Question for the Doctors in the house (Aspartame)

[Glenn Mc]

Guys,

Reading quite a few negatives about this sweetener (previously Nutrasweet i think)

I drink litres and litres of sports drink each week, and try to avoid the high street stuff like Lucozade and Powerade etc, but still drink the odd bottle or two per week.

My main drink is an electrolite drink and also a recovery drink both made by a very good company called Science in Sport (SIS), i assumed that they did not use this, but found out, that they actually do

Question is, do you know how bad this stuff actually is for you, and what the recommended weekley levels are, from what i have read so far, the food standards agency say it is safe, as they have no info to the contrary, but that's a bit grey IMO....

Advice appreciated


G.

 

[Henry]

Drink tea and coffee like the rest of us unfit bastards

Dr. Hen

 

[Gastro]

It should be fine Glenn.
There was controversy about safety when a rat study in Italy suggested that Aspartame was a carcinogen (causes cancer)........ From there the data has been reviewed in over 200 studies and the FDA in the US concluded that there was no evidence to back up the initial Italian rat study.

As with everything - in moderation.
I'm intrigued why you drink so much of the stuff ? For what purpose ?

Anyway...... info here....

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=82425

 

[Steve Rance]

A mate of mine's brother was in the special forces and specialised in survival techniques. He told me to stop pissing about with sports drinks and just drink water. Apparently in terms of rehydration it's the best thing to drink by a long way. They did a lot of work on rehydration.

 

[damian]

Avoid it there's a backlash on Aspartame in the US. If I drink a pint of anything with Aspartame in it I'm on the bog in 20 mins and it affects my breathing (asthma type symptoms).

Glenn, you could quite easily make your own drinks, water and some of the non-sweetened electrolyte powders ie. dioralyte would probably do a better job and it's pence in the supermarket rather than pounds in sports shops and online.

 

[Gastro]

Avoid it there's a backlash on Aspartame in the US. If I drink a pint of anything with Aspartame in it I'm on the bog in 20 mins and it affects my breathing (asthma type symptoms).

Glenn, you could quite easily make your own drinks, water and some of the non-sweetened electrolyte powders ie. dioralyte would probably do a better job and it's pence in the supermarket rather than pounds in sports shops and online.

Agree.........

These drinks are just good marketing for water with salt and sugar....

 

[damian]

Glenn, have you looked at Nuun?

edit: Just checked the ingredient list of this and it has acesulfame potassium, so much for presenting the product as artificial sweetener free!!!!!

 

[Rishie]

Glenn, presumably you have read a lot of the available information, including this and this?

[Nerd hat on]
Now Im no expert by any strecth of imagination, but the papers quoted in the second link (esp. wrt to adverse effects) are interesting if nothing else.

One study was on a "vulnerable population" (basically patients with depression) and was stopped early (ie. before they could recruit enough subjects to make a weighty conclusion) due to its side effects profile. This is what they had set out to demonstrate in the first place..."Are people with mood disorders more suscpetible to the side-effects of Aspartame?" I dont have access to the full article (not from home anyway) so cant tell you what the spectrum of side-effects was.

Another publication to determine whether aspartame can disrupt cognitive, neurophysiologic, or behavioral functioning in normal individuals found no significant problems.

A 2007 study, published in Annals of Oncology of the European Society for Medical Oncology, reviewed Italian studies of instances of cancer from 1991 and 2004 and concluded a "lack of association between saccharin, aspartame and other sweeteners and the risk of several common malignancies".

I think the findings of the "Ramazzini Foundation" study should not be discounted irrespective of what the ESFP says.
[Nerd hat off]

Based on this information (esp. the findings if the RF), I would be hesitant to use it on a regular basis, inlarge volumes. However, I am one of those "better safe than sorry" type of people though.

I hope that answers your questions.

ETA: As with everything else, moderation might be the key.

 

[Glenn Mc]

Cheers guys....

Gastro, i drink so much of it, as i do some sport of one type or the other at least 5-6 times per week, i am very focused on making sure i am hydrated before, during and after the excercie (watch my pee)....

I could drink water alone, but on long bike rides of up to 6 hours etc, i need the carbs for energy, as i will be burning upto 800 calories per hour, plus need the electrolites for big sweat loss, not so much now, but when the warm weather comes i will drink twice as much as i am now. Water just can't help you sustain as high a performance under these conditions imo....


Thinking about it, there's probably a million and one other things out there that will prob give me cancer anyway, so may as well carry on !!!

 

[brady]

Thinking about it, there's probably a million and one other things out there that will prob give me cancer anyway, so may as well carry on !!!

Thats exactly it! Everything gives you cancer these days!:wall

 

[Glenn Mc]

A mate of mine's brother was in the special forces and specialised in survival techniques. He told me to stop pissing about with sports drinks and just drink water. Apparently in terms of rehydration it's the best thing to drink by a long way. They did a lot of work on rehydration.

