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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by honeybee on February 20, 2006, at 15:41:08
What's the difference between getting L-Phenylalanine from a supplement vs. from aspartame...? Is it simply that you're getting aspartic acid along with the L-Phenylalanine or is there something that I'm missing. Many of the claims by folks that say it's a product deleterious to our health might have the same thing to say about L-Phenylalanine itself (which seems to cause some of the same reactions, like headaches).
I'm just curious. Lots of folks get worked up about Aspartame and I've done a smidge of reading into it, but it's difficult to parse the paranoid claims made by one side and the stodgy poo-poohing made by the other (moneyed interest) side. I've always loved diet sodas and I'm wondering if it's a kind of attempt to self-medicate on my part, to up my norepinephrine levels in my brain. Could that be the case?
Posted by honeybee on February 23, 2006, at 16:08:49
In reply to What's the diff: L-Phenylalanine vs. Aspartame, posted by honeybee on February 20, 2006, at 15:41:08
I'm just hopeful that someone might have a thought... : )
Thanks,
hb
Posted by Darwin on February 24, 2006, at 5:36:20
In reply to What's the diff: L-Phenylalanine vs. Aspartame, posted by honeybee on February 20, 2006, at 15:41:08
When I first started drinking diet coke (many years ago), I noticed that I would get a pleasant spaced-out feeling that would last about an hour. I'm fairly certain that this was due to the high aspartame content of diet coke. The pleasant spaced-out feeling faded away after a few months probably due to some type of tolerance mechanism.
I think I have a mild addiction to aspartame. For many years I would drink about one 2-liter container of diet coke per day (I recently switched to non-cola diet sodas because I think they are less harmful). Like you, I suspect that this may be some form of self-medication. 2-liters of diet coke provides about 1 gram of aspartame which in turn provides about 500 mg of L-Phenylalanine.
Diet sodas are generally unhealthy (particularly those which contain caramel) and you don't need the aspartic acid and methanol provided by aspartame. So I think it would be healthier to get your L-Phenylalanine directly from a supplement. In fact, that's what I started doing recently. I take one 500 mg tablet of L-Phenylalanine per day which provides some needed mental stimulation. Unfortunately, I'm still drinking lots of diet soda. I need to work on that.
BTW, I've tried DL-Phenylalanine and didn't like it. It made me more depressed and sometimes gave me a headache. L-Phenylalanine works much better for me. I've never tried pure D-Phenylalanine.
Darwin
Posted by Meri-Tuuli on February 24, 2006, at 7:56:32
In reply to Re: What's the diff: L-Phenylalanine vs. Aspartame » honeybee, posted by Darwin on February 24, 2006, at 5:36:20
Hey there, you could try looking up in wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenylalanine
Hope that helps. Wiki is great!!
Meri
Posted by honeybee on February 24, 2006, at 8:58:12
In reply to Re: What's the diff: L-Phenylalanine vs. Aspartame, posted by Meri-Tuuli on February 24, 2006, at 7:56:32
Thanks to Darwin and Meri-Tuli for responding. It's still a puzzle to me (thanks for reminding me of the Wiki entry, M-T), though, not having a scientific degree. Following up on some of the links on Wiki about whether or not the formaldehyde binds to blood proteins or not was a bit out of my league, though I got the gist. It sounds like that's where the real risk lies: the formaldehyde.
It's like watching a tennis match. On the one side, the moneyed interests/makes of aspartame, on the other side...people who seem very reasonable... Folks have even suggested to me that sweetener companies have planted rumors about one another to infringe on their competitors' sales. I really do wish that someone would take the profit motive out of the food and pharmaceutical industries so that we could get to the business of really helping folks. But having lived just long to enough to see carbs shuttle in and out of fashion, coffee swing in and out, red wine, oils, etc., etc., I'm not sure which side to "trust."
I'll probably cut the diet cola use, despite my avowed love for it. And if anyone has any suggestions for what to ingest to repair the damage that potentially was my taking a wrecking ball to my brain...
All ears!
Posted by Meri-Tuuli on February 24, 2006, at 11:33:38
In reply to Re: What's the diff: L-Phenylalanine vs. Aspartame, posted by honeybee on February 24, 2006, at 8:58:12
Hey again!
Yeah, I have to confess that some entries in wiki are pretty heavy. I tried looking up the one on acetylcholine and I didn't really understand it!
> I really do wish that someone would take the profit motive out of the food and pharmaceutical industries so that we could get to the business of really helping folks.
I really really wish this too! Its just utterly terrible the amount of shennigans going in these industries (and alot others too!) -- have you ever seen the movie/documentary 'The Corporation'?? It deals with the accountable to no-one except share holders thing. I really recommend it!
> I'll probably cut the diet cola use, despite my avowed love for it. And if anyone has any suggestions for what to ingest to repair the damage that potentially was my taking a wrecking ball to my brain...
Sorry, I wouldn't know what to suggest, but I think its a very good idea to ditch the diet cola.
Posted by honeybee on February 24, 2006, at 11:58:20
In reply to Re: What's the diff: L-Phenylalanine vs. Aspartame, posted by Meri-Tuuli on February 24, 2006, at 11:33:38
Oh, yeah, totally saw The Corporation. Sadly, it makes me mostly paranoid about big business and big pharma (and big nutraceutical) and very, very puzzled about how to treat myself and the nasty depression. And living in this grand u.s. of a. helps the paranoia a lot. I know my government is watching out for me! (Or...not.)
So, a sad goodbye to aspartame is in store. One would think that I look very young with all the preservative from all the formaldehyde that I've been treating my body with for years. But no such luck on that front. My father looks better from massive consumption of apple juice, and he's forty years older than I. Stevia, here I come! And here's to trading one unknown for another... I mean... : ).
By the way, M-T, I'm glad you asked about the Acetylcholine. (And glad to know that I can steer clear of trying a choline supplement!) Isn't it one of the neurotransmitters affected by MAOs, along with the big three (Dopamine, NE, and Serotonin)? Perhaps I'm misremembering... off to Wiki to re-educate myself!
b
Posted by honeybee on March 6, 2006, at 8:49:11
In reply to Re: What's the diff: L-Phenylalanine vs. Aspartame, posted by honeybee on February 24, 2006, at 11:58:20
For anyone who's curious about how aspartame is made, I found this curious and interesting link: http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Aspartame.html.
I'm at one week of no aspartame. Yay. (She writes, ruefully.)
hb
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