Diet Soda Persuasive Speech

In addition to the scientific, non-lethal hydrolyzed metabolites of aspartame, series of tests have been done over two decades on humans and animals to investigate the safety of aspartame. Over 23 years, the FDA has tested and affirmed the safety of aspartame throughout 200 studies . Furthermore, the product is used in more than 100 countries and 100 million people around the world . In addition to the FDA studies, the American Dietetic Association, the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of the World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization, the Scientific Committee on Food and the European Union (SCF), and other regulatory agencies worldwide have reviewed and approved the safety of aspartame . The most recent

There is a lot of High Fructose Corn Syrup, the sugar of choice, in regular sodas. People started finding out about how bad sugar is for them and how much sugar was really in their favorite every day drink. Everyone started turning against all of the soda companies and they had no choice but to come up with an alternative. So, instead of using natural sugar or High Fructose Corn Syrup in sodas, scientists invented artificial sweeteners, a way to keep the soda sweet yet contain no sugar. Artificial sweeteners like Aspartame that are added to diet soda are actually worse for us than the sugar that is in regular soda. This was proven by an Osteopathic Physician from the American Colledge of Nutrition who states, "While many of the artificial sweeteners have reportedly similar side effects, aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA" (Mercola).

Next, many consumers believe that drinking diet soda is healthier for you than drinking regular soda filled with sugar but studies are starting to show that artificial sweeteners may actually lead to diabetes. Mary Ann Yantis, PhD, RN, a nurse educator for Nursing Education Consultants and Kate Hunter, RD, LD (2010), a clinical dietitian at Adventist Medical Center reports (2010) that drinking more than one serving of diet soda per day can increase your risk of metabolic syndrome by more than 36%. Metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors, which includes hypertension, abdominal obesity, hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia. These risk factors increase a person’s risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and stroke. This same study also reports (2010) that one diet soda per day can increase a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes by more the 67%. This is possibly due to the fact that artificial sweeteners can be up to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar and this intense sweetness can be addictive thus creating cravings for more sweetness in order to feel satisfied. Yantis and Hunter (2010) point out that the sweet taste triggers the same dopamine signals that are also triggered by drugs such as cocaine and heroin. Craving for more intense artificial sweetness will result in consuming more calories, increase the likelihood of developing insulin resistance, and more than likely affect the glucose metabolism (Yantis & Hunter, 2010).

My belief is that aspartame is not safe to use. The reason I believe aspartame is not safe is because it accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious, including seizures and death. Another reason I think the use of aspartame is unsafe is that diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, and brain tumors are a few chronic illnesses that can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame. This hits home for me because my son is a diabetic. Everyone knows the less sugar you include in your diet, the better. But replacing sugar with aspartame is not the solution, and in fact is likely to be even worse for your health. I believe regardless

Aspartame has now been on the market for many years and most people seemingly haven’t had adverse reactions. Or have they? Russell L. Blaylock, M.D. warns that many people don’t notice of the serious symptoms because “they’re more resistant to the obvious toxic effects, but they’re still getting very subtle toxic effects that over many years is going to produce obvious disease in those persons.” However, some people have had more direct, severe reactions. For example, FDA officials have estimated that only 1% of toxic reactions are likely to get reported and the agency received reports of 7,000 toxic reactions with aspartame from 1982 until 1995. In fact, there were likely more official reports of toxicity, but we can’t be sure to the extent. After all, Congress found out in 1987 that the FDA had been transferring aspartame toxicity calls to the AIDS Hotline.

Karen Congro, the director of the Wellness for Life Club program at the Brooklyn Hospital Center and nutritionist stated that long-term effects of aspartame in humans have not been studied . So from a marketing standpoint Pepsi’s switch away from aspartame may benefit their falling rates. In contrast, Diet Coke still only uses aspartame in their diet soda product. Though their advertising does not consistently, directly address the aspartame in their products, Diet Coke in 2013 defended their use of aspartame by stating in an ad that studies over the last 40 years has not discovered negative effects of aspartame . Interesting, today in 2015, 61 percent of Americans rely on online, websites or social media apps: Twitter, Snapchat, etc.—media reports—for their news . While 38 percent of Americans receive their news from offline sources, like newspapers, journals, etc. . Therefore, individuals should be wary that both journals and media reports, particularly the latter, may be withholding significant details or exaggerating scientific results in order to persuade the

Aspartame is found in over 6000 products that are on our supermarket shelves, it goes by the brand names of Equal, and Nutra Sweet. First one would have to look at why aspartame came to be in over 6000 products world wide. In today 's society everybody is looking for that short cut, that way eating anything they want and staying thin and healthy. So instead of skipping the cookies we now reach for "sugar-free" cookies, and Diet soda so we can still eat what we want without all the calories. In a society where obesity is on the rise, there is a huge market for products like aspartame. Aspartame gives you all the sweetness you want without all the calories you don’t want. So if it says "sugar-free" or a diet product chances are aspartame is in it. This paper intends to look into how aspartame was discovered, the steps the company took to seek the approved to use in dry goods and eventually in soft drinks, and the controversy surrounding its approval, as well as the side effects of using aspartame along with how consumers are being affected by it and what companies are doing as a result of how consumers are reacting to it.

