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Diet Soda
Dear Jill,
I am wonder why drinking diet soda is not a good idea? I picked that up from perusing your website.
Kim C., La Crosse, WI
Hi Kim,
Thank you for asking why drinking diet soda is not a good idea. The real problem lies in the artificial sweetener, NutraSweet, also known as Aspartame. This artificial sweetener has been found to cause seizures in otherwise healthy children who do not have epilepsy. Residuals from this artificial sweetener can also build up in the brain and may be related to brain tumors and other neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, and systemic lupus.
Participants in my weight loss classes (over the past 11 years) have always lost weight very quickly (as much as 1 pound/day) when they decreased or gave up their diet soda consumption. I never really understood why this happened, as they weren’t drastically decreasing their intake of calories. I researched it and found out the reason why. These same participants were also the ones who claimed the greatest improvement in mood and energy levels.
10% of aspartame is methanol, a wood alcohol. When heated above 86 degrees, as it often is for artificially sweetened products, the wood alcohol converts to formaldehyde, which can be deposited into the fat cells. The preferred location is the fat on the hips and thighs.
50% of aspartame is Phenylalanine, an amino acid normally found in the brain. It can decrease levels of serotonin (a calming, feel-good hormone) in the brain and lead to depression.
40% of aspartame is Aspartic Acid, which acts as neurotransmitters in the brain, sending information from neuron to neuron. Too much of this stimulation allows excess calcium into the brain and kills neurons. This triggers excess free radicals, which are the building blocks of cancer.
The recommendation that comes from the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation is that “if you are using aspartame and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms, numbness in your legs, dizziness, headaches, joint pain, depression, anxiety attacks, blurred vision or memory loss, you need to stop consuming it immediately.”
Sorry to ramble on, but this research is being ignored by the FDA. My next project is to educate Americans about the health hazards of their artificially sweetened products.
I hope this information has been helpful to you. Please email any further questions that you may have to Jill@ThinChoices.com.
My best, Jill
February 2, 2005 | Permalink
Comments
I found this information helpful, however, what do you think about Spenda?
Posted by: Kathy | Feb 3, 2005 6:35:17 AM
I am interested in what you think of Splenda and saccharin. Recently I have incorporated Stevia into my diet...I would also like to know if you consider that product a suitable substitute for sugar. Thanks.
Posted by: Elaine | Feb 3, 2005 8:05:58 AM
I found this information to be EXTREMELY helpful. I used to drink ALOT of diet pop, and have since stopped. Two questions: Is carbonation (flavored seltzer water, etc) a healthy alternative? Also, any information on Splenda?
Posted by: | Feb 21, 2005 11:23:13 AM
I also was interested in your thoughts of the comsuption of Splenda and also Stevia. Thanks a lot!
Posted by: Constance | Mar 10, 2005 5:58:32 AM
In response to the above questions regarding Stevia: This is an excellent sugar substitute and because of the strong taste- it is an even better substitute for people who are used to Diet Sodas; s Aspartame also has a unique taste. Stevia is an herb that has been used safely and traditionally for centuries. Splenda, however, is also an artificial sweetener. As a nutritionist- I would advise against using anything with Splenda until further research is done. The massive marketing campaign is frightening because the same campaign happened with Aspartame. The commercials said "safe for kids" and then the truth comes out. It is impossible to patent Stevia and make money off of it so it is not massively marketed or researched, however it does have a long & safe history of use.
Posted by: Carina | Apr 12, 2005 12:53:58 PM
Why is it impossible to patent Stevia and make money off of it?
Posted by: | Jul 19, 2005 11:52:49 AM
Hi, I just read your article on how Diet soda can be bad for you. A I am sure that you have got some good points there but I drink Diet soda every day and some how I still manage to lose weight. But you do weigh some good points thought, because I have noticed a little more weight around ny thies and hips than the norm. You have written a very good article and thanx for the information that I needed. You have answered a lot of my questions and I have aloso gathered a lot of information from your website.
Thank You
Leanne Nicole Sawtelle
8/16/05
Posted by: | Aug 15, 2005 11:59:21 AM
please comment on sweet & low
Posted by: peggy | Oct 21, 2005 7:26:40 AM
MY DOCTOR TOLD ME THAT WE HAD TO CHANGE MY SON DIET . SO THEY WANT ME TO GIVE HIM DIET SODA AND SLENDA AS A SUBSITUTE OF SUGAR IS IT A GOOD IDEA . IF NOT WHAT SHOULD I DO? HE IS ONLY 3YRS. PLEASE EMAIL ME ASAP.
Posted by: LAKESHA | Jan 13, 2006 8:59:22 AM
HE IS A VERY HYPER LITTLE BOY AND I WANT THE BEST HELP, BUT ALSO SOMETHING THAT WON'T CAUSE HIM TO GET CANCER OR ANY THING ELSE THAT COME ALONG AS HE GET OLDER.
