Sucralose Injuries

I'm building the list as I go.

Testimony from folks who are sensitive to sucralose or have been injured by consuming it.

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Sucralose triggered painful diverticulitis for me.  It took me many weeks to figure it out.  However, stopping it cold was pretty fast and quite dramatic at relieving the daily attacks.

Regards,
ConnieS 

...

Diatribe - Research and product news for people with diabetes 31/1/2020

... So my BFF and I were talking about having tacos for dinner this coming week. We figured we'd just get corn tortillas for her(she has celiac sprue), and I'd wrap mine in lettuce. I'm at the store, getting her corn tortillas and see the Mission Carb Balance tortillas sitting there. Only 3 net carbs per tortilla, with lots of fiber -- I count net carbs, and try to get as much fiber into my diet as I can. Win/win for me. So into the cart it goes.

I decide to try out the tortillas with breakfast this morning. Oh my goodness, how I've missed eating a soft tortilla. Really tasty. And soft. And I totally didn't care that it was whole wheat, because it was more tortilla-like than I'd had in awhile.

And then, I thought to myself, what do they use for the fiber? So I pick up the package and read through the ingredients. The answer to that question is cellulose gum -- my BFF calls it sawdust. Really not a big deal. No, really, I didn't expect a tortilla marketed as "low carb" to be a completely natural, whole food. I also didn't expect to find sucralose in the list of ingredients, either. *sigh*

Sucralose is perfectly fine for many people. I'm not going to say the company is wrong/horrible for putting it in their product. But, I am kicking myself for not reading the ingredients before buying them. And doubly so before eating one. Sucralose is a major migraine and anxiety trigger for me. I had hoped that maybe half a serving (1 street sized tortilla) wouldn't have an effect or be that bad. But, I'm already starting to feel that spaced-out feeling I get from eating artificial sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame and Ace K. The migraine and/or anxiety attack is sure to follow soon. It'll likely take a couple of days before it clears completely from my system. A couple of days of headaches and useless anxiety.

I'm wondering if there are any commercially available low carb tortillas out there that I could try that a)taste decent and b)won't make me ill? I could have one of my BFF's corn tortillas, I guess, but corn(along with oats) is one of those ingredients that seem to spike me no matter how low carb it is.

Diverticulitis and artificial sweeteners correlation? u/skiz420 (Reddit) 4/3/2020


So I was diagnosed with Diverticulitis about 4 months ago (34M). I went to the ER in so much pain that I could hardly walk from the parking lot to the entrance. Once I got in I was confirmed via CT and admitted for a night on IVAB and released the following day.

I did a fair bit of reading on this sub about diet/etc since I wasn't provided much direction in terms of do's/don'ts, This seems like a common theme on the various threads here.

One thing that piqued my interest was some mentions of artificial sweeteners being terrible for your gut flora/etc.

In the months leading up to the event that landed me in the hospital I had been trying to get healthy and stop eating so much sugar so I switched up drinks with diet versions/etc. After realizing there may be some correlation I looked and nearly all of them used sucralose (Splenda) and I had been ingesting it in large amounts. Some google-fu later I found that research from 2008 shows that in animals sucralose can kill up to 50% of your gut microbiome.

I have since avoided sucralose as well as all other artificial sweeteners and I went back to feeling normal regardless of what else I ate/drank. Although this has spurred on better choices overall, I was hesitant getting back into eating after the event and slowly added things back in to keep an eye out for triggers but so far nothing seems to have caused any issue. The only thing I still avoid are nuts/seeds/popcorn, indigestible things like that make sense to avoid, if it goes in the same way it comes out it leads me to believe it could get caught in a pocket.

I'm curious if others have experienced this same sort of thing or even to maybe shed some light on a possible cause of flares for others.

-----------

Reddit thread started 1/7/2020

r/nutrition

•Posted byu/sadderall123

1 day ago

Has anyone had positive effects from quitting artificial sweeteners?

Sorry for another artificial sweeteners post!

While the jury is still out on artificial sweeteners, they seem to be fine in moderation.

But my daily sucralose intake has been crazy high for a while. I've been going way way overboard, and have started to feel awful most days (very lethargic, no energy, slow cognitive tempo), so I'm going to just quit artificial sweeteners, or cut back like 80-90%, and see how I feel.

Just curious if anyone has stopped artificial sweeteners and had positive results?

