Instead of starting a new thread, I figured I’d bump this one. This is an excellent study due to the study design. A study examining “Aspartame Sensitivity” using a cross over design. Guess what they found?
Below is abstract and linked is full study:
Aspartame Sensitivity? A Double Blind Randomised Crossover Study
Abstract
Background
Aspartame is a commonly used intense artificial sweetener, being approximately 200 times sweeter than sucrose. There have been concerns over aspartame since approval in the 1980s including a large anecdotal database reporting severe symptoms. The objective of this study was to compare the acute symptom effects of aspartame to a control preparation.
Methods
This was a double-blind randomized cross over study conducted in a clinical research unit in United Kingdom. Forty-eight individual who has self reported sensitivity to aspartame were compared to 48 age and gender matched aspartame non-sensitive individuals. They were given aspartame (100mg)-containing or control snack bars randomly at least 7 days apart. The main outcome measures were acute effects of aspartame measured using repeated ratings of 14 symptoms, biochemistry and metabonomics.
Results
Aspartame sensitive and non-sensitive participants differed psychologically at baseline in handling feelings and perceived stress. Sensitive participants had higher triglycerides (2.05 ± 1.44 vs. 1.26 ± 0.84mmol/L; p value 0.008) and lower HDL-C (1.16 ± 0.34 vs. 1.35 ± 0.54 mmol/L; p value 0.04), reflected in 1H NMR serum analysis that showed differences in the baseline lipid content between the two groups. Urine metabonomic studies showed no significant differences. None of the rated symptoms differed between aspartame and control bars, or between sensitive and control participants. However, aspartame sensitive participants rated more symptoms particularly in the first test session, whether this was placebo or control. Aspartame and control bars affected GLP-1, GIP, tyrosine and phenylalanine levels equally in both aspartame sensitive and non-sensitive subjects.
[b]Conclusion
Using a comprehensive battery of psychological tests, biochemistry and state of the art metabonomics there was no evidence of any acute adverse responses to aspartame. This independent study gives reassurance to both regulatory bodies and the public that acute ingestion of aspartame does not have any detectable psychological or metabolic effects in humans.[/b]
I cannot stand any artificial sweeteners. The horrid taste is damn near unbearable. Once I completely revamped by eating habits a little over a year and a half ago when I started taking lifting a lot more serious, I noticed how much crap had sugar or sugar-substitute/artificial sweeteners in it. I cut all the crap out and paid particular attention to the ingredients of what I ate. I cannot eat “regular” peanut butter anymore, stuff is disgusting and overloaded with sugar. Same for non-whole wheat bread. Even the protein I use (ON Natural) does not have artificial sweeteners in it; I do not like using their regular stuff anymore because I can taste the sweetener. About the only thing I intake on a daily basis that has sugar that does not naturally occur is my pre-workout, and I would replace that but I have yet to find one that works better. Ohh and the spoonful of brown sugar I add to my oatmeal.
I recommend to everyone to cut as much sugar out as possible so when you do have it, it tastes so much better and is truly a treat. You also realize how much crap actually tastes disgusting.
You might be lucky. It depends on your point of view.
I drank Diet Coke when it was first released in 1982 and developed flu like symptoms. None of the doctors I saw had any experience with aspartame at the time and no studies had been done on aspartame in Diet Coke, so no one had any preconceived ideas about it. To make a long story short, when I stopped drinking Diet Coke the symptoms went away.
Glad to hear that you figured out what was going on. I don’t drink nearly as much diet soda as I used to, but it is good on occasion. Few of my friends get headaches and whatnot, but I can’t say if it is due to soda intake. Should have them stop consuming it, and see if it the cause like yours.
For whatever reason, the only non aspartame gum I’ve found is cinnamon, particularly dentyne fire (pop out squares) I get at Costco and drug stores, and trident, which many places oddly don’t carry any more.
This. For some reason sugar free gum doesn’t bother me, but everything else does. Sucrolose is the worst imo. I also use ON natural protein for this reason. I ran out and Bought some muscle milk in a pinch and taste the sweetener all day. It’s disgusting.
It seems this was posted a few months ago, but I don’t get on M4C as much as I used to, and rarely come down to F&N subsection. That said, thanks Will, it was a very interesting read.
From what I can tell, the study lacked corporate backing, which is important for non-bias results. One thing is certain, if you collect enough data, you can present it in a way that highlights exactly what you want to say. In other words, clinical studies can be extremely self-serving, and while few are outright lies, most paid for or sponsored by corporations with skin in the game are often more marketing than clinical science.
For anyone interested in more depth, here is the entire study…
I’ve worked in the food industry mixing the ingredients for various sodas for close to 20 years now. I don’t think I’d want to count the number of hours I’ve spent in a cloud of aspartame, and (so far at least) neither I nor any of my colleagues have ever complained of any ill effects.
One thing I will say though is that diet sodas seem to be gaining in popularity (I’d guess that our production of diet sodas has almost doubled in the last 10 years), and there are a lot of people who have a much higher intake of these than the recommended amount.
The ADI is 50 mg per kilogram of body weight. An average adult would have to drink 20 cans of diet soda a day or consume 97 packets of sugar substitute per day and that upper safety limit was based very conservatively. I don’t think you could find a handful of people in the world who reach the ADI on that and other ingredients in some sodas for example would worry me more at such quantities.
I should perhaps have written ‘more than is sensible’ rather than ‘more the recommended amount’. Anyone getting close to the max amounts of aspartame from diet soda (computer gamers perhaps?) would have teeth that were probably in greater danger from the acid content, than their general health would be in any danger from the aspartame.