The Truth about Aspartame

The only anti-aspartame issue I'd heard was that it is, or may be, carcinogenic. Personally, I avoid all artificial sweeteners on the basis that from an evolutionary standpoint we are far more likely to cope with natural sugars than artificial products.

Lee, Nottingham, England
November 11, 2008 9:53am

My wife just had a baby, and she is breastfeeding. In a nurtition class prior to my daughters birth, my wife was told by a nurse to avoid two things: 1. Dieting in general and 2. Artificial Sweeteners...

Why??

Is this bogus?

Could it harm my daughter?

Dan, North Carolina
November 11, 2008 10:17am

The claim that seemed rational to me was that the aspartic acid had the same effect as the glutamic acid in MSG. I have not read anything about it for a long time though, so I suppose we'd have to go back and examine the MSG scare, too?

AlanB, Long Island, NY
November 11, 2008 10:25am

Hi Brian,

I get bad reactions to aspartame, from tiredness to migraines, but I put this down to low blood sugar - i.e., the symptoms are from something I'm not getting (sugar) and not from something I am getting instead (aspartame).

I wonder if there are any studies looking into this aspect of the "problem".

Sion, Northamptonshire, UK
November 11, 2008 10:53am

Brian said, "Even if you accept the conspiracy charges that he leveraged his cronies to force approval of a potentially dangerous product, that still says nothing about aspartame."

Sure, and Merck's misconduct said nothing about Vioxx. It said something about Merck, the FDA, FDA approvals, and industry-sponsored studies.

Max, Boston, MA
November 11, 2008 12:08pm

I had complications from aspartame when I was a baby. I had seizures and almost did die. But the doctor said it was an alergic reaction from aspartame and it has been formally stated as such in my medical records. So saying that you cannot be allergic to aspartame is also saying that you cannot be allergic to peanuts. So the people against it, I fear are using half-truths, riding on the back of people like myself to further there cause. For which I never asked of them to do. However, I agree with Lee and Dan. Using Surger is preferable for the reasons they provided. It just makes me feel safer. Here are some links I have found, while writing my comment.

http://www.greenfacts.org/en/aspartame/aspertame-sweetener/index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame#Health_concerns

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01369.html

http://www.fda.gov/FDAC/features/1999/699_sugar.html

Greg Droder, Kamloops, BC, Canada
November 11, 2008 12:46pm

Great Podcast. I have been an avid listener for a while now. I get e-mails constantly from family and friends warning me of some new chemical danger. They always seem to run in the same vein,
Chemical "x" is evil, because company "X" was run by (enter villain name)
Then comes the conspiracy theory...darn evil government! "They" suppressed the "real" evidence, but we know the truth.

Then, of course, come links to various products that cleanse, heal, cure, natural-ise, pro-biotic, immune boost, or anti-age you.

My favorite is the "Magic Juice" Xango (Look it up) $30 a bottle! That is unless you take this one time offer to become your own boss and sell the crap yourself! It will cleanse you of toxins with its "BioActive X3 Complex"
I almost cried laughing!

Thanks for fighting the good fight.
Brain, your the man!

Sean, Italy
November 11, 2008 1:00pm

One chain letter claimed that aspartame was originally developed and still functions as an effective ant poison. The claim was lifted from a satirical article on TheSpoof.com, and presented as fact.

http://www.snopes.com/humor/iftrue/antpoison.asp

Max, Boston, MA
November 11, 2008 1:40pm

I dig the quasi-techno!

Steven, Colorado
November 11, 2008 1:53pm

The one part of the Aspartame/Gulf War Syndrome that sort of rang true was the Diet Soda being stored outside in 120 F weather. The flavor profile degrades rapidly at high temperature (which is short for "The aspartame breaks down"). At 120 it doesn't have to stay outside long for the stuff to just taste vile.

Coke Zero rules!

Of course I haven't been drinking it much, cause they want way too much for a 12 pack these days.

brad.tittle, bremerton
November 11, 2008 2:03pm

heh, Dr. Russell Blaylock apearently doesn't realise that it's mathematically impossible to have "more people of low IQ"; it's called a quotient for a reason.

Also, aspartame is relatively toxic among foods, with an acute ld50 of about 5000 mg/kgbw, or half a kilo for the average person. (table salt is about double that)

But it requires serious dedication to eat a pound of aspartame, about a full bag of coffe sweetening tablets (120 of them), or 32 big jars of sweetening powder.

Suffice to say that, if you get aspartame poisoning, your mental problem is a lot more severe then any physical issue you may have.

Marcel, Reykjavik, Iceland
November 11, 2008 2:09pm

"Rat Study Links Weight Gain to Low-Calorie Sweeteners; Critics Say No Relevance for Humans"
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=87080

Rats in the Purdue University study that were fed regular feed and yogurt sweetened with no-calorie saccharin took in more total calories and gained more weight than rats fed regular feed and yogurt sweetened with sugar.
Researchers speculate that over time, reduced-calorie sweeteners like saccharin, aspartame, and sucralose condition the body to no longer associate sweetness with calories, thereby disrupting its ability to accurately assess caloric intake...
"I am not aware of any studies in humans suggesting that the use of low-calorie sweeteners is associated with weight gain," says registered dietitian Beth Hubrich of the Calorie Control Council.

Maybe Beth should do more reading.

