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 Sore (Chicago, IL) on 01/18/2007
In late October I started drinking 8 - 12 cups of DeCaf coffee per day. ALong with this I used 2-3 packets Splenda per 1 1/2 Cups or up to 18 packets per day!!! I thought I was doing well. I started this in early October. Now I have used Splenda from time to time but never in this quantity. In late October I started breaking out and it would clear up only to break out again a week later. Instead of breaking out once or twice a year, I was breaking out every few weeks. I'd clear up and break out again. I wondered what was different. Initially I thought it was the stress of the Holidays. Well the holidays are over and it is still happening. I decided to do a search and found this site. I'm eliminating ALL sweeteners today. I'll let you know if my virus goes back to sleep.
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by Jason (Houma, Louisiana) on 01/18/2007
So here I am going over a year strong without an outbreak and BAM, I come upon the worst outbreak lasting as long as two weeks long. At first I thought okay maybe that was just a bad case and not even one week after the outbreak subsided...BAM!! another one just as bad appeared. Now I was getting really frustrated and after doing a little bit of researching I came upon this website and read the tales behind Splenda and Aspartame. I started to think about what it was I was doing differently and that's when it hit me, sometimes when I go to visit my parents (my father being a diabetic) I would drink some of this sugar-free drink he would make for himself mainly because there was nothing else in their house to drink besides water. The next day I go over to my parents house and into the pantry and grabbed that container which the mixing packets come in and what do i find in big bold print as part of the ingredients ? ASPARTAME !!!! never again will I drink anything from my parents house UNLESS it's water in a bottle and now I have a tendency to look on the back of everything I buy for those main ingredients..if you have herpes I suggest YOU do the SAME.
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by Jim (Port St Lucie, FL) on 01/20/2007
I dont' know what is causing my outbreaks ... but ever since i've been on nutrisystem weight loss program (2 months) i've had 4 outbreaks. it's been about 3 years previous that i've had one.
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by Rochelle (Grants Pass, OR) on 01/24/2007
After reading this article, it made me think about things. I have never had genital herpes until about 6 month ago when I started drinking three or four diet pepsi's a day. I just quit drinking them about a week ago, and I hope this was the culprit. I also have been reading all the labels of food I eat. I even threw away my gum. EXTRA GUM bad for you. I will let you know if this works. I haven't told my husband because I am so embarrassed about it. I just tell him that I am sore, and can't play...
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by Jesse (Macon, GA) on 01/27/2007
I am so glad i found this site. i jus got a coldsore like bump on my lip and i was thinkin that the cause was bc of something i had recently done with my boyfriend. turns out i lately have drank a couple of diet drinks and i have been chewing a lot of extra gum. thank you so much i was so worried. i am laying off the gum and diet sodas
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by Chris (Cebu, Philippines) on 03/06/2007
Just read your article on
Aspartame and how it may trigger an outbreak. I am wondering if this is the cause of my current outbreak, as I have just traveled to the Philippines where the formula for diet coke contains Aspartame. After having my first diet coke monday morning, I started having an outbreak. Also know that I have been traveling a lot over the past 2 weeks.
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by KNOWLEDGE IS POWER (Perth, Australia) on 04/13/2007
Have heard two comments now regarding Oxygen Therapy or Hyperbaric Therapy. I am about to give this therapy a go. Also just wanted to say that I think this website is a fantastic forum and agree that the use of Splenda and Aspartame are huge culprits of outbreaks. I haven't had an outbreak for approx 4 weeks now, however I had a chinese dish today for lunch (around 1.30pm) and found out it contained MSG after eating it. I am now experiencing the tingling and itching sensations (now 11.05pm) which are my warning bells going off, so I've taken 2 l-lysine tablets. Not sure what exactly is in MSG but I'm about to search the net for some answers! Will be embarking on the Oxygen Therapy and low carb/high protein diets as protein contains natural l-lysine. Will keep u posted on how it pans out!! KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!!
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by Jem (Sudbury, Canada) on 04/15/2007
I usually never have more than 2 breakouts a year. But since I have inherited my friend's deceased mother's staples, which included Splenda, I have had a break out 1/mth. As well Of late I have increased my intake of aspartame by chewing more gum than ever before as a diet strategy for weight loss and a substitute for food. Thank you sooo much for the info.
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by Sue (Alexandria, Minnesota) on 05/04/2007
I have just read your feedbacks about aspartame and I avoided it like the plaque. I never drink or eat diet foods. I never even thought about chewing gum. I have had oral sores inside my mouth and it seems to affect my entire body. I have flu like symptoms and have self diagnosed myself as having herpes simplex 1. I am going to quit chewing gum and see if this helps. I will keep you posted of my results. Thank you for this website! It is a God send.
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by Nadine (Atlanta, GA, US) on 05/12/2007
I have to say I am relieved that I have looked on this site today. I have been trying to be healthy with what I put into my body for quite some time but last week I slacked off. I had several diet sodas a I started chewing sugarless gum like it was going out of style. Mind you that I haven't had an outbreak in over a year. Well the other day, as you can guess, I had an out break. No more aspartame and sucralose for me.
Artificial Sweetener Link to Herpes
Posted by Robin (London, U.K) on 05/13/2007
Hi l would just like to thank you guys for this site, it's kind of changed my life, not wanting to sound too dramatic about it, but it has.l have been suffering from Genital Herpes for near on 15 years with recently an outbreak occurring almost weekly for the past 2 years, one outbreak would start then as soon it began healing another would start, it has had a very big impact on my life, almost controlling my life from day to day.l refused to take drugs as i felt it would be trading off one problem for another, l never take any kind of drug. But about a month ago I came across this site,, and started reading your messages on Herpes, l realised that I too have been having a very regular intake of Artificial sweeteners through sugar free gums and drinks, l stopped them immediately and started taking L-Lysine 1000mg a day plus Vitamin C 1000mg per day. modified my diet in a big way, cut out Chocolates wine beers and foods high in Arginine,( as an aside not sure if this is connected but l also suffered from Hay Fever and have a bad cat allergy ) but since starting this regime a month ago my Herpes attacks have stopped dead and my allergies have dramatically reduced still can't quite believe the changes that have happened and am kind of waiting for it to go pear shaped, but if it does I would still be happy with the fact that I have had at least a month in my life without Herpes. l thank you all each and everyone of you involved or who have contributed to this web site, l thank you from the bottom of my heart. keep up the good work
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!
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 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 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.
