HippieChick8 said:

LunarEclipse said:

Cannashroom said:

We had a VP of research at Pepsi come talk to the biochem department at my university about their work on artificial sweeteners.

It was really quite fascinating.  They had done all these tests to show how the body responds to the taste of sugar. I can't remember all the details exactly but It was stuff like priming the metabolism and starting the insulin response for sugar.  They showed how different artificial sweeteners would stimulate the body in different ways to start the process of digesting and using the sugar.  But since there is no sugar it led to other unwanted effects.

The take home message is that the sugar receptors on your tongue start a regulatory cascade for the processing of sugar.  Now different sugar-like molecules all signal these pathways in some way, but don't provide the sugar.  It confuses the body and they were trying to design better sweeteners based on this research.

Something all of us noted, they didn't show any of the research for aspartame or sweeteners actually in their drinks.

Then one of the professors asked a really poignant question about safety.  Basically all this research is quite new, over 15 years after these sweeteners hit the market.  He was asking about how this new data would reflect on the safety of already available sweeteners.  Pepsi VP just beat around the bush and never gave a straight answer, lol.

We still do not understand the effect of these substances on the body.  We are starting to realize that it is all a lot more complicated than just tasting like sugar.

Funny story on how sucralose was discovered:

A bunch of sugar analogues were being tested for various things.  A supervisor told a new foreign student to go "test" the new compound.  He head to go "taste" it.  He did and he told them, It is really really really sweet!

And sucralose was born!

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What's really funny is that kid died two days later.

Let's just say there is a reason you shouldn't want to drink methyl alcohol, or have formaldehyde in your body before the undertaker comes to juice you up.  Brain cancer rose by hundreds of percent in the years following the introduction of aspartame.  Coincidence?  I doubt it.  Sure you drink a couple of diet sodas a day even then maybe you feel ok long term.  But you do like some do and drink a twelve pack cause you really want to lose weight and all bets are off.  With temperature in the cans the breakdown to "ass"partame constituents isn't a healthy thing at all.  Part of the sickness in Iraq was from Diet Coke stored at 100+F.  Not good.

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I heard about the sicknesses in Iraq from soldiers drinking diet soda that had sat in 120 degree temps. 

I think its addictive as well.  I think it is no accident that Michael J. Fox, the spokesman for Diet Pepsi and a heavy user as well, developed early onset parkinson's disease.

link
The mainstream medical establishment apparently does not know the cause of Parkinson's disease, but it has been linked with heavy metal exposure, excitotoxins, and toxins.  N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the brain are responsible for the excitotoxicity associated with Parkinson's disease.  Aspartate is one of the main components that is released when aspartame is metabolized, and it directly effects the NMDA receptors.  Therefore, regular intake of aspartame will cause damage to those receptors, and can eventually lead to Parkinson's disease.

Monosodium glutamate and other forms of free glutamic acid are also excitotoxins.  Both aspartame and MSG also affect the glutamate receptors.  Pharmaceutical companies are now coming out with more "glutamate blockers" as well.

"A number of experimental drugs are being investigated for Parkinsons disease because they block the actions of glutamate, an amino acid that is a particularly potent nerve cell killer. Some of these drugs block a receptor group to glutamate called N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA). Investigative NMDA antagonists include remacemide, memantine, riluzole, and budipine."
-- (About.com, 3/12/06): http://adam.about.com/reports/000051_7.htm)

"The excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate plays an important part in the development of neurodegenerative diseases like dementia. About 70 % of all excitatory synapses in the central nervous system are stimulated by the neurotransmitter glutamate. Dysfunction of glutamatergic neurotransmission is involved in pathomechanism of neurodegenerative dementia. The excitatory effect of chronically released glutamate effects the degeneration of cortical and subcortical neurons, thus leading to the occurrence of dementia symptoms."

-- (Merz, 3/12/06: http://www.memantine.com/en/mode_of_action/)

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HippieChick8 said:

I think its addictive as well. 

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Quote:

I think it is no accident that Michael J. Fox, the spokesman for Diet Pepsi and a heavy user as well, developed early onset parkinson's disease.

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Quote:

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the brain are responsible for the excitotoxicity associated with Parkinson's disease.  Aspartate is one of the main components that is released when aspartame is metabolized, and it directly effects the NMDA receptors.  Therefore, regular intake of aspartame will cause damage to those receptors, and can eventually lead to Parkinson's disease.

