Aspartame

[For want of a better word]

HELP... despite having abundant quantaties of natural sweeteners in our larder and generally shunning any of Monsanto's chemical destructors, occasionally I will put a fruit concentrate drink in my shopping trolley.
To my horror I found that Lidl are using ASPARTAME in their soft drinks aimed at children.
ASPATAME (Nutra sweet) is linked to numerous medical and psychological conditions, so why in hell it is being put in our food ?

 

[oliver90owner]

Certainly not the right section and probably not even the fight forum. Go tell Lidls is my suggestion?

 

[For want of a better word]

Certainly not the right section and probably not even the fight forum. Go tell Lidls is my suggestion?

Obviously a touchy subject!​

 

[mbc]

I agree, I wouldnt feed that devils piss to children

 

[dpearce4]

I didnt know it was made by Monsanto.

I have never used it and never will but that is more to do with i cant stand the aftertaste of any artificial sweeteners. i find they taste really bitter.

 

[Jimmy]

I didnt know it was made by Monsanto.

It isn't, but scare mongering is better if the M word is mentioned.

 

[chrismcd]

Having grandparents with diabetes makes you keener to use sweeteners.

According to the Urban rumour I was told. Aspartame was discovered by Searle and Monsanto (who then made saccharine) tried very hard to get it banned. Thus Aspartame is about as tested as any chemical in the world.

Unless you suffer from phenylketonuria you are probably as safe with aspartame as anything else.

Lidl are nothing if not varied in their sweetener sales. I buy sodium cyclamate and acesulfam from them since they are vastly cheaper than anywhere else ( I am told that this is because Lidl do "cost plus" pricing rather than "charge as much as you can get away with").

Apparently Monsanto got cyclamate banned until their research was shown to be seriously biased. http://www.janethull.com/askdrhull/article.php?id=022

Bitterness in sweeteners may be due to impurities in manufacture - particularly of saccharin - or to individual differences.

I use Hemecetas, but avoid Sweetex and sucralose since they taste foul to me

 

[Brosville]

Try the "checkout test" - one day when you're languishing in a supermarket queue, have a quiet look at those also waiting, and the contents of their shopping baskets - I can guarantee that 9 times out of 10, the grossly porcine will be toting vast bottles of "Diet" fizzy pop (containing Aspartame)...chicken or egg? - I have read that it can upset one's brain chemistry, leading to obesity and depression - quite apart from that it tastes utterly disgusting, and leaves a revolting "metallic" tang for ages - ten foot bargepole job!

 

[susbees]

Aspartame? Never enters the house. It metabolizes to something resembling embalming fluid, has a terrible after taste and is avoidable.

As for the diabetes argument....eat less sugar! And MSG which kicks the eat more button and makes for "larger" people more generally prone to diabetes.

 

[Drew]

Try the "checkout test" - one day when you're languishing in a supermarket queue, have a quiet look at those also waiting, and the contents of their shopping baskets - I can guarantee that 9 times out of 10, the grossly porcine will be toting vast bottles of "Diet" fizzy pop (containing Aspartame)...chicken or egg? - I have read that it can upset one's brain chemistry, leading to obesity and depression - quite apart from that it tastes utterly disgusting, and leaves a revolting "metallic" tang for ages - ten foot bargepole job!

Try my checkout test one day - If you see a beardy weirdy wearing sandles, cordroy trousers with a thick "indian" pullover, he is probably driving a VW Camper Van will buy a monster bag of Lentils, is a vegitarian/vegan will probably smell a bit and is almost certain to bore you sh*tless about the evil conspiracy of BigAg and other Satans....... or is that possibly just slightly too much stereotyping???

 

[AndreaW]

Aspartame? Never enters the house. It metabolizes to something resembling embalming fluid, has a terrible after taste and is avoidable.

It converts to Formaldehyde - which isn't stopped by the blood brain barrier. Won't let my kids near it. Interestingly, and a sad state of the times, it is near to impossible to get squashes for kids without it in!

I used to know a dental nurse who incidently told me that diet pepsi etc with sweeteners was actually worse for your teeth than full fat!!!!

 

[tonybloke]

Try my checkout test one day - If you see a beardy weirdy wearing sandles, cordroy trousers with a thick "indian" pullover, he is probably driving a VW Camper Van will buy a monster bag of Lentils, is a vegitarian/vegan will probably smell a bit and is almost certain to bore you sh*tless about the evil conspiracy of BigAg and other Satans....... or is that possibly just slightly too much stereotyping???

 

[Erichalfbee]

It converts to Formaldehyde - which isn't stopped by the blood brain barrier.

How much are we talking about here?
As much or more than that from car exhausts,gas cookers and open fires?

