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.
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by A (USA) on 03/17/2008
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
Posted by Jenn (Covington, Louisiana) on 02/22/2008
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
Posted by Ray (Bda) on 12/14/2007
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
Posted by Heather (Boulder, Colorado) on 11/23/2007
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
Posted by Becky (Carbondale, IL) on 10/22/2007
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
Posted by John (Toronto, Canada) on 09/21/2007
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.
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by Ryan (Mississauga, Ontario) on 09/02/2007
At work on Wednesday, I decided to try sweetener instead of Sugar in my tea for the first time. Within minutes, I got a sore on the upper right side of my lip, which I have never gotten before.
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by Dee (Tampa, FL) on 08/31/2007
I had the same experience with Aspartame in one of those power low-carb bars. Before I finished the bar I was having incredible nerve pain shooting up in my shoulders. But still I wasn't smart enough to stop eating them and soon had stabbing pains on one side of my back (shingles)along with a rash. I checked this site and started the Apple Cider Vinegar and by the next morning the outbreak was gone. I also have genital herpes and when I first found out I had it (the 1980's) I would breakout over and over until I found out it was the Wheat Germ I was putting on my cereal every morning. For some reason eating much of whole grains to this day will cause me to OB. Now I know to avoid the artificial sweeteners too! So much for the FDA!
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by SG (Bakersfield, CA) on 08/25/2007
[Aspartame AND Arginine Connection] I wrote earlier about my experience with eight years of un-diagnosed herpes. Since then, I've been experimenting with it, and I've got complete control over it--I can make myself completely symptom-free, or cause an outbreak within 30 minutes.
THE CURES: Coconut. Yep, another vote for that one. I recently discovered Thai food, and they put coconut milk in just about everything. Taking special care to eat Tom Kha Gai (Food of the gods!) or Thai curry dishes several times a week, I've discovered that I have no need for my previous supplement: Gigartina Red Marine Algae, 1000mg (4 capsules) per day. And it's a lot more fun! To be fair, though, the Red Marine Algae works just as well.
If I want to cause an outbreak within an hour, all I have to do is not eat any coconut products for a few days, and then have a Diet Red Bull. Chock full of both Aspartame and arginine, if your doctor needs you to have an outbreak for testing purposes, this will do the trick. Drinking two of these per day sent me to the emergency room with horrible sores, and was how I discovered I had herpes. Other energy drinks (containing arginine) kept me having sores for the next few months until I realized the connection.
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by 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???
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by Anonymous (USA) on 08/20/2007
I have had genital herpes for seven years and in seven years i have had maybe three or four outbreaks usually caused by extreme stress and diet, I am very fortunate. For the past month I have not been under any stress and have consumed my normal diet the only thing i did differently was add tons of splenda to my diet. I was using about 15 packs a day for lemonade and food. I noticed i started to get have more frequent outbreaks. I did not know until i read this article that artificial sweetner can cause outbreaks it all makes sense now.
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by Vincent (Brewster, New York) on 07/21/2007
Image this...I don't drink soda, chew gum, or ingest anything containing aspartame. I was at the gym the other day and buy a flavored bottled water drink. Less than 5 minutes after drinking it, a huge cold sore appears on my lip. I wake up the next morning with this cold sore having gotten worse. I spend all day thinking about why this could have happened and the only thing I can connect is that flavored water. I dig through my recycling bin and read the ingredients. Sure enough it contains aspartame. Keep in mind, my body is super sensitive to aspartame because I don't ingest it. At the least, knowing that aspartame was the cause of this put my mind at ease. Aspartame is Satan on a sweet stick.
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by Trish (West Palm, Florida) on 07/19/2007
I have been reading a lot of the comments here & I wanted to tell my story. I need to talk to people about this cuz if I don't I get stressed out. I've had G.H. for about 10yrs. I used medicines including Choraphor, Valtrex, an oxygen spray and DMSO cream. Out of all these, the only one that I think worked for me for a while was the the oxygen spray and probably Valtrex (when I had an OB). About a month ago, I got on a protein & veggies diet...somewhat like an Atkins Diet. I started getting ulcerations on the back of my throat a couple of weeks later. They went away and came back w/in a week but on the edges of my mouth...those went away about a week later and they're back again on my throat. Unfortunately, you cant treat this because i read that the lesions are supposed to stay dry to heal quick. I went to the doctor this morning and he tells me that he's never seen herpes in the back of the throat before and that it could be pharyngitis. I read about Pharyngitis and I think he's wrong. He did a culture test but I'll find out next week who's right..me or the doctor.
I also noticed that I have been chewing sugarfree gum, drinking crystal light & Propel in my water bottles. I guess I shouldn't have done that huh? Who knew??
What I dont understand is that the same time I started this diet and got the 1st OB in my throat, I also started taking Valtrex everyday and also got Lysine vitamins but yet I still get OB's. Im starting to think that not even Valtrex works anymore. Could there be such a thing as too much medicine can make OB's reappear?
The only good thing about this is that I found a list of foods that I can eat and the ones I can avoid. if you would like a copy, I will happily send it to you if you wish.
Im a Christian and I pray to God everyday that He cures all of us since the world keeps saying there is no cure. Honestly, I think that this is the only hope I have. Do you believe in miracles?
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by Anonymous (Los Angeles, California, USA) on 06/29/2007
I was so glad to find this site! Since 1997, I had a strange burning sensation, sometimes with sores. I thought it might be herpes, but all tests (once every couple of months!!) always came back negative.
Well, one year, I moved, but I still had a job in the old town, so I was commuting two hours each way to work. So I started drinking Diet Red Bull to stay awake. Well, it works GREAT at keeping me awake, but I ended up in the emergency room with herpes sores that were so painful I couldn't move. Diet Red Bull contains *BOTH* aspartame *AND* arginine, so when I found this site, I immediately knew what the problem was. Thanks to this site, and a bottle of Red Marine Algae, I hardly ever have outbreaks, and they're only vaguely irritating, nothing like that first outbreak. Thanks!
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by EN (Toronto Canada) on 06/26/2007
I have experienced cold sores since I was 6 years old. I got them on a regular basis. About 1 every two months.I came across your website after I got an outbreak just before a very important event. I read about artifical sweetners and was surprised that this could be the cause. I used to use sweetners like it was on the top of my food pyramid. I stopped using it for some time and I was doing great. No outbreaks for over 4 months. Yesturday I slacked off and drank a diet coke and I was out of sugar so I used atificial sweetners and today I woke up with a cold sore!! I'm going to the store right now to buy some Lysine I really need it to go away as I am going on a vacation in two days :( Thanks so much I will never go against your advice and I will stay away from artifical sweetners for as long as I live. Thanks!
