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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by laurie_lu on March 26, 2004, at 21:44:32
Maybe this was just a coincidence. Recently I ran out of my usual Pepsi One diet cola which I normally would consume about 3 per day. I didn't have the opportunity to go out and buy more, so I drank my husbands regular cola with real sugar. Within about a week, I had more energy and didn't feel as depressed as I normally do. I think I was off the artificial sweetner for nearly two weeks feeling fairly decent emotionally/mentally. I then realized I'd gain weight from drinking all this real cola so I finally got out and bought more diet Pepsi One. Soon after drinking my diet Pepsi, I sunk back down into the usual mental funk I am always in. I am beginning to wonder if Nutra Sweet/Aspartame, etc. can cause depression or make symptoms of depression worse. I have read somewhere that Aspartame can cause problems with short term memory but haven't read anything concerning depression. Has anyone had similar experiences??
Laurie
Posted by snapper on March 27, 2004, at 1:24:24
In reply to Relationship Between Artificial Sweetners Depres, posted by laurie_lu on March 26, 2004, at 21:44:32
hey laurie, I used to ingest quite large amounts of diet coke and thinking it was safe to do so because I was several times diagnosed as having hypoglycemia...anyhow I do know there is a real connection to nutrasweet and mood disorders...I wish I knew then what I know now. Maybe It was hypoglycemia and GAD and ocd, and social phobia and dysthymia and bi-polar all mixed in to one big mess. I also used to medicate prety heavy with alcohol and diet coke (yaeh I know it sound gross - and diet 7-up and scotch and you know I now think I may have given myself the "DOUBLE WHAMMY" all those years and pray that I really do not have holes in my brain..lol.. don't mean to scare you but truth be said do a search on google> depression and nutrasweet; and I am confident you will find a plethora of info about aspartame (nutrasweet) and "Brain problems" its all very well disguised by Big Pharma, our 'close friends at The FDA- haha . Monsanto (the people who formulated this "magical chemical' called a safe alternative to sugar....any how rant rant rant, !!! FWIW I do pretty much avoid 99% of products that contain this poison but it is hard to do cuz it's in practically everything now days:/ any how I hope you can continue to feel not so depressed by drinking reg soda or possibly switching to a brand of cola called diet rite it purportedly does not contain sugar or nutrasweet or sugar;;but a product called Splenda which is a different form of sugar!! Hey sorry for rambling but I feel we need to be as good to our Brains as possible..see ya
snapper
Posted by noa on March 27, 2004, at 10:35:28
In reply to Re: Relationship Between Artificial Sweetners Depres, posted by snapper on March 27, 2004, at 1:24:24
FWIW, aspartame gives me headaches.
Posted by Ame Sans Vie on March 27, 2004, at 10:42:25
In reply to Relationship Between Artificial Sweetners Depres, posted by laurie_lu on March 26, 2004, at 21:44:32
I posted about this at length on the Alternative board a few months back. Here's a link: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20031218/msgs/295365.html
Aspartame is *poison*, and it's toxic to absolutely everyone. While MSG, a similarly excitatory compound, may only cause adverse reactions in certain populations, aspartame contains *wood alcohol*. And unlike other things we ingest that contain methanol (wood alcohol), such as fruits and fruit juices, the methanol in aspartame is not balanced out with its natural antidote -- ethanol. Using aspartame in any form is killing yourself slowly. Period.
Also, I'd like to say regarding snapper's post that Diet Rite sodas are the best! They taste so much more similar to sugar sodas than aspartame-sweetened versions (especially their cola!!), which I've always found to taste repulsive when comparing Diet Coke to Coca Cola back-to-back, for example. So far all I've found in the big chain grocery stores around here are the Rite Aid cola and raspberry sodas, but I think I'll make a trip to the health food store here (Basic Foods) to see what else I can find.
Posted by bill ll on March 27, 2004, at 12:27:20
In reply to Relationship Between Artificial Sweetners Depres, posted by laurie_lu on March 26, 2004, at 21:44:32
I don't drink regular soda very often, but when I really need a lift at work and I am so tired that my head is on my desk- I get a regular cherry coke.
My energy and mood both take off like a rocket ship. (I'm sure my weight does also).