Posted by: LAKESHA | Jan 13, 2006 9:02:13 AM
I HAVE BEEN DRINKING DIET DEW FOR 30 YRS 3 OR 4 A DAY AND I AM STILL HERE.......BUT.......IF IT IS REALLY THAT BAD FOR YOU I WOULD CONSIDER TRYING TO QUIT.
Posted by: George | Mar 1, 2006 10:55:33 PM
I was drinking diet soda for about a year and it did help me to take off at least 10 pounds. BUT as time went on I grew extremely irritable, dizzy, and suffered from occassional headaches and blurred vision. I frequently felt like I was just going to shut down, even while driving, something would just come over me and I had to struggle to stay awake. I couldn't figure out why until I heard some negative comments on the radio about diet soda. After I had been drinking it for about a year I had started to get extremely hungry and I did gain weight around the hips and thighs that I never had before and I am still trying to lose! So, personally, I feel that it is very dangerous. I was very afraid, especially when driving my kids to and from school. I also forgot to mention that I was experiencing anxiety attacks, feelings of clostrophobia when anyone would hug me, and night sweats and sleeplessness. I thought I was starting early menopause, even my menstrual cycle changed. I have since then stopped drinking diet and have had no such symtoms. I'm so glad I found out what it was, I'm afraid I might not be here otherwise, I got really bad. So much so that I went to the hospital because I was so dizzy that I was falling over, but they did numerous tests and couldn't find anything. Anyway, I hope this will inspire you to stop drinking diet, it really is harmful in the long run.
Posted by: | Mar 7, 2006 12:07:36 PM
You're full of shit. Go piss on yourself.
(I lost 20 pounds by drinking diet soda.)
Posted by: WD | Jun 9, 2006 2:57:16 PM
I so agree about the artificial ingrediets, I used to be very fat when I ate all artificial chemicals that said fat-free and sugar free, this just means more fake, un-natural, sodium, preservatives & junk that does not help your body function at it tip top performance. Now that I have degree in Holistic Health I know what our bodies need to be healthy, and I would never go back to my ignorant, unknowing ways. I would never even think twice about grabing a diet soda, my body has always told me NO and never liked them, thank-goodness! Now I eat all the good fats, eat whole fresh vegetables that I grow in my garden and eat a fresh fruit when I want something sweet. My fav drink is water with a squeeze of lemon or lime (which is fab for flushing your body out first thing in the morning after a long night of holding all those toxins in) I also add a few mint leaves which I also grow. I make all my treats from scratch using raw cocoa powder which is great for protecting your body from cancer cell reproduction and sweeten with raw honey or stevia. I have never looked better and feel amazing, our bodies have a miraculous ability to heal themselves when given the proper nourishment and that means no more toxins or artificial ingredients. I am so thankful for what I have learned about nutrition and love helping others to make healthier choices too! I just can't imagine why people put stuff in their bodies that serves no purpose or offers no nutritional value, once they know better. Instead of focusing on being on a diet look at it as a healthy life-style then all the fat-free sugar-free diet junk won't jump out at you and make you think it will help you become healthy and skinny, I know from experience that wasn't the way for me.
http://www.newstarget.com/019398.html
Here's a great article about the flavonols in cocoa.
Posted by: Happyhealthy1 | Jun 15, 2006 4:58:03 PM
YEAH YEAH BOOGIE NIGHTS
Posted by: Johnie Walker | Jul 6, 2006 2:08:47 AM
We will appreciate more information of the "evils" of diet sodas. Our cousins are avid Pepsi soda consumers. Both getting too fat went to diet Pepsi with a constant large glass full with them at all times. Now the man has diabetic and his wife just had a brain tumor removed. Plus both overly heavy. Can you comment on this? We love them and wish to help them in any way. Thank you so much.
Posted by: | Jul 24, 2006 4:11:36 PM
well,i have multiple sclerosis.i just found out about this aspartame news today.i drink and have drunk aspartame for many years.i started feeling bad a few years back and seem to be getting worse over the years.i guess my cystal light will be going in the garbage immediatly,and i will see if i get any improvement with my symtoms.i also have the weight problems too,and my legs always feel like jell-o.i guess i need to consult my doctor about this and see what he has to say about it.
Posted by: matt | Oct 17, 2006 12:38:18 PM
Wow, I will put my diet sodas at the trash now! I do believe in this and I have basically all the symptoms that you said, specially memory loss and I see some little lights sometimes in the air, so is my vision that maybe getting bad.
I love diet sodas but this will kill me little by little and bring me diseases when I get much more older, I think.
Thank you, you save me!
Posted by: Eliana | Jan 18, 2007 8:57:44 AM
ZEVIA is a new natural alternative to diet soda. ZEVIA contains Stevia through a patented formula that eliminates the bitter after-taste that some associate with Stevia. ZEVIA is available in cola, orange, and twist (lemon-lime) flavors. ZEVIA is healthier and tastes better than diet soda. Although I must disclose I am the president of the company, I am proud of ZEVIA because it tastes so good and contains only natural ingredients. Once you try ZEVIA, you will never drink a diet soda with artificial sweeteners again.
