Aspartame & Artificial Sweeteners In the News

BREAKING NEWS!

I've opened a Quora 'Aspartame Injuries' page on Quora for all the latest Aspartame news articles for 2023/2024 (older posts are below) Click here

 

Sucralose For Weight Loss: Expert Explains If This Artificial Sweetener Is Good For Weight Loss? 11th Match 2024 - HERE

Another study with adolescents, supplied with artificially sweetened beverages to reduce sugar consumption, showed no consistent reduction in weight gain over two years. These findings question the effectiveness of sucralose for weight loss and suggest that it may not be a reliable method for those watching their calorie intake.

Dr Lakdawala added, “Reports of adverse reactions, including headaches and allergic responses, raise concerns about sucralose and products containing sucralose. Recent research also highlights potential negative impacts on gut health and the induction of metabolic syndrome.”

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BIG REVEAL from The Washington Post! 13th September 2023

The food industry pays ‘influencer’ dietitians to shape your eating habits - HERE

As the World Health Organization raised questions this summer about the risks of a popular artificial sweetener, a new hashtag began spreading on the social media accounts of health professionals: #safetyofaspartame.

Steph Grasso, a registered dietitian from Oakton, Va., used the hashtag and told her 2.2 million followers on TikTok that the WHO warnings about artificial sweeteners were “clickbait” based on “low-quality science.”

Another dietitian, Cara Harbstreet of Kansas City, reassured her Instagram followers not to worry about “fear mongering headlines” about aspartame because “the evidence doesn’t suggest there’s a reason for concern.”

In a third video, Mary Ellen Phipps, a Houston-area dietitian who specializes in diabetes care, sipped from a glass of soda and told her Instagram viewers that artificial sweeteners “satisfy the desire for sweetness” without affecting blood sugar or insulin levels.

What these dietitians didn’t make clear was that they were paid to post the videos by American Beverage, a trade and lobbying group representing Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and other companies.

In all, at least 35 posts from a dozen health professionals were part of the coordinated campaign by American Beverage. The trade group paid an undisclosed amount to 10 registered dietitians, as well as a physician and a fitness influencer, to use their social media accounts to help blunt the WHO’s claims that aspartame, a mainstay of Diet Coke and other sodas, is ineffective for weight loss and “possibly carcinogenic.”...

and a follow-up:

The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday said it issued warnings to two food and beverage industry groups, as well as a dozen online influencers, for failing to adequately disclose paid social media posts that promoted a sweetener and sugary products. (November 15th 2023) HERE

ALSO: Big - no HUGE NEWS!!!!

On July 14, 2023 the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) declared aspartame “possibly carcinogenic to humans” for the first time.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) cited “limited evidence” for carcinogenicity in humans and JECFA reaffirmed the acceptable daily intake of 40 mg/kg body weight.

Read about it HERE

IARC Monographs evaluation of the carcinogenicity of aspartame, methyleugenol, and isoeugenol – IARC (who.int) (image below)

Aspartame: Nutritionist calls for "more transparency" over aspartame levels in sugar-free drinks

(24th November 2023) - Read article HERE

Labels in supermarkets should show how much aspartame is in a given product, the nutritionist said.

Another company removing Aspartame from its products…

B&B studio creates Know & Love, a new private label product line for Southeastern Grocers Inc., offering a range of affordable, clean label products across its family of grocery stores

…With a list of over 100 excluded ingredients such as certified color additives, partially hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup and sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin and sucralose, Know & Love line builds upon the grocer’s commitment to provide its customers with quality products and services that stretch their wallets. These offerings include dairy, produce, ready- made foods and beverages, as well as a clean label household offerings… HERE (14/11/23)

SPAR Austria has announced that it has banned aspartame from its private-label dairy brands, and is nearing the total phase-out of the artificial sweetener from its entire store brand range. HERE 14/11/23

Aspartame update: “Diet” and regular soda equally raise insulin levels in saliva, study suggests

10 Nov 2023 --- Although it is commonly believed that artificial sweeteners like aspartame do not raise insulin levels in the same way as sugar, a new clinical trial challenges this idea. International researchers found that salivary insulin levels increased one hour after consuming a soft drink, for both regular and diet drinks — sweetened with artificial sweeteners. Read it HERE

CPSI calls on USDA to update school snacks’ nutrition standards- HERE (19th October 2023)

 

...“CSPI advises that children avoid all low-calorie sweeteners, but we are especially concerned about aspartame, acesulfame potassium, saccharin and sucralose due to cancer concerns. There is compelling evidence that aspartame is a carcinogen, which the World Health Organization recently classified as ‘possibly carcinogenic to humans’.”...

 

 

Memory Deficits Linked to Aspartame May Be Heritable, Study Says (Psychaitrist.com) September 21st, 2023 - HERE

...In a surprise twist, the male mice passed the memory deficiencies onto the next generation through a process known as epigenetic inheritance. Epigenetics refers to changes in gene expression that occur without alterations in the underlying DNA sequence. It involves modifications to the structure of DNA or its associated proteins, which can influence the functioning of genes.

