In the US, why does all sugar free gum have aspartame?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
T

theblackbox

Golden Member
Oct 1, 2004
1,650
11
81
I've been desperately looking for aspartame sugarfree gum, and have had no luck except for some ofdd chocolate gum i found on line.

We've managed to replace aspartame with stevia in everything else but gum, and my wife has to have gum. Any ideas or thoughts from anybody?

 
G

godmare

Diamond Member
Sep 25, 2002
5,121
0
0
Because everybody here thinks artificial sweetener is the end-all-be-all.
I can't find children's toothpaste without it anymore, Oral-B used to make it w/out aspartame, but no longer.
I hate the stuff.
 
Amused

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
57,454
19,923
146
Originally posted by: godmare
Originally posted by: Amused
Do either one of you have the uncommon genetic disorder called phenylketonuria?

If not, there is no valid reason to avoid Aspartame.

Don't be a myth spreader/believer:

http://www.snopes.com/toxins/aspartame.asp
Click to expand...

There is gobs of research outlining the dangers of aspartame and sucralose.
Click to expand...

Um, no there is not. There are people claiming harm, but not a single peer reviewed and repeated study has shown ANY harm from the use of aspartame.

I challenge you to produce one.
 
Amused

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
57,454
19,923
146
Originally posted by: Sundog
Originally posted by: Amused
Do either one of you have the uncommon genetic disorder called phenylketonuria?

If not, there is no valid reason to avoid Aspartame.

Don't be a myth spreader/believer:

http://www.snopes.com/toxins/aspartame.asp
Click to expand...


There are people out there that have adverse reactions to Aspartame without having phenylketonuria.
Click to expand...

Have any peer reviewed and repeated studies proving this?
 
T

theblackbox

Golden Member
Oct 1, 2004
1,650
11
81
Do either one of you have the uncommon genetic disorder called phenylketonuria?
Click to expand...


My wife is a diabetic and has been using artificial sweeteners for a long time, since she was 12, when she first contracted diabetes.
She has decided to stay away from aspartame for her own reasons, since personal choice is not a crime in the US, and we have been unable to find a gum for her. Since she has gone off diet coke and other products, she has felt better, been happier, and in general done well. If it's related to the aspartame or not, i do not know, but i prefer her to be happy in life and in health. if her not using aspartame has made her feel better, kept her from getting headaches, etc, either through a placebo effect or through genuine effects of no longer using aspartame, it seems to be helping.

So if me asking is perpetuating a myth, so be it. For the longest time, people believed the earth was flat.
I want her to be happy,l and if she feels it makes a difference, then thats enough for me.

I was looking for constructive assistance in the matter, as I haven't found anything comparable.


and i agree, jessica alba is hot.
 
S

Sundog

Lifer
Nov 20, 2000
12,342
1
0
Originally posted by: Amused
Originally posted by: Sundog
Originally posted by: Amused
Do either one of you have the uncommon genetic disorder called phenylketonuria?

If not, there is no valid reason to avoid Aspartame.

Don't be a myth spreader/believer:

http://www.snopes.com/toxins/aspartame.asp
Click to expand...


There are people out there that have adverse reactions to Aspartame without having phenylketonuria.
Click to expand...

Have any peer reviewed and repeated studies proving this?
Click to expand...

From the Mayo Clinic website:
One caution, however: If you have the genetic disease phenylketonuria (PKU) or you're allergic to the ingredients in aspartame, avoid aspartame.

 
Amused

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
57,454
19,923
146
Originally posted by: Sundog
Originally posted by: Amused
Originally posted by: Sundog
Originally posted by: Amused
Do either one of you have the uncommon genetic disorder called phenylketonuria?

If not, there is no valid reason to avoid Aspartame.

Don't be a myth spreader/believer:

http://www.snopes.com/toxins/aspartame.asp
Click to expand...


There are people out there that have adverse reactions to Aspartame without having phenylketonuria.
Click to expand...

Have any peer reviewed and repeated studies proving this?
Click to expand...

From the Mayo Clinic website:
One caution, however: If you have the genetic disease phenylketonuria (PKU) or you're allergic to the ingredients in aspartame, avoid aspartame.
Click to expand...

They are one in the same thing. A more detailed explaination:

http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/qa-adf9.html

Carefully controlled clinical studies show that aspartame is not an allergen. However, certain people with the genetic disease phenylketonuria (PKU), those with advanced liver disease, and pregnant women with hyperphenylalanine (high levels of phenylalanine in blood) have a problem with aspartame because they do not effectively metabolize the amino acid phenylalanine, one of aspartame's components. High levels of this amino acid in body fluids can cause brain damage. Therefore, FDA has ruled that all products containing aspartame must include a warning to phenylketonurics that the sweetener contains phenylalanine.
Click to expand...

Mayo is mistaken in calling it an "allergy."

 
S

SynthDude2001

Lifer
Mar 19, 2003
18,289
2
71
I've always assumed it was just because aspartame is cheaper (perhaps partially because of having been on the market so much longer than sucralose?). Just a wild guess though. I also have a tough time finding sugar-free candy without the so-called "sugar alcohols" in them - I always have massive stomach pain and other problems when I eat such products. But 97% of the candy I can ever find, contains them.....
 
