Posting in here, because it is debatable.:)

Do you ever have any side effects that you think are due to sugar substitutes? If so, what kind and what is the symptoms?

I get headaches and I actually think my hair starts to fall out when I have too much Aspartame.

Anyone else?

I just stay away from sugar substitutes. My old bio teacher has said some things about it that just make me want to keep away.

I just stay away from sugar substitutes. My old bio teacher has said some things about it that just make me want to keep away.

Really? If you don't mind sharing, I would love to hear about it. If you don't feel comfortable posting it in here, you could PM me.:)

Well, as far as I know (and I've talked to doctors a few times plus have done my own research), Splenda is pretty darn safe. Of course we don't know everything there is to know about Splenda since it's fairly new and I wouldn't say that there are absolutely NO side effects (other than the poops if you have too much but that's the same with sugar anyhow) but compared to all of the others, I think it is definitely the best choice.

Aspartame, I'm not so sure. I don't think it will kill you and I don't think it's evil, but I do think there are some side effects and probably a little more question about "Safeness" than Splenda. I've personally noticed that when I drink too much Crystal Light which is sweetened with Aspartame, I do get really bad headaches. So far, that's the only side effect I've noticed, but it's bothersome enough that I avoid drinking it in large quantities. I don't go out of my way to completely avoid it but I definitely always look for something sweetened with Splenda/Sucralose rather than the Aspartame just b/c I feel better about ingesting it, it tastes better AND I have no side effects whatsoever from it.

I used to use it alot, till someone from my school told me that aspartame cause some man to die due to cancer from it (not sure if it was true). I still do prefer to drink diet coke -vs- regular coke and also choose to put sugar subsitute -vs- real sugar in my tea. I do cook with regular sugar though. For my kids I use real sugar for them.

I have always had my hair fallen out an I have an occasion headaches, never thought it had anything to due with the aspartame. If it did it makes sense some sense.

Well, as far as I know (and I've talked to doctors a few times plus have done my own research), Splenda is pretty darn safe. Of course we don't know everything there is to know about Splenda since it's fairly new and I wouldn't say that there are absolutely NO side effects (other than the poops if you have too much but that's the same with sugar anyhow) but compared to all of the others, I think it is definitely the best choice.

Aspartame, I'm not so sure. I don't think it will kill you and I don't think it's evil, but I do think there are some side effects and probably a little more question about "Safeness" than Splenda. I've personally noticed that when I drink too much Crystal Light which is sweetened with Aspartame, I do get really bad headaches. So far, that's the only side effect I've noticed, but it's bothersome enough that I avoid drinking it in large quantities. I don't go out of my way to completely avoid it but I definitely always look for something sweetened with Splenda/Sucralose rather than the Aspartame just b/c I feel better about ingesting it, it tastes better AND I have no side effects whatsoever from it.

I haven't ever had any side effects from Splend either. Other than the one you mentioned.:giggle I wonder if it affects others differently though.

Really? If you don't mind sharing, I would love to hear about it. If you don't feel comfortable posting it in here, you could PM me.:)

Aspartame has been thought to lead to cancer, and actually they are doing experiments at my university on it.

Sucralose (Splenda) is a chlorocarbon, which is related to DDT (the stuff they used in the 60's to get rid of bugs). A chlorocarbon is a compound that contains chlorine in it. It's known to cause genetic and reproductive damage.

I mean, a lot of this isn't hard science, we studied this in my beginner biology class learning about different compounds.

And no, I didn't get any information from any .com website saying that these things are bad, mainly just my biology text book. :)

Quite a few members of my immediate family (me, my dad, a couple of my brothers) all get bad headaches from Aspertame. Haven't noticed the hair falling out but I have too much hair anyway, so I probably wouldn't notice. I haven't had any side effects from Splenda and that's what we normally use around here. I still use sugar to bake with though, I'm sort of a purist when it comes to my baking (I won't use margarine either) and I don't like how Splenda tastes after it's been baked.

I don't have the book to quote the exact way it was referenced, so here's my paraphrasing: Asparatame was repeatedly not approved by the FDA until a republican (Regan) took office and the head of the FDA was a crony that pushed the paperwork through and lo and behold it was approved. There were countless studies that cited cancer risks as well as neurological problems on testing.

I get headaches from too much aspartame too.

Skinny Bitch (the book) has some really interesting info on all the crap associated with artificial sweeteners, and an extensive list of references. Very eye opening.

You can borrow it if you want. I've got it on the shelf.

from what i was told by my doctor aspartame (sp?) is just all around bad for you, how it's made...what it does.. so i stay away. most things that say "sugar substitute, no sugar added" use aspartame.

i've used some stuff called xyletol and its a natural sugar substitute made from grapes or something, it works good and has low calories. supposibly it's alot better on your body.

from what i was told by my doctor aspartame (sp?) is just all around bad for you, how it's made...what it does.. so i stay away. most things that say "sugar substitute, no sugar added" use aspartame.

i've used some stuff called xyletol and its a natural sugar substitute made from grapes or something, it works good and has low calories. supposibly it's alot better on your body.

:yes And I've heard it's good for your teeth too! Kind of like a natural flouride.

I use Equal and Splenda I have no choice. I have been using it for years. No side effects as of yet.:lol

Aspartame has been thought to lead to cancer, and actually they are doing experiments at my university on it.

Sucralose (Splenda) is a chlorocarbon, which is related to DDT (the stuff they used in the 60's to get rid of bugs). A chlorocarbon is a compound that contains chlorine in it. It's known to cause genetic and reproductive damage.

I mean, a lot of this isn't hard science, we studied this in my beginner biology class learning about different compounds.

And no, I didn't get any information from any .com website saying that these things are bad, mainly just my biology text book. :)

Those are reasons I try not to use AS's.

from what i was told by my doctor aspartame (sp?) is just all around bad for you, how it's made...what it does.. so i stay away. most things that say "sugar substitute, no sugar added" use aspartame.

i've used some stuff called xyletol and its a natural sugar substitute made from grapes or something, it works good and has low calories. supposibly it's alot better on your body.

So thats what Xyletol is, all the gum my mom has gotten for her job says that on it, and I've been meaning to look it up, but never got around to it.
I try not to eat anything with "fake" sugar in it, I hate the way it tastes.

I use Equal and Splenda I have no choice. I have been using it for years. No side effects as of yet.:lol

I know how you feel. When I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, I had to drastically change my diet and although I tried like hell to avoid as much sugar as I could, I had to use the substitutes for a lot of things. My eating habits have carried over though b/c I think I'm still diabetic, so I still eat like I am, for the most part. Plus, I think natural sugars can be just as bad. Too much natural sugar is part of what can cause diabetes, to begin with.

I've heard the Aspartame can cause cancer and I try not to have much because it makes me feel a little off... I start to feel sick and get headaches and start to feel like my memory isn't as good as it could be. I do have the occasional diet coke but I try to stay away.

I do have drinks with sucralose (splenda) in it because I don't have any side affects from that but I have heard some odd things about it. I heard that it was made from a rat poison originally. Someone accidentally tasted it and thought it was sweet... a bunch of tests were done and things were altered to make it safe and thats how Splenda started. My mom has been ordering it since before it was legal in the US.

What we use now is call Agave. Its a liquid sweetner made from a plant... I don't know much about it but I think its better for you.

My personal preference is to use natural cane sugars and organic natural sources of sweetness... You can't really go wrong with sweetening some tea with a little apple juice.

-Brook