The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Stephen Fox (Sante Fe, NM) on 01/23/2008:
Hawaiian Legislative Efforts to Ban Aspartame, Artificial Sweetener/Regarding bills in the Hawaii Legislative session to Ban Artificial sweetener and neurotoxin, Aspartame, House Bill 2680 and Senate Bill 2506 Stephen Fox of Santa Fe, Managing Editor of the Santa Fe Sun News and prime New Mexico moving force behind the legislative efforts to ban aspartame, commented on the great consumer progress implicit in these two bills in Hawaii:
This is wonderful news coming from Hawaii; the Legislators and their bill drafters saw the merit in keeping almost all of the same language from the 2006 and 2007 New Mexico bills, especially regarding the states' rights and their obligation to protect citizens health, which are not "pre-empted by massive failures at the FDA.
These New Mexico bills were overwhelmed and eviscerated in New Mexico by some of the most vicious corporate lobbyists I have ever encountered, representing Ajinomoto of Japan, the world's largest manufacturer of both aspartame and MSG, as well as their duped American corporate henchmen/partners-in-poisoning who use massive amounts of Aspartame, like Coca Cola, Pepsi, Altria/Kraft Corporate Services, and others. The same corporations and even more will show up in Honolulu, make no mistake! Probably to include Wrigley's Gum, all of whose products contain aspartame, which is metabolized as methanol and formaldehyde.
These corporations have everything to lose if such bills advance and ultimately lead to the inevitable product liability and personal injury suits from those damaged by aspartame, which number in the hundreds of millions, despite their corporate serving propaganda and lies.
My profoundest appreciation goes to the numerous fine Hawaii activists who brought up these imperative issues, and to the Legislators, Senator J. Kalani English (Chairman of the Transportation and International Affairs Committee), and Rep. Calvin Say (Speaker of the House), at the request of Rep. Mele Carroll, all 3 Democrats who see the merit and need to protect the health of all Hawaiians, no matter what duplicity is perpetuated by the top brass and corporate lackeys at the FDA. The Senate Bill is also cosponsored by Suzanne Chun-Oakland, Chairperson of the Senate Human Services Committee, and we sincerely commend these fine legislators for this pre-emptive and protective legislation.
Let's hope a few other legislators in other states recognize the importance of this, and that the FDA Commissioner, Dr. Andrew Von Eschenbach, chooses not to ignore this urgent initiative, now coming from Hawaii, as he chose to ignore the same effort in New Mexico as well as the letters signed by 21 New Mexico Legislators asking him to immediately rescind the approval for this neurotoxic poison found in 6000 food products.
It is my deepest hope that Hawaii Legislators don't capitulate to corporate- serving theories advanced by the corporate lobbyists that states do not have neither the right nor the power nor the obligation to challenge any kind of Federal authority, like an FDA pronouncement.
When aspartame's history of approval is examined, it will be clear that the FDA Commissioner at the time in 1981, Arthur Hull Hayes, was under a strong influence to approve this chemical, no matter who objected from the medical and scientific community, because the guy from the Reagan "transition team" who gave him the job, Donald Rumsfeld, had been CEO of the aspartame manufacturer, G.D. Searle. Rummy made $25 million off this deal alone!
Stephen Fox
Founder, New Millennium Fine Art
Managing Editor, Santa Fe Sun News
505 983-2002
[email protected]
217 W. Water St.
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501
Jeremy (Brantford, Canada) on 01/20/2008:
i consume probably 3 times as much aspartame as an average person and i haven't been sick in 2 years...i don't even get flu shots...in a given year i might get a cold once for 36 hours and that's about it...just so you know
Barbara (Wooster, OH) on 01/19/2008:
need feedback on others having side effects from artificial sweetners. I am very concerned about side effects from splenda ect. I have fibromyalgia and I do suffer with migraines I am greatly concerned about my latest and most terrifying symptom. I choke very easy and sometimes on my own saliva. My throat goes into spasms and I can not breathe. Last week I was having dinner with my family and had to stop eating because I could no longer swallow. It was as if the message wasn't getting from my brain to my throat. My heart started pounding and I started shaking. I am almost afraid to eat anymore. Has anyone else experienced this problem?