In this case, it appears epigenetic changes were passed along through the sperm of the male mice. Both male and female offspring inherited memory problems from their fathers.

The same team published an earlier study that linked aspartame consumption to anxiety in mice, with effects extending up to two generations. Pradeep Bhide, the paper’s coauthor, said that the new research underscored the extent to which aspartame affects the brain...

Study links aspartame consumption to learning and memory deficits in mice (Food Safety News)

HERE September 25th 2023

Researchers from the Florida State University College of Medicine have unveiled findings from an ongoing study revealing a potential link between aspartame consumption and learning and memory deficits in mice...

Artificial Sweetener Linked to Heritable Learning Deficits, Scientists Say - (Newsweek, Sept 22nd, 2023) - HERE

...Aspartame itself is not absorbed into the bloodstream. Rather, it is broken down into phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol in the digestive tract.

"All three breakdown products enter the circulation, cross the blood-brain barrier and are neuroactive," Bhide said.

In the brain, phenylalanine and aspartic acid can affect the transmission of signals between brain cells, while methanol is neurotoxic, which may be the underlying cause of these cognitive deficits. Previous studies have also linked aspartame to disruption of the gut microbiome, which plays an important role in supporting mental health...

Drinking diet sodas and aspartame-sweetened beverages daily during pregnancy linked to autism in male offspring - HERE  (20th September, 2023)

A new published study led by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) has found an association between autism diagnosis in boys and daily consumption of either diet soda or a comparable amount of aspartame by their mothers during pregnancy or breastfeeding...

Researchers discover learning and memory deficits after ingestion of aspartame

by Robert Thomas, Florida State University 18th September, 2023 - HERE

...The offspring of male mice that consumed aspartame at levels equivalent to much lower doses than those deemed safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), demonstrated spatial learning and memory deficits over the course of a controlled 16-week exposure. The study is published in Scientific Reports...

Long-Term Artificial Sweetener Intake Linked to Risk for Obesity (Endocrinology Advisor)

September 15th 2023 - read it HERE

Artificial sweeteners may cause greater volumes of visceral, intermuscular, and subcutaneous adipose tissue, which may increase risk for obesity.

Aspartame: it is the risk that matters, not the hazard (The Lancet, Oncology July 13, 2023)

Most interest will concentrate on just one of these agents, aspartame, an artificial sweetener. IARC has classified aspartame for the first time, as a Group 2B agent, which is “Possibly carcinogenic to humans”. HERE

WHO advises not to use non-sugar sweeteners for weight control in newly released guideline

"...Replacing free sugars with NSS does not help with weight control in the long term. People need to consider other ways to reduce free sugars intake, such as consuming food with naturally occurring sugars, like fruit, or unsweetened food and beverages,” says Francesco Branca, WHO Director for Nutrition and Food Safety. "NSS are not essential dietary factors and have no nutritional value. People should reduce the sweetness of the diet altogether, starting early in life, to improve their health..." HERE (15th May, 2023)

Link between daily diet soda and aspartame intake in early life with autism in males - HERE

...Conclusions

In the present study examining maternal intake of diet soda and aspartame during pregnancy or breastfeeding, researchers found that boys exposed early to these substances had an increased risk of autism.

What's next with Aspartame? (bakingbusiness.com) 8/1/23 - HERE

And that’s what a lot of formulators were exploring while at IFT FIRST. Thom King, chief executive officer, Icon Foods, Portland, Ore., said that between the WHO’s evaluation of aspartame, and a March 2023 article in Nature suggesting sucralose may increase cancer risk, his company has been inundated by requests for clean label replacements.

“Our booth was slammed so hard the first two hours we ran out of brochures,” Mr. King said. “Many major manufacturers were clamoring to talk about ways to get aspartame and sucralose out of their finished goods.

“There are a lot of options like stevia, monk fruit, allulose, erythritol, sweet fibers and thaumatin. These read well on an ingredient declaration, as well as the Nutrition Facts panel. Consumers will demand these sweeteners.”... (italics admin emphasis)

Artificial Sweeteners ’Could Be Causing More Harm Than Good,’ Pharmacist Warns
Aspartame, sucralose, and stevia-derived substances are all commonly used artificial sweeteners in such products - HERE

Dementia risk could be raised by eating and drinking common ingredient - HERE (21/8/23)

The consumption of aspartame, found in a lot of foods including artificially sweetened drinks like diet soda, can be harmful to the brain and increase the risk of dementia

Aspartame consumption has been linked to various health risks, including cancer, but more evidence suggests it could affect the brain, too. The methyl ester in aspartame metabolizes in the body into methanol, a toxic substance that can harm the brain and even cause blindness or death if consumed in large amounts.

