Aspartame

[Maistan]

Hello everyone and a Happy New Year

I have until recently drunk vast quantities of Diet coke preferring this beverage to tea or coffee. I was called back to my GP surgery following my last blood test because of raised liver function results particutlarly the one relating to Gamma Enzyme which has risen significantly in the last year - I very rarely take alcohol but this test result indicated I was an alcoholic - I had my blood retested and this spike has returned to the level it was but I now have to have an abdominal scan - could this raised level be due to the amount of diet coke I drunk - I had read in a previous post that another person had similar readings due to the amount of diet drinks they drunk - I now only drink water or tea or coffee. My scan is next week and I am am worrying about this but I feel fine especially since starting this low carb diet and my blood sugars are returning to acceptable levels. My medication is 4 x 500gram Metformin per day along with Janvier x 1 per day.

Could any one else give advice on the affect aspartame has on liver tests please
Many thanks

 

[cugila]

I think we are talking about the GGT (Gamma Glutamyl Transpeptidase) part of a Liver Function test result ? This can be elevated with even minor liver problems. GGT is often raised in those who have used Alcohol to excess but also those who use other things which can be toxic to the Liver in excess. It can also be a side effect of some drugs.

An increased level of GGT is often one of the things seen in fatty liver and is also seen where someone has consumed large amounts of diet drinks containing the artificial sweetener Aspartame.
So, it isn't a good idea to drink too much of these sort of drinks.

There is much on the net about the dangers of Aspartame, there is also much there which refutes the claims. I think what is clear is that in moderation, there isn't much of a problem.......in excess.... Well, that is where a problem can begin.

If your raised levels are down to Aspartame then cutting right back on diet drinks has to be a good thing, personally, I have diet drinks but only infrequently. Most of the time if I want a refreshing drink it is just bottled still water.........however drink that to excess and it can also be toxic........

 

[sue32]

Gosh, and I thought water was good for you. I tend not to drink water straight from the tap here, it always has a very potent chlorine smell to it. I invested in a water filter jug. Trouble is the filters do work out a bit expensive. Is filtered water bad for you??

 

[cugila]

Water IS good for you........toxic is when somebody drinks way too much in one go. Water is not poisonous. It was to illustrate the point that as Aspartame can be damaging in large quantities, even water, a life saving substance, can also be damaging to the human body.

I would have thought filtered water is perfectly fine, but as you say....filters are very expensive.

I used to have a tap in my kitchen with a charcoal type filter which I replaced every 6 months, that was much cheaper at about £20 a time.

 

[sue32]

Ooh, thanks Ken, something to think about there. Thanks

 

[foxglove]

I think I have posted this on here before - but some years ago just before aspartame came onto the market, there was a documentary on TV which showed that the trials were erroneous. As one rat died it would be replaced by another under the same number and the experiment would continue on as if it was the same one.
At the time I was convinced that it would be withdrawn from public use but not at all!
Quite frankly, I wouldn't touch anything that contains aspartame with a barge pole!!

 

[cugila]

Aspartame.......

There is much as I said before about Aspartame, including many scare stories, which are put about on the net. Much of it is old news and usually comes from the States. If you read most of them you wouldn't 'touch ANYTHING' with a bargepole !

However, as with everything there are two sides to the story. Here is link to a previous article about sweeteners, Artificial sweeteners not linked to cancer: Study which of course includes Aspartame. I have no 'axe to grind', this is just putting another view, an even handed approach.

http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nu ... ncer-Study

Some extracts from the article:

Although all the sweeteners used in the EU have been approved and are deemed safe by the food safety authorities, internet forums, newspaper reports and some scientific literature continue to garner suspicion.

and

In response to the ERF’s reports the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources said there is no indication that aspartame causes cancer following its assessment of a study that linked regular intake of the sweetener with increased risk of certain cancers.

and

While the results are promising for sweetener users, it is noted that the study was only based in Italy, and therefore generalisation to other populations is not possible. Additionally, the study was limited to only three types of cancer. Indeed, the earlier findings of the ERF study reported increased risk of leukaemia, lymphomas and breast cancer, none of which were considered by Bosetti and her co-workers.

and

On the other hand, a US study sponsored by the National Cancer Institute involving 285,079 men and 188,905 women, ages 50 to 69, found no statistically significant link between aspartame consumption and leukaemia, lymphomas or brain tumours (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2006, Vol. 15, pp. 1654-1659).

and

Furthermore, a review published in 2007 in Critical Reviews in Toxicology (Vol. 37, pp. 629-727) concluded that suggestions of adverse effects had 'no credible scientific basis'. The review was conduced by a panel of eight experts over an 11 month period. It considered over 500 studies, articles and reports conducted over the last 25 years - including work that was not published, but that was submitted to government bodies as part of the regulatory approvals process.

I drink things which contain many things which some consider to be dangerous, however I take a more balanced view and don't listen to scare stories. There are plenty of organisations on the net who beieve them and try to 'spread the word' .........well, I've heard it all before and frankly I respect their views......it just isn't the only one.......

Here is something more recent.......April 2010

A team of national experts drawn from EU member states has concluded that there is no new evidence on aspartame that would require EFSA to reassess its opinion that the sweetener is safe, although additional studies could add to knowledge of the sweetener and its metabolites.

and this

Although some studies have suggested possible adverse effects, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has scrutinised the methodology and findings of safety studies and has repeatedly reaffirmed its positive safety opinion. The acceptable daily intake (ADI) is 40 mg/kg bw/day, and a 2002 opinion from the Scientific Committee on Food held that this level is unlikely to be exceeded.

and this

They emphasized that using anecdotal data has great limitations and there is therefore a need for caution when interpreting them, but the said the information gathered could help guide the design of any investigative studies on sensitivity and possible underlying mechanisms.