TBR Biggest Loser

I would love to give up diet sodas but I must be addicted. We have free bottled water here and drink 8-10 bottles a day. Some with the crystal lite packs some without. Do you folks think totally giving up, if I can diet soft drinks would aid in weight loss?

 

I've read a lot of negative things about diet drinks, enough to prompt me to cut back on them. Do a search on the effects of Aspartame and it might prompt you to just stick to water - it's frightening stuff (especially for your liver). I drink a lot of sparkling water now - hard to get used to initially, but I found it helpful. How many diet drinks are you having a day though?

 

At work maybe 2. While at home 2 liters are an endangered species

 

208 lbs

 

I even heard a report about it causing weight gain.

 

from wiki:
Metabolism
Upon ingestion, aspartame breaks down into several residual chemicals, including aspartic acid, phenylalanine, methanol, and further breakdown products including formaldehyde,[14] formic acid, and a diketopiperazine. There is some controversy surrounding the rate of breakdown into these various products and the effects that they have on those that consume aspartame-sweetened foods. (See Aspartame controversy)

The naturally-occurring essential amino acid phenylalanine is a health hazard to those born with phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare inherited disease that prevents phenylalanine from being properly metabolized. Since individuals with PKU must consider aspartame as an additional source of phenylalanine, foods containing aspartame sold in the United States must state "Phenylketonurics: Contains Phenylalanine" on their product labels.

In the UK, foods that contain aspartame must list the chemical among the product's ingredients and carry the warning "Contains a source of phenylalanine" – this is usually at the foot of the list of ingredients. Manufacturers should print '"with sweetener(s)" on the label close to the main product name' on foods that contain "sweeteners such as aspartame" or "with sugar and sweetener(s)" on "foods that contain both sugar and sweetener". "This labelling is a legal requirement", says the country's Food Standards Agency.[15]


[edit] Health concerns
Main article: Aspartame controversy
Aspartame has been the subject of controversy regarding its safety and the circumstances of its approval by the American FDA and European FSA. Aspartic acid, into which aspartame is metabolized, is a known NMDA receptor agonist. Aspartame itself has been shown to have antinociceptive properties through affecting NMDA receptors in mice. Some studies have also recommended further investigation into possible connections between aspartame and negative effects such as headaches, brain tumors, brain lesions, and lymphoma.[ These findings, combined with possible conflicts of interest involving CEO Donald Rumsfeld in the approval process, have engendered vocal activism regarding the possible risks of aspartame

 

Aspartame can not be too bad for you because they sell a whole lot of it and it would have shown up by now. If you really are concerned though you could always switch to drinks that have Splenda for a sweetner.

 

They sell a whole lot of cigarettes, too. Does that mean cigarettes are not too bad for you?

 

Aspartame is quite bad for you

 

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