T

theblackbox

Golden Member
Oct 1, 2004
1,650
11
81
you know, i do too. Someone had given me some Kettle corn from a bag, and i was enjoying it, but then started to get this sickly sweet taste in my mouth, fairly soon, i had cramps and was feeling pretty bad. I didn't have this problem before the kettle corn, and we looked at the package and it did not have the ingrediants, but went out to the website, and sure enough, it had aspartame in it. I've chewed sugar free gum and felt the same way.

I couldn't imagine it was in my mind and i just made it up, but i dodge sugar free stuff whenever i can.
Unfortunately, my wife does not have the luxury. She made this desicion on her own, and i'm just trying to help her out.
 
Amused

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
57,454
19,923
146
Originally posted by: SynthDude2001
I've always assumed it was just because aspartame is cheaper (perhaps partially because of having been on the market so much longer than sucralose?). Just a wild guess though. I also have a tough time finding sugar-free candy without the so-called "sugar alcohols" in them - I always have massive stomach pain and other problems when I eat such products. But 97% of the candy I can ever find, contains them.....
Click to expand...

Yep. Now there is a REAL reaction to a sweetner. "Sorbitol" and other such sweetners can cause gas, diarrhea and pain for people sensitive to it.

In me, it gives me the stinkiest farts.

It's not unsafe, just uncomfortable for some.

BTW, the same sweetners exist in fruit naturally. Apples has the most sorbitol.

 
Amused

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
57,454
19,923
146
Originally posted by: HelloDeli
Aspartame triggers horrible headaches whenever I have any. Like clockwork.
Click to expand...

Myth:

--Aspartame triggers headaches. Wrong again, says Susan Shiffman, a
medical psychologist at Duke University who conducted a double-blind
placebo-controlled trial of 40 "aspartame sensitive" people. A little
probing often revealed the real trouble. One woman, who often ate
peanuts with her diet soda, was allergic to peanuts. Another drank too
much caffeine.

In fact, the most likely reason for headaches attributed to aspartame is really caused by the caffeine found in most diet drinks.
 
Amused

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
57,454
19,923
146
Originally posted by: theblackbox
you know, i do too. Someone had given me some Kettle corn from a bag, and i was enjoying it, but then started to get this sickly sweet taste in my mouth, fairly soon, i had cramps and was feeling pretty bad. I didn't have this problem before the kettle corn, and we looked at the package and it did not have the ingrediants, but went out to the website, and sure enough, it had aspartame in it. I've chewed sugar free gum and felt the same way.

I couldn't imagine it was in my mind and i just made it up, but i dodge sugar free stuff whenever i can.
Unfortunately, my wife does not have the luxury. She made this desicion on her own, and i'm just trying to help her out.
Click to expand...

The post you are replying to is attributing that reaction to sugar alcohols like sorbitol. Not aspartame.

Aspartame has NOT been found to cause stomach upset.

Sorbitol and other sugar alcohols have been found to do so because they don't break down until they hit the large intestine... causing gas, bloating and diarrhea in people sensitive to it.

BTW, most diet candy and cookies and many sugar free gums also have sorbitol in them.
 
T

theblackbox

Golden Member
Oct 1, 2004
1,650
11
81
could be. i don't remember all the ingrediants. I would go get a bag of nutrasweet and taste it to test your theory, but i'm not gonna. I have enough pain to worry about since i had a diskogram yesterday.

I was just wondering, do you have stake in Merisant or Nutrasweet Holdings, the way you defend it almost makes me think you do.

 
Amused

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
57,454
19,923
146
Originally posted by: theblackbox
could be. i don't remember all the ingrediants. I would go get a bag of nutrasweet and taste it to test your theory, but i'm not gonna. I have enough pain to worry about since i had a diskogram yesterday.

I was just wondering, do you have stake in Merisant or Nutrasweet Holdings, the way you defend it almost makes me think you do.
Click to expand...

No, I just hate urban myths and irrational fears.

One such health hysteria bankrupted a large corporation. (Dow and the breast implant myth)

These things happen because people let them get out of control and blindly believe rumors and innuendo rather than science and facts.
It becomes a religion in the way these myths grow.
 
T

theblackbox

Golden Member
Oct 1, 2004
1,650
11
81
Thats fine. This is n't based out of that. My quest is due to the fact my wife simply does not want it in her life. She doesn't want any sweetner in her life, be it any of the ones named above. I just don't understand why the candy industry doesn't offer more choice. And hope somebody has an idea what might be available.
 
M

mchammer187

Diamond Member
Nov 26, 2000
9,114
0
76
i know for a fact that something in sugar free gum gives me canker sores

i dont know what it is so i have just avoided all of them

there has been a 100% correlation for me in the last two years

i give up gum for a few weeks

chew one piece for a few hours and bam the next day i have them

i really dont know if it is from aspartamine though because i drank a diet dr. pepper last week and had nothing

it never fails with carefree koolerz gum or trident (bubblegum flavor) which are my favorite
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom