This week, I'm making the case for aspartame.
In Dyingman 81: An Old Man's Obsession, Soulcaster Tonibell warned me of the dangers of aspartame, a.k.a. NutraSweet or Equal. I have heard several times that I should be wary of aspartame and its detractors are quite fervent in their warnings. I felt it was time to investigate the claims of the opponents and compare them to my experiences with sugar as well as a third possibility that is valid, but unpleasant.
The concerns voiced about aspartame have achieved the level of "controversy according to wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame_controversy#Scientific_Studies
Some of the concerns are over the shoddy work of the FDA in approving Aspartame. Now I'm as willing to look askance at the FDA's
work over the course of 4 pro-business presidents as anyone, but what
is often overlooked is that Europe's Scientific Committee on Food also
approved it and Europe goes ape spit over anything fishy in their food.
(except fish.)
They have been protesting American imported food because of genetic engineering ("Frankenfoods") and additives like bovine growth hormone possibly contaminating milk. This is not a friendly environment for a truly dangerous artificial sweetener. They confirmed its safety in 2002 with a maximum dose contained in 21 cans of diet soda. A heavy day has me drink one third as much. 90 countries approve of its use. (Many more have no responsible body that approves or disapproves anything, so this is a sizable chunk of the entire world. This is not to say that popularity is a measure of truth.)
Symptoms aspartame is supposedly capable of producing include: mental disease, lupus (an autoimmune disease), multiple sclerosis, brain tumors, brain lesions, and lymphoma. Most studies could not reproduce such effects, casting doubt on the few that did and studies cited in warning emails some people have received were performed by "scientists" that cannot be located, and are likely fictitious.
Much of the harm is attributed to the metabolic consequential breakdown products of aspartame: Methanol, phenylalanine,Aspartylphenylalanine diketopiperazine, and aspartic acid.
Methanol IS nasty stuff but the amount of methanol produced by the consumption of 21 cans of diet soda is less than that consumed in some fruit juices and wine. How dangerous then? Maybe we have more to worry about than just diet soda, but that doesn't appear to be dissuading wine and juice drinkers. Fruit juice has a great deal of sugar which has indisputable negative effects on human bodies in commonplace doses.
Phenylalanine and aspartic acid are amino acids we eat in food every day in far higher amounts than aspartame provides. Momentary high levels of phenylalanine CAN cause problems in a very small population that lacks enzymes that metabolize it. I'm not among them.
Aspartylphenylalanine diketopiperazine becomes more of a problem with soda that's been on the shelf a while. It doesn't taste sweet so old soda won't be pleasant to drink. Studies to determine if this stuff could be made into a carcinogen indicated the risk was negligible. Sugar's risk is NOT.
Some studies have shown lymphoma may be increased in consumers of aspartame at slightly above maximum dose. Others claim that the dosages producing these effects were far higher than the maximum 21 cans. This gives one pause and can admittedly give me some concern over my 7 cans. Again, this risk must be weighed against the known, severe effects of excess sugar. Effects may be increased during gestation so I might recommend that pregnant women avoid aspartame. In as much as carcinogens can more readily harm growing bodies, it might be best for pubescent children and younger avoid the stuff as a (possibly paranoid) precaution. In April 2006, the National Cancer Institute 's 500,000+ subject study, ages 50 to 69, found no statistically significant link between aspartame consumption and leukemias, lymphomas or brain tumors. One would think this vulnerable population would be the most likely to demonstrate effects. It didn't. Of 166 studies reviewed, 7 pointed out potential problems with aspartame, all 166 studies more or less trying to say whether aspartame was safe or not. Much of the data would overlap. This suggests statistical outliers or flawed methodology in the 5%. This may just be my wishful thinking though.
Sugar, we know, makes fat, can trigger diabetes, and produces triglycerides which form cholesterol which triggers heart disease. Excess fat can produce inflammatory hormone signals which can cause kidney problems, mental stress, and possible trigger autoimmune disease and weaken blood vessel lining. Multiple scientific studies reinforce these conclusions. No one seems to dispute them.
The third possibility I mention is for me to grow up. I enjoy sweets. I eat treats and when not eating treats, I'm slugging back diet sodas that pretend to be sweets. Properly, I should cultivate a taste for wine, tea, black coffee, ice water, and any number of calorie free, non-sweet beverages and stick to wholesome nourishing food. It may come to that at some point. I'll cover the carb angle in more detail in Part III.
The tea and coffee angle has its own problems with calories as well as the next slow poison we'll go over in Part II.