Posted by: Derek Newman | Jan 31, 2007 11:16:03 AM
I'm curious why you didn't address the question about sweet & low that was posed a few questions back? I'm sure that there are a number of people besides myself that would like to see you answer.
Posted by: | Jun 25, 2007 4:13:30 PM
For those asking about Sweet & Low...
Sweet & Low = Aspartame. It is also known as Equal. Those are just trade names for the exact same thing.
Posted by: EyesWideOpen | Jun 29, 2007 11:20:20 AM
Sweet & Low is saccrin not aspertame but it is just as bad.
Posted by: | Jul 17, 2007 8:40:23 PM
My ex-husband used to go into rages after hot days and a lot of diet soda. Also, a co worker is addicted to diet soda and is the poster child of anxiety and depression. I plan to show this posting to her.
Posted by: Pacsun | Aug 6, 2007 7:51:59 AM
i've had systemic lupus since 1992.
i've3 quit drinking diet soda many times. then i get sucked back in and addicted to it. i find i can't be a "casual drinker" when it comes to diet soda. I either have to be "cold turkey" (none at all) or be a slave to it and have at elast 2 per dayu, 3 if i'm more active.
i poured my diet coke down the drain several days ago. i'm jsut so tired of feelign sick and tired, and as someone who is spending $800 a month on meds, and has been throuhg kidney failure 3 times and a stroke, anemia, neopathy, migraines, axiety, depression, and edema (swollen legs)... it's just nto worth it. if there are natural things i can do to improve my health and take fewere meds and spend less time in the waiting rooms, it costs me little (esp compared to doctor and hospital co-pays and prescriptions, not to mention my life coming to a standstill)...
why not consume things in a natural form?
if the whole idea makes you so angry that you must post profanities, why? why does this uipset anyonw s o much? if you think it's garbage, then just move on and browse some other page. if you're so defensive as to be hateful to someone whose motive is not profit but reducing disease and increasing quality of life, why lash out at them? are you feeling angry at the idea of giving up your beloved diet soda? could that be it?
Posted by: cu | Oct 18, 2007 11:00:35 PM
Did you know in 1979, the FDA established a Public Board of Inquiry (PBOI) to rule on safety issues surrounding aspartame. A yr later, the PBOI concluded that aspartame should not be approved pending futher investigations of brain tumors in animals, and based on its limited review, the PBOI blocked aspartame marketing until the tumor studies could be explained. But in 1980, Ronald Reagan was elected President of the USA and his transition team included Donald Rumsfeld, CEO of G.D.Searle. According to a former GD Searle salesperson, Patty Wood-Allott, Rumsfeld told his sales force that, if necessary, "He would call in all his markers and that no matter what, he would see to it that aspartame would be approved that years." (Gordon 1987, page 499 of US Senate 1987). Not surprisingly, the transition team picked Dr. Arthur Hyll Hayes Jr. to be the new FDA Commissioner. Hayes was widely profiled as a man who believed that approval for new drugs and additives was too slow because"the FDA demanded too much information. WHen liquid aspartame is stored in temperatures above 85 degrees Fahrenheit, it breaks down into DKP and formaldehyde, both of which are known toxins. Despite the public outcry, in 1983, the FDA approved aspartame for soft drinks and the first carbonated beverages containing aspartame were sold for public consumption. Shortly after aspartame was approved for beverages, complaints began to arrive at the FDA. dizziness, blurred vision, memory loss, slurred speech, headaches, and seizures were common with consumption of drinks containing aspartame. They received over 10,000 complaints. The USDept of Health and Human services released the listing of adverse reactions reported to the FDA. Aspartame accounted for more than 75% of all adverse reactions. aspartame can cause brain tumors and brain cancer, and violates the Delaney Amendment which forbids putting anything in food you know will cause cancer. Dr. Adrian Gross told Congress this and his last words to Congress were "And if the FDA violates its own law, who is left to protect the public?" [Congressional Record SID835:131(August 1, 1985)] Dr. Ralph Walton MD reviewed all 400 aspartame studies of those 166 studies, 74 were funded by GD Searle, 85 were independent, and 7 were funded by the FDA. The results will amaze you, but probably won't surprise you. Of the 74 studies funded by Searle, 100% of them gave aspartame a clean bill of health. However, of the 85 studies that were NOT funded by Big Pharma or the FDA, 84 of them (99%) found aspartame to be dangerous to one's health. Dr. HJ Roberts, MD published the medical text "Aspartame Disease: An Ignored Epidemic" which contains over 1,000 pages of symptoms and diseases triggered by this excitotoxin, including the sordid history of its approval. Got a sweet tooth? I recommend stevia, an herbal sweetener, as a healthy alternative.
Posted by: Toni Ivers | Jul 16, 2008 11:45:23 AM