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Quote:

Cannashroom said: The take home message is that the sugar receptors on your tongue start a regulatory cascade for the processing of sugar.  Now different sugar-like molecules all signal these pathways in some way, but don't provide the sugar.  It confuses the body and they were trying to design better sweeteners based on this research.

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LunarEclipse said:

HippieChick8 said:

LunarEclipse said:

Cannashroom said:

We had a VP of research at Pepsi come talk to the biochem department at my university about their work on artificial sweeteners.

It was really quite fascinating.  They had done all these tests to show how the body responds to the taste of sugar. I can't remember all the details exactly but It was stuff like priming the metabolism and starting the insulin response for sugar.  They showed how different artificial sweeteners would stimulate the body in different ways to start the process of digesting and using the sugar.  But since there is no sugar it led to other unwanted effects.

The take home message is that the sugar receptors on your tongue start a regulatory cascade for the processing of sugar.  Now different sugar-like molecules all signal these pathways in some way, but don't provide the sugar.  It confuses the body and they were trying to design better sweeteners based on this research.

Something all of us noted, they didn't show any of the research for aspartame or sweeteners actually in their drinks.

Then one of the professors asked a really poignant question about safety.  Basically all this research is quite new, over 15 years after these sweeteners hit the market.  He was asking about how this new data would reflect on the safety of already available sweeteners.  Pepsi VP just beat around the bush and never gave a straight answer, lol.

We still do not understand the effect of these substances on the body.  We are starting to realize that it is all a lot more complicated than just tasting like sugar.

Funny story on how sucralose was discovered:

A bunch of sugar analogues were being tested for various things.  A supervisor told a new foreign student to go "test" the new compound.  He head to go "taste" it.  He did and he told them, It is really really really sweet!

And sucralose was born!

---

What's really funny is that kid died two days later.

Let's just say there is a reason you shouldn't want to drink methyl alcohol, or have formaldehyde in your body before the undertaker comes to juice you up.  Brain cancer rose by hundreds of percent in the years following the introduction of aspartame.  Coincidence?  I doubt it.  Sure you drink a couple of diet sodas a day even then maybe you feel ok long term.  But you do like some do and drink a twelve pack cause you really want to lose weight and all bets are off.  With temperature in the cans the breakdown to "ass"partame constituents isn't a healthy thing at all.  Part of the sickness in Iraq was from Diet Coke stored at 100+F.  Not good.

---

I heard about the sicknesses in Iraq from soldiers drinking diet soda that had sat in 120 degree temps. 

I think its addictive as well.  I think it is no accident that Michael J. Fox, the spokesman for Diet Pepsi and a heavy user as well, developed early onset parkinson's disease.

link
The mainstream medical establishment apparently does not know the cause of Parkinson's disease, but it has been linked with heavy metal exposure, excitotoxins, and toxins.  N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the brain are responsible for the excitotoxicity associated with Parkinson's disease.  Aspartate is one of the main components that is released when aspartame is metabolized, and it directly effects the NMDA receptors.  Therefore, regular intake of aspartame will cause damage to those receptors, and can eventually lead to Parkinson's disease.

Monosodium glutamate and other forms of free glutamic acid are also excitotoxins.  Both aspartame and MSG also affect the glutamate receptors.  Pharmaceutical companies are now coming out with more "glutamate blockers" as well.

"A number of experimental drugs are being investigated for Parkinsons disease because they block the actions of glutamate, an amino acid that is a particularly potent nerve cell killer. Some of these drugs block a receptor group to glutamate called N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA). Investigative NMDA antagonists include remacemide, memantine, riluzole, and budipine."
-- (About.com, 3/12/06): http://adam.about.com/reports/000051_7.htm)

"The excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate plays an important part in the development of neurodegenerative diseases like dementia. About 70 % of all excitatory synapses in the central nervous system are stimulated by the neurotransmitter glutamate. Dysfunction of glutamatergic neurotransmission is involved in pathomechanism of neurodegenerative dementia. The excitatory effect of chronically released glutamate effects the degeneration of cortical and subcortical neurons, thus leading to the occurrence of dementia symptoms."

-- (Merz, 3/12/06: http://www.memantine.com/en/mode_of_action/)

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It's interesting that MSG isn't really a flavor per se.  Sure maybe it's a bit salty, but what it does is to enhance other flavors, typically savory flavors of all kind.  I wonder if it fakes out your taste buds and makes you think you are eating a really tasty steak when you are just getting the MSG excitotoxin effect.  I mean people get agitated and excited by this stuff.  This is known that it can make people anxious.  Well there's a reason.  It's fucking with your brain chemistry.

