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Is diet caffeine-free soda dangerous?


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As far as sweeteners are concerned, aspartamine (which is a common ingredient in commercial products) is lethal. Producers will say it's safe but they would, wouldn't they. My ex-wife's sister was always getting seriously ill when she ate out because of undeclared aspartamine in their food.

As far as I can see, fruit sugars like fruisiana are among the relatively safe and have a low glycenic index (GI)

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I guess the real question is, "why is it so hard for people to do things in moderation?". I know that there are always people who will be exceptions to this rule due to serious health issues, but for the vast bulk of humanity we'd all be healthier if we just didn't eat too much junk (it should be a treat, not a staple of one's diet), exercised regularly (even 30 minutes a day can't be that hard for everyone), and had a bit less stress and more free time to relax with friends and family.

I was 250+lbs at 5'11" a few years back, and after I heeded my own advice I got down to under 200lbs, lowered my cholesterol and overall body fat, and I've reduced my stress at work as well (that last part was the hardest part, btw). I find I'm far happier now, and I'm not as tempted by junk food as much as I once was, because I've realized that there are meals out there that taste just as good or better, and are far better for my body. You only get one of those, so try not to screw it up too badly, I guess, is my long story short :).

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I guess the real question is, "why is it so hard for people to do things in moderation?". I know that there are always people who will be exceptions to this rule due to serious health issues, but for the vast bulk of humanity we'd all be healthier if we just didn't eat too much junk (it should be a treat, not a staple of one's diet), exercised regularly (even 30 minutes a day can't be that hard for everyone), and had a bit less stress and more free time to relax with friends and family.

I was 250+lbs at 5'11" a few years back, and after I heeded my own advice I got down to under 200lbs, lowered my cholesterol and overall body fat, and I've reduced my stress at work as well (that last part was the hardest part, btw). I find I'm far happier now, and I'm not as tempted by junk food as much as I once was, because I've realized that there are meals out there that taste just as good or better, and are far better for my body. You only get one of those, so try not to screw it up too badly, I guess, is my long story short :).

all good stuff. moderation is the #1 thing and included with exercise your set. i just dont get how people can eat a bunch of junk food all day..

good to hear that you've improved yourself alot. my dad has been doing the same thing for about a year now, he bikes like 14 miles a day! i run like 6 miles a day. excercise is the key.

Edited by ripken204
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As far as sweeteners are concerned, aspartamine (which is a common ingredient in commercial products) is lethal. Producers will say it's safe but they would, wouldn't they. My ex-wife's sister was always getting seriously ill when she ate out because of undeclared aspartamine in their food.

As far as I can see, fruit sugars like fruisiana are among the relatively safe and have a low glycenic index (GI)

Dude, I think you must have written this just to get under my skin. I wrote that huge tirade above about bad people are at critical thinking, and you go and write the perfect post capturing everything I said was wrong with how people approach subjects like these. 'Tis a pity.

I'd ask...how does your ex-wife's sister know there was aspartame in the food? She just assume because she had a reaction? Maybe she's allergic to lots of things. Really, they don't add aspartame to much of anything except food and beverages marketed as "diet" or "low calorie." Also, don't you think that's quite a big step to say aspartame is "lethal" because your ex-wife's sister sometimes had a bad reaction to some food she ate? Maybe she happens to be one of those people who can't metabolize phenylalanine (which makes a person very sensitive to aspartame, seemingly allergic), or maybe it was something else in the food entirely (msg?).

Still, I'd stay away from all sweet stuff as much as possible. Sugar definitely leads to diabetes type II in susceptible people who don't exercise. So, I guess in that sense, sugar is 'lethal' as well....

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  • 1 month later...
That page, and much of the inofrmation in this topic, is frightening!
water is better than any amount of soda a day...especially for people who really work out.

excersize + water makes the good life.

I always drink water when I exercise. The water fountain is right there on the track so it is nice and easy to stop running for a bit to get a drink :)
Dramatic and frightening. The Fox piece was overly dramatized but had some salient points. This is all Rumsfeld's fault? What *isn't* his fault these days? :)
I buy unsweetened "Kool Aid" and sweeten it myself with Splenda.

No Caffeine, NO poisonous Aspartame and NO sugar.

That is a neat idea, but I haven't had a Splenda product yet that I've liked. Maybe it is an acquired taste?

@monikermilk: You make some great, sober counterpoints to most of the arguments here. Thanks for that. Too much fearmongering can conceal reality.