I don't think it's going to be easy to quit. I sort of hate water, but the plan is to just start drinking pure h20 with no additives, in place of my normal sucralose-enhanced drinks.

edit: well this blew up pretty quick, I didn't expect so many replies. Thanks everybody for sharing your experiences

138 Comments

96% Upvoted

level 1

McLindsay

110 points

·

1 day ago

My own experience: aspartame triggered migraines and Sucralose messed up my stomach. I felt much better after making an effort not to use either.

level 2

patineta00

23 points

·

23 hours ago

migraines and nausea for me! I thought I was the only one!

level 2

knifensoup

13 points

·

22 hours ago

For me I cant have aspartame, sucralose, or stevia without getting a migraine. I know stevia isn't artificial but it actually causes the worst/longest migraines

level 2

fastbetty

20 points

·

22 hours ago

Artificial sweeteners trigger migraines almost instantly and will cause significant digestive problems if I have more than a couple servings. Quit years ago, and no issues since.

level 2

AriaNightshade

11 points

·

23 hours ago

Sucralose kills my stomach. If I accidentally have a little, I get 3 days of stomach cramping.

level 2

NotHaolmi

4 points

·

15 hours ago

Cool I have IBS and migraines and a diet Dr Pepper addiction. Life is grand.

level 2

Fire-Kissed

2 points

·

19 hours ago

Same. Aspartame gives me mega headaches and nose bleeds if I consumed like 3 diet cokes a day.

level 2

jelli2015

2 points

·

12 hours ago

Same! My migraines have drastically decreased in frequency and strength ever since I stopped consuming it. It's had the nice side-effect of me forming me to appreciate sweet things more since I can't get away with zero calorie sweeteners any more.

level 2

Zombie_Be_Gone

0 points

·

15 hours ago

yeah but FDA says it's safe?

level 1

AceCreaser55

80 points

·

1 day ago

Purely anecdotal but i never noticed any negative side effects from subbing sugar for sweeteners. I've been using Stevia for the past half a year now and i've found my mood has been so much better and i seem to no longer crave sweet things. But hey, it might be different for everyone who knows?

level 2

Idrisnite

22 points

·

20 hours ago

Stevia man, did the same for me. I only trust Stevia and Monkfruit if I can find it. Better mood, better skin. Can't take my dessert away from me though. There's just more wiggle room for dessert now.

level 2

StanfordV

6 points

·

21 hours ago

I have had the same experience. Cravings are non existent for me anymore.

level 1

fitness_addiction

14 points

·

22 hours ago

No. I feel better when using sweeteners than sugar... I also crave sweet things far less (actually not at all) but still eat them regularly because I like the taste. Flavdrops are bomb and I haven’t experienced ANY side effects from using them

level 1

VTMongoose

29 points

·

1 day ago

I've experimented with adding copious amounts of, and completely removing artificial sweeteners from my diet many times and I can definitively say they have no detectable effects on my physiology whatsoever (glucose, gut, appetite, etc), however they most certainly have an affect on my psychology. I love sweet foods because as a human being, I have taste buds that help me sense when food has high energy, and sweetness is a pretty reliable indicator of that. Thus I have to be careful how many sweet foods I eat, because they make me crave more of them due to the high palatability/reward. The worst-case scenario is following up a savory meal with a sweet snack. I'll almost always find room for a second serving once I get that sweet taste.

level 1

vibeayma5

18 points

·

1 day ago

I stopped having sugar cravings. I found artificial sweeteners made my sweet tooth a lot worse and when I quit I stopped having uncontrollable cravings for sugar. Artificial sweeteners are a vicious cycle. I still have a tiny bit in my coffee though. Cannot seem to stop that yet.... you will feel so much better.

level 2

Korean__Princess

10 points

·

17 hours ago

I stopped having sugar cravings. I found artificial sweeteners made my sweet tooth a lot worse and when I quit I stopped having uncontrollable cravings for sugar.

I quit sugar a long time ago, but this is what always bothered me about people (ab)using artificial sweeteners.

If you eat right you can completely get rid of your sugar addiction, but each time you keep dumping sweetness into your foods or desserts you are just keeping that cycle going.

