A great documentary on the perils of Aspartame ingestion and how it got deemed fit for consumption by the FDA:
Sweet Misery - A Poisoned World.avi
Just a little something to think about the next time you have your diet soda or chew gum 
I have dial up so I probably won’t watch this. A local radio fitness guru type was talikng about aspartame and he said it was one of the most tested products on the market and he thought it was pretty safe. This guy is an absolute fitness and nutrition nut (not quite in Thomas Lavoie’s league, but right up there). I personally don’t like the taste so I rarely use products containing it.
I agree with chads…let’s not forget what happened with saccharine, everyone still thinks it causes cancer when it’s been off the American Cancer Society’s official list of carcinogens for years and never should have been on it to begin with. They fed an amount to test rats that would be equivalent to a human eating a bathtub full of pure saccharine, fell over in shock when the rats died, and declared it a carcinogen. Pure idiocy.
nice one for the post, interesting information. repps
It’s banned in my country so I’ve never had the opportunity to ingest saccharine. If you’re so inclined, I encourage you to watch the movie with skepticism, do your own research, and arrive at your own conclusion.
I have done my own research (my father is a scientist) and I am not so inclined.
I stay as far away as I can from all artificial sweeteners.
Not that I read any reports or have been told it is bad for you, but my body simply do not respond well to them.
I get gases. Enormous amounts of flatulence… 
This doesn’t surprise me. I had a coworker who developed some aspartame related bleeding esophagus problem (she does not smoke and is now a avid healthy foods person). She went to a seminar and found other suffering from similar problems.
It’s kind of like cock roach poisioning…some cock roaches will die…some are immune. Survival of the fittest baby.
Personally I don’t like the taste of either… .
It could also just have been a bad batch of aspartame that git distributed through various channels. Which still is scarey since it could be anyone of your drinks.
FYI, FDA auditors mostly regulate processes. Dot your I’s cross your t’s. If they find the problem and expect the company to come up with the solution. As long as they come up with a solution…they usually pass. The solution, however, is usually a better way to hide the problem.
Besides did you know 10% of the organic foods at safeway is sprayed with pesticides. They are allowed a 10% slack by the FDA because they have money to do so. And your “all natural” sticker on your fruit means nothing…still sprayed with pesticides…marketing gimick.
BTW, just because a person is a scientist, doesn’t mean they know everything. Sometimes you have to run into a problem to track backwards to find the source, just to realize what they’ve known all their life had some missing peices.
Like PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE has been on the market for years in your OTC drugs, finally they are saying it has been linked to increased hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in brain ).
Yup watch your Alka-Seltzer, Comtrex, Contac, Dexatrim, Dimetapp etc.
There is more to life than we know… who are we to know what we know is gospel truth?? Even gospel truth has it’s lies. Always wise to keep an open mind, and be realistic and positive.
I’m not saying to outright ban it and tell other people what to do. But I don’t think it should be outright portrayed as a completely harmless substance either.
It has the same amount of methanol in it as red wine or dark liquors. Methanol ingested converts to formaldehyde. People that consume aspartame on a regular basis probably don’t consume such alcoholic beverages with the same frequency. But think how it all accumulates.
If you have both a glass of red wine a day and a diet soda that’s twice the risk of methanol poisoning. People know all the potential dangers of alcohol hence “enjoy in moderation is the motto.” Why not inform people about all the risks of consuming aspartame VS all the misinformation?
Also other factors such as health and frequency of ingestion.
If you’ll note, I never said “a scientist knows everything” anywhere on this forum. I just implied that they know more about science than the average person, and you’ll have trouble changing my mind about that.
If something is going to kill you, it’s going to kill you when your immune system is compromised and you’re supposed to die anyway. The human race is on an immortality kick right now that’s a hell of a lot more dangerous than artificial sweeteners. The extension of the life expectancy is not necessarily a good thing, as it’s not natural for human beings to live that long. The “OMG APPLES CAUSE CANCER” craze that has gripped us for at least a decade (more, but it has been most intense as of late) because of the immortality kick as well as the popularity of bullshit shows like Dateline NBC is completely unhealthy. The alarmist response generates television ratings, newspaper sales, and various other plusses for big business and the media (usually monopolized by the same people–think Rupert Murdoch).
I’m sure “methanol poisoning” is a similar fad to the saccharine scare of the 1970s, and will disappear within the next few years to be replaced by something else.