Jennifer (Kent, OH) on 01/16/2008:
My brother has a severe reaction to Aspartame as it acts like MSG once digested. He gets migraines and diarrhea.
Martine (Windsor Locks, Connecticut, USA) on 01/15/2008:
I quit smoking and started using breath mints with the artificial sweetener sorbitol in it. I thought the sorbitol was an all natural sweetener. Anyway, I began to notice that a half hour after taking one of these mints I would bloat up like a balloon, my stomach would get so huge you could just see it...it was wierd. I wasn't sure if the mints were the problem but since I keep them in the car and pop them into my mouth when I'm going somewhere, I always notice on my ride home I have to unbutton my pants because of the bloatation...don't know if it's the chemicals combined with the sweetener or not but i'm not eating them again.
Eva (New York, NY) on 01/12/2008:
I would like to share my experience about artificial sweetners. For several years I would use 1 Equal tablet in my coffee twice a day. I was always concerned about these sweetners so after quitting smoking cold turkey (yes almost 14 years ago-everyone can do it) I decided to stop using all artificial sweetners as well. Last year I decided to join a home food delivery program mirrored after the Zone diet. This company offered desserts for some of their snacks. The first time I had their dessert I instantly got diarrea and had the shakes. I quickly called them up and asked them if they used artificial sweetners and they confirmed that they did. I knew at that point that the artificial sweetners did not agree with me anymore. My body rejected them. I had several desserts after that and got the same reaction. Furthermore I get the same reaction with Splenda which they claim is all natural. It is not . The first time I tried Splenda I can't tell you how badly bloated I became. My stomach ached and of course I had diarrea again. My head felt heavy and I was so queasy. I was so completely out of whack it was frightening. I drank tons of water to flush out my system and after a few days I felt back to normal. Artificial sweetners are chemicals and no one should be consuming them. A little natural sugar goes a long way.
Judy (Bonney Lake, Washington) on 01/09/2008:
I am writing about becoming very scatterbrained and forgetful when I was using lots of splenda for baking, in my oatmeal, in drinks, etc. I have been "off splenda" for 3 months and have my mental abilities back again. Anyone else had similar problems?
Vivek (New Delhi, India) on 01/06/2008:
I am a person who has carefully observed the side effects of Aspatame. To cut down sugar intake every I started taking it in tea about twice a day and within 2 weeks of usage I developed constant terrible headaches. First I took some analagesices like Nimsulide to treat, but the headaches kept on coming back. Also I developed sinsitis like symptoms. I in meantime referred to some online articles and stopped using Sugarefree and no wonder all symptoms ceased to exist within 4-5 days. I tried to pick up Aspartame again but then suffred same symptoms. So that was it I have totally stopped its consumption, and feel better.
G. Michael (Reading, Pennsylvania) on 01/03/2008:
A co-worker of mine has been using aspartame and lots of it for a long time. She was constantly complaining that she had a lot of muscle pain. A year and half ago she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. A month ago I bumped into her and I told her that aspartame can mimic fibromyalgia and I told her that she needed to completely stop using it. A month after completely removing aspartame from her diet she no longer has fibromyalgia. Praise The Lord!
Jan (Bellingham, WA) on 12/30/2007:
Hi, it is very possible that sucralose is not the same as splenda...could you look into this?? Splenda is most certainly a terrible thing in ingest, and does contain sucralose. However, my understanding is that it is sucralose itself in small amounts is harmless, and passes right through the body in a very short time. The company Univera uses sucralose in its formula 'Ageless Extra', and claims the above about sucralose. I have been taking it for a long time and its a wonderful formula. They did develop an alternative as so many people are concerned about the sucralose.... Thank you!