I never found that to be a good thing, but I guess as long as it doesn't trigger negative habits such as binge eating or going all in on junk food, then at least it's a much better alternative.

level 1

dragonfly_254

10 points

·

1 day ago

I know this doesn't answer your question, just a tip: if you don't like the taste of simple water, you could try adding some lemon juice, or make some herbal infusions (mint, sage, chamomile, etc.) and cool them. It doesn't taste like simple water and it doesn't have artificial sweeteners.

level 2

silviablue23

3 points

·

20 hours ago

You can also add fruit to your water and it will taste better

level 2

vagabonne

2 points

·

14 hours ago

This is the answer imo. Cold mint tea is amazing in the summer. Korean groceries also have delicious tisane options, like cornsilk, barley, or 5 grains.

level 2

kombuchaluv

2 points

·

3 hours ago

lemon juice all the way

level 1

charlesbussa

30 points

·

1 day ago

This is all anecdotal, but sweeteners seem to really increase my anxiety

Maybe it’s now all in my head but it def makes me feel weird

level 2

LionsRambit87

14 points

·

22 hours ago

Isn’t their research about it being inflammatory? And if it’s inflammatory that messes with the brain which triggers things like anxiety? There’s a podcast I listened to a few times that does a really good job citing data about inflammation but I never did get around to clicking the links to see

level 2

TinyCubes

3 points

·

14 hours ago

Aspartame contains phenylalanine which can worsen depression and anxiety because it lowers Serotonin. If someone is prone to anxiety & depression, serotonin is usually lower anyway and phenylalanine can exacerbate that. I stay away from aspartame because of this. In the US there will be a PKU warning on products containing aspartame because of the phenylalanine.

level 2

Mmsachin

1 point

·

15 hours ago

Maybe it’s now all in my head but it def makes me feel weird. Yes, this happens to me too. A small amount is ok, but anything more and my anxiety flares up.

level 1

ayerighty

6 points

·

23 hours ago

My stomach is better without them

level 1

depressive_anxiety

14 points

·

1 day ago

Yes. I never really used artificial sweetener before but they started putting it in protein powder because everyone wanted zero sugar. The powder kept making me feel bad and I couldn’t figure out what was going on. I switched to a bland protein powder without sweeteners and I didn’t have anymore problems.

level 2

InstigatedAF

3 points

·

16 hours ago

Hello, could you recommend a common brand that doesnt add sweeteners? Cheers

level 2

leptictidium00

1 point

·

12 hours ago

Nuzest probiotic protein is my favorite

level 1

Phenoix512

18 points

·

1 day ago

Yeah I have seen positive results from it However a caveat you can't replace it with sugar's or fat.

Switching to water, plain tea, black coffee.

If you start drinking soda or dumping sugar or honey into your drinks you will see negative results.

Artificial sweeteners do have one benefit based on my small friend group is that it doesn't seem to cause weight gain or diabetes.

That said it would be healthier to have less sugar and less artificial sweeteners

level 2

redditer799

1 point

·

23 hours ago

Why would honey cause a negative result?

level 2

BeijingTurkey

-2 points

·

22 hours ago

Well that’s a hell of a tangent

level 1

gillysus

5 points

·

1 day ago

yes, no more bloating

level 2

-Sadra-

2 points

·

21 hours ago

I was sooo confused a couple of months back. My bloating made me look several months pregnant and the rest of my body looked pretty skinny, it took me a couple of weeks to realise it was because of the ridiculous amount of pepsi max I was drinking.

level 1

Pineconn

19 points

·

1 day ago

Absolutely positively YES. I lost quite a bit of weight from 2016-2018, and, in the process, I became dependent on sweetened foods to cut out the calories. I used to constantly consume artificial sweeteners, be it through diet soda, gum, Halo Top, low cal yogurt, protein bars, syrups, etc. I ended up CRAVING these kinds of foods, including foods with real sugar (I wouldn't be able to say "no" to donuts at work, for example).

I quit all of these at the start of 2019. Within a few weeks, and after fixing my gut microbiota with probiotics, I no longer had appetite control issues. Sugar alcohols [tend to] cause bloating and artificial sweeteners [tend to] promote inflammation, both of which were pretty much disappeared. I can't say with 100% certainty, but I also suspect that changing my diet was the reason my chronic Achilles tendinitis (running injury) went away in 2019.

