Alright, so I ended up causing quite a stir with my post about artificial sweeteners yesterday, and today I’m back to share some research as promised. When talking artificial sweeteners, there are generally two major concerns:
1. Safety
2. Fat Loss
Let’s discuss the research surrounding both. First up, safety.
1. Butchko HH et al. Aspartame: review of safety. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2002 Apr;35(2 Pt 2):S1-93.
In this 2002 paper, over 20 years since the food additive was approved by the FDA, a comprehensive review of all aspartame research to date concluded that aspartame is indeed safe when consumed by normal humans in acceptable amounts (more on acceptable amounts in a minute).
2. Magnuson BA, Burdock GA, Doull J, et al. (2007). Aspartame: a safety evaluation based on current use levels, regulations, and toxicological and epidemiological studies. Crit. Rev. Toxicol. 37 (8): 629-727.
Now more than 25 years later, another safety evaluation found that the weight of existing scientific evidence indicates that aspartame is safe at current levels of consumption as a non-nutritive sweetener.
3. Gallus S; Scotti L, Negri E, Talamini R, Franceschi S, Montella M, Giacosa A, Dal Maso L, La Vecchia C. (January 2007). Artificial sweeteners and cancer risk in a network of case-control studies. Annals of Oncology 18 (1): 40-44.
This study analyzing over 15 years of research showed a clear cut “lack of association between saccharin, aspartame and other sweeteners and the risk of several common cancers”
4. Lim U, Subar AF, Mouw T, et al. Consumption of aspartame-containing beverages and incidence of hematopoietic and brain malignancies. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers Prevention 2006; 15.
In 2006, the US National Cancer Institute concluded in a study of over a HALF MILLION men and women aged 50 to 69 that there was no statistically significant link between aspartame consumption and leukemias, lymphomas or brain tumors.
A study of over a half million HUMANS showing no statistically significant link between aspartame and cancer, and three other 15-25 year comprehensive reviews of ALL the available research, all finding that aspartame is indeed safe when consumed in acceptable amounts.
That sure seems to ring more factual than someone’s “conspiracy” website to me.
Now, I could have sat here and listed out a couple hundred papers showing no statistical significance, but instead I chose to list the review papers who already included that data in their 20+ year review.
So, you’re probably wondering what’s “acceptable”?
You’re bound to find this interesting…
Based on all available research, scientists first determine the maximum amount of a food ingredient that can be safely consumed daily over a person’s lifetime. Then, just in case they screwed up by 10,000%, they divide this number by 100 and call that the ADI (acceptable daily intake).
Just in case you didn’t get that, the ADI is actually 100 TIMES LESS than what has been scientifically determined to be safe, as an extremely conservative precautionary measure.
So what’s the ADI for aspartame?
The ADI for aspartame has been set at 50mg/kg of body weight (again, this is 100 times less than what has been determined safe).
But to even reach the ultra conservative ADI, a 150-pound adult would have to consume about 20 12-oz. diet carbonated soft drinks, or 33 8-oz. servings of powdered soft drink, or 42 4-oz. servings of gelatin, or 97 packets of tabletop sweetener each and every day.
And people are still worrying about safety issues based on a couple studies done on RATS being fed the aspartame equivalent of up to 2,000 cans of Diet Coke daily. No, that is NOT a misprint.
Before going any further, let me just clarify my recommendations.
1. I do not think non-nutritive sweeteners, particularly aspartame as it’s perhaps the most studied nutrient of all time, are the devil.
2. Despite the ADI, I do not recommend anyone drink 20 diet soft drinks or use 97 packets of Equal daily.
3. If you are drinking a caffeinated beverage, such as Diet Coke, etc, then I would recommend you limit your intake to one can per day.
4. If going with something non-caffeinated, you can be a little more liberal, but the bulk of your daily fluid intake should still come in the form of good old fashion water.
5. In Summary: Drink at least a half gallon of water daily, but feel free to enjoy other non-calorie drinks in moderation (1-3 beverages per day)
6. Lastly, if you personally as an individual experience adverse reactions like headaches, dizziness, etc, due to the use of aspartame, then don’t use it. Just realize that you fall into .0000001% of the population and shouldn’t preach your personal experience as truth for all. One of my friends is allergic to chocolate, but she doesn’t go around telling everyone else that it’s poison.
So it looks like my recommendations are actually 1,000 times less than what has been determined safe, and I’m pretty comfortable making that recommendation.
Alright, this post is already going longer than I anticipated, so I’m going to save the research on non-nutritive sweeteners and weight loss for tomorrow.
