Artificial Sweeteners and Their Serious Side Effects

A lot of products have it, but the gums are most troubling to me since it is consumed in great quantity by young people!

Most sweetners have side effect and should on no account be used. I don't use any so I don't really know what Splenda is but I suppose that it is also a sweetner. People here in France must have been complaining so now most of the sweetners you see in the supermarket all of a sudden contain Stevia which is natural. I have just done a google on Splenda and found out that it hasn't been sold in the supermarkets here in France since 2009 but it seems to be a decision on the part of the manufacturer.

Maybe a silly question but why would you want to counter the effect of aspartame, a chemical nobody should actually eat?

Hi Francisca,

This was actually meant for those who still continue to consume it (and other chemicals in processed food). I saw the other thread here on Aspartame and its side effects. I for one avoid that, MSG, high fructose corn syrup, nitrites and nitrates like the plague.

Hi Francisca -

Not silly at all. I ate a lot of MSG once (on accident) and my legs actually started to go numb, along with a killer headache. I read the label on what I had eaten about an hour prior, and realized my mistake. I then looked up on the internet how to make it better - and the site I found listed taurine, B complex, and water (as in drink a LOT of water to dilute your system). I took a B-100 complex vitamin, and drank two big 16 oz. Glasses of water, (I didn't have any taurine) and within an hour I felt about 75% better.

Scary stuff the additives put into things that you don't even realize until you eat them. A person can't read everything. I try, but every once in a while something slips by me. It is nice to know that a huge hit of the B's will help with the NEUROTOXINS (that's what I call them now).

Carly :-)

Here's my experience with aspartame: About 10 years ago, back when I enjoyed chewing gum, I was fixing up my condo to sell it, doing physical work daily and having severe muscle spasms in my back, especially my upper back. The pain was so severe that I went to a massage supply store and bought this hard plastic curved device that let me push the hard end into the spasming muscles to try to get the spasm to stop. It worked marginally and I managed to get the condo fix-up done. I don't remember why or how the pain stopped but it did and the plastic device went into a closet for years. (I do know that at some time back then I gave up chewing sugar-free gum bc I realized it caused me some gastric distress. ) Fast forward to early 2010: I'm working at my office as a tax preparer and times are hectic and stress is high. I decide to treat myself to chewing gum, even tho it has aspartame which I've avoided for years. Quite frankly, I forgot exactly why I'd avoided it! Anyway, I started chewing quite a bit of it - probably 8 to 10 pieces daily, thinking that just some chewing gum wouldn't bother me. I had probably gone through 5 large packs already when, while just sitting at my desk one day, the very same muscle spasm pain stabbed through my shoulders. I knew instantly that this was the same pain I'd experienced while working on my condo years ago. It was very distinct. I took the remaining pack of gum and got rid of it. The pain went away after that day and did not return. I am convinced that I must have been chewing gum with aspartame back 10 years ago and gave it up - never realizing it's connection to the muscle pain I had then; Never connecting giving up the gum to the vanishing back pain. Glen Beck is suffering ill effects right now that could be side effects of aspartame. From what I've read he's been alerted to the possible connection but is not taking it seriously. I hope he takes a serious look at the possibility. I know it's real and severe.

I know the feeling! I had it with MSG a few years ago. I ate a big bowl of chicken ramen soup (the really tasty cheap stuff) and within 15 mins I could barely even walk! I immediately went to the soup container to read what was in it... Yep, TONS of MSG (it was listed right up there first, along with "hydrolized this and hydrolized that" which is just another name for MSG. I went online to see what might help, and they suggested taurine (which I didn't happen to have on hand) and B vitamins. I took a couple of multi balanced B's and a LOT of water and started feeling better in about an hour or two. It was odd though... Never got the MSG headache, which I normally would have after eating MSG.

Anyway, thank for the heads up on Aspartame. I now attempt to avoid all of the crud the food manufacturers keep trying to push at us. They make it so hard to know what we are eating with all of the MANY names for these evil things. It is true, if it comes out of a box or a bag - it is usually not good for you. Best, Carly

Here is my story. And Lizz, how long did it take you to feel 100%? I am on week 5. Now I am just getting over a bad cold/sore throat too.