The aspartame verdict is in (Women's Health UK, July 13th 2023) - HERE

The rumbling sugar vs sweetener debate has erupted again, with a ruling published declaring aspartame a cancer risk.

Both diet and regular soda may increase insulin levels (Sept 12, 2023) - HERE

• Some people swap out regular sweetened beverages for diet versions, but their long-term effects on health are unclear.
• A recent study found that diet and regular soft drinks increased salivary insulin levels.
• The results indicate the potential harm of too much consumption of diet and regular soft drinks. However, further research is needed in this area.

Weight loss warning for Diet Coke fans as artificial sweetener linked to belly fat - HERE

A study published this week in the International Journal of Obesity has found that long-term consumption of diet beverages were linked to increased fat stores in the abdomen and within the muscle. It highlighted strong links with two artificial sweeteners, aspartame and saccharin, which feature in many diet foods and drinks. (9th August, 2023)

Aspartame is tied to weight gain, increased appetite and obesity (May 16, 2023) HERE

Aspartame, one of the world’s most popular sugar substitutes, is found in thousands of sugar-free, low-sugar and so-called “diet” drinks and foods. Yet the scientific evidence described in this fact sheet links aspartame to weight gain, increased appetite, diabetes, metabolic derangement and obesity-related diseases. 

Professor Erik Millstone and Elisabeth Lawson: Calls for world’s most popular artificial sweetener to be banned in UK under incoming Brexit powers - HERE & HERE & HERE

and then... Food Standards Agencies rule out Aspartame bans as scientists warns of 'adverse effects' on consumers: HERE (What a surprise; we knew it couldn't be that easy! Admin remark)

Read Professor Erik Millstone & Elisabeth Dawson's 2020 paper: Why did EFSA not reduce its ADI for aspartame or recommend its use should no longer be permitted?  HERE

The Less Known History Of The Cancer Causing Chemical Sweetener, Aspartame - HERE

Madras Courier, 10th August, 2023

Avoid artificial sweeteners – the health risks aren't sweet - opinion - HERE 

(Jerusalem Post, 10th August, 2023)

The findings suggest that use of NSSs does not confer any long-term benefit in reducing body fat in adults or children. They also suggest that long-term use of NSSs may have potential undesirable effects such as increased risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and all-cause mortality in adults.

Diet Coke fans warned as more evidence shows it could 'increase risk of silent killer’- HERE

(Mirror, UK) Diet alternatives to full-fat drinks could increase your risk of type 2 diabetes, scientists have warned today.

Experts are now concerned that additives are very unhealthy replacements for sugar because, in June, research showed they can cause cancer. World Health Organization (WHO) said it is to soon classify aspartame as "possibly carcinogenic to humans".

No sugarcoating it: Artificial sweeteners aren’t healthy - HERE (Jul 31, 2023)

Eating any food with artificial sweeteners is bad for your health, Dr. Debra Bell says.

Is your sugar-free diet drink actually making you fat... or could the artificial sweeteners actually give you cancer? (18th June 2022 |  Daily Mail article)

• People keeping an eye on their weight often switch to sugar free soft drinks 
• Studies show two-thirds of the fizzy drinks purchased are low or zero-calorie
• However, there are claims that zero-calorie drinks could promote weight gain
• Others claim that the artificial sweeteners can even cause cancer  - HERE

A mother who contracted the Corona Virus warns: Read the post here

"...Ms Little, of Chilton, County Durham, warned against drinks with artificial sweeteners such as Diet Coke and Pepsi as they "will make you feel like you have been poisoned..."

A YouTuber quit drinking diet soda for 109 days and found he craved less sugar than ever - HERE

YouTuber Joel Wood went from drinking two litres of diet soda a day to giving it up completely.

VERY REVEALING!!

A History of Donald Trump's Confused Understanding of Diet Coke, His 'Garbage' Beverage of Choice - HERE

DA-PRESSING This is what happens to your body within just one hour of drinking diet fizzy drinks. Read the story HERE

Mom With Aspartame Allergy Claims Diet Soda Caused 3-Day Coma: ‘That Mistake Could Be Fatal’ 

A British mom of two is sharing her ordeal after spending three days in a coma, allegedly caused by consuming a diet soda by accident. The mom suffered a severe allergic reaction to aspartame, an artificial sweetener commonly found in diet soft drinks.

Elizabeth Perkins, from Swadlincote in Derbyshire, England, told Caters News that she ordered a regular soda at her local pub in October 2019. She received a diet soda by mistake and started drinking the beverage but claimed she knew something was wrong from the very first sip.

“I’d asked for a full-fat coke, and stressed that it had to be full-fat as usual to the bartender,” Perkins, who already knew she was allergic to aspartame, explained. “But once I took my first sip, straight away I knew it tasted strange.”

Elizabeth Perkins with a glass of regular cola, which she can have. (Caters News)
“I could feel the usual sickness start, like I was going to be sick,” she said. Perkins, then 30, lost consciousness and woke up in hospital three days later.