Now, I avoid all sweeteners and sugar alcohols, including stevia. I don't desire them anymore. I drink water, decaf coffee, decaf tea, and seltzer water. There are some almost candy-like seltzers on the market these days, like Bubly and key lime/limoncello LaCroix. Maybe give them a whirl.

level 2

c00kekng

4 points

·

1 day ago

Why all decaf?

level 2

karena15

1 point

·

1 hour ago

Sounds like me :) I also noticed that I had to constantly increase the dose of sweeteners. Crazy. Like an alcoholic who needs to drink more and more to feel the buzz. Actually, I cut out alcohol as well. Life is so much better without these seemingly harmless addictions.

level 1

gradchica27

7 points

·

1 day ago

I quit artificial sweeteners 4 years ago when I realized I would get gallbladder pain after drinking artificially sweetened beverages. Every time. And I drank a lot of those drinks. So that eliminated the constant dull ache and the recurring attacks.

I’ve been off sugar alcohols for almost a year after realizing consuming more than just one serving/week would lead to major bloating and constipation (I’m reasonably sure that was the issue bc I replaced my protein bars—my main source of sugar alcohols—with a sugar sweetened version and...no issues).

level 1

pmgreham

Student - Dietetics

7 points

·

21 hours ago

I don’t see any logical mechanism for how any sweetener is supposed to bring about the effects one hears about. They’re just normal biologically ubiquitous compounds that happen to be tasted as sweet.

I believe it’s probably just anti-science nonsense from team “wellness” and “organic”.

I may just be being cynical, but I doubt it!

level 1

gonetodublin

3 points

·

23 hours ago

Yeah, I quit sugar and sweeteners for a while just to try it out, I wanted to cut down on my intake of processed and oversweet foods for a while and aI read that artificial sweeteners can keep you from really experiencing the benefits. I did lose weight but i think a lot of that was down to the lack of options without added sugar and sweeteners so i just cooked a lot of stuff myself

level 1

Etzello

3 points

·

16 hours ago

Sucralose caused bloating and gas. I've also read some papers suggesting it kills your micro flora and I've been much better after quitting it.

level 2

xEr0r

1 point

·

6 hours ago

same for me

level 1

alex-db

8 points

·

1 day ago

No.

level 1

aestheticmaybestatic

7 points

·

1 day ago

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/artificial-sweeteners-good-or-bad

"The bottom line

Overall, the use of artificial sweeteners poses few risks and may even have benefits for weight loss, blood sugar control, and dental health.

These sweeteners are especially beneficial if you use them to decrease the amount of added sugar in your diet.

That said, the likelihood of negative effects can vary by individual and depend on the type of artificial sweetener consumed.

Some people may feel bad or experience negative effects after consuming artificial sweeteners, even though they are safe and well-tolerated by most people.

If you'd like to avoid artificial sweeteners, try using natural sweeteners instead."

level 1

bakerrr24

2 points

·

23 hours ago

I know that some people don't do well with artificial sweeteners and its different for every one.

Some people cant stand sucralose others can't stand aspartame and others can't stand acesulflame pottasium.

It's really individualized but it is good to try different ones and see if they make you feel the same way, when you are going back to drinking them again. But beware as I do know people who have migraines that are very much due to their large aspartame consumption.

Aim for a gallon a day of just good ol' natural H20 as a starting point and you should be feeling alot better after just a day or two.

level 1

PEN-15-CLUB

2 points

·

22 hours ago

If you're bored by water, try sparkling water (obviously ones without any artificial sweeteners, though). I'm the same, sometimes I want to drink something that isn't just plain water. The carbonation makes it at least a little bit interesting.

level 2

TGreggors

2 points

·

21 hours ago

Came to post this. I haven't been bold enough to stop using artificial sweeteners, but I'll grab a La Croix on occasion. They have a variety of flavors.

level 2

talkingofm27

1 point

·

18 hours ago

Waterloo is my go to, if I ever get bored with plain water. BPA free, and there's not an abundance of carbonation that will not cause me any gastric distension. Also, adding in lime or lemon in water can do the trick, too.

level 1

yagirlhunter

2 points

·

22 hours ago

I have IBS and IC and I know artificial sweeteners are a no-no because they hurt your gut health? So I'd say better gut health, better mental function, better skin, etc.