About 14 months ago I started getting really sick. It began with being constantly dizzy and having a ringing in my ears. Of course I went to my doctor and an ENT and they said this would go away and it was simply fluid in my ears. In the following few months I began to feel extremely fatigued and flu-like. This seemed odd to me because I was a healthy and active 27 year old woman with no health issues. Again, I went to my doctor and I was told it was simply a "viral infection."

This fatigue and dizziness quickly started to spawn out into a multitude of other symptoms including abdominal pain, headaches, tingling in my fingers and toes, muscle twitches, chronic muscle/nerve pain and insomnia. I went to several different doctors wanting second opinions. They tested me for things like MS, Lupus, Lymes Disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Finally, I was sent to a specialist and diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.

I was not convinced of that diagnosis being it seemed to come on so suddenly and out of the blue so I continued to search for answers. Over the next several months I would see more doctors and specialist yet find no answers. It felt like poison was flowing through my body. I thought my life was over and the vibrant, energetic woman was gone forever. My condition was so bad that I was forced to go on a medical leave from my place of employment while I got my health taken care of. Simply getting out of bed was a huge challenge for me.

Finally I demanded a referral to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. While being treated at Mayo I went through about 30 different tests and procedures again looking for serious conditions such as MS, Lupus, other autoimmune disorders and GI disorders. I also had several MRIs, CT scans, X-rays, endoscopy, colonoscopy and bone scans. The medical bills continue to mount up. Finally, the last doctor I would visit was a GI specialist. We talked about a few things and she really wasn't sure what the issue was either. She did mention something about if I chewed gum or drank diet sodas. I told her I chewed some gum but I blew off that as the cause of any issues.

Over the next few days I was thinking again on her odd question about gum and pop. I thought to myself why would she ask that question? Is there something in gum and pop that would cause such things? I looked at the nutritional information on the pack of gum and it contained something called "aspartame." In this great age of the internet I did some quick research and was astounded at the debilitating effects aspartame can have on someone's body and mind. Yet, I wasn't convinced that my gum could be practically killing me.

After some careful thought I decided I would remove all aspartame from my diet just for a few weeks and see what, if anything, happened. To be honest, I was a bit skeptical. As a side note, I would say that I was addicted to gum sometimes consuming more than a pack a day. So giving up this addiction was hard for me.

Well here I am having completed only a few weeks of eliminating aspartame and I can say I am shocked and in almost disbelief! The very next day I was feeling an improvement. My dizziness started to decrease, my muscle pain minimizing, the fatigue, abdominal pains and twitches all improving. I went through this experiment for several days before telling anyone I knew just so I wouldn't seem to jump the gun.

In all 14 months of my debilitating condition I had seen no improvement at all. I had seen dozens of doctors including chiropractors and natropathic doctors with no help and finally some relief was coming. It makes me passionately ill that our government allows this toxic substance to be added into things that we consume. If this substance is not taken out of items on the market it should at least include warnings or recommendations for consumption. I had no idea that what I was putting in my body was killing me. I spent thousands and thousands of dollars looking for answers when I could have just taken a few things out of my diet. What else is this substance doing to other people around the world without them knowing?

Gillian, if you want further information about the dangers of artificial sweeteners, you may want to check out a bona fide doctor's site - Dr. Joseph Mercola (mercola.com). Just search for artificial sweeteners. He's a medical doctor who did extensive research on how harmful these concoctions are. Since you are diabetic and are looking for an alternative to sugar, have you tried stevia as a sweetener? Good luck!

Gillian, Perhaps Earthclinic is not the site for you. You believe everything you read on Snopes.com and question hundreds of strangers giving personal accounts of the devastating effects of artificial sweetners? Do you really believe with all the government has invested in the development and sales of such products, you are going to find they will post anything negative about them whether or not it is true? My friend is a nurse at Westchester Medical Center. She works with a doctor who worked on the team to develop Splenda and told her never to consume it. I don't know about you but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Why would aspartame be approved/sold if it was harmful? The short answer is profits and politics. A more detailed and disturbing (and very long) answer, with extensive verifiable references and sources, can be read here: (a link supplied by wikipedia)
http://dorway.com/dorwblog/?page_id=24

There is still much controversy about the safety aspects of artifical sweeteners, but in this case I think I'd rather err on the side of caution. But perhaps it's just because I am biased and view all frankenfoods with grave suspicion. As a pretty basic biological life form, I'm convinced I'm not evolved enough to benefit from manipulated 'food' like margarine, hydrogenated oils, MSG etc etc and am rather concerned about how pervasive it is in our 'food chain'.