I share your veiled sentiment that we need as much of worlds population to die off as humanly possible to appease an ever decreasing resources to humans ratio.
Remember to tell that to people with Aids.
I like to think of it less of an “Immortality Media Mind Fuck Craze”, and more of a “Desire for Corporations to be Socially Responsible and not Lying Money Grabbing Fucks Craze.” Media aimed at people’s health interests is unhealthy. Interesting double think.
“Anybody who says saccharin is injurious is an idiot.” - Theodore Roosevelt
Let’s just dismiss all naysayers as stupid instead of both listening and intellectually debating what they have to say.
Note that I said I already did that, but whatever.
Oh, naturally, let’s not assume I was referring to the largely healthy majority, but apply it to one unfortunate group of people who happen to have unnaturally compromised immune systems. Yes, of course, I was taking a potshot at AIDS patients when I merely told you to stop trusting the media so much and believing every damn thing you read. Clever way to put words in my mouth.
Also, it’s a time-tested and common tactic of the straw man’s technique to arguing–implying I said something I never said (something along the lines of “people with AIDS deserve to die”…other than AIDS, bringing up a sore topic like the Holocaust, cancer, 9/11, etc. is a good way to make the opposing person look like an inhumane jerk).
Whether you feel I’m an insensitive clod or not, the planet actually is overpopulated. That’s why it’s an old moral debate whether, should you suddenly receive a magic lamp with a genie inside, do you wish for an end to all war and illness? If you were to do so, whether you like it or not, the population boom would probably kill us all. Mother Nature made us mortal for a reason.
And if you truly think the American media is honestly aimed at people’s health interests, as opposed to the ever-increasing girth of Rupert Murdoch’s wallet (and others like him), I can’t help you.
Well if someone gets cancer because they ate apples, I’ll be sure to post it. In the meantime, I haven’t heard of such stories. But I get the point your trying to make. But let’s compare apples to apples not apples to aspartame.
If we want to discuss this in a cold hearted manner let’s… Death is the easy part… no more bills… it’s living as a sick decrepid disfunctional human beings that doesn’t solve the problem of overpopulation, instead creates more disfunctional people whining and complaining all the time.
Instead of being able to produce they take up resources. This is why I am all for a world full of healthy, emotionally balanced human beings who can produce versus reduce. Some may think killing them off is a good idea, because it seems so easy. While others thinks giving them good health, mind and soul will bring more useful brains to the table to solve these problems.
If someone died of eating apples…well apples are natural, they weren’t meant to live anyways. If someone doesn’t die, but gets sick, or loses and eyeball from of something we created in a lab, well I’d say that foul play.
I think the video paints a choice… kinda like using any drugs. Once you know the potential side effect you have a choice. I know of people who pumped themselves of heroine, snift cocaine and are still walking around as functional human beings. Does that mean its ok to use cocaine, cause all the wimps will die?
Besides, the video bring in some supposed experts and scientists who paint one side of the argument. You dad is probably smarter than all of us, hopefully he specializes in chemical effects on the body… Then you know your getting the best information possible. If not how does it hurt to hear another scientist’s side? Either way you are responsible for your own choices, not the video.
I didn’t imply we should kill people off, and I resented the silly notion that I did. I don’t think living to 90 is a very good idea, I’m stunned at the current obsession with doing so, and I also feel that the immune system breaks down naturally, as we live and as we age.
From these statements, I get: “She wants us all dead! She doesn’t care about AIDS patients, or the elderly! STONE HER!”
Little ridiculous, don’t you think? Speaking as a liberal, I’m for most federal and state social programs you throw at me, probably to a fault, but the bleeding heart crap doesn’t help anyone. The American public is trying to live forever–to the point where Barbara Walters, a widely respected journalist, tried to claim that aging is actually a disorder. Big honking journalist that she is, she misused the word “ageism” on The View (a word which actually means discrimination due to age) and tried to redefine the word to describe the general aging of a human being as if it’s something that needs to be cured. She even seemed indignant that this “issue” gets so little attention. This is so far out of step from reality I can’t even see straight.
In terms of the media, my original comparison between aspartame and saccharine was one that I felt was valid, as both are artificial sweetners. I then made the apple comment, however, because there is a news story every other day about why we should avoid certain foods, primarily through claims that they contain carcinogens–fruits are often blamed due to pesticides, and other foods due to preservatives. These claims hold some water, but in order to avoid such things in America one must eat entirely organically, which is vastly too expensive for the average American to do. Dairy also takes a lot of crap not just for preservatives, but simply because the media just can’t figure out whether it’s healthy or not. And even fruits and vegetables have been considered carcinogens because of various proteins, etc. One day you’re supposed to consume them to excess, the next day you’re supposed to avoid them like the plague. If you believe all of this, you’ll wind up dead of starvation because there will be nothing in your kitchen you can eat. The scare tactics continue, and the moguls get richer.