level 1

therealwadefagan

2 points

·

22 hours ago

best natural sweetener is stevia, sugar intake can be balance by simply drinking more water

level 1

joflo828

2 points

·

18 hours ago

man yall have sugar cravings? i got savory cravings XD but yeah artifical sweeteners do be messin with my tummy :/

level 1

hairgirl97

2 points

·

14 hours ago

This sounds crazy, but I used to drink coke zero like people chilling on a sunday with their six pack of beer. I kept on forgetting too many things (also a side effect of my med). After I significantly cut down, I felt I could remember SOOO much better 🤯🤯 this could be all in my head but that is something I know changed 😭😭

level 1

grammar_policee

3 points

·

21 hours ago

The jury is not out, artificial sweeteners are safe for consumption. Aspartame for example has decades of research supporting it's safety. However, some people can have sensitivities to it. If you have a sensitivity, then try switching sweeteners. Each sweetener is different.

level 1

Pickle_Intensity

2 points

·

1 day ago

Oh god yes, I was such an idiot too, after months of horrible abdominal discomfort and digestive issues I was seeing doctors and was beginning to worry about IBS, Crohns, who knows!

Turns out I’m super sensitive to Sorbitol and was dosing myself daily with it via sugar-free gum.

Note that it’s also present in a lot of toothpastes, but I usually don’t have an issue with that as long as I’m extra cautious not to swallow any.

level 2

sadderall123

1 point

·

7 hours ago

Interesting about the Gum. I am do use more gum than the average person. I wouldn't have thought enough of the sweetener would be ingested, since you are chewing the gum and spitting it out an hour later, but I'm sure the juice (for lack of a better term) still gets into your gut. Wouldn't think that small amount of sorbitol could cause problems, but someone else mentioned gum as well.

level 1

nindiesel

3 points

·

1 day ago

I haven't (I'm not an artifical sweetener girl, I'm v boring and stick to water or black coffee) *however* a friend in my undergrad who drank a HUGE amount of diet coke and juice with artificial sweetener. She said that she had way more energy when she cut that stuff out - she used the newfound energy to hit the gym more and ended up losing a bit of weight.

I don't think the weight loss was caused directly by cutting the sweeteners out but my guess would be you'll see a difference in your lethargy. I see you're not a huge water, and I don't know where the sweeteners are coming from - pop, flavoured soda water, juice - but if it's mostly diet pop, you may even be a bit dehydrated which would explain the lethargy. Pop does hydrate to a degree, but the caffeine in it acts as a diuretic so it won't work the same way as just plain ol water.

level 1

SisSandSisF

4 points

·

1 day ago

I doubt they’re healthy. When has something super amazingly sweet and delicious ever found to be healthy? With that said I use them lol

level 2

purplempire

1 point

·

15 hours ago

what about mango or oranges lol

level 1

wakka12

1 point

·

23 hours ago

No but for whatever reason artificial sweeteners just don't satiate my sweet tooth, so I end up eating some candy regardless. So for me they are useless and don't taste that great (stevia is what I use )

level 1

JAB1971

1 point

·

23 hours ago

Giving up diet soda stopped my frequent migraines. If I have one once and a while, I’m ok, but if I increase it more than that, the migraines return.

level 1

MercutiaShiva

1 point

·

22 hours ago

Perhaps you could think about why you want to quit, and do some research in peer-reviewed journals to see if it is worth it. İ think there is evidence that some sweetness cause stomach upset in some people, if that is the reason, you could try to narrow down which ones. There is a lot of misinformation about artificial sweeteners in general so it is best to look at individual sweeteners in scientific journals instead of lumping them all together. Good luck!

level 1

lmhfit

1 point

·

22 hours ago

Quitting sugar (in its entirety) has been great for me. I find that my energy is constant throughout the day and my brain doesn't feel as foggy. Consuming lots of sugar triggers an insulin response, which can make you feel lethargic during the day (it also encourages storing of sugar as fat).

Once I stopped eating sugar, I stopped having cravings in probably ~2 weeks. You just have to stick with it for a bit, it gets so much easier. I couldn't even imagine eating sugar now.

level 1

iuytree

1 point

·

21 hours ago

I have done a few tests - erythritol and aspartame make me break out. Sucralose and monk fruit are fine for me.

level 1

Stormy_Ktuesday

1 point

·

21 hours ago

Yes! I used to drink all the zero cal energy drinks and then started putting tons of stevia in everything. I’m talking stevia every single day. I finally realized it probably wasn’t healthy (even though it’s better than aspartame and such) so I stopped all artificial sugar (even at the cost of consuming more maple syrup in its place) and digestion problems improved a LOT, and my skin cleared up. I don’t think stevia and monk fruit are as bad as sucrose/aspartame/etc, but it still isn’t something your body understands how to process. If you have to choose one, go with monk fruit, because stevia is like 200x sweeter than sugar and that confuses your brain.