I happen to have very bad reactions to artificial sweeteners, aspartame being one of them. I believe all the nonsense and think that any thing that has a chlorine atom forcibly attached to a sugar molecule (aka splenda), or something that for the love of God wasn't even allowed to be sold to the public until an insider worked at the FDA and pushed the approval through. Maybe you should look at the CDC information about it, or how about the FDA report of side effects. They used to have them online. They have all of the not so believable evidence in them, just look for it.

Non-artificial=better.

My opinion of your opinion is take what you need and leave the rest. This site is to share experiences, not for bashing.

Never mind the aspartame, splenda, saccharin...take a chill pill :)

I had tried Stevia but found it a bit bitter and also it altered the flavor of my tea slightly. I have just tried Truvia, which I understand to be based on Stevia, and it's great. As sweet as sugar, but calorie-free and no aftertaste/bitterness.

Hello Gillian from Portland, Oregon:

May I suggest that you rely more or your own brain, while you still have it, because no one or no organization is infallible, including your revered Snopes. Do your own search. I just now typed in scientific reports on aspartame in EC's search window and clicked on search web. Guess what? The first scholarly reports, were from aspartame itself, and their opinion apparently was based on studies bought & paid for by aspartame. The next ones I clicked on were not paid for by the aspartame manufacturers and had very different opinions than aspartame had. May I suggest that you read a book titled "Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills" by Russell L. Blaylock. I have read it and have great respect for this neurosurgeon's intelligence and opinion, because he obviously has done his homework before writing the book. That neurosurgeon who stuck his neck out trying to save our lives had to have researched every study done on both monosodium glutamate and aspartame. The fact that the most recent anticonvulsants are monosodium glutamate blockers says volumes to me. Dr. Blaylock cites they are saying backs up their claims of safety on MSG and aspartame. He also corresponded with those who performed those studies and he tells us exactly how they skewed the studies to come out with the result they desired to retain the FDA's GRAS rating. In one study, they even used a placebo that had the same unwanted side effects (placebo's are supposed to be sugar pills) and in their study reported results "at least as safe as the placebo". In my opinion, this is scientific horse manure and lies. Read his book to find out how some of the other studies were skewed just as badly. Dr. Blaylock states that aspartame kills off one type neuron in our brains and nervous system and aspartame kills off another type of neuron and that the most deadly form of MSG of all is any hydrolyzed plant (corn, soy, pea, etc) protein because hydrolyzed plant protein contains both MSG and aspartame. I have looked up a few of the studies he cites and found that he is telling it like it is. Dr. Blaylock states that no matter what kind of brain it is, chicken, dog, cat, rat, etc., if the study is continued for l3 weeks the brain has the same damage as the Alzheimer's patients. The latest thing I have read on Alzheimer's is that it is hitting people much younger than before and those with no family history of it. The latest report on the age of onset was then down in the 30's. That is a big drop in age of onset from the prior 60's and 70's. Wonder how long it will be before it starts in the teens or younger?

When it comes to safe levels, to really get an idea of how much of these toxins you are ingesting, find a site on line giving names they hide MSG under, make a written list of these and then go to your kitchen and start reading ingredient labels on everything to eat or drink. So far you only have to look for aspartame, NutraSweet or Equal because I don't think they have started bogus names for it, but I won't be surprised to learn that have since more people are getting wise to what it causes. Start reading ingredient labels. I have found a can of canned turnip green and the same brand's can of black eyed peas, both of which listed monosodium glutamate, natural flavors, and hydrolyzed plant proteins.

I have seen books on excitotoxins written by other doctors recently but Dr. Blaylock has covered this subject thoroughly and convinced me I can do without excitotoxins.

While you are on line, search Metabolic Syndrome X, which orthodox medicine now calls insulin resistance. You will find that insulin begins with hyperinsulinism, progresses (in most cases) with weight gain, hyper cholesterol, hypertension, to diabetes mellitus, type 2. They changed the juvenile onset and adult onset to type 1 and type 2 because we even have toddlers developing type 2 now. I am sure that you already know all the cardiovascular problems, blindness and others that come along as complications of diabetes, type 2.