Not doubting your friends knowledge mate, but if you do a heavy days run or cycle in hot weather, and just drink water alone all day, you are in for BIG trouble, you will be sweating out vital salts etc, and you need electrolites to replenish them, other wise you can flush your whole body out, and die of water poisoning.

I runner did exactly this in last years Marathon (or the year before) it was the one when the weather was very hot, and all he drank was water during the race, and litres more when he finish, he died


G.

 

[brady]

Not doubting your friends knowledge mate, but if you do a heavy days run or cycle in hot weather, and just drink water alone all day, you are in for BIG trouble, you will be sweating out vital salts etc, and you need electrolites to replenish them, other wise you can flush your whole body out, and die of water poisoning.

I runner did exactly this in last years Marathon (or the year before) it was the one when the weather was very hot, and all he drank was water during the race, and litres more when he finish, he died


G.

Never heard of water poisoning, thats scary stuff.

 

[Glenn Mc]

Some real scary shit on here

it's in fecking everything too....

http://aspartamekills.com/

 

[Gastro]

Some real scary shit on here

it's in fecking everything too....

http://aspartamekills.com/

Which adds further to the fact that any studies into aspartame are flawed....... stop worrying !

As for water intoxication - you have to do something pretty special to result in problems, but as you say without any form of electrolyte intake (eg energy bars) there is a small risk by drinking just water....

 

[johnny senna]

I'm with Gastro on the aspartame thing. Don't worry about it mate.

On the debate of isotonic drinks v water when exercising, I think it depends how hard you are exercising. I did the Great North Run in really hot weather the other year when 4 or 5 people died, and I felt happy and safe drinking just water. But I can see the sense of better athletes drinking isotonic drinks if they are exercising in hot weather for many hours, e.g. those mad cross desert super marathon events / Tour de France etc. There is a small but worrying risk of seizures due to hyponatraemia (low sodium salt in the blood) if you "sweat your salt out" and then dilute your blood with water. But it is rare. The running magazines carry info on this, but it isn't always 100% scientific.

 

[Oakley Design]

Glenn,

My original (and still) business partner Matt has a business in this industry. I also did use SIS.

I train 5-6 times a week and although water is good it isnt the best at supplying everything the muscle needs.

Matt works with Olympic teams / althletes and other sports professional as the product is Olympic approved.

What I am trying to say is after a detailed study in this area we came across Aspartame. This isnt great stuff Glenn and if you can stay off it do so. There have been countless cases against Coca Cola for instance with side effects from consuming regular quantities of Diet or Max? cola. The full versions of these products are better for us as at least the body can turn the sugar into energy without any other nasty side effects.

Aspartame is about 200times stronger than sugar and tricks the mind into believing the subject is sweet and when consumed breaks down into three elements; these are aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol (wood alcohol), it is the methanol that could potentially cause issue.

There has been no case found against aspartame (there wouldnt be with Coca Colas money and power) however when people have stopped consuming it they have generaly felt healthier and symptoms such as bad headaches, moodiness generaly lift. Yes there has been talk of carciogenic.


Don't worry about it, just stay off the stuff.


Michael

 

[Glenn Mc]

Glenn,

My original (and still) business partner Matt has a business in this industry. I also did use SIS.

I train 5-6 times a week and although water is good it isnt the best at supplying everything the muscle needs.

Matt works with Olympic teams / althletes and other sports professional as the product is Olympic approved.

What I am trying to say is after a detailed study in this area we came across Aspartame. This isnt great stuff Glenn and if you can stay off it do so. There have been countless cases against Coca Cola for instance with side effects from consuming regular quantities of Diet or Max? cola. The full versions of these products are better for us as at least the body can turn the sugar into energy without any other nasty side effects.

Aspartame is about 200times stronger than sugar and tricks the mind into believing the subject is sweet and when consumed breaks down into three elements; these are aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol (wood alcohol), it is the methanol that could potentially cause issue.

There has been no case found against aspartame (there wouldnt be with Coca Colas money and power) however when people have stopped consuming it they have generaly felt healthier and symptoms such as bad headaches, moodiness generaly lift. Yes there has been talk of carciogenic.


Don't worry about it, just stay off the stuff.


Michael

Great reply, thanks for the info :

What drink do you use that doesn't contain Aspartame though ???


Cheers


G.

 

[Baptist]

Im pretty sure Maximuscle Viper doesnt have it. Might be worth a look.

 

[Oakley Design]

Great reply, thanks for the info :

What drink do you use that doesn't contain Aspartame though ???


Cheers


G.

I will bring you some of our magic potion to Snetterton although be warned it takes F&*^*g rank!!! LOL!!! (Only joking!)

Seriously though its in powder format and you shake it up in water, it tastes orange / lemon flavoured and it is goodstuff!!! I had my first win in Dutch Supercar on a baking hot day in the Supertourer (engine in the dashboard job which doesnt help the heat!) and hand on heart this drink did the business!


Michael

 

[Glenn Mc]

Im pretty sure Maximuscle Viper doesnt have it. Might be worth a look.

That's a caffiene drink though i think isn't it ?

G.