level 1

nonbinary_parent

1 point

·

21 hours ago

I get fewer headaches

level 1

SixScoopsHD

1 point

·

21 hours ago

I drink zero versions of soft drinks and use splenda in my coffee. Noticed no ill affects. I only noticed issues with flavoured protein powder such as Syntha 6 edge chocolate giving me a migraine. I switched to unflavoured whey and that was solved.

level 1

chief_running_diddle

1 point

·

21 hours ago

I quit all added sugars for about three weeks in the start of the year and from day 3 - day 6 I was definitely a bit of a bear. But yes, after that initial withdrawal, I felt better with a bit more energy, less bloating, less cravings, and I actually did notice that a lot of what I assume was water weight had been trimmed away. I have since begun eating things with added sugars in them again, but I have a substantially greater amount of greens, quality proteins, and good carbs in my diet day to day and I see now what eating things with added sugars, excessive caffeine, and other additives does to me. Give this experiment of ditching Sucralose a try and see what it can do for you. You may find you don’t even want it after a little while

level 1

SledgeH4mmer

1 point

·

21 hours ago

In my own experience, the only issue is that artificial sweeteners made me crave more and more sweets.

level 1

Yargabash

1 point

·

20 hours ago

I never feel great when I eat artificial foods or drinks in general. I’ve found agave to be the best to give things a bit of sweetness and not feel anxious or overloaded

level 1

MichSpoopy

1 point

·

20 hours ago

Personally, artificial sweeteners cause migraines and unilateral facial paralysis for me. I haven't had artificial sweeteners in about 4 years now and feel much better than ever. No more migraines and half my face doesn't randomly paralyze every few months anymore. They really do a number on some people, while others can tolerate them relatively well. Listen to your body and go from there.

level 1

GainsAndGames_Pro

1 point

·

19 hours ago

Removing artificial sweeteners helped me manage my appetite a lot better. I thought I was doing myself a favor staying away from sugar because of the calories but also the cravings. Turns out, studies are showing artificial sweeteners can give you the same kind of cravings as sugar and certain ones like aspartame have been linked to heart issues. I swear drinking diet soda every day for 20 years contributed heavily to my father's heart attack. Besides what the studies have started to show, there's a ton of personal annectdote out there like you, me, and others commenting on this post! The more we can get into a habit of drinking fluids without them, the better off we'll be now and later!

level 1

stagi566

1 point

·

18 hours ago

Possibly. Like with most things there is a dose response.

level 1

saw79

1 point

·

17 hours ago

Never had any negative side effects. I drink a soda and/or a diet ice cream bar most days. I'm sure if you go nuts with them you can notice bad things (either legitimately or via placebo).

I'm pretty confident both from the literature and from my experience that responsibly consuming artificial sweeteners is fine if not beneficial (if replacing real sugar).

level 1

dreamingofwv

1 point

·

17 hours ago

I gave up artificial sweeteners about six years ago. Before, I struggled with severe migraines that left me missing work/ school at least 3-4 times per month. Since I cut them out, I maybe get one or two a year, always right before my period.

level 1

Mitchringel333

1 point

·

17 hours ago

I drink one monster energy ultra, zero cal, sucralose sweetened, and then water all day unless I have a beer at night, I’m 29, and have terrible back problems from heavy labor and lifting weights hard all my life, I’m also a farmer, jumping down from tractors constantly is actually the worst problem farmers have. So I wanted to cut some weight to help my back out, and I used to drink a TON of artificially sweetened stuff, and since I stopped I have noticed that my stomach doesn’t just hurt for no reason anymore, and it’s a lot easier to lose weight with a ton of water in your system I usually drink about 2.5 gallons a day, although some of that is because I work outside and need to replenish

level 1

theshined

1 point

·

16 hours ago

Able to shit again

level 1

AliceMacann

1 point

·

16 hours ago

artificial sweeteners are terrible for the gut so I would expect people to feel better when they cut them from their diet. Natural sweeteners like stevia are a good substitute as this one wont wreck the gut.

level 1

12-29-32

1 point

·

15 hours ago

ABSOLUTELY. Headaches gone, more energy,and less brain fog. You can actually get aspartame poisoning if you consume too much on a regular basis. It’s hard, but so worth it for your beautiful body and mind!