There is another book titled "The Carbohydrate Addict's Healthy Heart Program" by Richard & Rachel Heller, and cardiologists Dr. Vagnini. It shouldn't take you long to learn that both of the above toxins cause us to produce excess insulin which starts you down the trail to diabetes type 2. Try eating their way and see if their opinions make the grade. I can vouch for the fact you will lose weight without being hungry all the time. The best way to prove or disprove something is to try it for yourself whenever you can. This is your mouth, your brain, your body and no one else can do it for you.

The fact that the MSG and aspartame manufacturers haven't hauled Dr. Blaylock into court says volumes. The know the truth will out if they do! Have fun researching and eating nutritiously, Gillian.

By the way, Gillian, I notice you didn't mention the wood alcohol in aspartame, which became well known for causing blindness during prohibition/bootlegging days. One of those scientific studies you can look up is the effect that aspartame had on the eyes of the mice or rats. Personally I prefer to stick with natural sweeteners until independent studies declare them safe.

For all the defenders of a toxin like aspartame we could only wish they would conduct 'scientific test studies' on themselves and their own children and families before they take their profits or their paychecks.

My mom died a slow horrible death from a rare disease called Progressive supernuclear palsy (PSP) in 2006. PSP is a neurodegenerative brain disease that has no known cause, treatment or cure. It affects nerve cells that control walking, balance, mobility, vision, speech, and swallowing.

I sincerely believe that it was caused by aspartame, especially the diet Jell-O she loved that required adding boiling water to dissolve it. I had tried to warn her about it but her doctor told her I was wrong. Dudley Moore died of the same disease-I wonder if he was an aspartame user.

When you know it's a fact that most millionaires and billionaires have been traditionally made by turning whole populations into drug addicts, it becomes easier to understand why so many people are destroyed by drugs, alcohol, tobacco and now the sweetest drug of all-sugar. Starbucks has done very well financially pushing addictive caffeine too. Refined sugar has exactly the same effect on our bodies as heroin and in my opinion, it's carboncopy aspartame is just one more profitable sneaky killer.

Hello Gillian, Just read your posting on aspartame/Splenda(2/2009. With all due respect to Snopes, they are not infallible, as shown in their recent switch on President Obama's birthplace.

I strongly suggest you find a more reliable source for your medical information in the future. I also don't trust the FDA's "GRAS" rating for neurotoxins monosodium glutamate/ aspartame/sodium fluoride either.

Since you are a diabetic and in need of information for self care, there are two books that I recommend. One is "The Carbohydrate Addict's Healthy Heart Program" by Richard and Rachel Heller and Dr. Vagnini, cardiologist. The second one is "Excitotoxins:The Taste That Kills" by neurosurgeon Russell L. Blaylock. From the Heller's and Vagnini,you will learn a simpler and easier to understand way to eat to control your weight and your diabetes. No calorie counting or food exchanges to figure out. Just a healthy way of eating and eliminating a couple of offending toxins from your foods. (That toxin elimination is the hardest part because one of them is hidden under many different names in ingredient lists, so you will have to learn to recognize those names for monosodium glutamate. Fortunately, aspartame is usually listed as aspartame, NutraSweet or Equal.

In Blaylock's book he only writes about what the excitotoxins do to our brains and central nervous systems. Fortunately the two major excitotoxins are the same two toxins that the other book talks about making our bodies kick out excess insulin. Blaylock must have researched every study ever done on monosodium (MSG) and aspartame before he wrote his book and he tells you that every study that said they were safe were paid for by the manufacturers of these toxins that are making so many chronically ill. He names the studies and tells you how they were skewed to make the results what the manufacturers wanted the FDA to hear and pass onto the public. I believe Blaylock is right when he says that the only reason the people getting rich poisoning us,hasn't hauled him into court is because they know that he has been in contact with the people doing all these studies and that he knows how they were skewed to come out saying they were safe, and they know that if these facts were brought out in court, their game is up.

To better understand what excess insulin has to do with your diabetes, go online and type in "Metabolic Syndrome X" for a search and read it thoroughly. The doctor who came up with his theory that diabetes mellitus is not a disease itself, but only another development in a long line of symptoms beginning with increased insulin production, wt. gain, elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes mellitus and all the other cardiovascular problems that follow it. This dedicated doctor spent 25 years proving his theory and it has been on the internet for at least 10 to 15 years now. Orthodox medicine finally admitted he is right, but they decided to call it "Insulin Resistance". Ironically, orthodox medicine is still beginning initial treatment of diabetes type 2 with oral hypoglycemics whose purpose is to induce the pancreas to produce more insulin. Think about this and ask yourself a question: "If excessive production of insulin is what caused the problem, wouldn't eliminating what causes the excess production be a better way to treat it?" maybe even to get rid of it?

