Is Aspartame a killer?

[IrishEyes]

I got one of those e-mails the other day... you know the type: "My sister almost died because of aspartame, but I'd just read an article about it, and now she's fine, but I don't want anyone else to die, so I'm gonne mass e-mail the world..."
Well, before I deleted it, I read through the list of symptoms that this guy listed, and Googled some of the things that were in this e-mail (specifically the use of the name of a Senator trying to get a bill passed). Everything that I checked was actually out there in cyberspace. So I re-read the article and started thinking about my mother-in-law, a Diet Pepsi junkie, and how many health problems she has developed in recent years.
Has anyone else ever heard of aspartame poinsoning? Do you know of anyone that has suffered from it? If it is a valid concern, why is it still in our food?
Your comments are welcome!

[IrishEyes]

I wanted to add an excerpt from the e-mail, so you guys will know to what I am referring, ok?

> I have spent several days lecturing at the WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE on "ASPARTAME," marketed as 'NutraSweet,' 'Equal,' and 'Spoonful.'>
> In the keynote address by the EPA, it was announced that in the United States in 2001 there is an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus. It was difficult to determine exactly what toxin was causing this to be rampant.
> I stood up and said that I was there to lecture on exactly that subject. I will explain why Aspartame is so dangerous: When the temperature of this sweetener 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. The methanol
> toxicity mimics, among other conditions, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus.
> Many people were being diagnosed in error. Although multiple sclerosis is not a death sentence.. methanol toxicity is!
> Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis, especially with Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers. The victim usually does not know that the Aspartame is the culprit. He or she continues its use; irritating the lupus to such a degree that it may become a life-threatening condition.We have seen patients with systemic lupus become asymptotic, once taken off diet sodas.In cases of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, (when in reality, the disease is methanol toxicity), most of the symptoms disappear. We've seen many cases where vision loss returned and hearing loss improved markedly.This also applies to cases of tinnitus and fibromyalgia.
> During a lecture, I said, "If you are using ASPARTAME (NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc.) and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, shooting, pains, numbness in your legs, cramps, vertigo, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, joint pain, unexplainable depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech,blurred vision, or memory loss...you probably have ASPARTAME poisoning!"

As you can see, the list of symptoms was a bit long. So I googled "aspartame poisoning", and it was rather astonishing. Of course, there are more than a few skeptics. Then I picked up my flavored bottled water that I've been guzzling for the past three weeks and realized it contained aspartame. So I sat down the water and thought of my health over the past few weeks, and decided to stop drinking the water. Now, I didn't lose 40 pounds the next day, but I did manage to get rid of a nasty headache that had been plaguing me for a week. Could have been coincidence, who knows. But I'm gonna be reading labels from now on.

[Chacmool]

I don't have any scientific evidence to back me up (a lot of contradictory studies out there anyway), but I'm sure it can't be good for you. I don't know if it will kill you, but I can't think that anything artificial is good for your body. For that matter, I don't think there's a single ingredient in Pepsi or any other soft drink (diet or otherwise) that IS good for you! Stick to the freshly-squeezed juice of organically grown oranges.

But seriously, I think we go around blaming single ingredients while the entire product is actually harmful - or at the very least not helpful. I can only speak from personal experience, and I know I feel much better both mentally and physically if I stay away from artificial products as far as possible. Nothing wrong with some good old cane sugar instead of aspartame.

[C1ay]

Originally Posted by Chacmool

I don't think there's a single ingredient in Pepsi or any other soft drink (diet or otherwise) that IS good for you!

The key ingredient in all of them, water, is very good for you. It's also my favorite drink.

[Chacmool]

Originally Posted by C1ay

The key ingredient in all of them, water, is very good for you. It's also my favorite drink.

Touché! I should have seen that one coming.

[C1ay]

I did have a doctor mention to me in passing one time that he couldn't understand why so many people would use a diet sweetener that is known to increase your appetite. He said it really defeats it's own purpose.

I personally use Splenda wherever I choose to use a low-cal sweetener since it is a product of sugar and not an artificial sweetener.

[nkt]

Aspartame is worrying. It also causes issues because, as it warns on everything that it is in, it "contains a source of Phenylalanine" which is lethal to some people, I believe.

The idea of adding a sweetener to water seems weird to me, anyway.

I tend to drink "full fat" drinks, as I hate the aftertaste of Aspartame. Weight for weight, aspartame is actually more calorific than sugar, IIRC, but is massively sweeter, so even trace amounts have an effect.

[GAHD]

I've known it could cause helth issues for years now, though more as a cancer agent. The rest of that doesn't surprise me too much, considering the diabetics in my familly are all messed up it could just be that.

[Tormod]

I think all things considered you can't be much worse off drinking diet soda than any other sodas. Pure water will always be the better option, though...

[adnaan]

Originally Posted by C1ay

I personally use Splenda wherever I choose to use a low-cal sweetener since it is a product of sugar and not an artificial sweetener.

CLay Watch OUT! but what splenda claims isnt all what it seems.. supposedly from this article.

http://health.benabraham.com/html/le...f_splenda.html

it seems that splenda is a bit toxic..