What's the deal with Aspartame?

Valmorian

Critical Thinker
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So I'm trying to lose weight, and to help with this, switching to Diet sodas. All the sodas I've found use Aspartame as an artificial sweetener.

Then a friend of mine starts freaking out about it, saying that Aspartame is dangerous etc, ect.. I look into it online and find the usual conspiracy nonsense, and some good information on it as well. Seems safe.. what's everyone else's thoughts?
 
Aspartame is dangerous to a very small group of people with a metabolic disorder known as phenylketoneuria. They cannot handle one of the byproducts of aspartame. In the U.S. babies are tested at birth for phenylketonuria, so if you had it you would already know it.

Other people have reported mild symptoms like headaches, etc. If you experience such symptoms, stop using aspartame.

Most of what you have found about "aspartame disease" is indeed the usual conspiracy theory hooey.

Here's some info on phenylketonuria and aspartame from a reliable source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/phenylketonuria.html
 
Despite it's description as a "sugar free sweetener", to my palate, aspartame leaves an unpleasant, bitter aftertaste. A few years back, I made this remark in company of a group of family & friends, some of whom agreed, some of whom disagreed.

We tried a (distinctly non rigorous) test, in which one person selected a number (I think seven, but I can't swear to that) items of food and drink containing aspartame and an equal number without. Just what was in the house at the time. (Not my house I would stress).

The rest of us tasted them and filled out a simple yes or no list.
One person got them all wrong. One was right more or less 50% of the time. The other four people were right on virtually all of the tests. I got them all right, as did a friend who is diabetic and also detests the stuff.

Could be our taste buds were sensitive to it. (I DO like sweets to my eternal regret), but our quickie test implied that most people can spot it right away and about half of them don't like it.

I suspect the bad press it gets arises from this effect.
 
Lots of things have phenylalanine and aspartic acid, I dare say all organisms(?). (Aspartame = Aspartic acid + phenylalanine). Both are common amino acids that are normally harmless. Putting the two together as a methyl ester = wonderful sweetness, and you can stay thin so that people will like you and you'll be really attractive.

The sweetness of both aspartame and saccharin were both found by foolish chemists who accidentally ingested them and didn't croak from it! Since chemists are much more careful these days, discovering new sweet compounds is more difficult than it used to be. They have a grip on the sweetness receptor of the tongue, but not on predicting the compounds that activate it.

If you have no metabolic disorders, then use aspartame with hubris, and tell your friend to shove it!
 
Soapy Sam said:
Despite it's description as a "sugar free sweetener", to my palate, aspartame leaves an unpleasant, bitter aftertaste. A few years back, I made this remark in company of a group of family & friends, some of whom agreed, some of whom disagreed.
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I agree with you, myself.. Although I've heard that through regular use of Aspartame the aftertaste is much diminished. Many people I know swear that once you get used to Diet Coke, you find it impossible to drink regular Coke..


Could be our taste buds were sensitive to it. (I DO like sweets to my eternal regret), but our quickie test implied that most people can spot it right away and about half of them don't like it.
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I've found that my ability to taste it is really related to what it is in. I can find it in pop really easy, but, say the Dairy Queen fudge bars (sweetened with Aspartame) taste really close to regular ones and leave almost no aftertaste (I suspect this is because of the chocolate flavor).



I suspect the bad press it gets arises from this effect.
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That wouldn't surprise me at all.
 
arcticpenguin said:
Aspartame is dangerous to a very small group of people with a metabolic disorder known as phenylketoneuria. They cannot handle one of the byproducts of aspartame. In the U.S. babies are tested at birth for phenylketonuria, so if you had it you would already know it.
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Thanks! Although from what I read on the site you referred, I would have known if I had that disorder long ago. Looks like you can't eat a lot of meat, etc.. and I certainly do that. ;)
 
Sucralose, sold as Splenda(Inner city gangster for Splendor), is slightly better than the amino acid stuff. You can still tell that it ins't sugar, but a little in your coffee tasts better. Some syrups us it as well. Torani, monin. If you like sweet coffee you can use them in it, otherwise the fruity ones go nice over club soda.

I don't like aspertame that much, but i really don't taste it in diet vanilla coke. I find it more drinkable than straight diet coke.
 
I don't like the fake suger stuff either, not sure if it's that aspartame or not, the aftertaste is pretty bad.

hehe splenda, we had a little scottish ginger bread man advertising that for us. "It's made from sugar, soo it tastes like sugar" (scottich accent) :)
 
Look when will you guy's learn? IT IS NOT THE SUGAR that makes you fat it is fat, as in F A T. You don't loose weight if you order a Diet Coke to your Big Mac menu instead of a regular Coke and you don't loose weight by using artificial sweeteners in your coffe+apple pie. You loose weight by replacing the Big Mac with a Mc Salad shaker WITHOUT dressing and drink coffe with sugar by all means but WITHOUT apple pie. If you then also walk a Mile after this meal you will definitely loose weight.:D

FORGET low fat fries, diet soda, unsweetened this and that. If you really want to loose weight you must burn more calories than you eat. It is that simple, you don't need a Dr. Phil to tell you this you know it allready. Exercise - Exercise - Exercise.:golf:

And for what it's worth i too think Aspartam (or Nutra Sweet as it is commonly known) tastes bitter and i too believe i can pick it out but then again i have never really tried.:D
 
What's the deal with Aspartame? No calories, tastes like the bottom of a bird cage. Same with Splenda.

IT IS NOT THE SUGAR that makes you fat it is fat
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Sugar has lots of calories. So it will make you just as fat as fat calories will. Maybe even more so because it is easily absorbed.
 