British media has similar garbage, but not as much from what I gather.
And while we’re talking about death, a lot of people are going to die today. A lot of them will be in flag-draped coffins, and some will be brutally murdered in the Sudan. But you’ll have to turn to the BBC to hear about it, because the US media, from Dateline and 20/20 all the way up to the sainted CNN are going to be too busy telling you why cheese is going to kill you. And what Paris Hilton bought today.
“Media aimed at people’s health interests?” I think not.
No one wants to stone you sweetie! Who would give us pheromone reports!!!
I’m responding to both yours and Pheros, it’s a muticonversation thread remember?
Anyways, you’re right the media is aimed at controversy and BS…mind numbing BS. My point isn’t to paint you as a the death nazi , my point is, before you had your dad to get information from. Which was great to have a source so close. But now you also have the video, other internet junkies, and my story about my coworkers to shift your awareness abit. Perhaps relying on one source for the ultamite truth is a bit jumping the gun. Wouldn’t you agree?
We can get into the argument of how living on earth is really living in the middle plane between heaven and hell, so what’s the big deal about living forever, but thats a whole other nut to crack. Anyways I like old people they give me lots of freebies and advice. I’ll leave it to God/nature to chose to let them stay or not.
Your points are valid, again paints part of the picture. As so do mine. But when someone who works next to me who tells me they had a bleeding esophogas from drinking only a few sodas… who is an advid health and vitamin nut… who joined groups and seminars to talk about it, with other suffering the same… well… no one needs to sell me on the idea aspartame is shady.
I personally don’t have any experience with diet sodas because it taste like crap. But even with the ephedarine diet pills they banned. I took it, nothing happened to me other than rapid heart beat. But I was smart enough to take one pill a day instead of their recommended 4. But they banned that…which hella sucked!!! Now I have to use my own energy to work out…sigh… I really want to argue nothing is bad with ephedrine, but oh well people died of a heart attack…sucks to be an obsessive pill popper…ruin it for the rest of us.
Oh, I didn’t think you did. I was still defending myself against the irrational AIDS comment.
Absolutely, which is why I do practice that (and share new articles with my father on a regular basis) and I very much advocate going outside our country to find reliable media sources. The days of Walter Cronkite are over, I’m afraid–at least for now.
I wish more Americans shared your sentiment.
See…continuing to discuss how fads grip the Western world, diet soda is really in vogue right now. Millions of people drink it, myself included. So if there were a significant number of bleeding esophaguses to be had, particularly from only the consumption of a few sodas, we’d know about it. The media is pretty far gone, but they love their health scares and they would jump on it…plus, I’d likely know several people with this problem and would be likely to have it myself. Hers is the only case I know of…there may be quite a few more, but if Americans are downing diet sodas by the gallon, and most of us are not suffering bleeding from it, don’t you think it’s more likely that your co-worker has an allergy or extreme sensitivity to it that most don’t?
My uncle gets moderate headaches from it, and my mom has to limit her intake to avoid mild nausea, but neither of them started bleeding internally and we assume they just have unusual sensitivity to it. But I know people with sensitivities to all kinds of things.
I’m no ephedrine spokesperson, but you make a similar argument to the saccharine situation–there are recommended dosages of things for a reason. If people OD or if they drown test rats in something, it’s not the substance’s fault.
Well, I don’t know what too much soda is, we all have different tolerances and immunities. For instance, more than one soda a month is too much for me, I start to feel sleepy and fat. That by itself is a tragedy for me. But that’s just me. My coworker, 3 diet sodas a day, lunch breakfast and dinner. For some too much for other, it hasn’t met the 8 glasses of water recommendation.
I mean would you be brave enough to test it on yourself to drink 3 diet sodas a day for an extended amount of time? I mean, this not a challenge since I wouldn’t want you to bleed internally out of a dare. But it’s something to think about. I know if I drink 3 glasses of water or natural juice, I’m pretty much going to have the same health I had yesterday.