The studies on this ingredient have been numerous, but conflict with each other in almost every aspect. This artificial sweetener has been torn apart by every “health organization,” health fanatic, and doctor trying to prove their data holds water. Looking at a doctor’s informational website a wide variety of side effects could emerge from the consumption of aspartame, “A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as part of aspartame dangers are: headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain, ” (Mercola.com). From this study it would appear that aspartame was developed by the hands of satan. While this information may be true, a journal article from a study performed by over seven doctors begs to differ, “Controlled and thorough scientific studies confirm aspartame’s safety and find no credible link between consumption of aspartame at levels found in the human diet and conditions related to the nervous system and behaviour, nor any other symptom or illness,” (Magnusun, pg. 702). A seemingly extensive study shows the absolute safety of this sweetener, but

This extended essay is trying to answer the question “How much does people’s knowledge of the affects of aspartame reflect the scientific facts?”. The essay starts with a brief introduction to the topic, explaining thoroughly what food additives are in general and furthermore what kind of substance Aspartame is. Before continuing to consider and discuss the dangers of food additives and aspartame, information about other sweeteners are researched and some examples of these are stated.

In diet pops, aspartame is used as a substitute for real sugar, and it can over time be very harmful to our bodies. It has been linked to almost a hundred different health problems including seizures, multiple sclerosis, brain tumors, diabetes, and

Aspartame is the most common and one of three alternative sweeteners in the United States which can be found in more than 6,000 products and is consumed by more than 200 million people around the world (Calorie Control, 2015). You will find these man-made sweeteners in many reduced calorie foods; such as, jams and jellies, powdered soft drinks, maple syrups, chewing gum, juice blends, frozen desserts, cereals, hard candy and the most popular of products being sodas. Aspartame is also seen in little pink packets of Sweet & Low on restaurant tables. Besides being found in vitamins its important use is in many low-calorie and sugar-free beverages and

In addition to aspartame in diet soda contributing to cancer, it also causes memory loss. Carbonated beverages began containing aspartame in 1983, after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it (Gold, 1995). Aspartame contains 40% aspartic acid, which is an amino acid that increases the level of aspartate and glutamate in blood plasma, according to Gold (1995). This increase of aspartate, as explained by Gold (1995), causes over stimulation of the nerves by acting within the brain as neurotransmitters, which aid in sending and receiving information between neurons. Aspartate increases the possibility of destroying the cell surface’s membrane on the opposite side of the area between nerve cells (where transmission of nerve impulses occur) in the brain (Humphries, Prestorius, & Naude, 2008). As a result, excessive aspartate or glutamate can slowly destroy neurons in the brain contributed by an influx of calcium contained in the cells, thus causing memory loss.

Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame are commonly used as substitutes for sugar in everyday products that we consume such as foods and soft drinks due to the fact that they contain no calories. This has further led to a growing trend of artificial sweeteners being used by people as an alternative to sugar to control weight. Although extensive research has demonstrated the safety of six different low-calorie sweeteners currently approved for use, there is still ongoing debate over the potential health threats they pose.

that states aspartame has undergone numerous testing and with the exception of a few slight side effects, aspartame seems to be rather safe. The article indicated that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) evaluated more than 500 reports on the problems associated with aspartame. The reports showed that two-thirds of the people suffered neurological problems while one-quarter of the people suffered gastrointestinal problems. The neurological symptoms included headaches, mood alterations, insomnia, dizziness, and fatigue. Abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting were the gastrointestinal symptoms that people experienced. The CDC concluded that the side effects that people reported were mild and are common in the overall public. I disagree with the conclusion that aspartame is safe. If aspartame was truly safe there would have been no reason for people to make reports concerning the side effects they experienced from consuming aspartame. Yes, it’s true that nothing is considered 100 percent safe, but after 500 reports were received on the consumption of aspartame it’s easy to concluded that aspartame is not safe. As with any report or study you read the material is only as accurate as the data that backs it up. If you search the internet you will find numerous reports, studies, and articles listing the side effects of aspartame. I can’t imagine that all of the articles are not

NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure are all brand names for aspartame, a low calorie sugar substitute used in more than 90 countries to sweeten foods and beverages. Aspartame is a synthetic chemical that is created through the combination of the amino acids phenylalanine and aspartic acid, and a small amount of methanol. Aspartame can be found in several products, such as soft drinks, over-the counter drugs, vitamin and herb supplements, instant breakfasts, candy, breath mints, cereals, sugar-free chewing gum, coffee, juice, and tea beverages, tabletop sweeteners, and gelatin desserts. This product may have seemed like a dream come true when it was first invented in 1981