"Overweight Risk Soars 41% With Each Daily Can of Diet Soft Drink"
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20050613/drink-more-diet-soda-gain-more-weight

They're quick to point out that correlation is not causation, but they also point to the controlled rat experiment that does show causation.

Here's the take-home quote: "People think they can just fool the body. But maybe the body isn't fooled."

Max, Boston, MA
November 11, 2008 3:20pm

With any bit of crackpot alarmism like this, it's always puzzling to me why some people become so completely obsessed about it.

Okay, someone doesn't like aspartame. Fine. Drink regular Coke the way I do and get more exercise. But no, they can't just not drink the stuff -- they have to embark on a crusade, complete with Web pages, email spamming, and God knows what else, devoted to proving that the Nazis are poisoning our soft drinks or whatever.

It seems that people really NEED to have something to believe in strongly. In the past we channelled that into (mostly) constructive things like religious faith, patriotism, etc. Now it appears people are disconnected from these wellsprings of belief and just latch onto ANYTHING which comes along.

Cambias, Amherst
November 11, 2008 5:15pm

Max, I couldn't find the specific study that the article was referencing, could you please provide it? I was wondering because it seems like the study may have a few critical flaws. First, only 27 rats were involved in the study, which is a rather small sample size. Also, the rats could have been over consuming their sweetened food because it tasted better. You can't ask the rats if they were confused about when they were full, so the mechanism behind the weight gain is still uncertain. If I could look at the actual study, I could see if these concerns are valid or if the researchers did something that I don't know about. Still, an article titled "Better Tasting Food Causes Fatter Rats" just isn't as interesting.

Your remark about the correlation/causation link seems snide but that is very valid. Studies show that people with high fiber diets have reduced risk for a number of cancers. Still, it can't be determined if the fiber reduces the risk of cancer, or if people who eat a lot of fiber generally lead healthier lives giving them a reduced risk of cancer.

The last thing that puzzles me is how aspartame would affect humans to make them gain weight. Hunger/satiation is generally controlled by blood sugar, gastric and intestinal stretching, etc. Aspartame has no way of affecting these signaling pathways, so how could it affect human eating behavior? I don't know if there is research into this, but it seems like it would be necessary to prove a causal relationship.

Steve Loeffelholz, LeClaire, IA
November 11, 2008 6:13pm

Max, I have also seen these studies that state that you gain weight with artificial sugar's such as nutra-sweet. I just could not find and reference material for it to back it up. But that is good that you found a link for it. Moving on, aspartame may work out, it may not. Anything used properly works well. The full extent of negative effects will show in time, if at all. Great examples are lead and asbestos. Lead and Asbestos work great when used properly. But they have horrible effect if they aren't. Nuclear Energy is another prime example. It took science many years to figure the horrible effect out. From my own medical history back up by real MD's, I am going to play safe, and eat real sugar off the farm. But no worries, it will be real sugar, using modern farming. Not Organic. From listening to Brian and looking up material, I think Organic is worse for us and our planet in the long run. The best thing do if your worried about "modern farming" is to have a "Victory Garden" and grow it the way you wish.

Greg Droder, Kamloops, BC, Canada
November 11, 2008 7:35pm

Steve, those are all excellent points, and it follows Occam's razor to exhaust the known possibilities before hypothesizing some unknown mechanism.

Still, my first impression was that diet soda drinkers are more likely to be health conscious (like fiber eaters) than to be overweight. But on second thought, perhaps health conscious people avoid sickly sweet soft drinks altogether, like I do.

There's more to obesity than ordinary hunger. For example binge-eating may be more about psychology.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/binge-eating-disorder/DS00608/DSECTION=causes
Possible causes include low self-esteem, impulsive behavior, and even a history of being sexually abused.

Max, Boston, MA
November 12, 2008 12:26pm

I heard a theory that aspartame can cause weight gain. Basically aspartame simulates sugar to a persons taste bud, this cause a message to be sent from the brain to the pancreas to produce insulin. As the sugar is not actually present, the person ends up with low blood sugar, causing what is commonly referred to as a sweet tooth, which in turn cause the eating of unhealthy foods. This could be incorrect however, as I did not hear this in a reputable scientific journal, and instead heard it from a drunk in a bar who claimed to have gotten an A in high school chemistry.

Joseph, Vancouver, B.C.
November 12, 2008 2:04pm

I don't know, Joseph.

I reckon those drunks in bars are pretty insightful.

He could have been onto something!

;-)

Brenton, New Zealand
November 12, 2008 2:38pm

I hope those people worried about methanol poisoning from Aspartame aren't tequila drinkers!

One of the byproducts in the fermentation/distillation process for Tequila is methanol.

One thing that heavy tequila drinkers can look forward to is that when all of that methanol turns into formaldehyde in the liver, they won't need to be embalmed when they die.

Checkout the following for more information:

http://www.distill.com/specs/Mexico1.html

http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/jafcau/2006/54/i11/abs/jf060094h.html

and

http://www.eldontequila.com/A_really_better_tequila.htm

GQ, Boynton Beach, FL
November 12, 2008 3:22pm

Joseph, the question is what does mere taste stimulate. It's true that digestion can be stimulated without real food. Heck, just thinking about a lemon stimulates salivation, and there are many studies on stimulating the digestive system by chewing gum.

