Hey All ... and especially CQ, DE and BP. I avoid anything with aspartame in it. If some edible product has "diet" on the label, there is a good chance I won't buy it.

It's not because of the , nor even because of my compassion for belonging to the <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.presidiotex.com/aspartame>Aspartame Victims Support Group. Although, I may be able to get money for nothing and ride on the some of the "NutraSweet® is our company's brand
name for the sweetener aspartame. It is
used to sweeten food and beverages and
is enjoyed by millions of people
worldwide. Since aspartame is intensely
sweet, very little is required to sweeten
foods and beverages. Because of this,
products sweetened with aspartame are
usually lower in calories."

"Aspartame is made of the two amino
acids aspartic acid and phenylalanine (as
the methyl ester). These components are
found in common foods such as meat,
milk, fruits and vegetables. Aspartame is
quickly and completely metabolized in the
body, just like any other protein. Upon
digestion, aspartame breaks down into its
original components (aspartic acid,
phenylalanine and methanol). The body
then uses these components in the same
way as those found in foods that are eaten
everyday. Neither aspartame nor its
components accumulate in the body over
time."

There are those "Aspartame Is Bad" website that propounds that "aspartame is the most dangerous substance ever foisted upon an unsuspecting public" and uses an article from Nexus magazine as proof.

You might think that it was that whole fiasco with the <A target="_blank" HREF=http://presidiotex.com/nutrapoison/article.html#nazis1>CIA & Nazis</A> trying to use aspartame as a biological weapon that stops me from ingesting aspartame.

Heavens knows that the doses of aspartame that caused neurological lesions in rats would almost be impossible for a human to do (... unless they just let a guy eat aspartame powder with a spoon, I suppose) wouldn't scare me away from ingesting the stuff.

Even those in the haven't much to say on the safety of aspartame since 1981 (although it was reviewed it 1987). The fallout from the safety of aspartame controversy has launched the sweetener into the realm of <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.snopes2.com/toxins/aspartam.htm>urban legend.

As an adverse effect in some people, intestinal gas is produced in copious quantities after ingesting products containing aspartame. This would not be a reason for me to avoid aspartame, though. Hey, I'm the father of a soon-to-be seven year old; farting in inappropriate places to embarass your daughter is a manditory statute in the "How to be a Dad" training manual.

The reason that I don't drink or eat anything containing aspartame is, is that I have a funny feeling about the product. It is not something that I can put my finger on, but it does stop me from buying products with aspartame. I seriously doubt that aspartame would permanently harm me, even in higher dose over a long period of time. If I find out that after eating something, it contained aspartame, that's no big deal. I just prefer sugar (which, of course, is second to my wife for sweet, tasty things) when I eat something that is sweetened.

I doubt that aspartame is harmful to most people, but it is not a naturally occurring chemical moiety. Since I have a choice, I choose to take sugar; my body can recognized sugar very readily. Remember though, too much sugar over a long period of time may cause physiological problems, like Type II diabetes.

Really, the choice is yours. I have not personally seen anyone have problems with aspartame. I believe my worst professional incident of aspartame was when one of my old psychiatric patients who drank 3 litres of Diet Coke® within an hour. All day this person would phone me with updates as to how many "toots" had been experienced. The list was further sub-divided into "big ones" and "little ones".

Take care (and sorry for not just giving an yes or no) - Cam.


<font color=orange>"Sometimes you may be shown the light in the strangest of places, if you look at it right"
- Robert Hunter</font color=orange>