Our physiology instructor at Vanderbilt (l978) threw out the information that we don't know why but most over weight people have 8 times the normal amount of insulin circulating in their blood. I asked which came first, the excess insulin or the excess weight and was told "We don't know". The Hellers and Vagnini answer that question and the other one I didn't ask since they had no answer to the first one. That question is:
what makes us kick out excess insulin?

Blaylock tells us that MSG kills off one type of neuron and aspartame kills off another type of neuron. This is why he states that any hydrolyzed plant (corn, soy, pea, etc) protein is the most deadly form of MSG because it contains both MSG and aspartame, killing off both types of neuron.

You can quickly get an idea of whether you are on the right track for your health by testing your blood sugar while eating the Heller's way and compare that to how it runs by following your present diabetic diet. Give it an honest try and let Earth Clinic readers know how works. I can personally vouch for the Heller's instructions being easier to understand, that it works, you will lose excess weight without feeling starved and deprived all the time because the blood sugar doesn't bottom out due to excess insulin making you hungry all the time.

Aspartic acid is a well known excitotoxin and so is monosodium glutamate or MSG. In the long run it's going to destroy the immune system through a neurodegenerative disorder. Once the excitotoxins is destroyed the immune system is down. Now in a pharamaceutical formulation adding this results in the need to take that since you get sicker and so you might feel some relief, the long term is it's going to make a person sicker, which result in greater sales for product with excitotoxins added. Now imagine a child who is a borderline autism, ADHD, these can result in many other neurodegenerative disorders and metabolic acidosis. As for me decades ago I took accidentally soft drinks with aspartame resulting in deafness, but also a permanent partial macular degeneration of the eyes. So the systematic destruction is almost wholesale if given long term use. Luckily Emergen C is not sold in Thailand, although some friends of mind given me this, I don't take it. I prefer to buy bulk vitamin C and mix them myself. There are other excitotoxins, but aspartic acid, aspartame, monosodium glutamate, and glutamic acid are the most well known.

There are other things people need to know that also accelerates aging process besides excitotoxins, well known in research circles, they are ketones and aldehydes. In one study, 36 out of 37 perfumes contain ketones, commonly in the form of musk ketones. Aldhydes are perfumes used in many cometic products, such as Chanel No. 5, but also in many consumer products, such as detergents and soap. The third common one is the bisphenol A, which acts like estrogen found in nearly all canned products that have plastic linings, and benzene, a degradation of sodium benzoate is found in most soft drinks.

I remember a newsreporter who uncovered U.S> black ops, that appeared on "What's My Line", a close friend of Marilyn Monroe, before both are dead mysteriously and the drinking water were heavily added using fluoride and LSD. Thus fluoridation and chlorination, if some of these are used in assassinations, I doubt I want to use them in my drinking water supply.

Therefore most effervescent products sometimes they are not labeled so I ended up calling the factory sometimes. One easy way to measure excitotoxin poisoning is tthat the urinary pH suddenly become very acid, such as pH 5.5 or lower and even taking more baking soda barely raise the pH long enough to be satisfactory. Such as it can't raise the pH for the entire day. It also takes weeks for the pH to be near normal after taking b complex and baking soda for a week or two. A long term taking of this can also resulted in higher urinary sugar and damaged pancreas, besides damaging the brain. One of the worse advertisement I have seen is Michael J. Fox supporting Diet Pepsi, which contains aspartame, and he himself has Parkinson's disease, which will make such conditions much worse. The remedy is not to take aspartame for Parkinson's disease or to undergo stem cells, since it's not yet legal at the moment and stem cell research has been blocked for at least 8 years. Methylene blue taken at 2 drops at 0.1% concentration might reverse some of the effects of excitotoxins as it is one of my remedies for Parkinson's disease also.

Taking excitotoxins is a long term damage that may lead to degenerative disorders, metabolic acidosis, and lowered immune system. Therefore I would avoid them as best as I can.

Ted