I guess the real question is, "why is it so hard for people to do things in moderation?".
That was really part of what I originally wanted to know. How much soda (aspartame?) does the average person intake? Is there an FDA recommendation? How do we define moderation for this?

Thanks for all the replies and information!

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That page, and much of the inofrmation in this topic, is frightening!
water is better than any amount of soda a day...especially for people who really work out.

excersize + water makes the good life.

I always drink water when I exercise. The water fountain is right there on the track so it is nice and easy to stop running for a bit to get a drink :)

water when you running :no:

i cramp up when i do that. it's also hard to carry a water bottle for a 10+ mile run..

anyways, people just have to learn to take control of what they do/eat. i try to not even touch junk food or soda. i would rather have a nice meal than mcdonalds(many ppl think the other way..). but i am also italian and i love those nice meals :) they are healthy at least.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

I'm drinking more water these days :)

I'm still interested in this topic and links about it catch my eye. Here are three more:

http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/2007/06/...chewing_gum.php

A New Zealand doctor has "confirmed" a case of aspartame poisoning from excessive consumption of chewing gum.

Your Health: New Cancer Worries For Diet Soda Drinkers

Diet Soda Linked To Heart Risks?

I'm not normally one for conspiracy theories (as some of the controversy around aspartame seems to be) but the evidence seems to keep mounting.

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I'm drinking more water these days :)

I'm still interested in this topic and links about it catch my eye. Here are three more:

http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/2007/06/...chewing_gum.php

A New Zealand doctor has "confirmed" a case of aspartame poisoning from excessive consumption of chewing gum.

Your Health: New Cancer Worries For Diet Soda Drinkers

Diet Soda Linked To Heart Risks?

I'm not normally one for conspiracy theories (as some of the controversy around aspartame seems to be) but the evidence seems to keep mounting.

That first link doesn't work. The second link doesn't proof anything. The key result is that diet or normal soda's don't make any difference. I don't see how that proofs anything about any dangerous effects of aspartame...perhaps you're searching for evidence to hard :)

I totally second what monikermilk said about this subject. Look at the real facts.

Cheers!

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That first link works fine for me :blink:

None of these links are proof of anything. Just food for thought so that people like myself who might overdo it can be aware of the potential hazards. Do you have any idea how much soda the average American drinks? It is insane.

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  • 3 months later...
I don't pretend that this soda is healthy in any way. I just like that it doesn't contain any calories or caffeine. So I drink lots of it. It does contain some questionable ingredients such as aspartame, sodium benzoate, phosphoric acid and citric acid.

Could I be endangering my health?

Possibly. With the amounts you consume.

Short term, the caffeine is going to affect you. Its going to take a toll on the nervous system.

Long term, you have to worry about the aspartame. Its very carcinogenic. Although there have been no real reported cases of people dying or getting cancer, I tend to stay away from compounds that turn toxic at 37 degrees Celsius (average, normal body temperature).

Phosphoric acid, and citric acid... meh. They're not great but they're not dangerous. Sodium Benzoate is a preservative, and it also has pretty bad effects, including carcinogenic properties. (but it depends on its shelf life, exposure to light, and heat exposure), because it likes to turn into benzene (rate depends on factors mentioned earlier), a carcinogen.

Here is an excerpt from a study about aspartame:

The level of aspartame in a can of Diet Coke was found to be 0.06% by a food testing laboratory. The remaining cans from one case of Diet coke were stored under three different heat conditions for 10 weeks. Seven cans were stored in an incubator (104 degrees Fahrenheit), seven cans were stored at room temperature (68-70 degrees Fahrenheit). At the end of 70 days samples were tested for levels of aspartame, formaldehyde and DKP (diketopiperazine). The refrigerated sample contained 0.058 percent aspartame, 0.001 percent DKP and 53.5 parts per billion of formaldehyde. The room temperature sample contained 0.051 percent aspartame, 0.002 percent DKP and 231 parts per billion of formaldehyde. The incubator sample contained 0.026 percent aspartame, 0.010 percent DKP and 76.2 parts per billion of formaldehyde. In addition 10 human subjects tasted each soda sample plus a new can of Diet Coke and rated each sample for taste on a 1-4 scale with 1 being the best and 4 being the worst. The new can of Diet Coke received an average rating of 2.0. The sample stored in the refrigerator received an average rating of 2.6. The sample stored at room temperature received an average rating of 2.5. The sample stored in the incubator received an average rating of 3.8. The effects of heat

on Diet coke produced the worst taste and the highest amount of loss of aspartame as well as the greatest increase in levels of DKP. The most

pleasing taste was for the new can of Diet Coke. The room temperature sample and the refrigerated sample scored almost the same in the taste

test. All samples revealed a presence of formaldehyde. However, the highest level of formaldehyde occurred in the room temperature can.

