Artificial Sweeteners and Their Serious Side Effects

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Posted by Steve (Victoria BC., Canada) on 01/29/2008
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I have started using Splenda about three months ago. Since then I have been getting itchy red spots on my body. I just read on your site today that Spenda can do this. I have been waking in the morning feeling like I have been run over by a truck. It is all coming to me now that since I started to use Splenda to help lose weight that these problems started to happen. I was just diagnosed as borderline diabetic. Although my wife has used it for years it just became relevant that her cough which the doctor can't find a reason for is probably another symptom of Splenda.No more Splenda for us.

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Posted by Teacher (Midwest, US) on 01/28/2008
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Please do not use ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS. My uncle is a world-renowned biochemist, having been a faculty member and visiting professor at many outstanding colleges and universities in the US and abroad. He advised our family many years ago about the dangers of artificial sweeteners. I am shocked that I still see them in use, with new ones on the market as well. Please I implore you, you must not trust only in what the FDA, the AMA, etc. state as acceptable for our health. Do NOT use artificial sweeteners of any kind!!! And help spread the word.

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Posted by Maureen (Maine, USA) on 01/27/2008
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re: Seizure control. I realized that aspsrtame brought on seizures years ago...on my own. The doctor didn't see it. Why is it not of public knowledge? Why do they not put this on the yogurts or drinks? Why does aspartame exist? It doesn't even taste good! And our body doesn't even know what to do with that sugar!! Another sugar to avoid is sucralose. I have noticed that works against me too, often bringing on a seizure. It would be nice if a GOOD sugar, such as stevia, were of normal regime in american foods and drinks. It's ok to dream! Another good thing to include in the diet to avoid those seizures is coconut oil or coconut milk! The list of benefits is priceless!

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Posted by Sally (Milford, Pa) on 01/26/2008
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Both my husband and I have been using Splenda for years. Just last year my husband started getting cluster headaches. We say many doctors and no answers. One day he just thought it might be the Splenda and stopped using it. He has been without at headache for 6 months. For myself, I too was using the splenda and started getting cramps in my joints and muscles, swelling in hands and feet. My doctor thought it was Parvovirus, maybe Rheumotoid Arthritis, or Lupus. Even before going to get the blood tests I just stopped using the Splenda and in one day all symptoms were gone. I suffered with this for 3 months. Doctors really need to know about this issue. I even called the FDA but they said it needed to be bigger of an issue before they could put any warning on the box. That is really sad.

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Posted by Chris (Lansing, Michigan) on 01/24/2008
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On September 1,2007 I started having grand mal seizures. I continue to have them and my neurologist says I have developed epilepsy. I had no idea that artificial sweeteners would cause neurological disorders. It was a gift from God when my dentist found out about my seizures and steered me to this information. Doctors want to cover up the symptoms with medication that is actually worse than the symptoms themselves. I am going to stop all foods with aspertaime and I know I will feel better and my seizures will stop. I had funny feelings for months that were gradually getting worse and I was still putting the poison in my body. The feelings slowly got worse to the point of not being able to speak which led to the grand mal seizure. I was poisoning myself and didn't even know it. Thank you so much for this life saving information. I am going to use Stevia and pass this information to all I know. Has anyone developed siezures since using aspertaine?

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Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 01/26/2008 490 posts
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To Chris from Lansing, Michigan, 1/24/08 Chris, you will find the answer to your question by googling "Excitotoxins" If you want to go even deeper in this subject, buy or get a copy from your library, 2 books: The first one is easier for the layman to understand and is written by Rachel & Richard Heller & Dr. Vagnnini, a cardiologist. The title is "The Carbohydrate Addict's Healthy Heart Program: Break Your Carbo-Insulin Connection to Heart Disease".

the second one is written by neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock. Its title is "Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills".

The first book is written on what monosodium glutamate and aspartame do to the body, which starts with making it kick out excess insulin and ends up with Diabetes Mellitus type 2 with all its complications.

The second book is written on what the excitotoxins do to our brains and central nervous system. Which is excites the cells to death, which is how they got the name of excitotoxins. Fortunately the major excitotoxins that you are likely to find in your food is the same as in the first book- MSG and aspartame. Unfortunately most people do not know that our foods are heavily loaded with these two brain killers because they are hidden under other names such as natural flavors, spices (not named), natural flavorings and many others. It is hard to find a commercial salad dressing, Ketchup, sauces, sausage, etc. without them. Glad you discovered what was causing it before total destruction occurred.

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Posted by Stephen Fox (Sante Fe, NM) on 01/23/2008
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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

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Posted by Jeremy (Brantford, Canada) on 01/20/2008
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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

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Posted by Katy (Seattle, Washington) on 04/20/2012

Small instestinal bacteria overgrowth, SIBO my doctor suggested no lactose, no grains no sugar no sugar substitues because it is unnatural and the body doesn't recognize it. Do this is for a year for full recovery. Don't eat between meals because it doesn't allow the body to time clear the toxins and bacteria build up sip Grapefruit seed extract in water, heavy does of vitamin c and alkalize.

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Posted by Barbara (Wooster, OH) on 01/19/2008
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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?

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Posted by Mary (Buckeye, Az.) on 01/22/2009

Have you had your thyroid checked? I started having trouble swallowing and one day took a small bite of rice, when I swallowed my throat went into spasm. later that day I told my mom what had happened, she looked a my throat and noticed that it was swollen. I immediately went to emergency,They diagnosed me with Grave's disease.

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Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 01/22/2009 490 posts

Hello Barbara, You need to google excitotoxins. You will find that the two major ones that are so heavily laden in all our processed foods are monosodium glutamate and aspartame. Good old toxin aspartame could be the cause of all the symptoms you are so fearful of including the migraines, heart palpitations, panic attacks and much more. Both of the above are known to cause lots of health problems including Lou Gehrig's disease or ALS. Work to get both of these out of your foods before it gets worse, because both are known to excite your neurons to death, and when all or many of your neurons are killed you won't have much brain left to receive or send a message to your muscles to swallow.

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Posted by Jennifer (Kent, OH) on 01/16/2008
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My brother has a severe reaction to Aspartame as it acts like MSG once digested. He gets migraines and diarrhea.

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Posted by Martine (Windsor Locks, Connecticut, USA) on 01/15/2008
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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.

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Posted by Eva (New York, NY) on 01/12/2008
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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.

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Posted by Vivek (New Delhi, India) on 01/06/2008
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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.

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Posted by G. Michael (Reading, Pennsylvania) on 01/03/2008
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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!

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Posted by Jan (Bellingham, WA) on 12/30/2007
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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.

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Posted by JG (Los Angeles, Ca) on 12/25/2007
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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!