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True what you say about it not affecting blood sugar levels and having no
c=
=3D=0D
alories, but there is this to be taken into account. . .=20
from http://www.westonaprice.org/modernfood/aspartame.html
:
Aspartame itself doesn't have any calories, but basically, one of its ingr=
=3D=0D
edients, the amino acid phenylalanine, blocks production of serotonin, a
ne=
r=3D=0D
ve chemical that, among other activities, controls food cravings. As you
mi=
g=3D=0D
ht well imagine, a shortage of serotonin will make your brain and body
scre=
a=3D=0D
m for the foods that create more of this brain chemical=97and those are
the=
hi=3D=0D
gh-calorie, carbohydrate-rich snacks that can sabotage a dieter. Obviously,=
=3D=0D
the more aspartame one ingests, the more heightened the effects. Simply
put=
,=3D=0D
aspartame appears to muddle the brain chemistry.
Nutritionist Susan Allen, RD, CCN, at Chicago's Northwestern Center for
Int=
=3D=0D
egrative Medicine, suspects that something additional is going on in many
o=
f=3D=0D
her patients who have been using aspartame and other artificial sweeteners=
.=3D=0D
Allen believes that when they consume them, the sweet taste of no-calorie
=
s=3D=0D
weeteners triggers their bodies to release insulin, even though there is
no=
=3D=0D
food to feed the cells. Normally, when we eat, the sugar in that food,
whic=
h=3D=0D
is derived from carbohydrates, is broken down into simple sugars, like
glu=
c=3D=0D
ose, which then enter the blood stream (we call it "blood sugar").
We depend on insulin (secreted by the pancreas) to usher that blood sugar
i=
=3D=0D
nto our cells to supply energy and maintain normal blood sugar levels. The
=
p=3D=0D
roblem Allen sees is that an "insulin-sensitive" person who uses
artificial=
=3D=0D
sweeteners teases his or her body into thinking food is on its way, so
insu=
l=3D=0D
in is released. But when the body discovers it was cheated out of food, it
=
r=3D=0D
evolts by throwing a food-craving tantrum that can only be quelled by eatin=
g=3D=0D
blood sugar food that will more than likely be high-calorie sugary snacks.=
=3D=0D
"I point out to them how it doesn't make sense. . . they're trying to save
=
t=3D=0D
hemselves sugar but then they eat more foods that are going to raise their
=
b=3D=0D
lood sugar anyway."
--- In , Rich Lafferty <rich+yahoo@l...> wrote:
> On Tue, Mar 02, 2004 at 07:30:57AM -0800, SoldierMtn <zebella@l...>
wrote=
=3D=0D
:
> > > > .stay away from the Big A...
> > > > Gives somes people headaches, gives me hyperglycemia,
> > >
> > > ... and gives millions of people no problems at all.
> > >
> > >
> > But not much comfort if you are one of the folks who do have a bad
reac=
=3D=0D
tion.
> > :( I personally think there is enough questionable data about it that
i=
=3D=0D
t is
> > worthwhile to avoid it on a regular basis. Why stuff unneeded junk
li=
=3D=0D
ke
> > that into your body?
>=20
> Why stuff snacks, sweets or seconds into your body? Presumably if
> everyone here had no problem dropping extra food cold turkey then
we
> wouldn't be here in the first place.=20
>=20
> Until then, some people will get to 'fewer sweets' via 'diet sweets',
> and especially via 'diet soda', where you find aspartame all over
the=20
> place.
>=20
> It's great that you choose to avoid it yourself, and I have no problem
> with that at all; going from that and "some people get headaches"
to
> "you should avoid this outright" seems a bit counterproductive.
For=20
> someone that does not have reactions to aspartame -- and since most
> people do not there is a high probability that the person you were
> advising to avoid it does not -- it is advice that will make it more
> difficult for them to change their eating patterns.
>=20
> In short, the dangers of aspartame are urban legend.
>=20
> The British medical journal The Lancet published an opinion on aspartame
> and internet pseudoscience, in which the authors wrote
>=20
> Patients at our diabetes clinic have raised concerns about information=
=3D=0D
> on the internet about a link between the artificial sweetener
> aspartame and various diseases. Our research revealed over 6000 web
> sites that mention aspartame, with many hundreds alleging aspartame
to=
=3D=0D
> be the cause of multiple sclerosis, lupus erythematosis, Gulf War
> Syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, brain tumours, and diabetes
> mellitus, among many others. Virtually all of the information offered
> is anecdotal, from anonymous sources and is scientifically
> implausible.
>=20
> An MIT study (press release at
> http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/tt/1998/sep16/aspartame.html)
found
> no adverse health effects from daily large doses of aspartame:
>=20=20=20=20
> During a four-month period, subjects received either aspartame, sugar
> or a placebo and underwent physical and psychological testing. Some
> subjects were given doses of up to 45 milligrams per kilogram of body
> weight--the equivalent of 17 to 24 12-ounce diet beverages for males
> and 14 to 19 12-ounce drinks for females. In the general population,
> most Americans who consume aspartame take in 3 milligrams per
> kilogram of body weight a day, the equivalent of one or less 12-ounce
> diet beverage.
>=20=20=20=20
> Despite the high consumption of aspartame, the 48 normal subjects
> showed no changes in mood, memory, behavior, electroencephalograms
> (which record the electrical signals of the brain) or physiology that
> could be tied to aspartame, Dr. Spiers found. Although some subjects
> reported headaches, fatigue, nausea and acne, the same number of
> incidences were reported by subjects taking placebo and sugar as
> those taking aspartame.
>=20=20=20=20
> The US Food and Drug Administration has weighed in as well
> (from http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/qa-adf9.html):
>=20
> To date, FDA has not determined any consistent pattern of symptoms
tha=
=3D=0D
t
> can be attributed to the use of aspartame, nor is the agency aware
of
> any recent studies that clearly show safety problems.
>=20
> Lastly, the Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard University talks about
> aspartame and diabetes
> (http://www.joslin.harvard.edu/education/library/aspartame.shtml):
>=20
> Since [aspartame] does not contain calories in the usual amounts
> consumed, it cannot affect blood sugar levels or cause weight gain.
>=20
> If your doctor has told you that your hyperglycemia is a result of
> consuming aspartame I recommend that you find someone else to help
you
> manage your condition.=20
>=20
> (I should add that individuals with the genetic condition=20
> phenylketonuria are unable to metabolize some of the components in
> aspartame, but phenylketonuria is rare, and the components that PKU
> individuals cannot metabolize are present in other foods.)
>=20
> Generally, then, I think aspartame is a reasonable way to improve
from
> being a regular soda drinker; while ideally we'd all just go to water
or
> tea right away, some are going to have to take smaller steps, and
diet
> soda with aspartame, being readily available all over the world, is
a
> safe smaller step.
>=20
> Lastly, I am not a doctor, and none of the above should be considered
> medical advice.
>=20
> Cheers,
>=20
> -Rich
>=20
> --=20
> Rich Lafferty --------------+--------------------------------------------=
=3D=0D
---
> Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus!
> http://www.lafferty.ca/ | http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus.html
> rich@l... -----------+-----------------------------------------------
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