*DM
Next: Slow Poison - Part II
THE CHART:
The Week of 11/30/08:
Strokes on Bike (daily average) 10
Bench Presses (daily average) 4
Curls (daily average) 0
Lifts (daily average) 0
Stairs (flights per day) 7
Walking (minutes per day) 1
Heavy bag (seconds per day) 0
Dancing (minutes per day) 0
Push Ups (per day) 4
Sit-ups (per day) 2
Effort Grade: D
The Week of 12/7/08:
Strokes on Bike (daily average) 0
Bench Presses (daily average) 0
Curls (daily average) 0
Lifts (daily average) 0
Stairs (flights per day) 9
Walking (minutes per day) 0
Heavy bag (seconds per day) 0
Dancing (minutes per day) 1
Push Ups (per day) 6
Sit-ups (per day) 3
Effort Grade: D
The Week of 12/14/08:
Strokes on Bike (daily average) 10
Bench Presses (daily average) 5
Curls (daily average) 0
Lifts (daily average) 0
Stairs (flights per day) 9
Walking (minutes per day) 1
Heavy bag (seconds per day) 20
Dancing (minutes per day) 0
Push Ups (per day) 4
Sit-ups (per day) 1
Effort Grade: C-
Last Week's Fitness Activities:
Strokes on Bike (daily average) 0
Bench Presses (daily average) 0
Curls (daily average) 0
Lifts (daily average) 0
Stairs (flights per day) 12
Walking (minutes per day) 0
Heavy bag (seconds per day) 30
Dancing (minutes per day) 2
Push Ups (per day) 4
Sit-ups (per day) 2
Effort Grade: B-
Last Week's Fitness Activities:
Strokes on Bike (daily average) 0
Bench Presses (daily average) 0
Curls (daily average) 0
Lifts (daily average) 0
Stairs (flights per day) 3
Walking (minutes per day) 5
Heavy bag (seconds per day) 0
Dancing (minutes per day) 2
Push Ups (per day) 2
Sit-ups (per day) 1
Effort Grade: D
Pulse: 65
Blood Pressure: 113/75 11/28/08
BMI 25 (barely overweight)
Workout Partner's Progress: Position Vacant
PROGNOSIS: Gradual decay of knee function.
POTENTIAL TREATMENTS: Fish Oil supplements. Axillary vacuum curettage.
BLOG STATS
21 Subscribers (Welcome uniquely-ironic, diabolicdame and Me-Myself&I ! Sorry to lose you, Zayda.)
Rank among popular bloggers: Page 14.
Top Blog Entry: 1025 views
13 Blog entries with 400 or more views
They have been protesting American imported food because of genetic engineering ("Frankenfoods") and additives like bovine growth hormone possibly contaminating milk. This is not a friendly environment for a truly dangerous artificial sweetener. They confirmed its safety in 2002 with a maximum dose contained in 21 cans of diet soda. A heavy day has me drink one third as much. 90 countries approve of its use. (Many more have no responsible body that approves or disapproves anything, so this is a sizable chunk of the entire world. This is not to say that popularity is a measure of truth.)
Symptoms aspartame is supposedly capable of producing include: mental disease, lupus (an autoimmune disease), multiple sclerosis, brain tumors, brain lesions, and lymphoma. Most studies could not reproduce such effects, casting doubt on the few that did and studies cited in warning emails some people have received were performed by "scientists" that cannot be located, and are likely fictitious.
Much of the harm is attributed to the metabolic consequential breakdown products of aspartame: Methanol, phenylalanine,Aspartylphenylalanine diketopiperazine, and aspartic acid.
Methanol IS nasty stuff but the amount of methanol produced by the consumption of 21 cans of diet soda is less than that consumed in some fruit juices and wine. How dangerous then? Maybe we have more to worry about than just diet soda, but that doesn't appear to be dissuading wine and juice drinkers. Fruit juice has a great deal of sugar which has indisputable negative effects on human bodies in commonplace doses.
Phenylalanine and aspartic acid are amino acids we eat in food every day in far higher amounts than aspartame provides. Momentary high levels of phenylalanine CAN cause problems in a very small population that lacks enzymes that metabolize it. I'm not among them.
Aspartylphenylalanine diketopiperazine becomes more of a problem with soda that's been on the shelf a while. It doesn't taste sweet so old soda won't be pleasant to drink. Studies to determine if this stuff could be made into a carcinogen indicated the risk was negligible. Sugar's risk is NOT.
