5 ms·

Aspartame.

tomjen3 9y ago
I only upvoted you because Aspartame is such an interesting case - no other food that I can think of has had such vitrol thrown at it, yet every single scientific study has shown no effect on blood sugar, the chemical is simple, the two compounds it breaks down to in the liver are already present in the body and its properties are well known. Yet people still hate it.
- wolco 9y ago
  From my limited life experience: It tastes bad to the average male, it leaves a bad after taste that is really noticable. Females don't seem to notice the after taste.
  - jessaustin 9y ago
    I used to feel that way and I am male, but I've found that now that I've consumed a lot, it no longer has that effect.
  - megaman22 9y ago
    I don't notice any bitterness, but I've been drinking Diet Pepsi for something like 20 years.
  - andygates 9y ago
    Wait what? No. "Average" and "me and my buddies" aren't the same.
    - wolco 9y ago
      It is if you preface the discussion by saying in my experience. That limits the group to people I've had contact with that the word average would apply.
StavrosK 9y ago
Aspartame has been extensively studied and no adverse effect has been found. Why do you think that? Is it because "scary chemical"? And is it worse than sugar?
- Spooky23 9y ago
  I don’t know about the chemical itself, but it’s sold as a substitute for sugar without the ill effect, and likely has a similar metabolic effect to sugar.
  - Zaak 9y ago
    It can't have a similar metabolic effect to sugar. For one, it's a peptide, not a carbohydrate. Also, in the quantities it's consumed in, there are very few calories. Now, for phenylketonurics it's problematic, but they have severe dietary restrictions anyway. The only problem I'm aware of with aspartame is that consumption of any sweetener is associated with weight gain, possibly due to changes in the brain's association between taste and calorie intake.
    - leakyabs 9y ago
      I thought the issue with artificial sweeteners is that they trick your brain into thinking you’re eating or about to eat sugar, and then your liver produces a crapton of insulin which just makes you fat. Oh, and then your body expects sugar but doesn’t get any so you get even hungrier, quicker. I agree that aspartame itself is safe (as far as we know), but it still tries to trick your body in ways that aren’t conducive to decent eating habits.
- vixen99 9y ago
  http://www.cibr.es/ka/apps/cibr/docs/aspartamo-opinion-efsa-10-diciembre-2013.-pdf.pdf http://www.cibr.es/ka/apps/cibr/docs/aspartamo-opinion-efsa-... is a European Food Safety view.
  - StavrosK 9y ago

Aspartame.

I only upvoted you because Aspartame is such an interesting case - no other food that I can think of has had such vitrol thrown at it, yet every single scientific study has shown no effect on blood sugar, the chemical is simple, the two compounds it breaks down to in the liver are already present in the body and its properties are well known. Yet people still hate it.

wolco 9y ago
From my limited life experience: It tastes bad to the average male, it leaves a bad after taste that is really noticable. Females don't seem to notice the after taste.
- jessaustin 9y ago
  I used to feel that way and I am male, but I've found that now that I've consumed a lot, it no longer has that effect.
- megaman22 9y ago
  I don't notice any bitterness, but I've been drinking Diet Pepsi for something like 20 years.
- andygates 9y ago
  Wait what? No. "Average" and "me and my buddies" aren't the same.
  - wolco 9y ago
    It is if you preface the discussion by saying in my experience. That limits the group to people I've had contact with that the word average would apply.

StavrosK 9y ago

Aspartame has been extensively studied and no adverse effect has been found. Why do you think that? Is it because "scary chemical"? And is it worse than sugar?

Spooky23 9y ago
I don’t know about the chemical itself, but it’s sold as a substitute for sugar without the ill effect, and likely has a similar metabolic effect to sugar.
- Zaak 9y ago
  It can't have a similar metabolic effect to sugar. For one, it's a peptide, not a carbohydrate. Also, in the quantities it's consumed in, there are very few calories. Now, for phenylketonurics it's problematic, but they have severe dietary restrictions anyway. The only problem I'm aware of with aspartame is that consumption of any sweetener is associated with weight gain, possibly due to changes in the brain's association between taste and calorie intake.
  - leakyabs 9y ago
    I thought the issue with artificial sweeteners is that they trick your brain into thinking you’re eating or about to eat sugar, and then your liver produces a crapton of insulin which just makes you fat. Oh, and then your body expects sugar but doesn’t get any so you get even hungrier, quicker. I agree that aspartame itself is safe (as far as we know), but it still tries to trick your body in ways that aren’t conducive to decent eating habits.
vixen99 9y ago
http://www.cibr.es/ka/apps/cibr/docs/aspartamo-opinion-efsa-10-diciembre-2013.-pdf.pdf http://www.cibr.es/ka/apps/cibr/docs/aspartamo-opinion-efsa-... is a European Food Safety view.
- StavrosK 9y ago