 

[jimbeekeeper]

Try the "checkout test" - one day when you're languishing in a supermarket queue, have a quiet look at those also waiting, and the contents of their shopping baskets - I can guarantee that 9 times out of 10, the grossly porcine will be toting vast bottles of "Diet" fizzy pop (containing Aspartame)...chicken or egg? -

Not always!

But the 10 buckets of KFC and Mc D will not be helping.

Nothing is bad for you, just limit your calories. Andy everything in moderation.

Oh and as RAB says, Should be Off topic section

 

[JamezF]

Oh, please.

I see no particular reason to use aspartame or eat things containing it personally, but please don't repeat the drivel that the scare-mongers spew all over the internet about it causing brain tumours or turning to formaldehyde or increasing cancer incidence. If you must repeat such claims, at least find some proper, peer-reviewed scientific research that actually substantiates what you're saying. (Oh, I forgot -- all the scientists and publishers are on the payroll of the aspartame producers, right?)

James

 

[JamezF]

How much are we talking about here?
As much or more than that from car exhausts,gas cookers and open fires?

Less than you get if you drink apple juice, orange juice, wine, brandy or many other drinks. Of the things you'd probably prefer not to ingest, formaldehyde is also present (I believe) in shampoos, bubble bath, deodorants, mouth wash and other "hygiene" products.

Aspartame is broken down by the body into a small number of chemicals, one of which is methanol. The body handles methanol by processing it into formaldehyde and then into formic acid. Both formaldehyde and formic acid are very poisonous and will cause death in sufficient concentration, but a healthy body can deal with them at very low levels.

Methanol is also present in the juice of fruit high in pectin and citrus fruits and, unless it's specifically been removed, in many products made from them. I think it's also a breakdown product of some drugs. Apple juice is, as far as I recall, anything from 0.1% to 1% methanol depending on how the juice is extracted. It's processed exactly the same way (ie. to formaldehyde and thence formic acid) in the body.

The most recent research I could find when I looked (a couple of years ago) suggested that the levels of formaldehyde produced in the body as a result of the consumption of what might be considered "normal" levels of aspartame are not significant when compared with the levels present as a result of normal activity.

(I admit it's a struggle to find this stuff out though -- there's an awful lot of discredited research, PR and unreviewed work out there, on both sides of the argument. Neither am I a biochemist. When we reached the point where we were considering that it might be acceptable for our children to have drinks that might contain aspartame, I just felt that I should try to get a proper understanding of the issue rather than blindly accept what the scare-mongers and conspiracy theorists would have us believe.)

James

 

[jimbeekeeper]

I used to know a dental nurse who incidently told me that diet pepsi etc with sweeteners was actually worse for your teeth than full fat!!!!

And it is also proven that apples are worse for your teeth than fizzy drinks!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2046847/An-apple-worse-teeth-fizzy-drink.html

 

[Brosville]

"(Oh, I forgot -- all the scientists and publishers are on the payroll of the aspartame producers, right?"

This old chestnut surfaces again! Like it or not, where multinationals and their output are concerned fortunes are being made from the products (as dwarf the GNP of many third-world countries), so there are vast vested interests in preserving the market for their products - fortunes will be thrown at hushing up damage, and the general "whitewashing" of the product - sadly there is very little genuinely independent research or testing of such things, and it is very difficult to find the truth out about any of them (so there's little point in muttering about "definitive proof")
"We were considering that it might be acceptable for our children to have drinks that might contain aspartame" - rather than trying the impossible (getting the truth), it is far better to apply some good old fashioned common sense and scepticism - first of all, ask yourself if the substance in question is utterly indispensable (is it necessary or life saving?) - in the case of aspartame, it is neither
- are there substitutes that have been around for thousands of years that do the same job about which we know any dangers? - yes, there's sugar and honey for two..........
-has the substance been around long enough that we know definitively of it's long-term safety? - in the case of aspartame, no we don't....
Is it a highly profitable product? - most certainly! (which with the history of highly profitable chemicals should at the very least raise doubts)

So on balance, would I give it to my kids? - most definitely not! If they're overweight, get them to eat less fattening foods and get them into healthy habits, not try to fool their bodies with "artificial sweeteners"...

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Certainly not the right section

- I've no problem with this stuff being posted on the forum but can it be kept in the appropriate section where those of us who like to bury our heads in the sand can ignore it.

 

[For want of a better word]

- I've no problem with this stuff being posted on the forum but can it be kept in the appropriate section where those of us who like to bury our heads in the sand can ignore it.

I only posed the question concerning this food additive as it was being put into a drinks product that was boldly labeled contains no artificial colours or flavoring !
And as expertise in sweetness is an essential part of this forum...


|I have no idea how to put specific topics into the correct posting title
Tractor Man will inevitably enlighten us no doubt as it seems he is the one who has all the indisputable answers to everything !