“Some people automatically give you the low-sugar or sugar-free versions, but for me, that mistake could be fatal,” Perkins later told Caters. The mother’s two young sons, Matthew and Jacob, share her allergy to artificial sweeteners.

An allergic reaction to aspartame may induce swelling of the lips, tongue, and throat, skin lesions, excessive itching, trouble breathing, and even swelling of the salivary glands, according to a 1996 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Collect pic of Elizabeth Perkins from when she was in hospital in a coma. (Caters News)

After waking from her three-day coma, Perkins recovered in the hospital before returning home to her sons. She decided to share her story as a warning to others to remain aware of the severity of this particular allergy.

The mom of two is also looking out for her children’s health. Since discovering that many processed and pre-prepared foods contain artificial sweeteners, Perkins has been making her sons’ school packed lunches from scratch to avoid risking their health, according to Metro.

Perkins also lamented the effect of her family’s shared allergy upon their social lives. Her sons, she said, often miss out on sharing birthday cakes with their friends because store-bought icing contains artificial sweeteners [...] 

The above story is no longer available online. 

• This Is What Actually Happens To Your Body When You Drink Diet Soda - HERE (05/01/21)
• Six Class-Action Lawsuits Filed Against Aspartame - HERE
• Diet soda may prompt food cravings, especially in women and people with obesity - HERE
• Saccharin Doesn’t Change Glucose Tolerance in Healthy Adults - HERE (Is it a coincidence that Donald Tober who owned 'Sweet 'N Low recently committed suicide by leaping to his death from his own luxury apartment considering that saccharin rivals other artificial sweeteners?) HERE
• Artificial sweeteners may promote antibiotic resistance - HERE (26th February 2021)
• Is Diet Soda Killing Us? - HERE (24/2/21)
• New health star rating system ranks fruit juice below diet cola in shift to sugar-based grading - HERE (12/2/2021)
• The dangerous effects of drinking 'diet' soft drinks on a regular basis, according to science - HERE (21/2/2021)
• Woman reveals how she saved her burnt baking trays with Diet Coke - HERE (15/2/2021)
• 5 soda habits that are reducing your life - HERE (7/1/2021)
• The Low Down on Artificial Sweeteners - HERE  (8/1/2021)
• Will Artificial Sweeteners Make You Pick Up Weight? HERE (8/1/2021)
• 41. Time to Toss the Artificial Sweeteners - HERE (14minute audio)
• Aspartame and Fibromyalgia Symptoms - HERE

Fort Myers leaders, environmental groups collaborate for creek clean-up - "But Cassani says in his letter, he referenced samples from FDEP. Cassani says they found indicators of human waste like artificial sweeteners and pharmaceuticals." HERE (14/12/2020)

Heads up: Diet soda is just as bad for your heart as the regular stuff - HERE (15/12/2020)

Drinking This Is Just As Dangerous As Drinking Soda, New Study Says - HERE (14/12/2020)

Leaked Emails Mention Aspartame Causing Holes in the Brain - HERE (Wikileaks)

Health activist says FDA agent admitted to promoting aspartame to “depopulate” the planet - HERE

Popular natural sweetener stevia may cause unfortunate gut health changes - HERE (7/12/2020)

Could stevia be bad for your health? New study raises red flag - Read it HERE (3/12/20)

Aspartame Inflames Coronavirus, Clearly Implicated In Pulmonary Distress: Treatise by Betty Martini - Read it HERE

The Untold Deadly Truth Of Diet Coke HERE

Diet soda gets higher health star rating than pure juice - HERE (30/11/20)

Artificial Sweetener Used in More Than 6,000 Products Linked to Host of Serious Health Problems - Dozens of studies link aspartame, which is found in many kids' favorite foods, to cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity, mood disorders and more, yet FDA insists it’s safe. Read it - HERE (18/11/20)

What is the effect of artificial sweeteners on metabolic health? HERE (21/11/20)

Orange juice may be officially deemed less nutritious than diet cola if a decision to classify it alongside soft drink goes ahead. HERE (20/11/20)

How safe is the use of Saccharin and Aspartame in diet drinks? HERE (19/11/20)

MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki on election week adrenaline: Lots of Diet Coke, little food or sleep HERE (6th November 2020)

A group of pediatricians want more research on artificial sweeteners - HERE 6/11/2020

Child safety top priority in Oman's new government decision - HERE (8/11/20) Unless approved by the Ministry of Health, artificial flavourings or sweeteners are not to be added to any food given to children under the age of one, while the addition of food supplements to nourishment given to babies under six months is also not permitted.