Some studies have shown lymphoma may be increased in consumers of aspartame at slightly above maximum dose. Others claim that the dosages producing these effects were far higher than the maximum 21 cans. This gives one pause and can admittedly give me some concern over my 7 cans. Again, this risk must be weighed against the known, severe effects of excess sugar. Effects may be increased during gestation so I might recommend that pregnant women avoid aspartame. In as much as carcinogens can more readily harm growing bodies, it might be best for pubescent children and younger avoid the stuff as a (possibly paranoid) precaution. In April 2006, the National Cancer Institute 's 500,000+ subject study, ages 50 to 69, found no statistically significant link between aspartame consumption and leukemias, lymphomas or brain tumors. One would think this vulnerable population would be the most likely to demonstrate effects. It didn't. Of 166 studies reviewed, 7 pointed out potential problems with aspartame, all 166 studies more or less trying to say whether aspartame was safe or not. Much of the data would overlap. This suggests statistical outliers or flawed methodology in the 5%. This may just be my wishful thinking though.
Sugar, we know, makes fat, can trigger diabetes, and produces triglycerides which form cholesterol which triggers heart disease. Excess fat can produce inflammatory hormone signals which can cause kidney problems, mental stress, and possible trigger autoimmune disease and weaken blood vessel lining. Multiple scientific studies reinforce these conclusions. No one seems to dispute them.
The third possibility I mention is for me to grow up. I enjoy sweets. I eat treats and when not eating treats, I'm slugging back diet sodas that pretend to be sweets. Properly, I should cultivate a taste for wine, tea, black coffee, ice water, and any number of calorie free, non-sweet beverages and stick to wholesome nourishing food. It may come to that at some point. I'll cover the carb angle in more detail in Part III.
The tea and coffee angle has its own problems with calories as well as the next slow poison we'll go over in Part II.
*DM
Next: Slow Poison - Part II
THE CHART:
The Week of 11/30/08:
Strokes on Bike (daily average) 10
Bench Presses (daily average) 4
Curls (daily average) 0
Lifts (daily average) 0
Stairs (flights per day) 7
Walking (minutes per day) 1
Heavy bag (seconds per day) 0
Dancing (minutes per day) 0
Push Ups (per day) 4
Sit-ups (per day) 2
Effort Grade: D
The Week of 12/7/08:
Strokes on Bike (daily average) 0
Bench Presses (daily average) 0
Curls (daily average) 0
Lifts (daily average) 0
Stairs (flights per day) 9
Walking (minutes per day) 0
Heavy bag (seconds per day) 0
Dancing (minutes per day) 1
Push Ups (per day) 6
Sit-ups (per day) 3
Effort Grade: D
The Week of 12/14/08:
Strokes on Bike (daily average) 10
Bench Presses (daily average) 5
Curls (daily average) 0
Lifts (daily average) 0
Stairs (flights per day) 9
Walking (minutes per day) 1
Heavy bag (seconds per day) 20
Dancing (minutes per day) 0
Push Ups (per day) 4
Sit-ups (per day) 1
Effort Grade: C-
Last Week's Fitness Activities:
Strokes on Bike (daily average) 0
Bench Presses (daily average) 0
Curls (daily average) 0
Lifts (daily average) 0
Stairs (flights per day) 12
Walking (minutes per day) 0
Heavy bag (seconds per day) 30
Dancing (minutes per day) 2
Push Ups (per day) 4
Sit-ups (per day) 2
Effort Grade: B-
Last Week's Fitness Activities:
Strokes on Bike (daily average) 0
Bench Presses (daily average) 0
Curls (daily average) 0
Lifts (daily average) 0
Stairs (flights per day) 3
Walking (minutes per day) 5
Heavy bag (seconds per day) 0
Dancing (minutes per day) 2
Push Ups (per day) 2
Sit-ups (per day) 1
Effort Grade: D
Pulse: 65
Blood Pressure: 113/75 11/28/08
BMI 25 (barely overweight)
Workout Partner's Progress: Position Vacant
RECENT SYMPTOMS : Skin peeling between toes.
ONGOING SYMPTOMS: Clicking knees, Pain in right knee when kneeling and shifting knee to the right. Hyperhidrosis.
DIAGNOSIS: Suspected neuroma or hairline fracture to foot. Unknown injury to right knee, possible impact from small stumble (c. 2006) onto landing of concrete stairs. Injured knee joints from sprinting (c. 2007) Foot fungus.
DRUG REGIMEN: Aspartame. (3 diet sodas daily) Caffeine (three cups of coffee daily. two colas.)ONGOING TREATMENT: Tri-Annual dental visits, Meta-tarsal pad in shoe
PROGNOSIS: Gradual decay of knee function.
POTENTIAL TREATMENTS: Fish Oil supplements. Axillary vacuum curettage.
BLOG STATS
21 Subscribers (Welcome uniquely-ironic, diabolicdame and Me-Myself&I ! Sorry to lose you, Zayda.)
Rank among popular bloggers: Page 14.
Top Blog Entry: 1025 views
13 Blog entries with 400 or more views