EC: Sucralose IS another name for Splenda, unfortunately, and can be found in most diet products.
JG (Los Angeles, Ca) on 12/25/2007:
my sister who is a doctor of internal medicine, showed me a transcript of a conference a few years ago on the subject of aspartame. the general consensus was that it is addictive, and that it can cause fatigue, depression, and other nasty things. the most chilling paragraph discussed how improper storage of aspartame and products containing it, causes it to morph into a formaldehyde-related chemical. apparently, it has been linked to Desert Storm Syndrome, with its attendant miseries - the palettes of diet coke, etc., were left on airport runways is 120 degree heat before being delivered to the troops who drank little else. how the government and soft drink industries have managed to keep this quiet is mind-boggling. as a disproportionate number of americans are addicted to diet soft drinks, they really need to know that they are literally poisoning themselves. pass it on!
Ed (Lower Burrell, PA) on 12/23/2007:
I had been using 3-6 Equal packets in morning coffee for at a year. At one point I noticed my left arm had a numbing sensation that would not go away. It stayed for weeks. Sometime my arm muscle would twitch as well. It would be months before I finally stopped using the Equal and realized it was the Aspartame poisoning my nervous system.
Heny (Bridgeport, CT) on 12/04/2007:
Like others, I was lead to believe that Splenda was the answer to sugar substitute. I then started on Equal(which was just as bad) then decided to go back to sugar. I later read somewhere on this site that "Stevia" is a better substitute for sugar--nothing added(google the name and read) I just went to the vitamin shoppe and purchased a box. This stuff is real good. One packet equals to two tsp of sugar.
Ronald F (Orland Park, Illinois) on 12/03/2007:
I am re-posting. I bought SPLENDA 8 months ago and have been using in daily coffee and a few recipes. This caused severe itching and swelling/hemorroidal symptoms. I read in the paper that this sweetener can cause itchy lesions anywhere on the body.
Dorothea Enlow (Killeen, Texas) on 12/02/2007:
Splenda had me fooled. I just heard the news that Splenda is not totally just from sugar without the calories. I knew that sucrolose gives me Insomnia but I just didn't want to believe that Splenda does too, so I brushed it off. Well now I know that the cause of my intermittend insomina is also Splenda. This company fooled us good.I will from now on use sugar again, but only half the amount what the recipe calls for.
EC: Sucralose is another name for Splenda!'
Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 10/10/2007:
On headaches, remove the cause, instead of looking for a cure. Aspartame (Nutrisweet) is well known for causing headaches. So is Monosodiumglutamate. If you want to find some other things they can cause, type in Excitotoxins, and hit search. For those who think MSG is only found in stir-fried (Chinese foods), make a list of the names MSG is hidden under in the ingredients list, then go into your kitchen and see how many of your foods have one or more of them listed in the ingredients.
Classic example is the 15% chicken broth that may be contained in a well-known brand of raw chicken that you must take home and cook...The MSG isn't mentioned because they didn't add MSG - they added chicken broth which contained the MSG.....Learn to protect yourself and your loved ones by learning these legal loop-holes. Oh, yes, you will also learn that that they are named excitotoxins because they excite the neural cells (Brain & Central nervous system) to death.
If you also research meta-bolic syndrome X (now called insulin resistance) by orthodox medicine) you will also find that excitotoxins are the same things that cause insulin resistance which ends up as full fledged Diabetes Mellitus,Type 2 which used to be called DM, adult onset, but was renamed to DM type 1 for juvenile onset and type 2 for adult onset, because children (even toddlers, are now developing type 2. So be your own health defender by learning all the names the excitotoxins are hidden under, stop buying these products, and write the supplier telling them why you aren't buying their product. You will only have to make one list because the excitotoxins are the same ones that makes us kick out excess insulin, proceed through insulin resistance, then to full fledged DM, type 2 and all of its complications.
