Artificial sweeteners. Definitive list of negatives! page 2

[magicmerl]

From what I've heard, Stevia is the only 'good' one. When I want to add sweetness, I use actual sugar (or real maple syrup).

[Fernaldo]

I have never read anything conclusive on any artificial sweeteners. Put it this way, I don't think anyone is dying or suffering from a debilitating disease because they drink diet coke. I know some people really want to believe this, I just don't think its true. I get the whole artificial/chemical debate and it really doesn't fit into the Primal paradigm. Just don't claim it's "bad" when really there isn't any conclusive evidence.

I drink shit tons of water, drink unsweetened ice tea, black coffee and now and then coke zero/diet coke. I use stevia or honey to sweeten home made ice cream. Do I think I am damaging my body or harming it in any way by drinking coke zero, nope, I don't.

[Damiana]

My wife buys those "Emergen-C" packets sometimes. Those have both sugar and stevia in them, and I can taste the fake sugar. Yes, it is sweet, but there's something else there that isn't quite right.

Actually, I can tolerate almost all artificial sweeteners (though I cannot recall trying agave or stevia), but something in the Emergen-C screws with my guts. While not in the clearest of mental state, I bought some Emergen-C, and had some that day before dinner. After dinner, I was hit with some of the worst cramping I've ever had in my life. The next day and the day after, same thing happened. Finally, I eliminated the Emergen-C and stomach went back to normal. I guess everyone has a different reaction to it, or else I can't possibly imagine how this poison became so successful given the extreme gastrointestinal distress I suffered.

[cori93437]

High doses of vitamin C are rather known for their 'losening' side effect... especially if you aren't used to it.

Oops.

[AMonkey]

There is generally nothing wrong with artificial sweeteners, apart from the scare mongering "OMG IF ITS NOT NATURAL ITS POISON CROWD!". That said I don't see why you should use them at all. Just use something like honey which at least has some benefits, if you have a sweet tooth. Personally I'd rather just stick to fruits if I want something sweet.

[RitaRose]

If you read about the aspartame trials, it's a little creepy. When they tested it on rats, they tossed the ones with cancerous growths, saying they were obviously genetically defective, even though there were way more "genetically defective" rats eating aspartame. The aspartame was also in chunks, not well mixed in the feed, and the rats tended to eat around it, so they weren't even getting the intended dose.

When they tried it on humans, the "placebo" contained MSG, which is problematic for some people, then said that aspartame had no more side effects than the supposed placebo. Also, aspartame bypasses the blood brain barrier, which isn't something I'm comfortable with in a product like that.

I'm at the point where I'm just trying to get rid of my cravings for sweet in general and swing it toward fat cravings, so artificial sweeteners aren't going to be good for me either way.

[palebluedots]

aspartame gives me massive migraines

[Navy87Guy]

I've been Primal for about three weeks now. The most noticeable change has been the disappearance of the joint pain I used to have. I was taking daily glucosamine for my knees and an NSAID for pains in my hands. In the past, after a day or two without the meds, the pain would become very noticeable. I'm now going on three weeks without them, and not even a twinge!

I used to drink Diet Mtn Dew in large quantities (1-2 24-oz bottles per day). I don't know if it's cutting out the aspartame, the other processed food additives - or a combination of both - but the difference is huge!

[AuroraB]

Loved the Mercola article. Exactly what I was looking for. Is Mercola unbiased and legit, or just another supplement selling quack?

I get his newsletter all the time. I don't read everything, just what grabs my interest. I tend to ignore the product section. I like that he references the info in his articles.

I never did care for 'diet' anything. Always tasted funny, IMO. It's kinda strange, I know some people think aspartame is horrible and avoid it as much as possible but then use Splenda in it's place.

[ashley.thepie.rat]

I have never read anything conclusive on any artificial sweeteners. Put it this way, I don't think anyone is dying or suffering from a debilitating disease because they drink diet coke. I know some people really want to believe this, I just don't think its true. I get the whole artificial/chemical debate and it really doesn't fit into the Primal paradigm. Just don't claim it's "bad" when really there isn't any conclusive evidence.

I drink shit tons of water, drink unsweetened ice tea, black coffee and now and then coke zero/diet coke. I use stevia or honey to sweeten home made ice cream. Do I think I am damaging my body or harming it in any way by drinking coke zero, nope, I don't.

Exactly.