This is one reason why Old Stylers cook meals from scratch and avoid ready meals!

Eliza252 · 14 July 2005 at 5:17PM

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4683371.stm

Aspartame is in so many things, especially diet foods so I think just limiting it to diet drinks is not enough. How many kids eat sweets/desserts and other stuff with aspartame in it surely it wouldnt be that difficult to eat the equivalent of 14 cans.
- scary!

My Dad always said it was much healthier to order a pint of ale rather than a pint of coke!

Bogof_Babe · 14 July 2005 at 5:30PM

We changed from Diet drinks to standard lemonade etc. just to avoid Aspartame, but the labels still say it contains "sweeteners". My argument is that why does everything have to be artificially sweetened? Not all of us have a sweet tooth, and I find a lot of food and drink cloying, as I'd rather have them without any sort of additives, or if absolutely necessary to make them palatable then what's wrong with a teaspoonful of suger?

elona · 14 July 2005 at 5:38PM

Since I bought a new slow cooker last year and started to cook soups or stews every night with loads of vegetables - my DH (who used to scoff food from it at 7a.m.) has never had a cold or flu or any virus - while all around him at the different offices he visits are coughing, sneezing etc.

John_Jackson_2 · 16 July 2005 at 3:10PM

Aspartame is one of the most thoroughly tested substances in the food supply and it has never been found to be dangerous, except in the rare cases of phenylketonuria.

From the article:

"Concerns have been raised about the aspartame in the past, but an analysis of 500 papers by UK regulators in 2002 concluded there was no threat to consumers."

Perhaps the headline of the article should have been: Aspartame - no threat to consumers

This is a case of irresponsible, scare mongering and does the BBC no credit whatsoever to have reported the findings in this manner. The article actually concludes that aspartame is safe in the dosage in which humans use it: the exact opposite of the headline.

Many things we ingest are poisonous. Paracetamol, for example, is a deadly poison, but it is perfectly safe in small doses.

The problem with this type of sensationalist-headline reporting is that we end up worrying about things that are perfectly safe. Switching from aspartame back to sugar could lead to the problems associated with sugar intake: weight gain, tooth decay etc.

Further reading:

MS Focus

Ted_Hutchinson · 16 July 2005 at 4:05PM

A pdf file showing the results of the study can be downloaded from this Press Release

John_Jackson_2 · 16 July 2005 at 5:05PM

Thanks Ted.

It seems that the danger (in rats) from aspartame is that one of the breakdown products is methanol (the alcohol in methylated spirits). The dangers of methanol are well understood and it is not a problem in the human body in low doses.

It is interesting to note than we ingest more methanol from eating fruit than we do from aspartame.

As with most things, it’s not the toxicity that’s the problem: it’s the dosage. Unless we start eating aspartame by the bucket load, there’s no danger in it.

Trow · 16 July 2005 at 5:16PM

From the MSFocus link

The CDC analyzed more than 500 reports and the problems associated with aspartame were divided into two categories. Two-thirds of the people experienced neurological problems while one-quarter of the people experienced gastrointestinal problems. The neurological symptoms consisted of headaches, mood alterations, insomnia, dizziness, and fatigue. The gastrointestinal symptoms included abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. The CDC concluded, "The majority of symptoms were mild and are symptoms that are common in the general populace." The CDC also noted that there was no evidence supporting the claim that aspartame could cause certain diseases (i.e. multiple sclerosis, lupus, etc.).
While nothing can be considered 100 percent safe, aspartame has undergone extensive testing. With the exception of a few very mild side effects, aspartame appears to be quite safe. Those individuals, who experience problems after consuming aspartame, should eliminate foods and beverages that contain this sweetener from their diet.

So basically there is no risk of diseases such as Lupus or MS, but "headaches, mood alterations, insomnia, dizziness, and fatigue." and "abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting".

Which are regarded as "very few mild side effects". IMO they don't sound particularly mild, and the report says nothing about why these side effects exist. Its not the most reassuring report I could have read about aspartame.

squeaky · 16 July 2005 at 5:29PM

I'm not really fussed about whether a given additive is dangerous or not, is present in some degree in a natural way in food anyway or not so what's the harm..?

We evolved, it would seem, as omnivores; hunter gatherers... and we probably in those early days had more access to the veg and fruit than to meat.

So our bodies are adapted to eat a fairly wide variety of foods and I just figure that if I stay reasonably close to what was once our natural diet my poor old bod stands some chance of dealing adequately with whatever I feed it

John_Jackson_2 · 16 July 2005 at 6:49PM

Trow wrote:

From the MSFocus link

So basically there is no risk of diseases such as Lupus or MS, but "headaches, mood alterations, insomnia, dizziness, and fatigue." and "abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting".

Which are regarded as "very few mild side effects". IMO they don't sound particularly mild, and the report says nothing about why these side effects exist. Its not the most reassuring report I could have read about aspartame.

They said: "The majority of symptoms were mild and are symptoms that are common in the general populace."

They're saying that there's no evidence that those symptoms were caused by aspartame intake; they are symptoms that people generally get anyway.

Its not the most reassuring report I could have read about aspartame.

Well if you want something more comprehensive, try this: The safety of Aspartame - (PDF).

It shows that aspartame is safe in the quantaties that we use.

aurorahelios · 16 July 2005 at 10:47PM

This stuff is banned for use in foods specifically for the under 3's so there must be some concerns about it. Problem is most toddlers eat everday foods so they are probably getting it in their diet anyway.

I do try and avoid it mainly because I personally can't stand the taste and smell of it, but it is difficult, it seems to be in everything these days diet or not. Does anyone know if it is a cheaper alternative to sugar?

Trow · 17 July 2005 at 9:19AM

John_Jackson wrote:

They said: "The majority of symptoms were mild and are symptoms that are common in the general populace."

They're saying that there's no evidence that those symptoms were caused by aspartame intake; they are symptoms that people generally get anyway.

No, they may be implying it, but they are not saying it.

John_Jackson wrote:

It shows that aspartame is safe in the quantaties that we use.

"In the quantities we use" - implies it is not safe in larger quantities. I wonder if there have been any truly long term studies into its use? Can there be a build up that will affect health later on? Does anyone really know for sure?

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This is one reason why Old Stylers cook meals from scratch and avoid ready meals!

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