At least 100 comments and I’ll be back tomorrow with that data (which you’ll probably find even more interesting).
In clarity and moderation,
Joel
P.S. My friend Isabel kind of bashes artificial sweeteners in the below video, and while I do NOT agree with that stance, I do agree with just about everything else she shares for losing up to 10% of your unwanted body fat in the next 30 days. You can check it out here for some eye-opening, actionable tips:
How to lose up to 10% of your unwanted body fat in the next 30 days <——- Click here
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It is not odd that some people have an adverse affect with Aspartame. We culled all the cows because a handful of people developed CJD from Mad Cows Disease. Ephedrine was banned in the US (not here in the UK though :)) because some youngsters thought it would be good to take and drink heavily with resulting in tragic consequences.
Why do people constantly jump on the “unsafe” bandwagon just because a few people out of 6 billion worldwide have problems with it?
I loved reviewing all the comments. There is just a ton of info on both the pros and cons. However, I am still a believer of nature over science. We as a nation are one of the unheathiest in the world. We have just a ton of health issues in this country. I would reason we have to ask ourselves why. Could it be we are just bombbarded with to much fast food, junk food, processed food, drugs, heavily chemicalized city water, and the list goes on. Bottom line, pay attention to your body. If your having health issues, don’t find a bandaid for it, find the root cause and make the adjustments. It may be a matter of getting back to nature and eating and drinking pure good foods. Just beware of man-made products. Making things cheap with big profits are goals of many big businesses. Thanks to everyone for sharing.
just in case theres only 99 here :-)
Originally Posted By SteveI have been taking artificial sweeteners for 47 years (I am a Type 1 Insulin Dependent Diabetic).
I have 10% body fat and am 59 years old.
All the crap about the “dangers” of artificial sweeteners, I believe through personal use, is ridiculous.
What we need to get, as many of us do, these individuals to do is get off their ass and start moving with intensity and eating more nutritiously.
Following all the advice you provide!
thanks.
On insulin since he was 12 – ouch, but his WISDOM is sound.
1. move more and with more force
2. eat better
to that i’ll add the simplistic
a. smile, laugh, choose to be happy
b. enjoy what you do – or stop doing it
you really do only go around once in life – go for all the gusto!
INteresting, but what does the research show about the safety of these artificial sweetners with respect to liver, kidneys, and cardiovascular system.
For case studies based on “research” you only have to google it for the wiki page on all these artificial sweeteners, and there is research saying bad things and then others canceling them out (probably company’s buying doctors off like the cigarette company’s did along time ago) but even if thats not true there is still not 100% proof it IS not bad for you, not 100% that it IS but why take that risk? I’m sure not going to take a gamble on my life.
Oh dear Joel, just gets worse… :)
I live on vegan and rawfood things, so this this has no direct relevance to me personally.
Really pleased that you have opened this up and got so much contribution though. I don’t doubt that there are many who get problems from high intake or high sensitivity. Also know people who are are potentially mis-diagnosed given the contributions here, and have suggested that they examine things from this new perspective. Forum does not stop here…
Perhaps a few more controversial subjects then?
Nice post Joel, and some great tips at the end too.
As with any argument, there are always two sides and we could sit here forever, literally, and swap research stories arguing each side’s version and no doubt lay down plausible research material. But who’s right? And who’s to say who is and who isn’t?
Don’t be offended by this, but research papers or not, this proves absolutely nothing in favour of, or against artificial sweeteners. It’s one person’s or persons vs. that of another or many. It’s exactly the same with say global warming, 2 very good cases but who’s right? We all view the world with our own versions of what is right and wrong based on own set of values.
From a fitness perspective, they are NOT necessary and I personally don’t use them anymore where it can be helped. It is also my personal experience that weight/fat loss is far more effective when “artificial” products are removed from the body, allowing the body to process natural foods in a way it was meant to in the first place.
There is an old saying, “Common sense is not so common…” and I think it’s the only real way to determine whether or not artificial sweeteners are good or evil, or even necessary at all.
So, common sense would tell me the following:
1. The word artificial is a pretty big red flag that would question the need for it
2. If you are using it to avoid excess calories, you’d be far better finding a natural alternative or removing the need for sugar altogether, or even better, exercising more to balance out the equation. Food is pretty exciting stuff and the person that invented it was even clever enough to add it’s own natural sugar!
3. Soft drink/sodas, etc. would have to be a main contender here and do we really need to be drinking this crap?
4. Go out and find aspartame in the natural environment if you can find it. It’s just not a natural product, but you can justify anything if you want to.