Posted by terrics on March 28, 2004, at 11:31:58
In reply to Re: Relationship Between Artificial Sweetners Depres, posted by Ame Sans Vie on March 27, 2004, at 10:42:25
Just want to thank you for info you sent re school meds a while ago. My inservice went well. terrics
Artificial sweerners can give you very bad pains in the stomach/abdomen area. I do not know about depression. terrics
Posted by bookgurl99 on March 28, 2004, at 17:20:15
In reply to Relationship Between Artificial Sweetners Depres, posted by laurie_lu on March 26, 2004, at 21:44:32
Interesting -- thanks for reporting your 'case.' Caffeine-free Diet Pepsi was my sister's ever-present companion until recently, when she quit in an effort to have less panic attacks. She says it seems to be helping.
I've looked up Splenda, and that as well seems to cause health problems, particularly in the endocrine system. There's information at Dr. Joseph Mercola's website on this: http://www.mercola.com/2003/aug/23/splenda.htm
Right now, I'm trying to stick to stevia, and hoping nothing is dangerous about it. :D
Posted by laurie_lu on March 28, 2004, at 21:55:54
In reply to Re: Relationship Between Artificial Sweetners Depres, posted by bill ll on March 27, 2004, at 12:27:20
I just did a lot of online research on this topic and am amazed of the number of people who have suffered all these side effects from nutrasweet. One of it's byproducts is formeldhyde. My body definately doesn't need to be slowly embalmed. I am giving up diet sodas as of today. I will switch to regular sodas and just have to deal with any weight gain it may cause. I'd rather be a little chuncky and happy than skinny and about to lose my mind. Thanks for the info everyone.
Posted by Ame Sans Vie on March 29, 2004, at 13:48:31
In reply to Re: Relationship Between Artificial Sweetners Dep, posted by laurie_lu on March 28, 2004, at 21:55:54
> I just did a lot of online research on this topic and am amazed of the number of people who have suffered all these side effects from nutrasweet. One of it's byproducts is formeldhyde. My body definately doesn't need to be slowly embalmed. I am giving up diet sodas as of today.
Good for you! You'll be so much better off for it. My entire extended family is anti-aspartame and upon stopping its use, each and every one of us noticed at least two problems that disappeared (even my youngest cousin [five years old] stopped wetting the bed, is very agreeable to be around and no longer the terror that he was, lol, and most importantly has a normal fasting blood sugar level for the first time in his life -- he used be hypoglycemic, with a fasting sugar of around 60; now it hovers around 95).
You read about the formaldehyde thing, so I'm sure you also read about the fact that the formaldehyde is a byproduct of the freaking wood-alcohol (methanol) that makes up 10% of aspartame, and that the methanol also breaks down into formic acid, or ant poison.
>I will switch to regular sodas and just have to deal with any weight gain it may cause. I'd rather be a little chuncky and happy than skinny and about to lose my mind. Thanks for the info everyone.
I'd highly recommend you switch to drinks sweetened with sucralose (brand name "Splenda") instead of the regular high-fructose corn syrup and sugar junk. A poster mentioned above that sucralose can be dangerous too, but as it is merely a zero-calorie derivative of sugar, it's more likely that it is those people who are sensitive to sugar who will be adversely reactive to sucralose.
Diet Rite cola and raspberry sodas are sweetened with Splenda and are many times more like the real thing than the aspartame garbage if you ask me. Clover Valley makes sodas sweetened with sucralose as well; I've only ever seen these at Dollar General. And then there are pre-bottled Crystal Light fruit drinks made with Splenda that are absolutely delicious. I know there are many more, but I haven't seen them in the grocery stores. With the current low-carb craze (and might I add, "IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!!"), supermarkets will undoubtedly be stocking up on as much of this type of thing as they can. Last time my family went grocery shopping we actually managed to find, among other things, low-carb milk (unflavored, chocolate, and vanilla), low-carb ice cream (with Splenda!), low-carb pasta, low-carb pasta sauce, low-carb pancake mix, zero-carb pancake syrup, low-carb bread mix, low-carb chocolate covered pretzels, and low-carb tortilla chips! lol They're all delicious, I might add. Yes, even compared to "the real deal", lol.
This is the end of the thread.
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