Max, Boston, MA
November 12, 2008 3:48pm

Max, what is the 'known' possibility that you refer to? It doesn't seem like you presented anything but one correlation study that many not even be statistically significant, and not a 'known' possible mechanism.

Eating more because it tastes better would certainly be a possibility would it not? Even a known one?

Brandon, Falconer NY
November 13, 2008 12:09pm

Brandon, I said Steve's explanations follow Occam's razor. Read my post again.

That said, excessive use of Occam's razor can hinder the discovery of new mechanisms. We'd still be modeling planetary motion with epicycles.

Max, Boston, MA
November 13, 2008 3:54pm

Here's a recent rat study.
http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/bne-feb08-swithers.pdf

Looks like they controlled palatability.

"Thus, differences in preference for or palatability of the calorically and noncalorically sweetened yogurts cannot explain the observed differences in our dependent measures (body weight gain, adiposity, food intake, core body temperature)."

Now here's a weird result.

"The finding that consuming a lower calorie food yielded more weight gain and body adiposity than did consuming an equal amount of a higher calorie version of the same food appears to pose difficulties for views that emphasize the homeostatic aspects of energy regulation."

They ate fewer calories, but gained more weight?! Did the saccharin mess with their metabolism? It's worth reading.

Max, Boston, MA
November 13, 2008 10:41pm

Max, that is an interesting study. As of yet, I have only had time to browse over it and noticed something significant that you seemed to miss. The rats that were eating the saccharin supplemented yogurt actually ate more calories than the rats who were eating regular yogurt. They were consuming less calories in their yogurt but ended up eating more of the food that was provided to them ad libitum.

Once again an interesting result, but without further study it is pretty inconclusive. Without a mechanism as to how the saccharin could alter the eating behavior of the rat, other explanations seem more probable. For example, it could be that the rats eating the natural sugar felt more satiated after eating (due to more calories in their yogurt) and then didn't eat as much after. The saccharin rats did not feel satiated after eating their lower calorie yogurt and this caused them to overeat after the meal. I can't say for sure that this is true, but it is just as likely (if not more likely) than saccharin having an affect on metabolism.

Lastly, I would like to point out that saccharin and aspartame are vastly different molecules (one being composed of two amino acids and the other being a joined ring structure). This large variance in structure but similar result suggests that the molecule itself is probably not causing an effect, but that the sweet taste or lack of satiation is effecting behavior.

Steve Loeffelholz, LeClaire, IA
November 14, 2008 11:06am

Even if we take the rat study on face value, then all we have shown is that eating nutra-sweet might cause you to eat more. It does not say anything about whether it is toxic, or if it has any other negative health effects. It's certainly an interesting result though, as it is the opposite effect of what a 'diet' drink should do.

Jason Doyama, Boston, MA
November 15, 2008 2:59pm

I had a reaction, looked like a bug bite, it would come and go until I figured out that if I stayed away from the Aspartame sweetened foods for a period of two weeks, the itchy bump would go away and stay away. I don't know if it is the artificial sweetener itself or some of the material used as filler in the product, but if it gives me hives (or just one hive) then it can't be good for me. Me, I'll just keep eating sugar.

Mrs.Sherman, PacificNorthwest
November 15, 2008 10:10pm

Interesting that 'headaches' was one symptom mentioned as being studied. Awhile ago- maybe 4 years- I decided that drinking diet soda seemed to give me headaches. This might have been a series of coincidences, or an unrelated ingredient, but in any case I stick to regular soda. Then again, I like the taste better anyway, so it's not much of a sacrifice.

Eric Thorn, Washington, D.C.
November 17, 2008 8:12pm

Good podcast- I came here right after to check the comments too ;)

I have the same problem that Eric T below mentioned- headaches.

I get migraines periodically. So I try to avoid certain foods that can induce them.

Unfortunately of the quickest ways to induce one (for me at least) is to have a diet soda- Diet Dr Pepper calls out to me, yet I stick to the regular if I want one.

kenneth, san francisco
November 18, 2008 8:42pm

I'm a skeptic, but I must say Aspartame is not as harmless as it's claimed. I used to suffer from migraine episodes frequently and they became a rare occurrence shortly after I stopped using Aspartame.

I do agree there seems to be a lot of blame directed at Aspartame without an evidence to back it up. Aspartame is not 100% safe, but neither is table sugar.

James, Avon, IN
November 19, 2008 3:47pm

http://stressmatters.com.au/aspartame.htm

"Some proponents of aspartame claim that methanol is found in natural foods, especially fruit. However, these foods also contain ethanol, in a 20:1 ratio. Ethanol inhibits oxidation of the methanol and allows excretion through the lungs and kidneys. If oxidation of methanol is not inhibited, it converts to formaldehyde, a known carcinogen to the human body. Aspartame does not contain ethanol and no ethanol is produced."

Years ago, doctors prescribed cigarettes for stress management; it is possible that we are seeing another example of this today. In any case, it is not "harmfully misleading" to encourage others to be wary of this substance. Staying away from aspartame won't damage your health. But consuming it just might.

Shirley, Sydney, Australia
November 24, 2008 8:27pm

No problem, just wash the aspartame down with some liquor (ethanol).

Staying away from aspartame won't damage your health, unless you substitute high fructose corn syrup, especially if you're diabetic.

