Mystican
09-23-2003, 05:38 PM
Just wondering if anyone has information on the artificial sweetener known as aspartame, and its risks, if any.
I'm not really asking this for me, as I gave up sodas (caffeinated and non-caffeinated) long ago, and there's not much else that I eat or drink that I think would contain artificial sweeteners. Thing is, though, I know someone who does drink (diet) sodas, and I told him I thought I'd heard that aspartame could be dangerous. He said it was safe. He's an exercise and physiology major who works as a personal trainer at 24 Hour Fitness, so perhaps he would know about this... but maybe he missed some vital information? And I could have sworn that I've heard bad things about aspartame... I looked online now and found sites with danger warnings, but they were warnings that other sites (that actually seemed to be more scientifically-grounded) portrayed as false myths. (One site in particular, at http://www.aspartame.org/ , seems at first glance to be fairly reputable, and says that "the bottom line [is that] aspartame is safe.")
So what should I tell my friend? (For the record, by the way, he's not vegan.) Which one of us is right when it comes to aspartame? Are there are any sites out there with clear, concise and solid information about this artificial sweetener? With evidence of health risks that's based on actual scientific studies?
-Erik
I'm not really asking this for me, as I gave up sodas (caffeinated and non-caffeinated) long ago, and there's not much else that I eat or drink that I think would contain artificial sweeteners. Thing is, though, I know someone who does drink (diet) sodas, and I told him I thought I'd heard that aspartame could be dangerous. He said it was safe. He's an exercise and physiology major who works as a personal trainer at 24 Hour Fitness, so perhaps he would know about this... but maybe he missed some vital information? And I could have sworn that I've heard bad things about aspartame... I looked online now and found sites with danger warnings, but they were warnings that other sites (that actually seemed to be more scientifically-grounded) portrayed as false myths. (One site in particular, at http://www.aspartame.org/ , seems at first glance to be fairly reputable, and says that "the bottom line [is that] aspartame is safe.")
So what should I tell my friend? (For the record, by the way, he's not vegan.) Which one of us is right when it comes to aspartame? Are there are any sites out there with clear, concise and solid information about this artificial sweetener? With evidence of health risks that's based on actual scientific studies?
-Erik