Nancy (Austin, Texas) on 10/06/2007:
I tried the Atkins diet a few years back and would eat 1-2 "snacks" a day sweetened with splenda. My skin on my face got very blotchy, patchy and dry. When I made the connection, I stopped eating the snacks and in a week it cleared up again. I've also noticed that sweetening anything with splenda will give me a headache. Also, whatever sweetener that is in Diet Pepsi makes me stupid. I can't put together sentences or think of the word I want to use after drinking it for a couple of days. I figured this out when I visited my sister and that's what she had to drink around the house. Within a couple of days, I couldn't converse very well and the only difference was the Diet Pepsi. I never use artificial sweeteners anymore.
Lisa (Amarillo, TX, USA) on 10/06/2007:
does anyone know ANYTHING that cures msg + aspartame headaches?!? Every time I accidentally get some aspartame or msg, I get the worst migraine headaches! of course aspartame is the worst because I cannot think properly because of my brain misfirering messages for about 24 hours after having the least bit of it:-( while I try to stay away from both substances I sometimes manage to get some and I am sorry for pretty much 2 days. PLEASE HELP ME!!
Sherrie (Oakland, Nebraska) on 10/05/2007:
Hi. I believe I am experiencing withdrawals from Splenda. My symptoms are similar to that of hypoglycemia with lightheadedness, headache,weakness, and a "shaky" feeling. This happened after 3 weeks of heavy Splenda using and abrupt stopping when I had no tea to use it in. Just thought I'd let you know that there definitely are withdrawals if one stops using Splenda. Thanks.
Pat (OFallon, Mo) on 10/03/2007:
I've been using alot of splenda over the lase few years and having different things to happen to me. I have sores on my arms and neck, Depressed, and RLS. I haven't tried to stop but I have been reading about others who had the same trouble. Do you think this is my problem?
Tina Erwin (Whitney, Texas) on 10/01/2007:
I have a question maybe someone can help I have been drinking diet soda for the last three years and lately I have been feeling realy tired and sick to my stomach and achy bones and joints heart palputaions and on ocassion dizzy I have been to my doctor he checked me for arthritus and that came back clear and so have several other test we cant figure out what is wrong could it be the diet soda I drink about 3 to 6 a day has anyone else had all of these same symptoms and quite drinking the diet soda and there symptoms go away let me know what you think thank you
Kel (St. louis, Missouri) on 09/28/2007:
I have suffered from heart palpitations for years and just recently discovered they are triggered by artificail sweetners.
Fia (Cartagena, Columbia) on 09/25/2007:
Equal caused severe headaches. What is your thought on Stevia? I use it in place of artificial sugars and appear to have no problems. It comes in liquid or powder form and is about 20 times sweeter than sugar. It is also a natural product made from leaves and used extensively in South America.
Colleena (Nanticoke, USA) on 09/11/2007:
I just recently found a correlation between eating sugar-free ice cream sweetened with splenda and breaking out into hives around and in my mouth.
Larry (Chula Vista, CA) on 09/11/2007:
A while back, I decided I needed to cut back on sugar and tried to switch to Equal (aspartame). Within a few days I noticed that my nipples (I am a male) became very sore to the touch. Just a slight bump or rubbing against my shirt was really beginning to hurt. After a few weeks, I went to see my doctor, who, being stumped after the ointment didn't work, sent me to an internist. In the course of his diagnosis he asked a lot of questions; one of which was have you changed anything in your diet recently. I told him about the Equal. He asked how much sugar I had been using. When he told me that calories in a tsp. were just 16, he suggested I quit the aspartame and see what happens. Within a week or so, the pain was gone. I thought it was possible that it was coincidental and not really the aspartame to blame, so I started taking it again. The pain returned almost immediately. I quit it again, the pain went away. I waited for several weeks and tried it again (gluton for punishment); the pain returned. Without a shadow of a doubt I can associate that pain in my nipples with the use of aspartame. I don't know what it was doing to me, but it wasn't worth it. I've never gone back. I have been using Splenda (sucralose) for the last several weeks without any ill effects that I've noticed. I especially like that fact that there is no after-taste associated with the Splenda either. I logged onto this site to see if there was anything to worry about with this stuff, but so far, I haven't found anything wrong with it personally.