Max, Boston, MA
November 25, 2008 1:46pm

What about the psychological taste effects associated with zero-calorie sweeteners in general?

That is: our brain from infancy associates sweet tastes with high calorie content, and normally increases metabolism to accomodate this.

But if zero-calorie sweeteners, eaten over a longer period of time, break that association, then the next sugary thing eaten would be more fattening than normal because the brain no longer entirely associates the sweet taste with high calorie content.

I notice that you didn't cover this claim. I've done research on my own, and it would appear that studies have shown a link between flavours and metabolism. I haven't seen any studies specifically on whether or not this can be broken, but there were two studies on mice.

A group of mice was fed a high-sweetness, normal calorie diet for several weeks, then switched to a high-sweetness, high calorie diet. They gained more weight than the control group, which had been fed a normal-sweetness normal-calorie diet to begin.

What do people think?

David, Ottawa
November 25, 2008 9:51pm

What do you make of the Center for Science in the Public Interest's recommendation to avoid asapartame:

"The bottom line is that lifelong consumption of aspartame probably increases the risk of cancer. People—especially young children—should not consume foods and beverages sweetened with aspartame, should switch to products sweetehttp://skeptoid.com/episodes/4127#ned with SUCRALOSE (Splenda), or should avoid all artificially sweetened foods."

http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm

They are obviously not a fringe group...

Ryan, Washington, DC
November 29, 2008 6:15pm

I recently heard "aspartame poisoning misdiagnosed as MS" twisted into "evidence shows aspartame causes MS". Fear-mongering.

Sam, Destin, FL
December 01, 2008 6:23pm

all i know is that within 15 minutes of ingesting nutrasweet or it's namesakes, i get a migraine for 2-3 days. i eliminate it...no migraines. i never put it together until my dad and i were talking one day. neither of us were diet soda drinkers. my stepmother always kept diet soda around for herself. occaisionally when dad would run out of his he would drink her diet. he said he was getting a lot of bad headaches recently and suddenly they stopped for a one month period while my stepmother was in the hospital. he was doing the shopping and never had any of her diet soda in the house. when he quit drinking it alltogether he had no headaches. within a few days of her return she had gone to the store and stocked up. when he drank the first one he a had a severe headache shortly after. myself, i had recently begun dating a diet soda drinker and was occaisionally drinking one here and there. at dad's idea i quit driking them and my migraines vanished as well. we have both tested this afterward only to become convinced. now, my father and i are both college educated, rational thinkers, not prone to placebo effects. and if it barks like a dog...well. besides this stuff really tastes like crap anyway.

kim, hilton head, sc
December 01, 2008 11:04pm

Brian said: "...a group of scientists from the NutraSweet company published a 2002 review of dozens of studies and clinical trials performed worldwide in the journal Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, which made the following conclusions:", then the conclusions, which are that it's harmless.

I don't believe that aspartame is necessarily dangerous...but this is a case of the alleged perpetrator finding itself innocent. One should be very skeptical of that study, and instead seek studies by disinterested third parties. A real skeptic is universally, not selectively, skeptical.

Personally, I think you should avoid aspartame because it tastes awful and leaves a nasty aftertaste in your mouth. If you need artificial sweetener, then get out of the habit of eating so many sweets.

Paul, Walnut Creek, CA
December 27, 2008 11:49pm

The side-effects of Aspartame reported to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is pretty long by all standards, so this chemical is obviously something to avoid, as it's popping up in an ever increasing number of products.

Russell Blaylocks research on Aspartame is still not disputed or countered as far as I know.

Ron, Washington, DC
December 28, 2008 3:13pm

I have been drinking coffee with Equal for as long as I can remember and the same goes for diet soft drinks. My family has been doing much of the same for many years. NONE of us have had any negative effects that can be correlated with aspartame any more than many other possible causes. This DOES NOT mean that aspartame is safe NOR that it is unsafe.

A few posters above have said that they or someone they know have experienced headaches after consuming “diet soft drinks” and they feel this is good reason not to drink them. PERFECT, don’t drink them and do not link aspartame to any generic “diet soft drink” as there are different artificial sweeteners being used in different diet drinks.

OUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES ARE BIASED AND NOT PART OF A DOUBLE BLINDED CONTROLED STUDY WITH PUBLISHED RESULTS IN A MAJOR PEER REVIEW SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL.

I eat rather healthy most of the time but when I splurge on some fast food, the next day I feel tired and bloated. Does that mean that all fast food restaurants sell unsafe products? NO.

MAX posted a link to an article study the effects of aspartame on energy regulation in rats.
http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/bne-feb08-swithers.pdf
Unless I missed it somewhere, this study said nothing about the safety of aspartame. Even if you look only to the extract at the beginning of the report you can see that their results basically said the rats just got fatter and made no remarks about safety.

Bill Petry, St Peters
January 04, 2009 6:19pm

"...my father and i are both college educated, rational thinkers, NOT PRONE TO PLACEBO EFFECTS."

You are an idiot if you think either intelligence or education insulates you from being susceptible to the placebo effect.

Steve Johnson, Olathe, KS
January 07, 2009 11:49am

There is no doubt that the evidence could have been presented more effectively if had not been conducted by the NutraSweet company publishing "a 2002 review of dozens of studies and clinical trials performed worldwide in the journal Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology"
If one is trying to convince a sceptical population, maybe we should not present evidence selected by the very company that stands to benefit from the research.

