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Side effects of Aspartame (namely Diet Coke)

Health

I have been a big time Diet Coke drinker for a long long time.  I mean, multiple Diet Cokes per day every day for as long as I can remember.  Until recently, I have always just brushed off all of the fear-mongering about Aspartame/Nutrasweet as just that...fear.  Well, I might be a believer in the making.

Just the other day, I decided to cut way back on the Diet Coke consumption, maybe even stop drinking entirely.  As of right now, I have had only one 12oz can in over 48 hrs and I THINK I am feeling the difference already.

A little history on me...In my past I was a powerlifter/lifting enthusiast and have experienced my fair share of joint damage.  So, I always just attributed my painful knees to all the heavy squats, my aching elbows to all the curls/bench-pressing, etc.  I also am a big eater!  And I always just wondered what was so different about me that made me so painfully hungry all the time, when other people seemed to be sated.

Now, I am not gullible enough to think that what I have begun to experience might not just be a "good day" for me, but to state it plainly...I feel different

I feel different enough actually, that today I wondered what the side-effects of Aspartame were.  Was there a list of these somewhere that I could use to "compare notes" so to speak?

What I found was pretty enlightening, and has prompted me to call an end to my Diet Coke drinking days.

NOTE:  My research into this topic is very cursory, and almost entirely depends on one article I found on the topic (read it here).  I think that the way I feel is enough to convince me to stop drinking Diet Coke, even if other research refutes the effects stated in the linked article.)

The reactions to Aspartame as listed in the linked article:

(I bolded ones I experienced personally. I don't know if they are truly related to Aspartame or not, but they are things I experience nonetheless):

  • Abdominal Pain
  • Anxiety attacks
  • arthritis
  • asthma
  • Asthmatic Reactions
  • Bloating, Edema (Fluid Retention)
  • Blood Sugar Control Problems (Hypoglycemia or Hyperglycemia)
  • Brain Cancer (Pre-approval studies in animals)
  • Breathing difficulties
  • burning eyes or throat
  • Burning Urination
  • can't think straight
  • Chest Pains
  • chronic cough
  • Chronic Fatigue
  • Confusion
  • Death
  • Depression
  • Diarrhea
  • Dizziness
  • Excessive Thirst or Hunger
  • fatigue
  • feel unreal
  • flushing of face
  • Hair Loss (Baldness) or Thinning of Hair
  • Headaches/Migraines dizziness
  • Hearing Loss
  • Heart palpitations
  • Hives (Urticaria)
  • Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
  • Impotency and Sexual Problems
  • inability to concentrate
  • Infection Susceptibility
  • Insomnia
  • Irritability
  • Itching
  • Joint Pains
  • laryngitis
  • "like thinking in a fog"
  • Marked Personality Changes
  • Memory loss
  • Menstrual Problems or Changes
  • Migraines and Severe Headaches (Trigger or Cause From Chronic Intake)
  • Muscle spasms
  • Nausea or Vomiting
  • Numbness or Tingling of Extremities
  • Other Allergic-Like Reactions
  • Panic Attacks
  • Phobias
  • poor memory
  • Rapid Heart Beat
  • Rashes
  • Seizures and Convulsions
  • Slurring of Speech
  • Swallowing Pain
  • Tachycardia
  • Tremors
  • Tinnitus
  • Vertigo
  • Vision Loss
  • Weight gain

 

tags:
Health
brad3378 said:
 
Holy crap dude!
I bet you were mixing it with creatine like this guy that actually died! http://www.proliberty.com/observer/20030612.htm

His wife now is in Prison because she was convicted of poisoning him with Methanol (a byproduct of aspartame)


I became interested in the aspartame awareness cause after recently moving to Arizona. I had been drinking diet coke & other aspartame products for at least 10 years but my symptoms weren't nearly as serious when I lived in a cooler climate. According to many websites, Aspartame starts breaking down into poisonous methanol & formaldehyde if it is stored in an environment above 86 degrees. Here in in Arizona, warehouses store this stuff in the 114 degree heat. Soldiers in Desert Storm experienced similar symptoms.

Don't trust that diet coke just because it is served cold. There's no way to know if it was stored in a warm warehouse before you bought it.

Keep spreading the word!
- brad3378
 
posted 913 days ago
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martha said:
 
my husband has been having severe pain and muscle spasms in his upper arms for 3 years all the while drinking diet coke.after many heart tests amd every other test he was told by a friend
and when told diet coke could be the cause he quit drinking it and after a mere 1 week his pains have quit and it has beeen 6 weeks no=w and no muscle pains, so what do u think?
 
posted 824 days ago
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I think that is great news for your husband. I haven't had a sip of Diet Coke since I quit this summer.

I also am mindful of sweeteners that are in so many food items now too.

Better safe than sorry!
 
posted 822 days ago
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Mike said:
 
Great job in getting off the diet coke stuff. I too was addicted to diet coke, to the tune of 7-8 cans and sometimes bottles a day for nearly 10 years. I experienced side effects of headaches, migraines, joint pain in my knees and extreme fatigue. I kind of broke my habit by accident, but since being off of it, I have not had one side effect at all, not one headache or migraine, no more joint pain, nothing. It is amazing what your body does when it gets healthy stuff and not the crud in all the sodas and popular drinks out there. Keep up the good work.

Mike, www.dietdrinkaddiction.com
 
posted 684 days ago
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Jill R said:
 
I have been a diet coke drinker for many years. I have also been a migraine sufferer for 27 years, averaging 3-4 migraines per week for all of these years. These are not just watered down migraines, but full-blown migraine with all of the symptoms. I tried everything and there were drugs that worked but nothing ever treated what was causing the issue of migraine. Recently I started in with a weight loss medical doctor who told me that "diet coke is pure poison going to your brain and if you want to see a huge difference in your migraines do not ever drink another diet coke again". That was August 28,2009 and I have had two migraines since that time...both of which were controllable. It is now November 4, 2009.
 
posted 129 days ago
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That is great news!
 
posted 128 days ago
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