So Now Aspartame's OK?
Can't they make up their minds? After finding aspartame to be harmful in the U.S., the European Union (EU) has now found that it isn't, really.
According to yahoo.com, even though it's been linked to cancer and premature births, and The Huffington Post's Dr. Joseph Merola calls it "the deadly neurotoxin that everyone uses," the EU has ruled that it's safe, in the amounts people are currently using it in diet soft drinks.
After conducting a major review of evidence, the agency said Tuesday it has ruled out any "potential risk of aspartame causing damage to genes and inducing cancer," CBS News reports.
U.S. health officials have not supplied any substantial proof that artificial sweeteners, such as NutraSweet and Equal, are associated with death, the network adds.
So how much is too much? The American Cancer Society says that means about 3,750 milligrams of aspartame per day for a 165-pound person -- that's about 21 cans of diet soda -- to exceed the recommended intake limits.
Although I used to drink diet soda like it was water, even I never drank 21 cans in a day! For people who weigh less, this, of course, means you can only get away with 15 cans a day. As if, as they used to say.
And don't forget research has linked the sweeteners to weight gain, by making us want more of anything sweet.
So what's a person to do? I have switched out entirely artificial sweeteners (of which I used to use about six a day in my iced tea) to one teaspoon of sugar daily and I even drink it black (brown?) the rest of the time.
I remember back in the 70s when cyclamates, the ancestors of aspartame, (which tasted awful), were thought to cause cancer, and then scientists slowly backtracked.
I must say, though, that while they may not, I feel a whole lot better since I stopped using the stuff. I don't know what exactly is different, but I don't get that chemical sweetish taste in my mouth, and maybe I'm imagining it, but my body feels better, too.
According to yahoo.com, even though it's been linked to cancer and premature births, and The Huffington Post's Dr. Joseph Merola calls it "the deadly neurotoxin that everyone uses," the EU has ruled that it's safe, in the amounts people are currently using it in diet soft drinks.
After conducting a major review of evidence, the agency said Tuesday it has ruled out any "potential risk of aspartame causing damage to genes and inducing cancer," CBS News reports.
U.S. health officials have not supplied any substantial proof that artificial sweeteners, such as NutraSweet and Equal, are associated with death, the network adds.
So how much is too much? The American Cancer Society says that means about 3,750 milligrams of aspartame per day for a 165-pound person -- that's about 21 cans of diet soda -- to exceed the recommended intake limits.
Although I used to drink diet soda like it was water, even I never drank 21 cans in a day! For people who weigh less, this, of course, means you can only get away with 15 cans a day. As if, as they used to say.
And don't forget research has linked the sweeteners to weight gain, by making us want more of anything sweet.
So what's a person to do? I have switched out entirely artificial sweeteners (of which I used to use about six a day in my iced tea) to one teaspoon of sugar daily and I even drink it black (brown?) the rest of the time.
I remember back in the 70s when cyclamates, the ancestors of aspartame, (which tasted awful), were thought to cause cancer, and then scientists slowly backtracked.
I must say, though, that while they may not, I feel a whole lot better since I stopped using the stuff. I don't know what exactly is different, but I don't get that chemical sweetish taste in my mouth, and maybe I'm imagining it, but my body feels better, too.
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