Sean Barkes, Lincoln, UK
January 27, 2009 6:11am

Steve Johnson - what are you quoting from?

Turner Joy, MN
March 08, 2009 11:16pm

Turner Joy, there's a quote dated December 01.
If you can't see it, you need to "show all comments".

Steve Johnson, Olathe, KS
March 10, 2009 8:19pm

Aspertame, even in the smallest amount as in a piece of mint gum, gives me horrible diarrhea.

I cannot in any way consume it without having a reaction within 20 minutes.

I miss sugarless gum.

irene, portland , OR
March 29, 2009 9:12pm

"...my father and i are both college educated, rational thinkers, NOT PRONE TO PLACEBO EFFECTS."

I suggest you check out Ben Goldacre Placebo Effect (available on iTunes) regarding not only how strong the placebo effect can be but also how the effect can be enhanced.

Rob Crawford, Belfast
April 01, 2009 4:41am

..my father and i are both college educated, rational thinkers

READ:indoctrinated by the educational system


ho ho ho

Pindar, Holland
April 19, 2009 12:23pm

I'm assuming that means you don't have an education, then, because you argue against education.

I'm also going to assume you learned how to use a computer through mail.

Here's a quiz for you: how do you open the registry editor on a Windows machine?

Joseph, Norman
May 10, 2009 4:51pm

I drink 2 litres of diet coke a day. It is my stress drink. If I drink 2 litres of rum a day they would call the paddy wagon. To keep my kids and husband alive I will stick to my drinking coke. If aspartane kills me at least my son will have his dignity and no one will say his mother died because she was a raving alcoholic. I never saw a coke cola drinker driving a car kill anyone. I choose aspartane HAHA!!

Leah Best, Canada
May 10, 2009 7:53pm

I'm assuming that means you don't have an education, then, because you argue against education.

wrong assumed; I have studied physics/mathematics and psychology
at a university (government controlled)

very bad for Brain!

btw try vedic mathematics:is lot better!

Pindar, austria
May 12, 2009 7:14am

I'm doing a report on Aspartame and so far it has been very difficult. 50% of the sites say aspartame is the worst possible thing a human could eat and the other 50% say that it is perfectly ok. My head hurts from trying to figure out which is fact and which is fiction!
So far I am leaning towards the "it is ok" side. Thank you for your article, it was helpful.

A Student, U.S.A.
May 12, 2009 5:14pm

The first 50% of the sites are wrong, because a human can eat worse things than aspartame.
Look for reputable sites that know what they're talking about.

Max, Boston, MA
May 13, 2009 5:12pm

A Student,

I am a great researcher. I spent my entire academic career learning how to do that. Here are a few tips that you can use to help your search out.

If you have access to a college search engine, you can find a ton of articles on aspartame. Apart from that, you can use google scholar to get more articles as well.

I would normally say to try and find books on aspartame,but this topic I should avoid looking for books like the plague. The books that are anti aspartame are more common and the pro aspartame books cost hundreds of dollars. Apparently, there are college level classes that teach about aspartame.

Go to the second or third page of search engine results to get your information. Do not trust the first page or two of sources.

Try other words and phrases: Artificial sweeteners, Equal, Nutrasweet, and other such phrases.

Good luck with your research.

Joseph Furguson, Brawley, Ca
May 13, 2009 11:51pm

Thanks you.
I have finished my paper and took the side that aspartame is safe for human consumption. There are so many anti-aspartame sites claiming aspartame is the culprit for so many health problems. If aspartame was that horrible there is no way it would be approved by the FDA.

A Student, U.S.A.
May 17, 2009 1:22pm

I'd like to know more about the 'subpopulations' who have reactions to aspartame. For several years I have found that, usually, diet soda gives me a terrible headache and makes me sick. Sometimes I have vomited almost immediately (say within 5-10mins of starting to drink a soda). I'd be glad to know if this was some known phenomenon, no matter how rare, an allergy or something else ...
I don't know for certain it's aspartame that causes this, but I don't know what else may be in diet sodas?

SpamBot, UK
May 20, 2009 4:48am

As discussed in the episode, if you do indeed have phenylketonuria, you would react to all phenylalanine products, not just aspartame, as it's a relatively poor source of phenylalanine compared to some other foods. You can get tested for PKU at your doctor.

There are no other known sensitivities that would involve aspartame and related foods.

Eric Schulman, Corona, CA
May 22, 2009 11:11am

I agreed with you about Aspartame on all but one point. The Gulf War Syndrome is not weakly evidenced in those that actually have it and it angers me greatly that you would pretend it is barely mentionable just because half the US is not affected. Not everyone who went to the Gulf got sick and most of the ones who did are dead now. EVERYONE affected is or was chemically sensitive, that is Fact! Aspartame did not cause this and has almost nothing to do with it. The only relation at all is that it causes headaches in people with Gulf War Syndrome (not migraines, headaches). The Gulf War Syndrome IS REAL and people not directly affected themselves or watching a immediate family member suffer know almost nothing about it. It is VERY well evidenced every stinking day to those of us who do know! Aspartame is an interesting subject with a lot of mis-information out there on it, but please don't act like suggesting Gulf War Syndrome is in its self ludicrous and therefor discounts any statement with the words in it. Thanks

MJ Peck, Georgetown, ID
June 13, 2009 2:46pm

I thought I might be pregnant a couple of months ago so I stopped eating certain things that websites say are dangerous. They all say not to drink Diet Coke because of the aspartame, and I remember my sister saying this as well. Is there any danger to a fetus? I guess there wouldn't be from listening to this podcast...but is Diet Coke maybe dangerous to fetuses for other reasons? Like caffeine? I'm not pregnant now, but when I am I don't want to have to give up my precious Diet Coke again, so I hope it's all myth!

