aspartame anyone?

igloorn93 · Feb 8, 2003

I heard several years ago that they wouldn't allow pilots to fly commercial airplanes if the had ate or drank anything with aspartame in it during the last 48 hours due the the neurologic problems it casues. It lowers their response time dramatically. Personally, I avoid the stuff.

P_RN, ADN, RN · Feb 8, 2003

Brother in laws brother developed optic neuritis....lost vision totally. Ophth. blamed it on Aspartame.

I hate the stuff. Sugar or nothing is my creed.

kittyw · Feb 8, 2003

I use Splenda in moderation (no more than 3 packets a day). I used to get nauseated after eating a candy bar (just one not one dozen!!) so I gave up refined sugar (candy bars, regular sodas, pure sweets) and noticed that I feel soooo much better. Slenda is great for baking too.

mattsmom81 · Feb 8, 2003

Wow..I had no idea my Diet Coke was under scrutiny like this....I will definitely switch to Diet Rite....or better yet plain old coffee (without sweetener) for my caffeine fix...LOL!.

Thanks for all the good info...my hubby had optic neuritis a few years back with no explanation of the cause... but he does drink too much diet soda. And we both have aches and pains that we blame on aging...I'll cut out the aspartame and see what happens.

MrsK1223 · Feb 8, 2003

I used to be a chronic diet coke drinker for many years. I started having memory loss and just a dulling in the sharpness I used to have with thinking. I started reading on aspartame and there are very conflicting statements on aspartame. So it is hard for me to conclude for cetain the affects of aspartame. I even questioned the cok-a-cola company about the effects of aspartame and got a "it's perfectly safe" answer back. I recently had weight loss surgery and I finally was able to cut my diet coke habit cold turkey and carbonated beverages in general and do feel much better. I noticed a big part of my memory and cognitive functions deteriorating while in nursing school. Unfortunately I never saw anyone professional but still feel I have some memory loss but not as bad as it once was.

The aspartame business is a billion dollar business for hundreds of products and companies and none of them are going to admit that aspartame is bad for us....could you imagine the lawsuits????? And probably one that is well deserving to the government that has allowed this chemical into our lives, our foods and drinks.

MomNRN, BSN, RN · Feb 8, 2003

Well this was an enlightening thread! Unfortunately, I am a Diet-Pepsi addict. I can't imagine life without the stuff! I have some minor aches and pains that I attribute to turning 40 next month.

Sometimes the pain is almost debilitating. The physical therapist and physician diagnosed an unstable pelvis due to poor abdominal muscles as a result of 3 C-sections.

Hmmm - now I am beginning to wonder. I think I might cut back just to see how it pans out.

Very interesting!

nursetobe-babe · Feb 8, 2003

waw guys thanks for all the input :)

For about a year now I have been having headaches EVERY SINGLE DAY around 3:00pm... I only use maybe two packets of nutrasweet a week, and one can of diet coke a month... so I don't know if the heaqdaches are aspartame related...

PennyLane, RN · Feb 9, 2003

Blech. I'll take sugar over fake crap any day.

mattsmom81 · Feb 9, 2003

Originally posted by nursetobe-babe
waw guys thanks for all the input :)
For about a year now I have been having headaches EVERY SINGLE DAY around 3:00pm... I only use maybe two packets of nutrasweet a week, and one can of diet coke a month... so I don't know if the heaqdaches are aspartame related...

Have you considered you may be hypoglycemic...if the headache comes on around 3 every day your blood sugar may be dropping...try a higher protein diet for breakfast and lunch snack and see if it improves. :)

Nurse Izzy · Feb 9, 2003

Several months back there was a feature on Fox News about the dangers of Aspartame. It mentioned all sorts of chronic problems that may be attributed and many diseases, such as MS and arthritis, that may be actually an aspartame reaction and not the disease at all. My mother and my m-i-l both have MS and refuse to drink anything with aspartame because it worsens their symptoms. I wish I could find the link to that feature on the FN website...

Jamesdotter · Feb 10, 2003

I, too, am a recently diagnosed type 2 diabetic, and had started to drink diet colas occasionally (not more than 1 or 2 a week). I was blaming my aches on advancing age (lol), but haven't noticed whether the aches followed the beverages. I'll switch to the Diet Rite and see if I notice a difference. Thanks, all of you, for the Heads Up.

allnurses Guide · Feb 10, 2003

Just a little fyi . . .. try reading the internet anti-hoax sites . . there is a hoax regarding aspartame that has been going around for years. It blames the sugar substitute for every imaginable disease on earth . . . and isn't true. I always check out medical info (and other stuff frankly) that gets forwarded to me on the hoax sites first. Don't believe everything you read on the net . . .and I think the low blood sugar thing might explain the headaches.