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Quote:

I think the sun revolves around the earth. Doesn't make it true.

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the1sttofall said:

Great. Now I have leukemia. Thanks coca cola.

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LunarEclipse said:

MSG gets sensed by your taste buds.  It is a flavor enhancer of other flavors, and this is largely why it is used.  There is a distinction in this case between adding a spice such as black pepper for purely flavor, versus adding MSG that makes your taste buds think that hamburger helper really tasted good when it really wouldn't have.

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Quote:

As to the argument that it is good for you therefore more is always better, aspartate in the brain in high amounts is not good.  It goes right through the blood brain barrier and excitoxins your brain.  Methyl alcohol is NEVER good and absolutely will cause blindness in large enough amounts and visual issues long before that.  Why hasn't anyone touched on the formaldehyde that aspartame also breaks down into?  Embalming fluid main component...

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tymoteusz3 said:

the1sttofall said:

Great. Now I have leukemia. Thanks coca cola.

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LunarEclipse said:

MSG gets sensed by your taste buds.  It is a flavor enhancer of other flavors, and this is largely why it is used.  There is a distinction in this case between adding a spice such as black pepper for purely flavor, versus adding MSG that makes your taste buds think that hamburger helper really tasted good when it really wouldn't have.

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Technically all spices are "flavor enhancers". MSG is a source of umami (it's one of the five basic tastes, the others being salty, sweet, bitter, and sour) - umami is "savory" and is the reason why cooked tomatoes add a savory-ness to dishes, or Parmesan cheese, or wine, or broccoli, etc. MSG doesn't "fool your taste buds" anymore than spices do.

Quote:

As to the argument that it is good for you therefore more is always better, aspartate in the brain in high amounts is not good.  It goes right through the blood brain barrier and excitoxins your brain.  Methyl alcohol is NEVER good and absolutely will cause blindness in large enough amounts and visual issues long before that.  Why hasn't anyone touched on the formaldehyde that aspartame also breaks down into?  Embalming fluid main component...

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Aspartatic acid is regulated by the body - excess will be converted into fumarate - I covered that here. Besides, no one is talking about excess - ingesting anything in excess can be harmful including water.
The methanol metabolized from aspartame (which is then converted into formaldehyde and then formic acid) is in such small quantities that it's harmless, and is MUCH less than the methanol produced from fruits. But it's funny - I always see people screaming about the formaldehyde from aspartame, yet enjoy eating fruit.

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LunarEclipse said:

Buddy, I worked for a flavor lab and majored in food science.  Sold pectin and other gums.

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Quote:

The methanol in fruit is bound up by the pectin and not metabolized.  Therefore harmlessly shit out.  Unlike the methyl ester group in aspartame that is fully available.  So your methanol argument as relates to fruit vs. aspartame is completely full of shit.  As to "a little formaldehyde is OK" what according to you?  Further, it's a CUMULATIVE effect.

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Quote:

You seem unable to distinguish between tastes and flavors.  Do you really want to get into what makes flavor enhancers flavor enhancers?

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Umami is one of the 5 basic tastes... and I would love to hear what you have to say so please enlighten me..

tymoteusz3 said:

LunarEclipse said:

Buddy, I worked for a flavor lab and majored in food science.  Sold pectin and other gums.

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Fallacy - Appeal to Authority.
P.S. you evidently didn't study very hard.

Quote:

The methanol in fruit is bound up by the pectin and not metabolized.  Therefore harmlessly shit out.  Unlike the methyl ester group in aspartame that is fully available.  So your methanol argument as relates to fruit vs. aspartame is completely full of shit.  As to "a little formaldehyde is OK" what according to you?  Further, it's a CUMULATIVE effect.

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You are wrong. Pectins are metabolized by your body (fecal bacteria) into methanol.
Formaldehyde is converted to formic acid which has a long half life but it's not that long. (I think 68 hours).
So yes, a little formaldehyde is perfectly fine for you.

Quote:

You seem unable to distinguish between tastes and flavors.  Do you really want to get into what makes flavor enhancers flavor enhancers?

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Umami is one of the 5 basic tastes... and I would love to hear what you have to say so please enlighten me..

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Penelope_Tree said:

I'm drinking a can of diet soda right now.

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Penelope_Tree said:

I'm drinking a can of diet soda right now.

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That's just sad gf.