Edit: bonus, once you stop using them, your taste buds change and realize they taste DISGUSTING.

level 1

snooptaco

1 point

·

15 hours ago

I’ve been artificial sweetener free for 5 months. I actually had to use an addiction app (I Am Sober) to keep myself on track because I felt so addicted to it. I am low carb and don’t eat sugar, but had started to eat excessive amounts of sugar free treats instead. I have more energy, don’t get random headaches, and feel in control of what I eat now.

level 1

Beautiful-Positive-2

1 point

·

15 hours ago

I read recently that aspartame converts to ethanol in the human body. I quit drinking soda with ethanol.

level 1

bloodstorm17

1 point

·

14 hours ago

Feel like Monk Fruit has had the most positive effect on my body. It’s pretty good substitute for sugar in my experience with it so far.

level 1

kryaklysmic

1 point

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14 hours ago

Sucralose made my ulcerative colitis flare much worse, avoiding that and cruciferous vegetables in general (I had broccoli which made me very sick a few weeks ago and cabbage which made me urgently need a restroom in 30 minutes three days ago. This is sad, they’re my favorites and I hope I can eat them again soon) have helped. Aspartame simply tastes disgusting to me so I avoid it, but I’ve never had bad effects from it.

level 1

leandroabaurre

1 point

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14 hours ago

I use sodium cyclamate/sodium saccharin combo for over 15 years and never had problems. I also use aspartame from time to time. The only "positive" effect I had on quitting was increased carbohydrate intake and weight gain!! It's a no brainer for me.

level 1

newarre

1 point

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13 hours ago

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edited 2 hours ago

The only one I don't seem to have awful side effects (headaches, weight gain, etc), is stevia. The taste isn't as good, but it's good enough for my 2 cups of coffee a day.

level 1

ColinHenrichon

1 point

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13 hours ago

Personally if I have the option, I prefer to use Stevia as a sweetener, so I can’t offer too much input. I am curious to see how it goes!

level 1

aerodeck

1 point

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13 hours ago

Yeah, I no longer had a terrible taste in my mouth.

level 1

McStormy76

1 point

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12 hours ago

Had pretty significant bladder issues with artificial sweeteners. When I quit using them, problems disappeared.

level 1

catsmom63

1 point

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12 hours ago

My major stomach problems stopped.

level 1

teamobliterator

1 point

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10 hours ago

I use Splenda in my coffee everyday and find it actually helps suppress my cravings for sweets.

level 1

Unspoken_Unknown

1 point

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10 hours ago

Yes, I have noticed a difference. I used to drink sodas and zero calorie energy drinks around lunch and all afternoon I experienced trouble focusing. It felt like I was mentally detached. I was finally able to connect that it was caused by the sweeteners in the drinks. I stopped having them and haven't had that issue since.

level 1

helllllno

1 point

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8 hours ago

Fruit tastes SOOOO GOOD

level 1

lobitamina

1 point

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8 hours ago

Somehow I got into a sugar free Red Bull habit, sometimes two a day. I am diagnosed bipolar 2, and looking back now, I would get much more erratic more frequently while drinking that shit. It was like experiencing strong mania in shorter spurts. Woof. Glad I quit that!

level 1

parsons525

1 point

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8 hours ago

I never liked them. They made me feel gross.

I just cut out sugar.

level 1

papiwablo

1 point

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8 hours ago

I used have mega butt soup and it would make my skins itchy and slight breakouts on my face.

level 1

SambalRahmani

1 point

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7 hours ago

It's H2O - the O stands for oxygen.

level 1

wethelabyrinths111

1 point

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7 hours ago

I've actually noticed my appetite decreased. I used to drink a 12 pack of diet soda in maybe two days. As I switched to water, I find I'm not as hungry.

Also, you can add stuff to water. Cucumber, melon, strawberry, mint extract. Have fun with it. Also, depending on where you live, you might want to invest in a Brita filter. Sometimes tap water just tastes gross.

level 1

RadioUnfriendly

1 point

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6 hours ago

I used to drink Diet Coke with Splenda. I would have this lingering sweetness in my mouth. No problems other than that. Aspartame resulted in morning headaches for me.

level 1

strudelboom

1 point

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3 hours ago

I cut out diet sodas, I don’t know if it’s the aspartame, acesulfame K or phenylalanine.

It would make me feel weird and I’d get anxiety attacks much easier.

I’ve started drinking black coffee and realised the caffeine has no detrimental effect which I previously thought was the cause.