LinzeeBinzee, Winnipeg, Canada
June 19, 2009 8:23am

OK, it may be good for humans, but is it good for our water?
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617123650.htm

Jay, Halifax
June 25, 2009 6:27am

Yesterday morning I ate a piece of cake. After I had eaten it, my head became fuzzy, my muscles felt irritable and I had a funny aftertaste in my mouth. I'm usually pretty good at pinpointing what has made me feel bad, and after talking with my girfriend it turns out she had baked the cake using an artificial sweetener as she is diabetic. I felt so odd that I did some research on the sweetener and found it contained aspartame. Until now I knew nothing about the controversy surrounding aspartame, yet I have experienced three of the symptoms of ingestion described in various sources, including the original complaints made to the FDA pre-1995. No placebo effect.

This morning I'm still feeling the symptoms a little but they have worn off considerably.

Clearly this is the experience of one man and is anecdotal. I suspect it affects different people in different ways, and there could be many other factors involved that might not be controllable.

The Food Standards Agency in the UK is about to commence a study on this kind of anecdotal evidence and is looking for volunteers. Clearly the jury is still out on the more mundane effects of it.

Matt, Cheltenham, UK
July 30, 2009 4:48am

Get a glucose meter. Test your glucose level before a meal. Eat a meal with a Diet Coke, and test your blood one hour, and two hours, after.

Do the same thing the next day, eating exactly the same meal, without the Diet Coke.

If you're like me, the Diet Coke, despite having no calories or sugar to add to the meal, will increase your blood sugar rise, and lengthen the time it takes to come down.

I stopped drinking it. I'm not diabetic, either. I just have access to glucose meters and I'm willing to bleed for science. :)

Sonya, Seattle, WA
August 23, 2009 9:06pm

Aspartame is poison period. It's made by the biggest bunch of criminals in the world. Monsanto is determined to rule the world and might be. I get Gout as soon as I use and Aspartame. Now I beleive it has agrivated my Tinnitus to a horrible level. I'm an idiot for using that Crap again. Now I'm paying. I have eliminated it from my diet but I have no idea how long it will take to be purged clean. If the Administration want's to improve health care they should make smoking illegal and Aspartame illeagle. That out to save about a million lives a year alone.

Dean Slater, San Clemente
August 27, 2009 7:38pm

Banning aspartame is becoming a moot point, Dean. That sweetener is losing market share in favor of artificial sweeteners made out of honey, agave, and even from sugar itself. In about 10 years, aspartame will be gone. When that happens, your cult will find something wrong with the next artificial sweetener. You do not care about health: you just need a villain to hate.

If you do not trust food scientists, how about independent researchers from this country and others. According to the world literature on it, There have been over a hundred studies on aspartame in its various states. Not a single one makes a conclusive link to Aspartame causing death.

Joseph Furguson, Brawley, Ca
August 30, 2009 9:20am

I read that aspartame was originally developed as an ant poison. We had a bad problem with ants setting up colonies in our warehouse, so I sprinkled 3 varieties of coffee sweetner aspartame products around the hills. The ants really liked it, apparently.

The first attempt reduced the ants by about half in one week. The second attempt reduced them by by two-thirds again in the second week. The third dose killed them all off. Every one of them. Not a single ant left creeping around the warehouse.

Sure glad I never got around to throwing that junk away.

Linda June

Linda June, Colorado Springs, Colorado
August 31, 2009 12:47pm

I am sorry to burst some bubbles here but I am a living proof that aspartame is toxic. And yes, I was a doubter as well, many years ago, when naively I believed the propaganda about its safety. I've been consuming it for years and years and recently I came down with fibromyalgia. Still not making a connection, I've continued to consume diet products until I finally noticed that every time I have a few days pause I feel better just to feel that much worse after consuming diet products again. I am not talking about "just not feeling good" - I am talking about severe hand tremors, severe skull base headache, dizziness, shooting pain everywhere in my bones, and so forth. I quit aspartame and am actually healing from the "non curable" fibromyalgia...:) So please, whoever read this, just THINK for yourselves PLEASE!! For your sake..before it's too late! Remember I was skeptic about the aspartame dangers for so long time. I wish I wasn't. It had robbed me of my health for over a year now and robbed my precious children from their momma who occassionally was unable to get up from bed with this mystery disease all doctors so eagerly tried to prove to be depression....pathetic. Watch out for yourselves people..a whole flock of sheep out there are actually wolves preying for your life, health and money :( so sad...I am not paid by anyone, and I am certainly not a cult member. Just a peaceful young woman who -in the past tried to lose weight with Canderel's products..and gained fibro..

Gina, USA West coast
September 09, 2009 5:43pm

Some bubbles are not so easy to burst, Gina.