5. What are the financial benefits for those who oppose these products? Are there any? I can’t think of any off the top of my head, but I can think of plenty for those who potentially funded the studies so that everyday people will continue to consume their products.
Mike Geary, no doubt you know him, is a big anti this whole topic and of course has the exact opposite studies to the ones presented here.
As with everything, you are left to make up your own mind based on your values and view of this and any other topic. It’s a great one to discuss Joel, and I think you put it across very well for both sides of the fence.
Regards, Clayton
Personal Trainer | Adelaide, Australia
@Clayton –
BRAVO Clayton – I really could not have said it any better! I see common sense can prevail.
John Kellner
Saskatoon, Canada
Originally Posted By TonyHey TW,
As I sit here reading this and drinking my nice, cold Diet Coke, all I can say is…..oh my God, I forgot what I was going to say. How can this be? What’s happening? It’s like you prophetized my demise. Why didn’t someone warn me?
Please! Someone HELP ME! HELP ME PLEEEEASE!!! MY BRAIN CELLS ARE DYYYYYING!!!
No really, I can’t remember my name. And I’m getting a headache. No, Wait! Tens of thousands of us are dying EVERY DAY!
We’re littered all over the place; dead on the streets, in movie theaters, at the beach…EVERYWHERE. Riddled with cancer and brain lesions. Dead, with Diet Coke cans still clutched in our hands. Were doomed. It’s over. We’re done. Good bye.
Why didn’t someone warn us 25 years ago and save the millions of us who have died of this poison over the years? All those unexplained deaths. Now we really know what caused them. Thanks TW.
(Doesn’t Coca Cola know that if they kill me I won’t buy anymore Diet Coke?)
Now, that’s an intelligent argument. your attempt at ridicule only proves that you’re a rude person.
Considering that aspartame is in thousands of products and they have millions upon millions of people consuming it, to the tune of about $2 billion a year – NO, I don’t think they care if you die. They know it’ll be a slow addictive death and will have gotten out of you what they want.
As far as what you’re saying, for your sake I hope you’re right that it is safe. but then for all the 10s of thousands of complaints to the FDA, THEY MUST BE CAUSED BY SOMETHING ELSE. and we’d better discover what it is. Because there are MILLIONS of people suffering ill health and the numbers are rising rapidly. (you think the health care industry’s in sad shape now – wait another 10-20 years!)
The above links I provided are into peer-reviewed research by many institutions that were not funded by the industry. Again, available for you to check out for yourself. Don’t let your position prevent a full investigation.
I’ve been closely monitoring the aspartame debate for many years (about 10)and have looked rather deep into many studies and data. I am especially glad that many supplement companies are doing the same. Sure, some are responding to bad publicity and market trends. But there are those that have dug deep and then have quickly removed aspartame from the ingredient list. And there are safe, healthy alternatives that do taste rather good.
Years ago when aspartame was introduced, I was really excited because diet soft drinks did not taste as bad as they had. At the time I didn’t “need” to drink lower calorie drinks, because I did not have a weight problem. I just liked the idea of the freedom of fewer calories consumed. That is until I began connecting the migraine headaches I was getting EVERY time I consumed aspartame. No aspartame, no headache. “Research” claims that aspartame has nothing to do with headaches. It has NEVER made a difference whether I knew what I was consuming at the time or not, I STILL got the headache that nothing would relieve.
In light of my personal experience, I really do no believe what the researchers have to say about the safety of any product for human consumption that is made in a laboratory. If the phenylneukotroics warning is on the label, then, really, how can it be safe for everyone?
Hi Joel,
The Cheat your way thin is working for me so a big thank you. I have lost a couple of pounds and 1% body fat in the first 10 days. My head is clear and feeling good. All the best.
Regards,
David (Australian Believer!!!)
Clayton,
go find natural Oats, go find natuaral milk, go find natuatal eggs, go find natual sugar. Unless you want to chew on sugar beet or cane you will not eating natural.
Nothing is natural anymore. Unless you go back to the lifes of our grand-grand parents.
Originally Posted By TonyI love these comments:
“It’s artificial, ergo your body does not know what to do with it”
Ok, then explain why our body does a very good job of metabolizing and excreting the THOUSANDS of artificial drugs manufactured and taken everyday by millions. (if you think it doesn’t, back it up with your expert knowledge on pharmacology, biochemisty, physiology and kinetics).
“They are all in the pockets of the pharmaceutical companies. Why didnâ��t you put any â��researchâ�� from independents?