How to get rid of flying ants - HERE

The surprising way Donald Trump gets his Diet Coke -This is a must read article! HERE

Your favorite diet drinks may be harming the heart, says new study - HERE (October 2020)

Healthline: Diet soda no better than regular soda for heart health - UC cardiologist suggests water instead of any type of soda - HERE

Diet Coke addict drinks up to FIFTY cans a day - and has spent £150,000 on her fizzy drink habit - HERE

When she learned the truth about "diet" soda everything changed! (audio) HERE (2020)

Diet Drinks Associated With This Major Health Risk, Study Says - HERE (27/10/20)

How Artificial Sweeteners Affect Weight Loss - HERE

FDA to examine labeling for some alternative sweeteners - HERE (19th October/20)

The safety of Aspartame by Dr Colin Holloway - HERE (19th October/20)

Do Consumers Want Sweeteners Anymore? HERE (13th October 2020)

Aspartame, Sucralose and thyroid function - HERE (9th October 2020)

Do Artificial Sweeteners Cause Anxiety Attacks? HERE

Americans are consuming less sugar but more non-nutritive sweeteners - HERE (29th July 2020)

ARE ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS SAFE FOR YOUR CHILD? HERE 22nd September 2020

Is diet cola actually healthy? HERE (16th July)

This common artificial sweetener, combined with carbohydrates, spells disaster for your metabolic health, study says - HERE (10th July 20200

Diet soda may be hurting your diet - HERE (29th June 2020)

What’s the Truth about Artificial Sweeteners When It Comes to Health? HERE (The Great Courses - June 28th 2020)

The real reason you shouldn't drink Diet Coke when pregnant - HERE (June 2020)

Splenda & Stevia Can Make You Gain Weight - HERE (16 April 2020)

India’s Health Minister Asked to Rescind Aspartame Approval - HERE (April 2020)

The Mounting Evidence Against Diet Sodas - HERE (13th April 2020)

After Her Son Exposed Her Soda Habit in a College Paper, She Ran Off 150 Pounds..."So to try to make my mom take a healthier step, I tried to get her to quit drinking Diet Coke.” HERE (March 2020)

Low-Calorie Sweeteners Increase Risk for Infants - HERE (31st March 2020)

Can I Chew Sugarless Gum on a Candida Diet? HERE (13th March 2020)

Pregnant women who consume low-calorie drinks may be programming their children to be fat, scientists warn (15th February 2020) - HERE

Zero-calorie drinks ... the truth - HERE (12th March 2020)

Tyson Fury says he stopped drinking Diet Coke after having '20-30 in a day' before rematch with Deontay Wilder - HERE (20th February 2020)

All the ways that diet soda is bad for you and what to drink instead - Insider (19th Feb 2020) HERE

Artificial sweetener might make you fat, sick: Study - HERE (15th March 2020)

Aspartame is main destroyer of human fertility - HERE (important post)

Diet: Trust Your Gut? - Tonight (ITV News) HERE Actor Catherine Tyldesley advises people not to consume artificial sweeteners. (12th March 2020). In another article, she further outlines: ... Cath says: “Artificial sweeteners are terrible for gut health. Your body doesn’t know how to process them. It is so important to read the labels."...

Dr Zorba Paster: Before taking antibiotics, make sure they’re really necessary Wed. (March 4, 2020) ...It might be non-caloric sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose and stevia. HERE

Soda may cause dependency on artificial sweetener, unwanted compound buildup - (17th Jan 2020) HERE

How Drinking Soda Can Hurt Your Heart - A new study finds that it may have a negative effect on cholesterol and triglyceride levels - (February 26, 2020) - HERE

Warning over exposure to low and no calories sweeteners in pregnancy: 'They may increase body weight and other cardiovascular risk factors'. HERE (24th Feb 2020)

$2.2 billion industry to help people lose weight through artificial sweeteners may be contributing to type 2 diabetes - HERE (March 2020)

Nutrition and diet in inflammatory bowel disease - HERE (8th March 2020) ... Limit intake of foods containing maltodextrin and artificial sweeteners...

The NHS are using Aspartame to test if face masks are fitted properly, presumably without the consent of the people undergoing the tests, thus is the reality of the UK falling behind the incorrect assumption of the safety of Aspartame. (admin emphasis)

...She explains that to have her mask properly fitted she puts it on, before a large plastic hood is fitted over her head. Aspartame, a sweetener, is sprayed into the plastic hood and a series of tests are conducted, involving nodding her head in different directions, and crouching down and standing up several times. If, at any point in the test, Dr Horwitz can taste aspartame, it means the mask is allowing particles in and she fails. She has to read out loud to ensure the mask maintains its protection when she speaks. Every time she becomes aware of the sweetener, the mask is fitted again and the test restarts.

"I did the test recently. At the end they make you break the seal so you can taste the aspartame as a positive control. It was awful!"... The article about face masks can be found HERE

New Research Shows Consumers Want Additional Labeling Requirements For Sweeteners in Packaged Food - HERE

WASHINGTON, June 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sugar Association today released a new consumer research report showing grocery shoppers are confused about the use of sugar substitutes in packaged food. While once limited to use as tabletop sweeteners and ingredients in diet foods, alternative sweeteners can now be found in a variety of consumer products including breads, cereals, granola bars, yogurt, ice cream, flavored milk, and children's beverages. 1 Yet, current labeling practices do not clearly disclose their presence in consumer products. Participants in the nationally-representative survey preferred additional labeling disclosures by food companies as a remedy for the lack of transparency on labels for low- and no- calorie sweeteners.