There was also formaldehyde present in the refrigerated sample.

http://www.dorway.com/jcohen.html

Basically Aspartame = Formaldehyde when exposed to heat. Room temperature has the highest levels of formaldehyde in the experiment.

Occupational exposure to formaldehyde by inhalation is mainly from three types of sources: thermal or chemical decomposition of formaldehyde-based resins, formaldehyde emission from aqueous solutions (for example, embalming fluids), or the production of formaldehyde resulting from the combustion of a variety of organic compounds (for example, exhaust gases). Formaldehyde can be toxic, allergenic, and carcinogenic.[7] Because formaldehyde resins are used in many construction materials, formaldehyde is one of the more common indoor air pollutants.[citation needed] At concentrations above 0.1 ppm in air, formaldehyde can irritate the eyes and mucous membranes, resulting in watery eyes. If inhaled, formaldehyde at this concentration may cause headaches, a burning sensation in the throat, and difficulty breathing, as well as triggering or aggravating asthma symptoms.[8] Formaldehyde is classified as a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and as having sufficient evidence that formaldehyde causes nasopharyngeal cancer in humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.[9]

(from Wikipedia)

You're better off smoking a joint to relax, and let the creative juices flow.

Edited by brucevangeorge
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[...]
whats better, cancer, or sugar?

Hard to say. Extra sugar in most people's diets (getting rid of aspatame altogether would mean LOTS more sugar) will lead directly to weight gain, which in turn will lead to far higher risks of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis and all that (it even increases risk of some cancers AFAIK).

[...]

THANK YOU!!! I know many people with type-1 diabetes, and they always tell me how they wish people would distinguish between types 1 and 2, since people see they have diabetes and say things like "Oh! Is that because you eat too much?" which is insulting. Good points, by the way. ;)

Let me address the original question. "Is diet caffeine-free soda dangerous?"

[...]

Being a Diabetic, my options for flavorful soft drinks is somewhat limited.

The Coke with Splenda is way too sweet for my taste.

Diet Coke with Lime is real tasty, (and makes a good mixer for Whiskey or Southern Comfort) but drinking a lot of it puts way too much Aspartame into my system.

I've recently removed that from my diet all together.

So recently I've come up with a workable solution. (no pun intended)

I buy unsweetened "Kool Aid" and sweeten it myself with Splenda.

No Caffeine, NO poisonous Aspartame and NO sugar.

Plus, I can change the flavor with each pitcher, so I don't get burned out on just one taste.

I'm having some right now......mmmmmmmm! Delicious!

I'd rather have a cold beer, but that blows my blood sugar levels right through the roof!

But, beer is actually its own food group.

It's really very nourishing and could actually sustain life all by itself.

Just too much sugar for us diabetics. (although, I still have one or two, occasionally)

Cheers Mates!

Ummmm..... well, splenda has its own issues. Every time I've had it I've gotten a head ache. :wacko: And as for beer blowing your BGL through the roof, just take some extra insulin when you drink. :unsure:

[...]

As far as I can see, fruit sugars like fruisiana are among the relatively safe and have a low glycenic index (GI)

As far as I can see, you're wrong. If it's pure sugar of any kind, it's got a high glycemic index.

[...]

water when you running

i cramp up when i do that. it's also hard to carry a water bottle for a 10+ mile run..

[...]

Huh. I almost always take a water bottle when I run. However, when running with the XC team, we often run places with waterfountains, or if not, we take turns bringing a group water bottle. Which results in a problem if one person gets sick, because then we all do...

The trick I've found is to only drink a little bit, and not too often, but when you're done, drink a LOT, and drink something about 30-60 minutes before running. Gatorade, etc.. are good, too, for race days. :D

Overall, addressing the issue... 2L of anything artificial is going to be bad for you. Water's the best. Not bottled water - it's weird and it wastes resources - but tap water, preferably filtered. And keep away from that "vitamin water" stuff. It's bad for you. If plain water is boring, try some tea - non caffeinated! Or hot cocoa in the winter, but not too much since milk and cocoa have sugar.

REMEMBER: Sugar is not inherently bad. Your body NEEDS it. It's just about how much how often. On the other hand, artificial stuff it bad for you. Especially aspartame. Ugh. :puke:

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