Linda (Harrisburg, PA) on 09/11/2007:
I recently stopped taking Aspartame, and have gone through horrible withdrawal- mood swing, nausea, headaches. I read that increasing your vitamin intake can help to offset the symptoms. I found Fuse drinks, which are labeled as natural, no preservatives, etc. And, they have vitamins in them. Unfortunately, they also have sucralose, which I now know means Splenda. I thought I was having another withdrawl symptom, but after reading here and other places, I know my wheezing/hacking/hard to breath feeling was from the Splenda. Looking back, I realized that it occured shortly after drinking the Fuse drinks. I was beginning to wonder if I hadn't developed asthma. I can't believe that they allow these products into our food, and even out toothpaste!
Glen (Valdosta, GA) on 09/09/2007:
I heard from a friend that he didn't drink diet soda because of the RLS [Restless Leg Syndrome] he experienced. I realized that when I'm on the road (truck driver) drinking diet sodas I'm fine, but when I get home all I drink is tea with splenda. Within one week I'm experiencing RLS and, as mentioned in one of your posting, herpes outbreak. I think this is pretty conclusive. The word really needs to get out about this.
lma (Chicago, Ilinois) on 09/03/2007:
When I added an artificial sweetner to my tea while waiting for service on my car, I had no idea a few minutes later I would be gasping for air unable to breath. My throat closed making it difficult to catch a deep breath. The service people called the paramedices who gave me oxygen and took me to a hospital. The doctor examined me and gave me benedryl. I did not receive a diagnosis. Two years later I learned Asparteme most likely caused this problem. The technician who used a computerized biofeedback electrical devise, highlighted that I am sensitive to Asparteme. So much so that my simply placing a packet of this artificial sugar on my thigh, she was able to easily push down my arm. Without the packet on my body, I prevented her from pushing down my arm. A remarkable demonstration that a tiny bit of this substance adversely affects my body. Asparteme is an ingredient in diet soft drinks. I once had a sip of a diet cola which produced a similar reponse - coughing, inability to catch a breath for several minutes, but I didn't make the connection until evaluated by the technician.
Arlene (Norfolk, Virginia) on 08/24/2007:
I have just read the site relating to various artificial sweetener causes of herpes outbreaks. I was diagnosed over 20 years ago with Genital Herpex; having only one outbreak and only one other very mild outbreak a couple of years later. Since then, nothing. Anyway, I have been a steady and constant user of Splenda since it came out, using 5 packets for each cup of coffee. I don't drink too many sodas but do drink Crystal Lite and consume other products with Splenda. Over the past several years, I have developed this type of constant hack which comes from my throat, not my lungs. Initially my doctor said it was caused by acid reflux and I was given an upper gi to make sure I had no damage to my esophagus which showed no damage. I was told to take Prilosec but that doesn't help much either. Well, a couple of months ago, I switched back to Equal and it seems like my symptons disappeared. I have now stopped using Splenda again and the symptoms have greatly reduced. They are not totally gone, but again, I do consume Yogurt with Splenda and Cystal Lite and also the lite sugar free ice creams. I'm thinking that the Sucralose, which is the only different ingredient than that of Equal may just be the cause. Can anybody relate to this or have had similar symptoms? I'm thinking maybe its some type of lo-grade mild outbreak???
Sylvia (Tillsonburg, Ontario Canada) on 08/21/2007:
I was suffering unexplainable joint & muscle pain and, at least, 70% of my pain disappeared when I eliminated Aspartame in my diet. I have done great research on Aspartame and it poisons people. All diet products contain Aspartame and it is in over 5000 food and beverage products.
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