can easely say that somebody is in danger when looking at their relatives...they can not say _if_ somebody will get it nor _when_ they will get it..


while diabetes can be cause by genetic reasons, the majority of new cases in fat ass-america is because people eat way too much sugar. diabetes is the new fat people's disease.

i can tell you if and when you will get diabetes: if you eat crap all the time and you throw your insulin all out of whack on a regular basis, you will get it, sooner or later.

[ewinemiller]

According to this article (http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/nutraswt.htm), it isn't.

Have you had any odd symptoms after ingesting it?

Urban legend.

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blasp.htm

[pooky]

Anyone else notice that, while the site has a lot of "quotes" from scientists, very few of them are actually referenced? And not one of them is referenced to a peer-reviewed article? I'm very suspicious of scientists who don't believe in submitting their work for critical review. Any idiot can write a book and fill it with all the lies they want. And with no references on the quotes, M.D. might as well stand for Maitre 'd.

That being said, fake-sugar tastes gross.

[ewinemiller]

That being said, fake-sugar tastes gross.

You actually get used to it, takes about six weeks if you quit cold turkey. I can't drink soda with real suger in it anymore, tastes like i'm drinking syrup.

[GeeYouEye]

I've read a few of the quotes listed there and as a PhD qualified chemist quite a lot of them are scientific BS such as these

So one form of methyl alcohol is somehow more toxic than another? Seeing as there is only one form of methanol (CH3OH) then that is obviously wrong. I think they've got their ethyl and methyl mixed up as the form commonly found in alcoholic beverages is ethyl alcohol....which incidently is also toxic.My understanding of it (but IANAC) is that of all the alcohols, ethyl is the only one that is "safe", and that's due to to the fantastic ability of the liver to break down the alcohol. Methyl alcohol is, IIRC, 5000x more toxic, and 50x less intoxicating than ethyl alcohol.


It is not volatile - it's a white crystalline solid. It may well slowly hydrolyse to release methanol but methanol does not spontaneously decompose to formaldehyde. We've got great big bottles of methanol here and trust me - they ain't going off...Agreed, the article is bull, but there is certainly some toxicity in aspartame, and I thought it was, in part because it can react to form formaldehyde. I don't remember the other cause specifically, but I do remember that the result of some other reaction can cause the formation of a neurotoxin.

Utter ************. Aspartame is not a chlorocarbon. It is the hydrochloride salt of a dipeptide. You have strong hydrochloric acid in your stomach. Any protein you eat forms hydrochloride salts in your stomach. This is scaremongering by someone who knows the chemical symbol for Cl and C but knows very little else.

I've boiled methanol for days at 150 deg F and it's still methanol, not formaldehyde. This report makes it sound like the aspartame is in wood alcohol or something. It isn't. The methanol is actually part of the molecule of aspartame though there may be the potential for it to be released.

I personally don't drink diet drinks because I think they taste like ****. If I want a drink I'll drink the sugar version - but hey wait....doesn't that cause cancer or something. ;)

If you're drinking so much of a drink that the sugar in it is making you fat - DRINK LESS OF IT. Water is cheap, refreshing and actually has no calories.I agree completely. :)

[Lyle]

If I want something sweet I just go for good old fashioned sugar. The secret is moderation. The only people who can't do that are diabetics.i would consider that statement as a myth..
my 12 year old brother has diabetes since 2 years ..my uncle since perhaps 13 years..and both were far away from the "eating sugar all the time" image..
nowadays it is pretty clear that the biggest part of getting diabetes is genetic related...doctors nowadays can easely say that somebody is in danger when looking at their relatives...they can not say _if_ somebody will get it nor _when_ they will get it..For what it's worth, I didn't interpret Neserk's statement the same way you did. When she said, "The only people who can't do that are diabetics," I read that as, "Using good old-fashioned sugar isn't an option for diabetics," not, "Diabetics get diabetes because they lack the self-control to use sugar in moderation."

But I guess she can speak for herself. ;)

[Plutoniq]

From my understanding, it is the phenyl alanine in Nutrasweet & Equal that is questionable. I remember reading on Nutrasweet packets in Australia a advisory which said that phenyl alanine had caused tumors in lab rats, no ****! This was written on the packets in tiny letters!

The funny thing about diet drinks is that people always order them alongside really unhealthy & large ammounts of fast food. Ie (I'll have 2 Whopper, large Fries, Chocolate Sundae.....oh.....and a diet coke) Ha! Who are they foolin'? Themselves mostly.

"Aspartame consists of three molecules joined together. They are: (1) 50% phenyl alanine, an amino acid found in food, which can be neurotoxic in high quantities and can cause seizures in certain susceptible people; (2) 40% aspartic acid, also an amino acid found in food, which is a neuroexciter and neurotoxic in high concentrations; and (3) 10% methanol or methyl alcohol, which is also called wood alcohol. Free methanol is quite toxic even in relatively low concentrations."

[Neserk]

For what it's worth, I didn't interpret Neserk's statement the same way you did. When she said, "The only people who can't do that are diabetics," I read that as, "Using good old-fashioned sugar isn't an option for diabetics," not, "Diabetics get diabetes because they lack the self-control to use sugar in moderation."

But I guess she can speak for herself. ;)

But why should I when you did it so well? ;) That is exactly what I meant. Diabetics *can't* have regular sugar because of their diabetes. They are only ones who *need* to have an artifical sweetner. Everyone else needs to moderate their intake, imo.

[Neserk]

i would consider that statement as a myth..
my 12 year old brother has diabetes since 2 years ..my uncle since perhaps 13 years..and both were far away from the "eating sugar all the time" image..
nowadays it is pretty clear that the biggest part of getting diabetes is genetic related...doctors nowadays can easely say that somebody is in danger when looking at their relatives...they can not say _if_ somebody will get it nor _when_ they will get it..

Someone else clarified what I meant. But there is such a thing as type II Diabeties which is a real problem for people who are overweight.

[Neserk]

You actually get used to it, takes about six weeks if you quit cold turkey. I can't drink soda with real suger in it anymore, tastes like i'm drinking syrup.

I don't want to get used to it :p