Thursday, February 7, 2008

Die happy or live on

So my day, or life got seriously upset the other day. Any one that knows me knows that I love to have a Diet Coke, okay quite a few Diet Cokes a day. Well I was informed the other day that the aspartame in it can cause ahlzheimers or contribute to it, and the you can be diagnosed with MS, which is actually aspartame poisining but it mimicks MS so that is what it gets diagnosed as. Also that the Benzoate can cause cancer. I checked some drinks out and Sprite, Rootbeer, Dr. pepper, you name it has the Benzoate in it, just the Diet Drinks have Aspartame in them, regular Coke had neither of them in it. So I am asking what is a girl to do. I live for my Diet Coke. I guess the logical thing to do would be to go back to regular coke but I don't want to do that. I couldn't stand Diet for so long, I finally made myself like it for the calorie thing. If anyone has any suggestions please help me, I am desperately seeking an alternative.

Signed, desperately devoted to Diet Coke

7 comments:

kyla said...

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Is aspartame safe?

Aspartame is safe. It has been tested for more than three decades, in more than 200 studies, with the same result: Aspartame is safe for use. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner, upon approving aspartame, noted, "Few compounds have withstood such detailed testing and repeated, close scrutiny, and the process through which aspartame has gone should provide the public with additional confidence of its safety."



Have other regulatory bodies reviewed aspartame's safety?

Yes. In addition to FDA, aspartame has been reviewed and determined to be safe by the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization, the Scientific Committee on Food of the European Union, and the regulatory bodies of over 100 countries.



Have independent health organizations reviewed the safety of aspartame?

Yes. The American Medical Association's Council on Scientific Affairs, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Dietetic Association have reviewed research on aspartame and found it to be safe. Links to numerous other health organizations, which have confirmed the safety of aspartame, can be found at www.aspartame.org.



How was aspartame tested before it was approved for use in foods?

Aspartame is one of the most thoroughly studied ingredients in the food supply. It was tested in more than 100 scientific studies before the FDA approved it in 1981. The studies were conducted in laboratory animals and several subpopulations of humans, including healthy infants, children, and adults, lactating women, people with diabetes, obese individuals, and people who are carriers of the rare genetic disease phenylketonuria (PKU). Individuals with PKU cannot properly metabolize phenylalanine, one of aspartame's components. After approval, extensive additional research was done. The results further confirmed the safety of aspartame for the general population.



How is aspartame handled in the body?

Upon digestion, aspartame breaks down into three components (aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol), which are then absorbed into the blood and used in normal body processes. Neither aspartame nor its components accumulates in the body. These components are used in the body in the same ways as when they are derived from common foods.

Further, the amounts of these components from aspartame are small compared to the amounts from other food sources. For example, a serving of no-fat milk provides about 6 times more phenylalanine and 13 times more aspartic acid compared to an equivalent amount of diet beverage sweetened 100% with aspartame. Likewise, a serving of tomato juice provides about 6 times more methanol compared to an equivalent amount of diet beverage with aspartame.



What is methanol and is it a problem in consuming aspartame?

Methanol is a natural and harmless breakdown product of many commonly consumed foods. The methanol produced during the digestion of aspartame is identical to that which is provided in much larger amounts from many fruits, vegetables and their juices and is part of the normal diet. In fact, a glass of tomato juice provides about 6 times as much methanol as an equivalent amount of diet beverage sweetened with aspartame. Regardless of the source, after methanol is formed it is further broken down through normal body processes. Numerous scientific studies have shown that the amount of methanol one could consume from aspartame containing foods and beverages could not reach harmful levels.



Does aspartame cause adverse health effects?

No. The overwhelming body of scientific evidence clearly demonstrates that aspartame, even in amounts many times more than what people typically consume, is safe and not associated with adverse health effects. The FDA has investigated alleged complaints since 1982 and stated that there is no "reasonable evidence of possible public health harm" and "no consistent or unique patterns of symptoms reported with respect to aspartame that can be causally linked to its use." The trend for anecdotal reports of adverse effects from aspartame declined markedly over the years since the 1985 peak, when there were many unfounded allegations about aspartame in the media.

In 1984, the FDA commissioned the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to review complaints which some consumers related to their use of aspartame. After a review of 517 complaints, the CDC found that the complaints "do not provide evidence of the existence of serious, widespread, adverse health consequences attendant to the use of aspartame." The CDC further noted, "the majority of frequently reported symptoms were mild and are symptoms that are common in the general populace."

In response to these complaints, numerous additional scientific studies were done by prominent researchers at major academic institutions; the results of these studies overwhelmingly demonstrated that aspartame is not associated with adverse health effects, including headaches, seizures, changes in mood, cognition, or behavior, or allergic reactions.



Is it true that aspartame is an "excitotoxin?

"No. An "excitotoxin" is a substance that reportedly over-stimulates brain and nerve cells. Critics have falsely claimed that ingestion of aspartame may result in high blood levels of aspartic acid, which would circulate to the brain and kill nerve cells. However, extensive scientific research has shown that it is not possible for a person ever to consume enough aspartame in the diet – even over long periods of time - to result in high blood levels of aspartic acid.



Is there any truth to the negative information about aspartame on the Internet or in the media?

No. Allegations spread via the Internet and the media by a few individuals that aspartame may be associated with a myriad of ailments are not based on science. These have come to be called “urban myths.”

Here is what the National Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada had to say about such allegations:
“These stories claim that Aspartame is the cause of a variety of illnesses, including MS, lupus, Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, birth defects, Desert Storm syndrome, brain tumors, and seizures. However, please bear in mind the following:

The claims are not documented;
There is no evidence for "epidemics" of multiple sclerosis, lupus, and some of the other diseases as claimed in the articles;
There is no evidence that authors of the claims have any scientific, medical, or academic credentials; nor is there any evidence that they have done any scientific research to support their claims; and
No published, peer-reviewed scientific research exists that supports the claims being made in the articles.”
The safety of aspartame has been proven again and again, backed by more than three decades of research and over 200 scientific studies. Recently, several governments and expert committees carefully evaluated the Internet allegations and found them to be false, reconfirming the safety of aspartame. In addition, leading health authorities, such as the American Medical Association, the American Dietetic Association, and the American Diabetes Association, agree that aspartame is safe.

kyla said...

Drink on !!!!!!!!!!

Sheenalynne said...

um drink WATER!!! it is good for you and free!!!

Tiffany said...

Rootbeer is my weakness, but I only allow myself one a day. I can't think of not having my A&W.

Cherity said...

I say, do whatever makes you happy. Because you only live once, and if Diet Coke makes you happy...go for it!

Steph said...

I appreciate all of the comments. Thanks for making me feel better about my death sentence:)JK I guess I will just do what makes me happy. I do drink water but I need to drink more.

Josie said...

I think there are a lot worse habbits, enjoy your addiction.