The other side of reducing sugar in foods

Thank you Saetana for posting that study showing that there is no such thing as aspartame sensitivity.

Well done.

DH is type 2 diabetic, and has been advised multiple times to use sweetener rather than sugar. We always tell them we don't agree!!!

I read the article. But found the study unconvincing because it gave participants only one cereal bar a week containing aspartame.

I can eat the occasional product containing aspartame without any effect. I developed headaches when I began using aspartame regularly as an alternative to sugar, which is an entirely different scenario and the one most associated with aspartame induced headaches.

When I decided to immediately eliminate all sweeteners from my diet the headaches disappeared within a week. The two events were so closely linked, I can think of no other explanation for the headaches clearing other than that i was no longer consuming aspartame.

At the time I was unaware of any link between aspartame and headaches and didn't find that out for several years.

Anja that study showing that there is no such thing as aspartame sensitivity.

The study showed nothing of the sort. It showed no sign of aspartame sensitivity among those consuming a cereal bar containing aspartame once a week - and the study is titled Research casts doubt on aspartame sensitivity

It is sweeping statements made by those who have not read properly or have chosen to misunderstand careful research that give statistics such a bad name.

M0nica, it was only a small sample as well. I know people who avoid aspartame because they used to get regular migraines when they were drinking diet drinks. When they gave them up, their migraines disappeared. It could be coincidental but they couldn't pin point anything else and when they have aspartame unbeknown to them, they get a migraine.

If you say so Monica

Reading the NHS report in detail. It is commendably and fairly reported and does make clear the many limitations of the research. In fact the limitations are so many, I am not sure why the research took place, still less why it was published.

However Gold standard the sample selection was. No research seems to have been done into the amount or pattern of consumption of those reporting aspartame triggered symptoms and the research does not replicate their experience.

A bit like measuring the health effects of smoking by giving participants one cigarette a week to smoke.

I was thinking of starting a new thread about avoiding drinks and anything else with artificial sweetener.

I found this thread.

Got a heads up that it had not been posted on for over a year.

In fact not for over two years - in the days before the pandemic - remember them?

So, new thread or

BUMP

I always wonder about these fake sugars which are invariably sweeter than the real thing. Having been to a sugar cane farm I can see sugar is a natural product but, like anything else, moderation is the best policy.

The NHS link above returns a result stating that the page has been retired!

It's always wise to follow up statements about research by investigating who has paid for the research. Tobacco companies have long paid for research apparently proving that smoking doesn't cause lung cancer.

The jury is still out on artificial sweeteners:
"Aspartame: Decades of Science Point to Serious Health Risks" usrtk.org/sweeteners/aspartame_health_risks/

Message deleted by Gransnet for breaking our forum guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

:30icanhandthemback

Anything with carbohydrates in has “sugar” in it. Fruit, spuds, pasta, all add sugars to your system. The trick is to limit carbs and eat more protein. Whoops, that’ll mess up your cholesterol.
Anything with salt, bad for you. Anything with sugar, bad for you. Anything tasting vaguely alcoholic, bad for you. Salad? Maybe but beware of that pesky dressing! Eggs? Cholesterol, so bad for you. Cheese? Pure fat, bad for you. Cake, biscuits? Don't even say the words.
I'm getting to the point where I feel guilty as soon as anything passes my lips.

Now of course we have the dangers UPFs, Ultra Processed Foods.

My rule has always been to cook from scratch, stick to simple ingredients and avoid, to quote a saying, 'anything containing ingredients that your grandmother would not recognise.'