Why Don't Artificial Sweeteners Satisfy Sugar Cravings? - HERE (17th April 2020)

...One reason that artificial sweeteners never quite satisfy someone's sugar cravings or sweet tooth may be linked to this newly discovered gut-brain circuit that only responds to real sugar.

When we eat or drink, specific taste receptors on the tongue send hardwired signals to the brain that differentiate between sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami. Artificial sweeteners can trick the brain into thinking that sugar is touching sweet taste receptors on the tongue. However, even though artificial sweeteners such as Equal, Splenda, and Sweet 'n' Low may taste like sugar on the tongue, they don't activate the gut-brain axis like real sugar...

GlobalData: One fifth of consumers trying to lose weight are concerned about related diseases - HERE (Mar 17th 2020)

Shark Tank: Kids Luv, Swimply, Space Traveler, and Bertello - HERE (March 14th 2020)

'Ashi Jelinek is on a mission to create a healthy juice alternative for kids. Because added sugars hide in many products for children, including juice, Ashi has spent a year perfecting her recipe for a drink aimed at providing children with vitamins and hydration while leaving out the sugar additives. By blending her proprietary recipe of vegan vitamins, coconut water, juice and stevia, Ashi has been able to develop a juice drink for kids with only 10 calories. Kids Luv can be found at independent retailers in California.'

The public voting is very telling!!

Do you let your kids have aspartame? HERE

• Here's a bitter pill to swallow: Artificial sweeteners may be doing more harm than good - University of South Australia HERE
• UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA Aspartame - The Shocking Story of the World's Best-selling Sweetener (The Ecologist) HERE

• Aspartame Cancer Risks Revisited Prenatal Exposure May Be Greatest Concern - HERE
• Artificial Sweeteners Are Linked to Weight Gain—Not Weight Loss - HERE
• CONNECTION BETWEEN ASPARTAME AND HAIR LOSS - HERE (2014)
• Woman spent £150,000 on Diet Coke - she is addicted to the methanol in Aspartame, unfortunately the post incorrectly mentions that it's sugar to blame when it's Aspartame. HERE
• People who eat artificial sweeteners 'weigh more than sugar consumers' - HERE

