TRY STEVIA "LEAF" AS AN ALL NATURAL SUBSTITUTE FOR SUGAR. YOU CAN FIND IT IN A GRANULATED FORM AT HEALTH FOOD STORES. IT ACTUALLY HELPS METABOLIZE B/S.

Good comments from all.

I would like to say that we all need to take some website information with a grain of salt and try to determine if the information given has merit. Obviously, this can be difficult and I personally recommend that everyone try to confirm information with additional sites that you are confident in.

Please keep in touch. I do agree that there is alot of debate regarding this. Some have no problems with some and then do with others. I know of many that experience no problems at all.

Thank You,

dm

I think this is a VERY serious, unrecognized issue that people are continuously ignoring. My grandmother is a brittle diabetic and frequently drinks lots of Diet Coke. More recently she has been experiencing extreme chills on a daily basis - for which all medical professionals that she has visited can come up with no diagnosis.  Due to this, and in conjunction with "rumors" of the deadly sugar-substitute aspertame, I have recently been researching the effects of aspartame - via diet sodas -  on the body. My findings have been appalling, to say the least. Aside from those who suffer from diabetes, aspartame (included in diet sodas and many other foods and products. ex. Winterfresh gum, light yogurt & Flintstones Vitamins) is an extremely harmful - and deadly - additive.  
The effects of aspartame include and are not limited to:
   (list from www.dorway.com)
Abdominal Pain
Anxiety attacks
arthritis
asthma
Asthmatic Reactions
Bloating, Edema (Fluid Retention)
Blood Sugar Control Problems (Hypoglycemia or Hyperglycemia)
Brain Cancer (Pre-approval studies in animals)
Breathing difficulties
burning eyes or throat
Burning Urination
Chest Pains
chronic cough
Chronic Fatigue
Confusion
Death
Depression
Diarrhea
Dizziness
Excessive Thirst or Hunger
fatigue
flushing of face
Hair Loss (Baldness) or Thinning of Hair
Headaches/Migraines dizziness
Hearing Loss
Heart palpitations
Hives (Urticaria)
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
Impotency and Sexual Problems
inability to concentrate
Infection Susceptibility
Insomnia
Irritability
Itching
Joint Pains
laryngitis
Marked Personality Changes
Memory loss
Menstrual Problems or Changes
Migraines and Severe Headaches (Trigger or Cause From Chronic Intake)
Muscle spasms
Nausea or Vomiting
Numbness or Tingling of Extremities
Other Allergic-Like Reactions
Panic Attacks
Phobias
poor memory
Rapid Heart Beat
Rashes
Seizures and Convulsions
Slurring of Speech
Swallowing Pain
Tachycardia
Tremors
Tinnitus
Vertigo
Vision Loss
Weight gain

Aspartame Disease Mimics Symptoms or Worsens the Following Diseases

Fibromyalgia
Arthritis
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Parkinson's Disease
Lupus
Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS)
Diabetes and Diabetic Complications
Epilepsy
Alzheimer's Disease
Birth Defects
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Lymphoma
Lyme Disease
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
Panic Disorder
Depression and other Psychological Disorders

That is just to list some of the known reactions to this poison, however comas and death have also been documented.  The main reason for these reactions is that aspartame (aspartylphenylalanine-methyl-ester) breaks down into poison (aspartic acid 40%, phenylanine 50%, and methanol 10%) when exposed to temperatures of 86+ degrees. ***Remember: normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees, which includes the temperature of your stomach where the soda sits!***  Ultimately the underlying condition which people become inflicted with is methanol poisoning.  All that being said, I would encourage you to explore the over-whelming amount of evidence and personal stories that are out there for yourself, as I have.  One night of research on this subject has turned me into an anti-aspartame-activist, so to speak. There are many sites out there which address the issues I mentioned, as well as other pertinent issues, in depth, and give explainations as to how continued distribution has been allowed. A very good page that I have found which briefly explains and concludes these problems, and those facing diabetics in particular, in a clear manner is found at (copy & paste into your browser address bar):

http://www.bibleplus.com/health/ms_lupus.htm

and another very informative site whose webmaster has lost several family members to methanol poisoning:

http://www.aspartamekills.com/symptoms.htm

So, again, I very strongly urge you to research this issue yourself, alert others of this growing problem, and avoid all products that include aspartame in them.  If nothing else, drinking some water with a lemon (or other citrus/fruit slice in it for flavor) has countless mental and physical benefits over consuming a diet - or even non-diet - soda anyday.  Thank you for reading this post (despite its length and I hope it can help you or someone you know in some way. Good luck!

~Amber

I am not a physician or researcher, but the mom of a child with diabetes.  I can tell you that from my own experience we try not to have anything sugar free and made with that stuff in our home.  This was true even before our daughter was diagnosed with diabetes.   If you really read the labels on products and compare, sugar free items ussaually have more carbs than the sugared version.  Look at the new frosted flakes that have less sugar, but the same amount of carbs.  So we stick with the real stuff. And just count Carbs.  This helps our daughter feel like a regular kid.

Thanks for the info on the website.  Please feel free to stop back and visit our site again.

I understand, but you always should look at the source of the information you are reading and the date that it was published. I'm no expert but it looks like that site is a bit suspect.

Sumeet,
It looks like you came across one of the "anti-Aspartame" sites.  There are plenty of anti "this & that" sites, and there are just as many sites touting the benefits of "snake oil" (useless expensive -- and sometimes dangerous! products that only make their vendors a lot of money).  It can be hard to figure out if we're getting reliable info or just a snake-oil sales pitch.

Some folks (phenylketonurics) cannot tolerate any aspartame at all.  You would know if you have this condition.  Other folks dislike the whole idea of artificially created sweeteners and others just don't like their taste.  Some of us incorporate them into our regular diet and are grateful for expanded food choices it provides.

At your next doctor's visit, I recommend you chat with him/her about your usage and pay attention to whether you have any noticeable effects from foods/beverages with aspartame.  The choice to use (or not) certain foods in our diets is a very personal one and there are passionate views on many approaches.  Seems to me that we do well when we discuss these things with our endocrinologists and/or certified diabetes educator.

As you know, I'm neither ;-) but wanted to add my views here.

I expect someone to really guide me as I am a regular user of Aspartame.

Looks like someone's rant

Hi sunmeet

I'm not a physician, just a 10-year diabetic.  I heard the same thing a couple of years back, and at that time it was something along the lines of "If you heat it up to (some very high temperature) and then consume (some very large amount) of that heated-up aspartame you have the risk."  Whether or not that is the same story, who knows.  Here's a site of consideration :)

http://www.aspartame.net/media/scilib/sclib011.html