I seem to get away with having a regular Coca Cola each day too, it doesn’t contain any of the nasties. Just sugar.

level 1

jvsews

1 point

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3 hours ago

I am allergic to all artificial sweeteners. I just drink way diluted wjuice

level 1

clovercharms

1 point

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1 day ago

For my own personal experience, yes.

I used either stevia/erythritol or monk fruit/erythritol blend in my coffee for a while. Every morning my stomach would bother me and I just thought it was anxiety having to drive/make it to work on time (I haaaate driving.) I ended up quitting sweeteners for other reasons (heartburn) and since then, my "anxious stomach" is no more lol.

I didn't want to accept this bc I looovveeee the taste of my monk fruit blend but alas, I feel so much better in the mornings.

level 1

Ashleydashley

1 point

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22 hours ago

They constipate me. Artificial sweeteners alter the gut microbiota. Immune, metabolic, and neurobehavioral health and the gut microbiome are connected.

level 1

Pearcey2

1 point

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19 hours ago

I try to avoid sweeteners as much as I can. Once I stopped fizzy drinks and all those unnecessary calories I felt instantly better in general. That’s the best option. If you have too much sugar or sweetener, the best option is to slowly reducing your consumption of it regardless. But keep what I call ‘good’ sugars in your diet (i.e. fruits). Then, eventually you will have less of the known side effects of sugar (obesity etc.) and sweeteners (migraines, fatigue etc.).

Sweeteners are a good way to curb calories and help you reduce your sugar consumption though (e.g. Diet Coke instead of regular coke). Although, once you have done that transition the next best thing is having coke once every other day/ twice a week/ until it’s gone.

I suggest trying to get into fruit or green teas and drinking lots of water. If you eat evenly spaced out healthy meals, you won’t need a sugar fix. It is just a craving, just remember you aren’t actually hungry.

I’m only saying what’s worked for me - I’ve made healthy choices for quite a while now. I’ve never been addicted to sweeteners but I used to have a tiny bit of sugar over my weetabix. Once I replaced that with two sweeteners and I was really ill - just no energy whatsoever for like two days. Now I’d just rather a small handful of raspberries or raisins or banana on top.

Now I have more energy than ever.

level 2

sadderall123

2 points

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13 hours ago

Thank you! Good information. I do feel a lot better already today with no sweetener and no caffeine, and actually drinking straight up water. I think I will continue to improve over the next month or so.

level 1

itsmeducksoup

0 points

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20 hours ago

In my experience, I used to use artificial sweeteners in place of sugar because it made me feel less like crap. I normally used monk fruit sugar and sometimes sucralose. After switching from normal cane sugar, I found that I didn't crash as hard and I had a lot more energy, but I still felt a little off.

Using just sucralose really hurt my stomach, and I ended up still having a carb crash afterwards. Monk fruit sugar had less of an effect, but still crash if I ate too much of it. After I removed all of it from my diet for a while, I noticed that my gut wasn't in so much pain, and that I didn't crash after eating. I like the way I feel not having these sweeteners, plus I save quite a bit of money from not having to buy so much.

Though, this could all be due to chance and many other factors could be affecting this such as my diet, exercise, lifestyle changes so YMMV. The hard part was getting rid of those cravings, which lasted for about a month. Afterwards, I didn't really notice the need for sweet things. I found a lot of things to be overly sweet.

A little note about sucralose in particular, a lot of sites say that it doesn't raise blood glucose and has zero calories. Yet they don't talk about how it raises insulin levels in the body as well as decreasing insulin clearance. Since sucralose won't be absorbed into the bloodstream, yet increases insulin levels, you might end up mildly hypoglycemic and more tired than usual especially after intaking high amounts of sucralose. This might be one avenue for you to look into.

Anyways, keep us updated on how you're feeling after cutting OP!

level 2

sadderall123

1 point

·

13 hours ago

Many thanks for the reply and sharing your experience! I really think I was hypoglycemic, maybe even more than mildly so on days where I consumed a lot of sucralose. I almost passed out a couple times yesterday and also had to pee like 15 times (possibly unrelated, seeing the doc soon). I generally have felt crummy most of this year, it took me too long to realize that sweeteners & caffeine could be the big culprit.

Anyways, going to stick with straight up water and see how it goes. I think I will improve quickly, kicking caffeine and artificial sweeteners at the same time. I'm not going to start eating a bunch of sugar or anything, either, of course.