Yep, just as I predicted…the big conspiracy theory. People love a conspiracy as it can explain away anything valid. They can’t refute an individual study on its merits (design, methodology, bias, statistical significance,), but will package the whole school of information as part of a big conspiracy. Every single researcher, scientist, assistant, reviewer and journal IN THE WORLD is in on this big secret conspiracy with Monsanto, J.W. Childs and Merisant (who have bought all of them off). Amazing! Then, they bought off the whole government, too. Someone should make a movie!
“Dr. Blaylock, one of the most respected neurosurgeons in the country says: â��The ingredients in NutraSweet [aspartame] literally stimulate the neurons of the brain to death causing brain damage of varying degrees.â�� ”
Respected? I guess not by his peers. You don’t hear this being said by the thousands of other neurologists in practice today (and not trying to sell a book). Oh, I forgot. They’re obviously in on the conspiracy, too. He is unpublished in any highly respected peer reviewed neurology journal on this subject. He is only published on this subject in “Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine”. More fuel for the conspiracy argument!
This is hilarious!
Why do you attack people for posting things contrary to what you believe. Are you afraid of possibly being completely wrong? Russell Blaylock, MD is also on the Scientific Advisory Board of LifeExtension.org. He’s a board certified neurosurgeon, author and lecturer. Please don’t drag his name through the mud to prove your point.
@Galina – While I agree with you on the fact that many things have become overly processed, etc. I would heavily disagree that “nothing is natural anymore.”
The last time I checked, we are all free to make our own decisions, and what more important one than the food and drink that does into our bodies. We were given just one (body), and we are responsible for doing everything to make it the best one we can.
I understand your point, but the way you present it is very negative and defeatist and almost sounds like, “why bother?”
Regards, Clayton
Personal Trainer | Adelaide, Australia
@John Kellner – Thanks John… That is kind of you to say. Yes, sometimes it gets lost amongst all the “facts”, just like in this excellent debate that is going on here.
Have a great weekend mate.
Regards, Clayton
Personal Trainer | Adelaide, Australia
I just want to thank you for this report information, Joel. Being diagnosed with type-2 diabetes 5 yrs. ago, you tend to try to find out as much information as you can. So many different produts are out here, you’re not sure which one is best. Do you have any input or opinion about the products, stevia or xylitol, do you know if they are good alternatives to artificial sweetners? Please let us know.
@Tim – Funny you should mention rat poison. One of them is called Warfarin. Its other use is as a drug to thin the blood if you have high blood pressure. One man’s meat is another man’s poison!
I have not had any adverse effects from artificial sweetners but my wife developed “dry eye” and was prescribed Restasis at about $100/month. I read somewhere that artificial sweetners can be neurotoxins and can cause, among other things, “Dry Eye”. My wife discontinued using Aspartame and within 3 days her “Dry Eye” was gone. She inadvertently consumed some and it came back.
That little tidbit of info saved us $1200 a year and my wife’s eyes.
You call that research?
It’s Nothing more than BIG PHARMA “Drug Comapny” sponsored BUNK!
so, are artificial sweetners good, bad, or have no effect to weigt loss?
what about building muscle?
Gooday everyone, l’ve looked at these artificial sweetners before, in my research l found an article that said Aspartame is okay untill you heat it up to about 90 degrese faranhiet, and then it changes it chemical compound, it changes into a different chemical called phermaldhyde, and they use that to emboarm the body’s in the mortuary”s after death, how hot is the normal human body?96 degrese, so after you drink that crap it turns into poison, nice aye?! they don’t tell people that one do they? how much more are they not telling us.?!! sorry about the spelling, see you.
The studies that Joel mentioned are only for serious diseases like Cancer and Leukemia. Nausea and headaches are reason enough for me to avoid Aspratame an the like. Only a fool would go on consuming something that he knows from experience makes him feel sick just because research argues against imperical knowledge. I don’t care how much you want to tell me that the emporers new clothes are fashionable, if he looks naked… well then he’s naked. The same goes for Aparatame.
Joel,
This is my last post in reply to any and all of your topics because you obviously are using these hot topics for free publicity and it looks like this one backfired!
hi Joel,
I didn’t get a link re a new thread about Stevia and Agarve… I cant seem to find this on the site either…
Did you do a post on these natural calorie free sweeteners?
anne
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Hey, it’s Joel! So you want to know a little more about me, huh? Well, I’d be happy to oblige :-)
I guess it all started back in 2001 (my freshman year of college) when I was just a “skinny fat” 19-year old kid. At the time, I was spending close to 2 hours a day in the gym (now my workouts last about 30 minutes), and despite my efforts, you’d probably never guess I worked out a day in my life by looking at me...read more