Did you see the video? How it said the volunteer, PHD graduate, had bleeding of his eyeball and went blind. Or others who suffered neurological problems? From what you say…well…doesnt sound like your family drank that much to get sick. So given the small amounts causing that problem, there is something odd about it. How many big people do you know order a super-size meal with a xtra large diet soda? People poision themselves, but they should know the dangers before they chose to continue. And then, life, death, health and wealth is in their hands.
The other thing that sucks is that I didn’t chose to add aspartame to my instant foods or juices, yet it’s all over the food in the market. At least with ephedarine, I get to chose if I want to take it or not. When it’s hidden as a sweetener, in foods I need, like yogurt that kinda annoys me.
I can’t rep you; I need to spread my love and affection. 
However, excellent points all around…but I do drink about that much soda for extended periods of time…but usually more often when I’m home, since when I’m in my apartment I don’t drive so I only buy the occasional bottle of soda to facilitate jumping in and out of cabs. It’s hard enough with one bottle of soda or OJ, eggs I’m trying not to break, and various other things. 
But if we do purchase a 2 liter, my roommate and I have it consumed in two days.
However, all summer and all winter break (which was 6 weeks this year, with the exception of the one week when I couldn’t have carbonation due to my wisdom teeth extraction) I had about that amount, and my brother and father live on diet soda (not always the caffeine-containing soda, for various reasons, but always diet). Granted, some bottles contain only Splenda now, but we do consume a lot. We drink a lot of Diet Snapple, too, and that is only sweetened with aspartame. Two of those a day is a norm for me, and that’s–I believe 32 oz total? That would be like four glasses if the glasses that your co-worker ingested were the standard 8 oz glass–anyone who buys medium or large diet sodas, and/or drink from larger cups, or drinks a whole diet Snapple, is ingesting a lot more.
I haven’t watched the film yet, but the effects you’re describing just seem like rarities, simply due to the amount of aspartame consumed in America. We’d all know someone with a bleeding eyeball or esophagus, or neurological issues cropping up out of nowhere. Not that everyone I know drinks soda, some are sworn off it, but most of the people I know drink quite a bit.
Yes, just like I have another coworker who snorted cocaine, shot heroine, who stopped, is still alive, sane and pumping iron. The only thing wrong with him is a thyroid problem. What changed him wasn’t the health problem, what changed him was going to jail and had his life spiral out of control. People who smoke weed, claim it’s not dangerous, nor is their anything wrong. We can argue that back and forth too.
The truth is…we all have our poisions. Mine is bag of starburst or grapes. A whole bag of starburst gives me bloody noses. And grapes make me pass out. Too bad they don’t outlaw those.
Again, I have plenty of other coworkers who are alcoholics, brilliant when they are drunk. Healthy and hardly ever sick. What’s the explaination for that? My best guess is that they are generally happy, and happy people are generally immune to sickness and misery minus cold and flu season.
Again, (for the weak) the video states that if a person got off of aspartame for an amount of time the symptoms would go away…except for blindness I guess. Now are they all actors??? I don’t know that either, but it was informative…
BTW, love being felt…:o
No, honey, and I’m not trying to dehumanize their experiences, I’m just saying that there are very few of them so it is more likely due to an allergy.
You’re solidifying my point here…it’s the same with me and peanuts. I’m allergic and can’t eat them–doesn’t mean they should be banned, nor should aspartame due to some people’s sensitivity to it. You said yourself that it keeps cropping up in various food products without your knowledge, and America drinks a crapload of diet sodas and teas, but it seems that fewer people have horrid reactions to aspartame than to peanuts–and that allergy is extremely deadly in most (I’m lucky in that I have to ingest it to be affected).
You’ll have trouble convincing me that aspartame is in any way a direct comparison to either of those drugs. There is no such thing as cocaine in moderation–and I hardly think aspartame is as physically addictive as heroin. Fact is, aspartame doesn’t cause negative symptoms in the vast majority of people who ingest it (otherwise I and the majority of people I know would be bleeding from every orifice), and cocaine and heroin both do.
Although, I’m a little more liberal when it comes to drug legalization than the average bear, but that would be digressing quite a bit.
And if your co-workers are healthy and happy, they’re probably not alcoholics–they just like to drink a lot. Alcoholism is measured more by people’s motives for drinking than for the amount that they drink. I drink a lot more than I “should”, but I’m not an addict. It might eventually be the thing that kills me, but if I liked that aspect of my life while I was living it, who cares?
Life, after all, eventually kills you. And thank heaven for that.