Pepsi/Coca Cola

[pilferk]

YES!!!? That's it!? I never would have remembered the name, but now that you said it, I remember!? How did you know?

Heh heh...

Beverly is almost legendary amongst Disney Nuts (and yes, I'm am one such avowed nut) which grew from Ice Station Cool down at Epcot in Orlando.

Ice Station Cool (which was recently renovated and renamed) also gives out those free samples of Coke products from around the world.  I think MOST people, from the US, who have actually tried it...tried it at Epcot.  And given it's awfulness, it became something of a legend (and a prank to play on those who had not ever tried it). 

I've tried it.  It's pretty awful.  And I did pull the prank on my wife when we went down. 

[pilferk]

Thanks for the videos. Those were very imformative.

But, you should know SLCPunk that their are 2 sides to every story. And, out of all those 90 something symptons, I actually have one and those are the headaches and I don't even really get them anymore.

You should also consider that many people are suffering from other things than aspartame. I mean none of those people had proof that aspartame directly caused their illnesses.

Also, I won't be changing my drinking habits from some girl who claimed aspartame destroyed her life.

***

However, I am considering stopping and drinking all pop together and see what kind of changes I see after 2-3 weeks. It has to be 2-3 weeks cause I have to get over the withdrawals.?

I can avow that Nutrasweet/aspartame gives me headaches.  100% avow to it.

And yes, I can isolate it completely to it.   Eat or drink anything with Nutrasweet and 20 min later, I have a headache.

So it's not just "urban legend"..at least not all of it.

[Sterlingdog]

There is also a reason they are switching over to Splenda these days. They won't admit it for liability, but they are switching over to Splenda (gum, foods etc) because it is (supposed to be) safer.

They are switching to Splenda because that's what Atkins and South Beach dieters are allowed to have.

I can avow that Nutrasweet/aspartame gives me headaches.  100% avow to it.


So it's not just "urban legend"..at least not all of it.

I can't speak for your situation, you know your own body.  But here is the urban legends reference page for asparatame.  Check it out, you'll see that most of the claims you here about asparatame have been disproven. 

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp

Now don't get me wrong, I don't think it's a bad thing to give it up, especially in sodas.  I just think people need to drink more water.  No one NEEDS to drink soda of any kind, or juice, or energy drinks, etc.  And if you are drinking 8 cans of soda a day, you are going to feel like crap because you aren't getting enough water, or you are getting too much caffeine. 

I just hate to see urban legends passed around the internet so often that people think they are fact. 

[SLCPUNK]

I can avow that Nutrasweet/aspartame gives me headaches.  100% avow to it.

And yes, I can isolate it completely to it.   Eat or drink anything with Nutrasweet and 20 min later, I have a headache.

So it's not just "urban legend"..at least not all of it.

Everybody is different. But there are enough people who complain that a list of reactions have been released.

I was hoping Splenda would be the safe one, but it makes both my brother and I uneasy in our stomachs. My wife is fine with it though.

Sadly I am at a point now where my headaches have almost stopped with the exception of when I drink coffee. LOL, one of my last vices left. So now, I am slowly lowering my coffee consumption (too fast and I'll get the withdrawl headache ironically) until I can quit enitirely. It's a bummer, because I do love coffee. But I'd give up almost anything if it meant making the headaches go away.

[Markus Asraelius]

Sterling...I stopped taking Aspartame on Friday March 24th, 2006 and I feel so much better that very afternoon I quit.

There have been many examples of people feeling better once they come off of it. I mean whether it be SLCPunk, Me or any other person in this world, there are quite a few examples.

[Sterlingdog]

Sterling...I stopped taking Aspartame on Friday March 24th, 2006 and I feel so much better that very afternoon I quit.

There have been many examples of people feeling better once they come off of it. I mean whether it be SLCPunk, Me or any other person in this world, there are quite a few examples.

I'm sure there are, but a few examples don't make it fact.  By all means, give it up, if it makes you feel better.  Even if the change is only psychological.  But the scientific evidence is not there to support the idea that aspartame is some evil chemical.  There is probably more evidence to back up the negative effects of caffeine.

[SLCPUNK]

I can't speak for your situation, you know your own body.  But here is the urban legends reference page for asparatame.  Check it out, you'll see that most of the claims you here about asparatame have been disproven. 

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp

Now don't get me wrong, I don't think it's a bad thing to give it up, especially in sodas.  I just think people need to drink more water.  No one NEEDS to drink soda of any kind, or juice, or energy drinks, etc.  And if you are drinking 8 cans of soda a day, you are going to feel like crap because you aren't getting enough water, or you are getting too much caffeine. 

