Diet Soda Persuasive Speech

Numerous neurological and behavioral side effects have been linked with consuming aspartame at well below the approved safe limits set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that has been ingested in the United States for over three decades. Even though there are several studies showing the harmful effects of its consumption. When aspartame is digested several toxic chemicals are produced, most notability formic acid & glutamate. Both of these chemicals cause the body to mimic the side effects of multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer. Even the passing of aspartame to be allowed in food was controversial. Just as the studies on it, continue to be today.

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

Aspartame is composed of aspartic acid (40%), phenylalanine (50%) and methanol (10%), the substance is present in sweetening but is also used by the food industry because of the lack of calories (recommended to persons who are dieting) and the fact of not being sugar, sweeten but 200 times more (recommended for diabetics). In the opinion of the director of Abran (2005), "considering that table sugar is caries (tooth decay), unlike aspartame, and that obesity is a worldwide epidemic, sweeteners can help combat excess calories in the diet." according to ANVISA, only people who are born with the problem of difficulty to metabolize phenylalanine (a condition called PKU) should avoid aspartame and foods containing phenylalanine (fish, chicken, beans, milk, etc). If industrial products, such as soft drinks, there is usually a warning on the label or packaging on the presence of phenylalanine.

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 the most consumed and most controversial sweetener in the United States. This sweetener has made its way from the low calorie table top sweetener that most people can identify with in the Pink or blue packets that are on the tables of our favorite diners across America, to every product type that one can think of. Today

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.

Companies that use aspartame in their soft drink products, like Diet Pepsi and Diet Coke, are entangled with the safety controversy. Though both companies do not directly address the use of aspartame in their advertisement, their opinions of the controversy may be noted. Diet Pepsi up until 2012, like Diet Coke, used aspartame to sweeten their Diet Pepsi . However, Pepsi, during a rebranding movement, decided to end their use of aspartame; instead, the company now uses Sucralose (Spelnda) and acesulfame potassium (Ace K) . This decision was not explicitly advertised because the company did not want to draw attention to the fact that they are still using artificial sweetener . This switch is intended to help Pepsi’s taste and consistency last

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.

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).

Therefore, aspartame (APM) in diet soda can lead to cancer and the risk of developing carcinogenic effects increase in those who have a life span exposure to APM.

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).

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

Energy drinks have no curative benefit, and many components have not been studied deeply and not monitored. The reports of toxicity raise concern for potentially serious unpropitious effects in association with energy drink use. For the temporary period, paediatricians need to be aware of the likely consequences of these beverages on the vulnerable groups and share the adverse effects of its consumption to educate individuals. Long-term research should intend to comprehend the effects in at-risk groups. Toxicity inspection should be enhanced, and ordinances of energy drink sales and consumption should be based on suitable

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

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