Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes

emergen-c caused a herpes simplex outbreak. I was shopping at Trader Joes and I picked up a pack of emergen-c. thinking that it will supply me with needed vit-c. I took one packet right at the store with water that I bought there. I felt really weird after taking it. I read the ingredients and I noticed natural flavors and natural sucrose. I know from previous time that anything edible containing natural flavours it is MSG. No sooner did I get into my car to leave,my lip became inflamed and I had the start of a cold sore. I returned to the store and got my money back. I later spoke to the manager about the situation and he said he cannot pull anything off the shelf. It has to be done by headquarters. Now I only depend on good quality Vit C. Emergen-C is on my not-to-buy-list!
EC: Read the rest of this thread on Vitamin C side effects here.
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes

I regulary have outbreaks of coldsores, although they seems to be to two different types.
The first type - normal, typical ones that are on the lips, they start small with the tell tale tingle and spread, with recovery expedited with the use of Acyclovir.
The second type are a bit different these seem to be a much larger pre-determined size,they have more smaller fluid filled welts, a far greater distance from my lips either on the tip or side of my nose or upper chin. They do not have the tell tale tingle, nor do they do respond well to acyclovir.
The second type I used to strongly believe was an allergic reaction to either bannanas or artificial sweeteners as opposed to coldsores because of these differences, however medical tests confirmed that they were cold sores. I currently avoid both potential triggers and seem to get far less outbreaks, however artificial sweetners are almost impossible to avoid.
Who knows!!??
(Tigard, Or)
09/26/2009
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes

I found this site while looking up lysine, and was shocked to read about a link between outbreaks & artificial sweeteners. I've had herpes for about 3 years now (that I know of anyway- Aug. 2005 was my first outbreak ever), and I've been outbreak-free since that first one up until about 3 months ago. I could not figure out why all of a sudden I was getting an outbreak a month but then I figured it out tonight- DIET SODA! I switched from regular coke to coke zero roughly 3 months ago & that's right when all the nerve pain & outbreaks began! God no wonder. I know for a fact I have a good immune system & I'm not under a lot of stress, so I was beginning to get scared. Just bought a new case of coke zero tonight & it's going right back to the store tomorrow. I'm going to try some of the remedies listed on the site, thanks.
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes

Thanks for the information about artificial sweetneers link to herpes outbreaks. I recently had been chewing sugarless gum and sugarless mints and had a few outbreaks during a 3 week period. I now know that it is probably linked. I can't afford the Valtrex to take all the time and started taking Garlic twice a day and haven't had any breakouts. I was reading over this site and there is a lot of talk about Lysine, I am going to research that as well. About the Stevia (Sweetleaf) it is wonderful and natural. Forget the artificial sweetners, they are not good for you!Thank you everyone for your help!
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes

Herpes outbreaks: stay away from aspartame, please read labels before u eat food. aspartame is in following. NO SUGAR-LESS GUM - stick to breath mints instead. NO DIET SODA- stay away from all diet products, drink water or regualar soda NO SWEET & LOW or any sugar substitute, they all trigger herpes. stick to regular sugar. i've had no outbreaks in the last 4 yrs, stay away from doctor prescribed herpes medication, they don't work. aspartame triggers outbreaks, please do your research. www.aspartamekills.com
Hello Harry, Read the ingredients on those breath mints, especially if they say sugar free, because many of these also contain aspartame. There is one sugar substitute that has been found safe (so far). It's called stevia and comes from the leaf of a plant. Has a slight licorice taste, but I like it. It can be found in any health food store - I have also been told it can be found in some of the grocery stores now. The price will seem to be very high until you find out how little you use, compared to sugar. I believe that l tsp of stevia is equal to one cup of sugar. Try it and I think you'll like it. Also for any virus you may get in the future, including herpes, you will find that 2 grams (2000mgms) of L-Lysine 4 times a day works better & is much cheaper than the prescription antiviral drug!
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes

I just wanted to say that I am so AMAZED and the info that i received here. I just recently found out that i was exposed to herpes (whatever that means) and i have lil to no outbreaks. I have been paying very close attention to what triggers them. I just so happened to come across this website and was snooping around and found the section where they discuss the outbreaks from artifical sweetners. I was in the midst of drinking sugar free red-bull and had been drinking those for two days prior to reading this. Low and behold, the follwing day i was having slight pains "down there" and i could not believe it..i was living proof that the reaction is VERY REAL!! so to anyone new to this page and are reading this..trust that this section is true and validated!!!
I also wanted to say that i have been drinking my ACV and i haven't felt a differenct yet, but i am glad just knowing that i am taking the steps needed to obtain the best health possible! thanks you all!!
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes

I have experienced cold sores since I was a child. They are the kind that starts at the corner and spread across the whole lip. So naturally it affected my life in a very negative way, but there is hope. I recently saw that sunlight causes 1 in 4 cases so I used sunscreen on my face and lips, and I was cold sore free for almost 2 years. I say almost because at the end of september, I got a really bad cold and decided to take sugar free cough drops instead of regular cough drops. And Whoa, the next morning a fever blister was starting to form. I got upset and thought that the sunscreen was a hoax and there was nothing I could do to help my self. But I also knew that I have never got any past september so it made me investigate. Thank GOD, I did. I put 2 and 2 together and realized that the cough drops that were sugar free had sucralose(Splena) in them. And I almost ate the whole bag trying to rid my sore throat. So now I look at everything, as someone said before evern gum had sucralose in it. I hope this helps.
(Miami, Florida/USA)
01/17/2009
Since the age of 6 years old I have struggled with severe episodes of oral " herpes" lesions. The would start as a single lesion and spread throughout my entire mouth (interior lips tounge AND THROAT) to the point where my glands and lips would swell and I could barely talk or eat. My father is a dentist & was against me chewing sugared gums- so I was always handed sugarless gums. from the age of 6 untill I was 13 years old I was taken to every allergist in town and put on every food/additive restrictive diet that the medical profesionals could thing of (illimination of: various food colors (one color at a time), sugar, preservatives...etc). I was stuck with more needles than any child should ever experience...Yet the doctors still had no conclusive results. By the age of (about) 11-12 I started to illiminate gum and noticed a slow down in the frequency of my outbreaks. I missed gum chewing so I tried introducing sugared gums- and was thrilled to experince no outbreaks. I am now 40 years old. I have not chewed sugarless gum since the age of 13....Also, throughout the years I have noticed several other causes of outbreaks. I will still get oral herpese "cold sores/ulcers" if I eat certain "gummy" like substances (sugarfree or sugared)...I can not eat: gummy candies (bears/worms ~ect), licorice (black or red) or jelly beans. Within the past 10 years I (reluctantly) began to try sugarless candies/mints and powdered drinks...To my surprise, I did not experience outbreaks from these (though I believe that as a young child crystal light drink mix was a trigger for my outbreaks). Once in a very blue moon I will sneak a piece of black liccorice into my mouth (I love the taste!!!)- Though I can expect to will be "penalized" the following day with a coldsore or two (not a mouthful- which, I believe, is because I only eat a small amount).
I may have a rare allergy that baffled doctors for so many years... But I fugured I would take advantage and share my experiences & uears of trial and error so that someone out there (suffering from a similar situation/allergy) may be helped.
(Tyler, Tx)
07/20/2020
You probably have a gelatin allergy. I recently discovered I am allergic to gelatin. It is in gummies.
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes

Hi all. I have been searching the net for days hoping i could find info beyond al the official sites etc. I have never had an outbreak of genital herpes before and was surprised to say the least when diagnosed. This has happened in the last few weeks and i have accepted the disease. After having the outbreak, i searched my brain for any changes in diet or anything that had possible changed. Sad as it sounds, i have not had sex for 3 years and did not know the virus could lay dormant for so long. When i saw this site, it hit me like a bolt of thunder! DIET PEPSI. I bought a few crates from a local whole sale store as i was on a diet and found that it prevent me eating late at night. After drinking 5 cans of this a night, it looks like it triggered something to cause an outbreak. Needless to say, i have switched back to sugar and will never go near sweetners again. My genital sore is now clearing up and i will report back in a few months to see if stopping sweetner prevents further outbreaks. Take care all. Berks
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes

Please help me, I am desperaste and going insane. I diagnosed myself with Herpes yesteday. For about a year I would occasionally experience a tingling sensation on one side of my genitailia( I do suffer from nerve damage from a spinal injury ). I would also feel iritated. Call me nieve but I would think maybe I scratched myself when bating or some pubic hair had been pulled out causing this discomfort. When I did try to look to see what was going on I din't notice anything suspicious. I guess I didn't know what to look for I don't make it a habit of visiting that area with a mirror. Anyway, three days ago I was feeling very iritated and yesterday I woke up with major discomfrot. I looked with a mirror and noticed three very small cicular sores. Exactly like the ones I have been getting in my mouth since I was 5 or 6 years old ( and my granmother would tell me my stomach was out of order ).Something clicked and I searched the internet for picures of Genital Herpes. How did I get this? Is this what I have been feeling for the past year? I have been married for 15 years and have never been unfaithful. I can't say the same for my husband, but I am certain that for the past five years neither of us has had sex outside of our marriage. Could the Splenda that I have been using religiously for the past year or so be the culprit? Do I have Herpes or don't I? Has it always been in my system? Is my husband lying to me? I need some answers I am about to lose mind.
(Tulsa, Oklahoma)
05/31/2008
Dear Johnnie from Teaneck, Don't freakout about your hubby running around yet. You said you have been getting cold sores on your mouth for several years, well those cold sores are exactly the same as genital herpes. your hubby could have got them from you, (kissing or otherwise) either on his mouth or the nether regions and then passed them right on to you. What you described does sound like genital herpes, and in most people it can actually take years to show up and in men they may never know they have it. So you both could have just passed it back and forth starting at the top and then to the bottom. Now I'm not say'n your hubby is innocent, I cant possible know that but don't hang him yet. I hope this has helped, good luck sugar.
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes

Just some feedback, I have genital herpes but rarely get more then one very tiny blister. The other night I had a Slim Fast diet bar, almost immediately I had the feeling of irritation. By the following day I had the most severe outbreak of blisters I have ever had since contracting the virus. I normally never consume diet products as a rule and wonder if the Slim Fast bar caused such an unusually severe outbreak.
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes

re: herpes: I am so glad I found this site!! I have totally quit eating or drinking anything with artifical sweetners in it. No more OB!!! I have learned to read EVERY label, did you know gum had artifical sweetner in it, even if it is not sugar free! Bonus I lost inches when I quit ingesting the junk, went from a size 16 to a 12!!!
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes

After 19 years with herpes i saw this website and I thought hmmm. I have never been able to go more than a week without having an outbreak so I thought id take a look at my diet. 'Over all these years I have been going to the gym and using shakes that all have artifical sweetners in them. When i stopped going to the gym I found that i still used many products that had ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER. It has been about 2 months since I first saw this site and I now look at everything I eat to make sure I dont ingest any sweetner. I haven`t had an outbreak in this time. Please give this a try. And im using fresh lemons as a natural cleanser. I have a fresh glass of lemon juice everyday.
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes

Can not say what a relief it was to find this web site. I eat and drink allot of sugar substitutes. I had no idea it could cause break outs. Right before I logged on tonight I drank a diet soda, with in minutes I felt an outbreak comeing on. This is a very difficult subject to talk about even with my doctors. The worst was having to tell my obgyn when I found out I was pregnant. So great to have a place to go. As of tonight out goes the sugar subs. and I will take into account all the other helpful diet suggestions.
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes

I just read about artificial sweeteners and it's expediting effects of the herpes virus. This is very interesting to me because three days ago I bought a box of splenda,(I usually use regular sugar). I have such a sweet tooth that I've been putting splenda on everything! Today, I woke up with cold sores on my lips. Could it just be a coincidence? or maybe artificial sweeteners actually do cause outbreaks...I'm giving it up to see if this is true! Damn you splenda
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes

I was severely depressed this morning when I woke with an OB [OB = Outbreak] (HSV-2). Perhaps I am one of the "lucky" ones but it has been over 7 years since my last OB. In that first year, I had 2 OBs in quick succession, then got on Valtrex suppressive for a period of 2 years). After stopping the suppressive, I was clear for another 5 years. Now I should mention that I have recently hit an incredible wall of stress and depression based on financial and personal issues. I also started a diet that was heavy on the sugarfree gum, diet soda, and protein powder (with artificial sweeteners). I am halting all of those immediately thanks to this site and all of the anecdotal support. Based on what I've read on this site, I will try
1.) removing all artificial sweeteners,
2.) investigate and/or start taking supplements that include L-Lysine, Neam Leaf, Garlic tablets
3.) begin consuming foods such as broccoli for the indole-3-carbinol and apple cider vinegar
4.) remove refined sugars, chocolate, almonds, peanuts, beer, wine
BHT seems to have an interesting potential. I'll have to look at this potential "miracle" cure immediately. Most of all, I thank this site and other posters for making me feel less alone with this. I've been OB free but I think about this every day of my life. If I may be allowed to vent for a second, I still feel intense disgust, hostility, and anger at the "person" who neglected and denied to inform me. I'll leave it at that since I am returning to the feelings of hate, anger, and depression as I write this. I'll just say that I truly feel for those of you who have had the same/similar experience. Finally, does anyone have a suggestion for a reliable, legitimate online source for ordering those supplements. Quite honestly, I don't feel like walking into a public store and asking for every supplement that is linked to help HSV.