I just hate to see urban legends passed around the internet so often that people think they are fact. 

I have seen this "urban legend" on snopes before and I totally disagree with it. Mainly because they were backed with Industry funded studies.

Some of those people studies were funded by nutrasweet itself. So......I can't agree with Snopes.

I also had a doctor years back tell me NOT to drink the stuff, which I dismissed, since I always heard it was safe.

I absolutely refuse to think of it as "urban legend" and I'll tell  you why. Because I have had 80% (give or take) of the symptoms listed by various aspartame info sites. These symtoms came first, then my search online. My story is like many others who had the symtoms and then searched online. Then I found people who had the exact same symtoms, that went away when the consumption of aspartame was cut out. In fact the lady in the interview I posted said the same thing.

To me that is "proof" enough. When I quit, all the symtoms mysteriously vanished. I showed the list to my friend and asked him how many symtoms he had (huge diet coke drinker) and he quit drinking that crap a month later (it took him a while).

[Markus Asraelius]

Sterling...I stopped taking Aspartame on Friday March 24th, 2006 and I feel so much better that very afternoon I quit.

There have been many examples of people feeling better once they come off of it. I mean whether it be SLCPunk, Me or any other person in this world, there are quite a few examples.

I'm sure there are, but a few examples don't make it fact.? By all means, give it up, if it makes you feel better.? Even if the change is only psychological.? But the scientific evidence is not there to support the idea that aspartame is some evil chemical.? There is probably more evidence to back up the negative effects of caffeine.

Show me the scientific evidence that aspartame has been proven safe.

The only tests that have been done and proven that aspartame was safe was those that were supporting it to begin with.

Meanwhile, there have been many other tests including a test on lab rats (not sure if they were rats or not.) and it proven that aspartame was safe. In fact, the lab animals all devoloped brain tumors.

[SLCPUNK]

"Studies of aspartame in the peer reviewed medical literature were surveyed for funding source and study outcome. Of the 166 studies felt to have relevance for questions of human safety, 74 had Nutrasweet? industry related funding and 92 were independently funded. One hundred percent of the industry funded research attested to aspartame's safety, whereas 92% of the independently funded research identified a problem. A bibliography supplied by the Nutrasweet? Company included many studies of questionable validity and relevance, with multiple instances of the same study being cited up to 6 times. Questions are raised both about aspartame's safety and the broader issue of the appropriateness of industry sponsorship of medical research."

Ralph G. Walton, M.D.
Chairman
The Center for Behavioral Medicine
Forum Health
Professor and Chairman
Department of Psychiatry
Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine


Non Industry funded studies:

http://www.dorway.com/nonindus.html

[Sterlingdog]

To me that is "proof" enough. When I quit, all the symtoms mysteriously vanished. I showed the list to my friend and asked him how many symtoms he had (huge diet coke drinker) and he quit drinking that crap a month later (it took him a while).

Ok, but where are the studies that prove its bad?  The sugar industry has been funding them, yet they aren't proving anything. 

There are so many other things that can cause these "symptoms" that the cause and effect simply isn't there.  For example, your friend was a big "diet coke" drinker.  Sodas contain large amounts of phosphorous.  Phosphorous and calcium need to be consumed in a 1:1 ratio for your body to properly absorb the calcium.  Most people don't get anywhere need the same amount of calcium as they do phosphorous, leading to a calcium deficiency.  That can cause you all kinds of problems, since your heart needs calcium to function properly.  Not to mention if you primarily drink diet coke, you are probably somewhat dehydrated.  Dehydration, even minor, can cause headaches, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, etc.  So I'm sure giving it up would make anyone feel better. 

I don't care if people want to give up nutrasweet, really.  But when a diabetic chooses to give it up over evidence that is questionable at best, I hope he knows what he is doing.  He knows what sugar will do to his body, the jury is still out on asparatame.  (and splenda too--not enough studies done on Splenda yet).

And the other thing is...moderation.  Maybe its not necessary to give it up completely, but limit it to a serving or two a day.  Not every single time you reach for something to drink.  Nothing is good for you if you overdo it. 

[Markus Asraelius]

Sterling, you're like my mother. You're both hard-headed and refuse to give in to other people's ideas. In fact, she questioned my move to quit ingesting aspartame.

Besides that, you still haven't provided evidence that aspartame is safe.

[SLCPUNK]

To me that is "proof" enough. When I quit, all the symtoms mysteriously vanished. I showed the list to my friend and asked him how many symtoms he had (huge diet coke drinker) and he quit drinking that crap a month later (it took him a while).

