aspartame?

[dane26]

what the hell is aspartame? i'm thinking it's something along the lines of sugar. just wondering......

[TNT]

But seriously, folks . . .

Aspartame is an artificial sweetner, the most popular name brand of which is NutraSweet. It is also marketed in blue packets as "Equal," a NutraSweet version of "Sween 'n Low." Aspartame was introduced several years ago as an alternative to saccharin, which was thought at the time to be linked to cancer.

Since then, the links between saccharin and cancer have become fuzzier, and talk about health risks over the use of aspartame have become more pronounced. There are those, quite literally, who believe that aspartame is the manifestation of evil (I kid you not - both the Church of Scientology and Pat Robertson's 700 Club have espoused "NutraSweet Conspiracy" theories out the gazoo). Those who are against aspartame tend to pursue their argument with, literally, a religious fervor; the rest of us don't give a shit. Try a Yahoo (or other engine) search on "nutrasweet and _______" (fill in the blank with anything ranging from cancer to religion to [/i]conspiracy[/i] and you'll get a heap of references to show you how wide the rumor mill goes).

NutraSweet/Aspartame has become the most popular artificial sweetner in use today, in part because it doesn't have the aftertaste of saccharin or sucaryl (another predecessor that has been removed from the market) - if you've ever heard the cliché "sweet as saccharin," that means "something so sweet it leaves a bitter aftertaste." Aspartame is used in almost all types of artificially products except for fountain sodas (it is used in canned and bottled sodas and teas, but does not hold up well in fountain-based sodas).

My opinion, FWIW: The people who buy into a Nutrasweet conspiracy are whackos. However, it is still an artificial sweetner, not a natural one. There are many alternatives today to refined sugar, and they're natural. But will aspartame kill you? Unless you have a very esoteric condition called photoketoneuria (seriously - check the warnings on cans of diet soda that contain aspartame), it will not.

This post was not paid for by the aspartame industry.

[Scorpion]

It's in Crystal Light. But I see alot of protein powders that say NO Aspartame - like it's something bad. I notice they use stevia instead - an herb from Paraguay that I've read good stuff about.

[beenie]

Stevia is all natural without the calories or carbs. If you try it it is incredibly sweet so you need to use just a tiny amount.

Sucralose is another sweetener now used. They added an extra molecule to real sugar rendering it undigestable. So it looks and tastes like sugar but doens have the negaticce effects.

Aspertain has been around for a while. I really like TNT's post on it. The negative with it is that if it is heated, it loses its sweetnes.

[TNT]

Originally posted by Scorpion
It's in Crystal Light. But I see alot of protein powders that say NO Aspartame - like it's something bad. I notice they use stevia instead - an herb from Paraguay that I've read good stuff about.

Great point, Scorpion. I use ABB's Pure Pro shakes, and I have to admit that one of the selling points that steers me in favor of them is that they do not contain aspartame. Ditto when I drink diet sodas - I stick with the DietRite brand, which is aspartame/sodium/caffeine free.

As I mentioned, all the negative hype about aspartame seems to be just that - hype - but given a choice, I'd rather not use it when there are alternatives available.

[GenuinePL]

Ok, so plain and simple.

Is CRISTAL LIGHT BAD FOR YOU.

I drink lots of it and don't want to tell my grandchildren (when I have them) that I'm gonna die because of some stupid drink.

[dane26]

seriously....i drink crystal light because i thought it was sugar free. i was reading the ingredients in diet coke the other day, and it has no sugar...but it does have aspartame. that's why i asked. i also noticed that the thermo s25 i drink from worldwide nutrition say "no aspartame"

[superbeast]

For aspartame or saccharin to hurt you, you would have to be consistently taking in ungodly amounts.

Saccharin was removed from the cancer causing list after 20 years because they can't prove anything. It is known to cause cancer in lab rats but the dosages that they were giving were comparable to a person ingesting 1000 packets a day. Eat 1000 cans of tuna and see what happens to you. I use saccharin just because it is cheaper and I can't tell any difference when it is in something.

Crystal Light won't kill you!

[dane26]

good, beside milk and protein shakes, it's about all i drink!