Diet - Really?

Diet Beverages and Artificial Sweeter Aspartame


I used to think that a diet coke would be less bad for my health than a regular coke. Yet there happens to be evidence to the contrary. If you look at most diet drinks you will see and ingredient called aspartame. This is an artificial sweetener with zero calories.

Less calories... hmmm... that's good! right, because calories are bad.

This is what many diet drink commercials lead you to believe. Yet the lack of calories doesn't make it a health beverage by a long shot. When I search aspartame the first result speaks volumes. This website called the health report states that aspartame is responsible for three fourths of complaints issued to the FDA. It also states that aspartame causes cancer and neurological diseases.


http://douglassreport.com/reports-2010/x600hc03-aspartame/x600hc03-home/?gclid=CL-7vej3gagCFYS8KgodpGINqQ

There is also a website called aspartame.net which exists to tell you that aspartame is healthy. It doesn't cause headaches and doesn't cause children to develop ADHD. If you click on ADHD there is a Google scholar link that states that there is no link between aspertame and ADHD. Aspartame.net also says it is tooth friendly because it doesn't promote tooth decay and is endorsed by the ADA (American Dental Association).

Many experts claim that it is perfectly healthy for consumption by anyone. Yet H.J. Roberts MD states that the energy spike created by drinking a beverage with aspertame may cause: headaches, mood swings, memory loss, dizziness, depression, insomnia, diarrhea and anxiety. This is all discussed in his book called "Aspartame: (NutraSweet), Is it Safe?"

There is a book called Sweet Deception by Joseph Mercola which states that senior FDA officials tried to prevent the approval of aspartame due to disturbing levels of brain tumors in lab animals.

Back in the nineties as a kid I distinctly remember that on the back of artificial sugar packets it explicitly states that this product gave lab animals cancer. Now that warning isn't there. Is it possible that it was bad for business?

Sweet Deception describes some of the FDA consumer complaints some where as follows: aggressive behavior, disorientation, hyperactivity, extreme numbness, excitability, memory loss, loss of depth perception, liver impairment, cardiac arrest, seizures, suicidal tendencies, severe mood swings and death.

There is even a site called aspartame kills which goes into great detail about how it does it. Yet even to the layperson this website doesn't come across as exactly bibliography worthy. I am not saying that this site filled with lies. I am simply saying that it won't hold up as a credible source. The trouble here is that it becomes really hard to know who is lying and why. Also the danger here is that while we are trying to figure out the truth many people can get hurt.

Of course companies can lie about the safety of their products. Also, it is feasible that they could get some government officials to agree. Also it is possible that some "expert" can write a book about some controversial subject to get money. The dilemma at hand is who to trust. I personally rarely, if ever, drink soda. As a kid I drank a lot but now I know to be healthier. I remain skeptical about aspartame because I know that conflicts of interest are a plenty. I would chose to avoid it because no one wants to be a Guinea pig.