Ok, but where are the studies that prove its bad?  The sugar industry has been funding them, yet they aren't proving anything. 

See above.

This is what I had: (what I thought were) Migraines, stomach pain, joint pain, unable to focus, mood swings, tumor in my hand (doctor said that this type of tumor was usually found in the head), shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue, acne,  circles under my eyes (figured it was hereditary) and weight GAIN. I felt like I was 100 years old. Doctors visits yielded nothing, everything checked out ok. Given meds for adult acne and migraine meds and sent on my way.

The symtoms came on real slow and one day I said "I feel horrible all over, what in the hell is going on? I look like shit too!" That is when I searched.


Maybe it was a combination of all things, but I still doubt it. I continued to drink coffee and replaced my diet sodas with iced tea. Circles under my eyes went away, I lost 12 pounds, clarity returned, joint pain went away, no more migraines, no shortness of breath, no dizzy spells, tumor had to be removed from my hand. I still have another lump in the left side of my mouth that appeared at the same time that I have to get removed to this day (hopefully this summer).

Given all that, it would take an act from God to make me believe that aspartame did not cause all that. There is enough info out showing that industry funded studies cherry picking info to push the drug onto the market. A book was even written by a former FDA employee about the omission of crucial information about this drug in their "study" claiming it was safe.

[Sterlingdog]

I'll never convince you and you won't convince me.  I'm glad you feel better, really.  Enjoy your health.  Asparatame isn't needed, so give it up.  I don't care.  And I don't consume enough of it to concern myself.  Call me hard-headed if you like.  I actually find that funny.  But I haven't  seen any convincing evidence from a truly reliable source. 

Now I'm going to go eat pineapples and pepperoni pizza and take a walk to try to go into labor...after all thousands of women say it worked for them, so it must be fact, right?

[Markus Asraelius]

Sterling...

You're officially on my Hall of Fame Shit List. Congratulations. 

[Sterlingdog]

Sterling...

You're officially on my Hall of Fame Shit List. Congratulations. 

Ha ha!  Is that supposed to hurt my feelings or scare me?  You condemn me for not agreeing on this one point with you and SLC?  Usually I do agree with SLC, but I'm sure he can accept that not everyone will agree with him on every point every time.  And I doubt he demands it of others either.  Intelligent, well informed people don't fear dissenting opinions or open discussion. 

I could go further as to why you particulary object to me...I suspect something I said to you in the past has stuck with you.  But I will drop it now.  Don't want to rise to the top of your shit list!   
 

[journey]

Now I'm going to go eat pineapples and pepperoni pizza and take a walk to try to go into labor...after all thousands of women say it worked for them, so it must be fact, right?

Good luck. 

[SLCPUNK]

Usually I do agree with SLC, but I'm sure he can accept that not everyone will agree with him on every point every time.
 

I can.

Obviously I may not feel they same if I had not had it happen to me.

Maybe I am wrong.

Maybe I am not.

But I do feel strongly about this subject.

In my eyes, I see real life stories paired with studies back by the industry.

I have no illusion of changing your mind, but I am convinced I am correct (LOL, like always.)

Now I'm going to go eat pineapples and pepperoni pizza and take a walk to try to go into labor...after all thousands of women say it worked for them, so it must be fact, right?

Pizza, pineapples, or walking?

 

[Elrothiel]

7Up...

Actually I prefer Pepsi... Coke is just shit.

[Sterlingdog]

Now I'm going to go eat pineapples and pepperoni pizza and take a walk to try to go into labor...after all thousands of women say it worked for them, so it must be fact, right?

Good luck. 

Thanks.  But I decided that was too much work.  I think I'll wait for the full moon instead.

[pilferk]

I can't speak for your situation, you know your own body.? But here is the urban legends reference page for asparatame.? Check it out, you'll see that most of the claims you here about asparatame have been disproven.?

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp

Again, I'm not saying it causes cancer or MS or any of those things.

However, for me...it does cause headaches.  Always has...since it was released.  Hell, since before there was any published material that even correlated headaches to Nutrasweet........we quickly made the connection in my household. 
Just like Olean causes some people to have....hmmm...GI issues.....

Now, I've seen independant studies that say they've seen the same sorts of symptoms and a study that says they don't.  I also know that, with sacchrin, it took quite awhile for them to come to a consenus on it's effects.  However, the one thing I know with absolute certainty is that, when I drink or eat something with nutrasweet, 20 min later I have a headache.  I have no problem chalking that up to a peculiarity in my body chemistry.


I'm not saying it's "bad" for everyone, but I, for one, certainly have some sort of almost allergic reaction to it.