Particularly not by;
1)Post hoc ergo propter hoc rationalization
2)False attribution
3)Misleading vividness
4)Causal oversimplification
5)Appeals to emotion

Can anyone else find any more?

Marius vanderLubbe, Nullabour plain, Australia.
September 09, 2009 8:00pm

Well said Marius. Many medical professionals consider fibromyalgia a non-disease. When fibromyalgia is diagnosed the patient most often has a mental disorder of some kind. Perhaps you really are depressed Gina. Also, this "disease" affects mostly women.

This next part of my comment is pure speculation on my part and in no way is fact.

Dear Gina. You probably had a pretty chaotic childhood and perhaps were neglected by your parents in some way. What better way could there be to get attention and care than by "contracting" a "disease" that is nearly impossible to properly diagnose or cure? I feel bad for your children who have a mother that goes against physician advice and won't seek help for her depression.

Sean Harrington, Seattle
September 09, 2009 9:58pm

Marius: Yes, I found the telltale "sheep" accusation, seemingly made ONLY by conspiracy theorists. Not to mention that the entire comment is an anecdote, which makes it useless as evidence.

I had my testicles examined some weeks ago - they had started to ache at about the same time I 'got hooked on' peanut butter. My doctor said testicular discomfort is common among guys who are physically active, but I know better - he is covering up the fact that SWEDISH CRISP BREAD WITH PEANUT BUTTER IS BAD FOR YOUR BALLS!

You heard it here first, folks.

Safe-Keeper, Bergen, Norway
September 13, 2009 2:38pm

Linda,

The ant poison story is a joke, literally.

http://www.snopes.com/humor/iftrue/antpoison.asp

The appearance of this article on a site called "The Spoof!" along with its disclaimer that "The story as represented above is written as a satire or parody. It is fictitious," should provide most readers with sufficient clues for discerning that the article is, in fact, a spoof.
Unfortunately, the mistaking of parody for factual information is representative of the dubious quality of much of the anti-aspartame information to be found on the Internet.

Max, Boston, MA
October 07, 2009 1:06pm

Is it so important that you mock people with pain? Are you that sadistic and in need of confirmation that you feel you need to dismiss someone else to justify your position? Just because western medical science does not recognize fibromyalgia does not mean it is not real pain. It means they don't know what it is or what causes it so it is instantly mental. Salem Witch Trial mentality. We can't explain it so you're the one screwed up. It is pure arrogance to believe that we know everything and that science has been able to explain every symptom of every disease experienced by humankind. Today's medicine can't cure Cancer, Aids, Heart Disease, Arthritis, High Blood Pressure, Diabetes or even the common cold. Medical Science will just feed you medications to "manage" your disease until you die. Yup, we know it all. Perhaps we should separate the world into the geniuses and the non-geniuses. I choose to live with the later. They are open to the possibilities.

Rob, SLC, Utah
October 27, 2009 9:59am

"Just because western medical science does not recognize fibromyalgia does not mean it is not real pain."

I don't think anyone argues that fibromyalgia sufferers experience pain, but the lack of a common physical factors indicative of a specific "disease" makes one wonder if the cause is not physical, but psychological.

"...so it is instantly mental."

It was considered an actual physical condition for some time, so it wasn't instantly dismissed.

"It is pure arrogance to believe that we know everything and that science has been able to explain every symptom of every disease experienced by humankind."

Straw man argument. No one believes science has been able to explain everything, but it is the most likely means by which an explanation will be found.

"Today's medicine can't cure Cancer, Aids, Heart Disease, Arthritis, High Blood Pressure, Diabetes or even the common cold."

But they have created the most effective means of treating those illnesses, and isn't always with pills, contrary to popular belief

"Perhaps we should separate the world into the geniuses and the non-geniuses. I choose to live with the later (sic). They are open to the possibilities."

The "genuises" are as open to possibilities as the believer, the only difference is that the geniuses expect you to provide evidence for your claims.

Lewayne, Near Des Moines
November 09, 2009 4:27pm

As I said before somewhere on this site, I love the "they can't even cure the common cold" argument. It somehow makes the assumption that just because a condition isn't severe, it must therefore be very easy to treat.

Plus, of course, that it ignores the actual achievements of modern medicine, and the obvious fact that alternative medicine hasn't cured the common cold either:D.

Safe-Keeper, Bergen, Norway
January 27, 2010 11:02am

From first-hand experience, I can attest to the fact that aspartame most definitely causes physical problems. My migraines & vision problems completely resolved after eliminating aspartame (in sugar-free gum and Centrum chewable vitamins) from my diet. The aspartame in Diet Coke caused severe panic attacks in a family member. After discontinuing use, all symptoms disappeared.

READ LABELS CAREFULLY - DO NOT PURCHASE PRODUCTS WITH ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS!

Julie, Ohio
February 06, 2010 9:07pm

Sometimes when I sleep, I get blurry vision and headaches. Wow! Sleeping must cause those! Oh, and women give me panic attacks, vision problems, AND migraines. Women must cause those.

BE CAREFUL. STAY WAY FROM SLEEP AND WOMEN.

That should be easy for most of us. This is the internet after all.

Brandon, Falconer NY
February 10, 2010 7:56pm

I agree with pretty much everything you said in this episode, with one major exception

You described the flavor of aspartame as "awful." I guess I might be the only person in the world, but I think aspartame tastes fantastic... I can't stand sugary sodas, but I drink diet drinks all the time--not for because they have no calories, but just because I think they taste great.