Ove said:
FORGET low fat fries, diet soda, unsweetened this and that. If you really want to loose weight you must burn more calories than you eat.
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And reducing your intake of calories is one way to accomplish this. I drink enough diet coke to replace 720 calories I would be consuming if it were regular coke, every day.

I don't think aspartame tastes anywhere near as good as sugar, but I still am addicted to Diet Coke, mostly as a refreshing caffiene delivery vehicle. I use sugar for sweetening most other things, which I consume in dramatically less quantity. While I enjoy an occational Coke or other soda, I find them too sugary, and I always feel like I need to brush my teeth immediately afterwards.

And guess what? I don't care if other people don't like diet coke. I get sick of people who don't like it asking me how I can drink it, like they're somehow morally superior for having different taste.
 
Michael Redman said:
And reducing your intake of calories is one way to accomplish this. I drink enough diet coke to replace 720 calories I would be consuming if it were regular coke, every day.

I don't think aspartame tastes anywhere near as good as sugar, but I still am addicted to Diet Coke, mostly as a refreshing caffiene delivery vehicle. I use sugar for sweetening most other things, which I consume in dramatically less quantity. While I enjoy an occational Coke or other soda, I find them too sugary, and I always feel like I need to brush my teeth immediately afterwards.

And guess what? I don't care if other people don't like diet coke. I get sick of people who don't like it asking me how I can drink it, like they're somehow morally superior for having different taste.
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i agree with all your points esp. the last one. I dont drink regular soda and try not to consume a ton of sugar because diabetes runs in my family. That's why i can drink it and sacrifice a little bit of taste. So when i order a diet coke please don't make a face! (plus i actually find regular soda way too sweet now)
 
Ever touch a nine volt battery to your tongue? That's the aftertaste I get from aspartame sweetened items.

Why not switch from pop to water? I drink water all the time and find that all pop tastes bad in comparison. If I ever crave some pop it's really just sugar that I'm after. I'm reducing the amount of carbs and sugar in my diet and find I get way fewer sugar crashes (coming down from the sugar high) and I don't feel hungry as often.

All pop is junk food. You don't need junk food.
 
Ove said:
Look when will you guy's learn? IT IS NOT THE SUGAR that makes you fat it is fat, as in F A T.
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Psst. Some of us consume too much sugar. Eliminating or reducing the sugar in my diet CUTS CALORIES. It isn't ALL I am doing, so I'm not sure why the rant?


FORGET low fat fries, diet soda, unsweetened this and that. If you really want to loose weight you must burn more calories than you eat. It is that simple, you don't need a Dr. Phil to tell you this you know it allready. Exercise - Exercise - Exercise.:golf:
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Well DUH. The question I was asking was related to the safety of Aspartame, and I don't recall ever saying I was planning on binging on diet foods and sitting around.

I walk to and from work every weekday (about a 25-30 minute walk each way). I've switched from regular coke to diet coke (I drink a fair bit of cola, and this is a good way for me to cut calories in my diet). I'm also eating less fatty foods, opting out of fries, getting a salad instead, etc..

I eat out a lot, and it's difficult to find low calorie foods at fast food places (which is all I ever seem to have time for) so I'm cutting calories where I can and trying to substitute healthier choices.
 
jimlintott said:

Why not switch from pop to water? I drink water all the time and find that all pop tastes bad in comparison.
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For the most part, I have switched to water. I still find I have a craving for Coke fairly often though, because it used to be a fairly major part of what I consumed. If I can make the switch to Diet Coke successfully, it will greatly help me reduce my calorie intake.

Now all I need to do is somehow find more time to exercise.. and find an exercise I LIKE doing..
 
Valmorian said:


For the most part, I have switched to water. I still find I have a craving for Coke fairly often though, because it used to be a fairly major part of what I consumed. If I can make the switch to Diet Coke successfully, it will greatly help me reduce my calorie intake.
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You might give some of the flavored carbonated waters a try. I found them to be an excellent substitute and they have 0 calories. When I craved a soda, what a really craved was a carbonated and flavored lqiuid without yucky aftertaste.
 
Valmorian said:
So I'm trying to lose weight, and to help with this, switching to Diet sodas. All the sodas I've found use Aspartame as an artificial sweetener.

Then a friend of mine starts freaking out about it, saying that Aspartame is dangerous etc, ect.. I look into it online and find the usual conspiracy nonsense, and some good information on it as well. Seems safe.. what's everyone else's thoughts?
Click to expand...

My major in college was biochemistry, and when the hoopla started over how evil aspartame is began, I discussed this with my instructor and mentor, who has a PhD in Biochemistry, and we went through the whole structure of molecule (structure *is* function), and it is actually for the most part harmless (unless you have the phenylalanine problem). There is a small area that could potentially be turned into wood alchohol which in large enough amounts could be potentially damaging to the human brain (now if you drank 90 cases of diet soda a day, you have a slight possibility of this producing a negative effect).

So is it dangerous? Not really. Like everything, partake in moderation and if you have a negative reaction, stop using the product.

On an interesting note, aspartame was created by a biochemistry grad student who decided to stick his finger in this lovely white powder he had just isolated, and tasted it, and found it to be sweet. :-)
 
jimlintott said:
Ever touch a nine volt battery to your tongue? That's the aftertaste I get from aspartame sweetened items.

Why not switch from pop to water? I drink water all the time and find that all pop tastes bad in comparison. If I ever crave some pop it's really just sugar that I'm after. I'm reducing the amount of carbs and sugar in my diet and find I get way fewer sugar crashes (coming down from the sugar high) and I don't feel hungry as often.

All pop is junk food. You don't need junk food.
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I don't need television or a computer, either. Diet soda isn't doing me any harm, and it's a luxury expenditure I'm prefectly willing and capable of making. Why should I stop?
 
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