• Reasons artificial sweeteners are fattening - HERE
• How Diet Soda turns to Poison - HERE (DKP - diketopiperazine)
• Ninth Circuit Shuts Down Claim That "Diet" In Diet Soda Is Unlawfully Deceptive - HERE by Glenn G. Lammi (contributor) Washington Legal Foundation Contributor Group, Chief Counsel, Legal Studies Division
• Study: Two Diet Sodas a Day Increase Risk of Dying from Heart Disease by 50 Percent HERE
• Is diet soda bad for you? Know the health risks - HERE
• Artificial Sweeteners and Weight Gain - HERE
• Do Artificial Sweeteners Cause More Harm Than Good? HERE - New research links the pink, blue, and yellow packets with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Here, two top nutrition experts weigh in.
• Bombshell study shows aspartame depletes neurotransmitters in the brain, makes brains vulnerable to chemical damage from food and vaccines - HERE
• Aspartame: 11 Dangers of This All-Too-Common Food Additive - HERE
• Food for thought - Educational Leadership, Nov 1998 - HERE (Pdf)
• Side-Effects of Aspartame on the Brain - HERE
• World's top sweetener is made with GM bacteria - HERE
• Two diet drinks a day could increase risk of early death by more than a quarter, WHO warns - HERE & HERE
• Fab over fifty - 6 Reasons To NEVER Drink Another Diet Soda HERE
• Diet Soda Linked to Increased Stroke Risk for Older Women - HERE
• Don’t believe the chemical food lobby. Aspartame use must stop - HERE
• Diet Pepsi has dropped aspartame in the US, so why not anywhere else? - HERE
• Side-Effects of Aspartame on the Brain - HERE
• **Report questions safety of artificial sweetener aspartame - Professor Erik Millstone and Dr Elisabeth Dawson’s EFSA’s toxicological assessment of aspartame - HERE and the original study - HERE
• Cases Against Coke, Pepsi & Dr Pepper, Snapple for Deceitful Advertising - In the Court of Public Opinion - HERE (Betty Martini, Mission Possible)
• If you care about your health, ditch the diet drinks - HERE
• Another sweetener snag - HERE (DKP - diketopiperazine)
• The Artificial Sweetener in Your Favorite Diet Drink Could Be Dangerous - HERE
• Sweeteners have bitter effect - HERE
• Big Dairy Petitions FDA to Allow Unlabeled Use of Aspartame in Dairy Products - HERE
• Sour Finding on Popular Sweetener: Increased Cancer Incidence Associated with Low-Dose Aspartame Intake HERE
• High-Intensity Sweeteners in Alternative Tobacco Products - HERE
• ‘Sales of aspartame should be suspended’: EFSA accused of bias in safety assessment - HERE
• Aspartame:One of the tops to avoid - HERE
• ASPARTAME NOW CALLED AMINOSWEET: WHAT ARE THEY TRYING TO HIDE? HERE
• President Trump Reportedly Drinks 12 Diet Cokes a Day. Here’s What That Does to Your Body - HERE
• The Connection between Aspartame (Artificial Sweetener) and Panic Attacks, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Memory Problems, and Other Mental Symptoms - HERE
• Inevitable Aspartame Dementia in the White House will Worsen - HERE
• Health activist says FDA agent admitted to promoting aspartame to “depopulate” the planet -HERE
• Diet soda consumption increases risk for leukemia and lymphoma - HERE
• GUT bacteria and aspartame: why are we surprised? HERE
• Aspartame poisoning: fact or myth? HERE *good article
• Six Class-Action Lawsuits Filed Against Aspartame - HER
• Here's why kids should never consume diet soda drinks - HERE
• Ditch the Diet Coke! Artificial sweeteners in the popular drink are TOXIC to gut bacteria, study warns - HERE
• Unpacking a Recent Study Linking Diet Soda With Stroke Risks - HERE
• Direct and indirect cellular effects of aspartame on the brain - HERE
• Diet Soft Drinks Might Still Cause Cancer (Don’t reach for that low-sugar drink just yet). HERE
• Long-Term Consumption of Sugar Sweetened and Artificially Sweetened Beverages and Risk of Mortality in US Adults (study) HERE
• New study shows that two cans of diet soda a day can kill you - HERE
• Your Brain on Diet Soda: Aspartame Effects on the Brain - HERE
• Sugar-free? Unsweetened? No added sugar? How to decode sugar labels - HERE
• How obesity became a disease - and as a consequence, how weight loss became an industry. HERE
• Four in ten strokes now happening in midlife, fuelled by obesity epidemic - HERE (UK)
• The Science Behind President Trump's 12 Diet Cokes a Day - In his own words, sad! - HERE
• Patent confirms that aspartame is the excrement of GM bacteria - HERE & HERE
• Truvia's sweet scam: Highly processed, GMO and hardly contains any Stevia - HERE
• Chemical Cuisine: CSPI ranks the safety of food additives—from acetic acid to yellow prussiate of soda—in this definitive glossary of the chemicals used to flavor and preserve our foods. HERE
• Rivers, lakes loaded with artificial sweeteners, researchers say - HERE *
• New studies find compelling evidence against drinking diet soda - HERE
• Study Suggests Diet Soda May Lead To Belly Fat. Critics Aren't So Sure. - HERE
• UI study finds diet drinks associated with heart trouble for older women - HERE
• The End Of Diet Soda? Huge Study Links Aspartame to These Major Health Problems - HERE
• Why diet drinks with aspartame may actually help make you fatter - HERE
• Is Diet Coke under threat? Fewer people are drinking Diet Coke, says Coca Cola - HERE 
• REPORT FOR SCHOOLS, OB-GYN AND PEDIATRICIANS ON CHILDREN AND ASPARTAME/MSG - HERE
• Artificial Sweetener Alters DNA (Article about Sucralose) - HERE
• J&J sells popular Splenda sugar substitute to Heartland Food - HERE