Thus, I can only conclude that you are doing the bidding of some evil paymasters who are peddling sugar. You've been bought off and forced to say that aspartame tastes "awful" just so that the defenseless American SHEEPLE will keep drinking sugar-sweetened soft drinks.

Anyway, great show.

Collin, Tigard OR
February 12, 2010 6:18pm

""From first-hand experience, I can attest to the fact that aspartame most definitely causes physical problems.""

We do science to find out if substances are bad for you. Anecdotes of unknown validity from total strangers has no bearing on the subject whatsoever.

Oh, and correlation does not equal causation.

Safe-Keeper, Norway
February 28, 2010 4:53am

Good analysis generally but it suffers a fatal credibility crisis when it cites in detail a SINGLE overall assessment: "a 2002 review of dozens of studies and clinical trials performed worldwide in the journal Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology" that turns out to have been conducted by "a group of scientists from the NutraSweet company". After we've all observed scientists from the tobacco companies, scientists from the asbestos companies, scientists from air-polluting companies, etc. do reviews of the clinical literature involving their industry and pronounce their companies blameless in all respects, do you seriously expect any intelligent person to believe the Nutrasweet scientists' analysis can be relied upon to be unbiased?

I actually believe Nutrasweet is fine, but certainly not because Nutrasweet scientists tell me so!!!

roger stein, new york city
March 02, 2010 12:55am

The only reason I tend to steer away from aspertame is because of the dryness in my mouth it causes. Both my husband and I have been affected by this strange reaction which stops when we stop using products with aspertame.

Marsha, Niagara Falls
March 22, 2010 12:44am

I know that when I have any sort of aspartame, I get migraines badly. It never fails! Also my husband. I also know of a family where i used to live would get so sick from it that they'd end up in the hospital. Now with all my personal experience, try telling me that it's not bad. Idiots.

Lorisa, Houston, Texas
June 10, 2010 3:21pm

Being currently involved with Dr Ducans Diet I have not noticed any side effects from useing Equal with aspartame as the sweetening agent i have not been able to purchase aspartame in any form in Australia but Dr Ducan reports that the french have used aspartame for 30 years without any problems. So how does the other sweetning agents stand up against this kind of intense scrutiny and falsifying propagander Its about time we delt with and accepted only the proven scientific facts and not hearsay unproven facts against this product

Keith Spencer, Perth West Australia
July 06, 2010 6:37am

I have known people that have had many side affects from aspartame.

Also it took a very long time to release this product. Companies fought to have it released but couldn't because of how dangerous it is. Finally they decided to release it anyway (after years of a lot of string pulling and convincing of stupid people that it was okay), regardless of the three scientists that said it should not be released as it is very dangerous.

To those who want to know... Read the book "Skinny Bitch" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin and see the REAL truth about "Aspartame".

AJ, Wollongong
July 12, 2010 5:35pm

I think it does a service to indirect straw-man argumentation to lead off a skeptical story with the <em>worst</em> drivel that has been written against Aspartame.

From the above posts, and just too much of the proverbially inadmissible 'anecdotal evidence', I have come to the conclusion that Aspartame makes way too many people feel headachy, or otherwise crappy, to attribute it to the rarity of phenylketonuria.

I don't recall having any problems with Aspartame myself, but saying there are no health issues with it because 'all' it does is produce a feeling of general sub-clinical, but real, crappiness is hardly an advertisement for the stuff. I'll abstain.

And if millions of people are being left feeling sub-clinically crappy, without quite being able to put their finger on the source, that's an economic issue in terms of job, social, and educational performance.

Obviously there are the lucky dozens, supra, who have been able to pinpoint their malaise: Aspartame makes them way too crappy-feeling to ignore. I'm thinking of millions of crappified people who still swill Aspartame-laced Doctor Pepper, and as well as (maybe) getting fatter, may have a generally run-down feeling, but don't know why.

I would conclude, at the least, at any rate, that malaise, if not <em>health</em> risks, formally speaking are as much to aspartame's charge, that the foil-hat-attired might well battle with the substance. They may be doing society some inadvertent <em>good</em> for a change.

dan, University of British Columbia
July 12, 2010 9:26pm

Re, comment: "I'm thinking of millions of crappified people who still swill Aspartame-laced Doctor Pepper, and as well as (maybe) getting fatter, may have a generally run-down feeling, but don't know why."

Erm... maybe getting fatter? The whole point of "diet" version made with an artificial sweetener is that it contains no calories.

DeusExMachina, Ohio
August 20, 2010 9:45pm

Giving only an annectdote here. But I have noticed in my experience that the majority of folks who claim to feel bad after consuming any given e-number only notice this after the fact. Theywill drink coke,dr p, sunny delight, milkshakes,or anything else and not complain of headaches. But will then see a tv show, email, or report, and the next time they have a run of headaches assume it was additive x and change their drinking habit.

In most cases they wont even check the new drinks ingredients, tomake sure additive x isn't there.

Oh and im not talking about people with allergies or have spoken to a doctor, just folks who want to. "Play it safe". Who knows, they may have been right, or they may have given themselves a placebo effect.

Tom H, Kent, UK
August 22, 2010 1:13pm