• Debate heats up over controversial food ingredient: A leading Kiwi food campaigner has slammed calls to increase the limit of a sweetener - which health advocates claim is linked to kidney and liver problems - in popular chewing gum brands. HERE
• Libido Busters: 9 Romance-Killing Foods to Avoid: ..."Aspartame, in particular, is thought to decrease levels of the “happy hormone” serotonin. Researchers have linked the sweetener used in NutraSweet and Equal to both a lowering of the libido and depression." - HERE & HERE
• Should link between dementia and artificial sweeteners be taken with a pinch of salt? HERE
• SELENA GOMEZ AND ASPARTAME LUPUS - HERE (Mission Possible)
• ASPARTAME AND SUDDEN DEATH - HERE (Mission Possible)
• DEATH BY RED BULL WITH ASPARTAME - HERE (Mission Possible)
• Popular “Diet” Ingredient Now Linked to Leukemia and Lymphoma in New Landmark Study on Humans - HERE
• Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity in 195 Countries over 25 Years - HERE
• Egregious Outrage - FDA Fights Rescinding Its Own Approval For Neurotoxic Cancer-Causing Aspartame Lies About Responding To The 14 Yr Old Petition And Stirs Up Smoke & Mirrors To Hide Its Own Regulatory Abuse - HERE
• *Aspartame is Tied to Weight Gain, Increased Appetite and Obesity - HERE
• How diet drinks, low-calorie meals trigger diabetes, by study - HERE
• Deadly Aspartame And Your Right To Know About It - HERE
• Low-calorie Food Market Boosted by Growing Obese Population, to reach US$10.4 bn by 2019 - HERE
• Is your diet soda and chewing gum causing your fertility problems? - HERE
• Coke rejects charges of deceit in Diet Coke’s name - HERE
• Is “Diet” Soda a Fraud? We Asked FTC to Investigate - HERE
• Catastrophe! More FDA Lies about Advantame/Aspartame as "Harmless"! - HERE (OpEd News)
• GLOBAL ZERO-CALORIE SWEETENER MARKET 2017-2021 - HERE
• Coca-Cola to launch stevia-sweetened soda in 2018 - HERE
• Merck gives aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde) to babies in Singulair - HERE
• Proof that the FDA Lies About Aspartame and Violated the Law Ever Since Rumsfeld Forced FDA Approval - HERE (OpEd Nws)
• 'No added sugar' plus a sweetener? 'Pure and simply illegal,' says Test Achats - HERE
• Doctors Giving Babies Aspartame! FDA knew before Rumsfeld's Forced Approval that It Triggered Seizures and Death - HERE (OpEd News)
• Important Alzheimer's Disease Cause: The Biochemical Mechanisms of Aspartame and Methanol - HERE (OpEd News)
• CRITIC OF ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS PILLORIED BY INDUSTRY BACKED SCIENTISTS - HERE (important article)
• Survey Of Aspartame Studies: Correlation Of Outcome And Funding Sources by Dr Ralph Walton - HERE (PDF)
• 'The reality is sick, overweight people with tooth decay' - HERE
• THE LETHAL SCIENCE OF SPLENDA, A POISONOUS CHLOROCARBON - Dr James Bowen - HERE
• THE ASPARTAME EPIDEMIC - HERE
• Coca-Cola, The CIA, And The Courts - Part 1 - HERE
• Aspartame Creates Diabetic And Obesity Epidemics - HERE
• Artificial sweeteners are tied to long-term weight gain, diabetes risk, Canadian docs say - HERE
• The Decline and Fall of Diet Coke and the Power Generation That Loved It - HERE
• Artificial sweeteners: Jury still out on long-term benefits, safety - HERE
• Experts weigh pros and cons of low-calorie sweetened drinks - HERE
• Sugar Reduction in Food Products: Technology Insights & Global Industry Analysis 2016-2021 - ResearchAndMarkets.com - HERE
• How Many Innocent and Unsuspecting People in 2019 Will Die Because of the FDA's Revolving Doors? - HERE
• Sugar Beverages and Dietary Sodas Impact on Brain Health: A Mini Literature Review - HERE 
• Sabrina Sweeney: Weighing children is not the way to tackle childhood obesity - HERE
• Il consumo cronico di aspartame e acesulfame mette a rischio il cervello - HERE
• No evidence swapping sugar for artificial sweeteners helps weight loss, major review warns - HERE
• Um engano chamado 0% açúcar. Há, de facto, alternativas mais saudáveis? - HERE
• Il dolce inganno del cibo senza zucchero - The sweet deception of food without sugar -HERE
• Edulcorants de synthèse : des effets métaboliques indésirables démontrés -(Synthetic sweeteners: demonstrated adverse metabolic effects) - HERE (French)
• How Sweet It Is! Monsanto Sells Their Aspartame Business to Pfizer - HERE
• Aspartame is a silent killer that consumes us totally (in Italian) -HERE
• Sins of the Father are then visited upon the Sons: The Saga of the Aspartame-Rumsfeld Plague - HERE
• Drinking Two or More Diet Sodas a Day Increases Likelihood of Strokes, Heart-Attacks, American Heart Association Says - HERE
• The truth about Diet Coke: is the fizzy drink harming your health? - HERE
• Millions of Lives Depend on Refuting and Reversing 4 Decades of FDA's Aspartame Lies---Statement By Dr. Betty Martini - HERE
• Oh no. We have some bad news for Diet Coke drinkers - HERE
• Heating food sweetened with sucralose may be harming your health - HERE
• Are artificial sweeteners putting kids at risk for asthma? - HERE
• Diet drinks could be making your children overweight - HERE
• Aspartame: soda poison for your kids - HERE
• Methanol Poisoning Signs And Treatment: Aspartame is a Major Cause [Analysis by Dr. Betty Martini] - HERE
• NO SAFE DOSE OF ASPARTAME - HERE (Betty Martini)
• HERE COMES THE JUDGE! Aspartame and Obesity (Judge William Orick Dismisses Vital Suit) - HERE
• Bittersweet aspartame - HERE (Betty Martini)

• ‘Because I Can’: Remembering Diet Coke’s dystopian rebrand in our 2020 dystopia - HERE