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Artificial Sweeteners May Change Our Gut Bacteria in Dangerous Ways

scientificamerican.com

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Re: Artificial Sweeteners May Change Our Gut Bacteria in Dangerous Ways

#121

Post by Hytosys »

hncomment wrote: post #102
devy wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry to ask this personal question, do you know if there is a name for the autoimmune problem that causes scores?

Some such sores, if occasional, may just be canker sores: http://www.healthline.com/health/canker-sores I've noted a correlation with: stress or lack of sleep; candy binges; eating scratchy foods like say popcorn.

I've been suffering from these blasted things for 18 years, and have similarly noted the same sorts of correlations. My best efforts: cutting out gum; cutting out sharp foods; cutting out acidic foods; taking vitamins B-12 and C, L-lysine, and zinc; switching toothpastes and brushing techniques. I regret not recording my history of occurrences, but I perceive things are improving. At the very least, it's safe to say the cause of canker sores is multi-factorial.

Sorry, I'm rambling. No one in my life can relate, so I'll take any chance to talk about it.

Re: Artificial Sweeteners May Change Our Gut Bacteria in Dangerous Ways

#122

Post by mistermann »

Kerrick wrote: post #55
darcyparker wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really? Can you point to a source? Many people with epilepsy and migraines have discovered different food triggers. In my case Aspartame was the leading trigger. Anyone who has seizures should seek out and eliminate potential triggers to see if it helps. I suppose a high carb diet could be a trigger for someone... I didn't have a high carb diet... but I know eliminating aspartame helped me. I am still amazed how Dona…

The key thing to search for is "keto" or "ketogenic," the name for the high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that puts you in a fat-burning state called ketosis. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketogenic_diet - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2898565/ - http://www.drperlmutter.com/study/dietary-treatment-adults-r...

https://www.reddit.com/r/ketoscience

Re: Artificial Sweeteners May Change Our Gut Bacteria in Dangerous Ways

#123

Post by alok-g »

beat wrote: post #70

I'm currently trying to kick a Diet Coke habit (my equivalent of smoking), which I think is contributing to several health problems, not the least of which is carrying about 40 pounds more than I should around. Part of it, which isn't covered by these studies, is how a reliance on diet soda affects your diet overall. It serves as a lubricant, for lack of a better word, for dense starchy carbs and salt. I can wolf dow…

Does the same apply to Coke Zero also?

Re: Artificial Sweeteners May Change Our Gut Bacteria in Dangerous Ways

#124

Post by alok-g »

gojomo wrote: post #101
trekky1700 wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also have a bad Diet Coke habit. Drink cans and cans a day. I hear Elon Musk and Bill Gates also drink copious amounts. I wonder what it is about Diet Coke that's so addictive.

Caffeine and phenylalanine, in addition to the sweetness-without-actual-energy that is likely backfiring to create further sweet-cravings. (I wouldn't be surprised if research eventually concludes regular Coke is safer than Diet Coke, even given the problems with HFCS. So, if trying to quite Diet Coke, you might 1st want to try substituting regular Coke... which you might find more satiating and thus consume less of,…

Does the same apply to Coke Zero also?

Re: Artificial Sweeteners May Change Our Gut Bacteria in Dangerous Ways

#125

Post by veb »

rando3826 wrote: post #111
rodly wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think part of the reason for this is that generally speaking, people who eat poorly know they're eating poorly and would rather have their cake and eat it too. They know soda is bad for them and that apples are good for them. That sitting all day long doesn't expend a lot of energy and running the back hills for a half hour does. So when someone asks an ill person who eats poorly "How have you been eating?" they kn…

Meh, your both wrong. When appropriate, doctors do ask about diet, they do recommend changes to diet, it does make a difference, and being healthy is not necessarily simple.

You basically reinforced his point. People know what they're doing wrong, and when they want to change that part of their lifestyle, then they will and any doctor will be more than happy to help them. There's such a thing as a dietitian after all.

Re: Artificial Sweeteners May Change Our Gut Bacteria in Dangerous Ways

#126

Post by veb »

alok-g wrote: post #123
beat wrote: post #70

I'm currently trying to kick a Diet Coke habit (my equivalent of smoking), which I think is contributing to several health problems, not the least of which is carrying about 40 pounds more than I should around. Part of it, which isn't covered by these studies, is how a reliance on diet soda affects your diet overall. It serves as a lubricant, for lack of a better word, for dense starchy carbs and salt. I can wolf dow…

Does the same apply to Coke Zero also?

I was interested myself, and a Google search for "is coke zero diet coke" showed me:

> Coca‑Cola Zero delivers the great taste of Coca‑Cola, with zero sugar. While it has the same sweeteners as Diet Coke (a blend of aspartame and acesulfame-K), it has a different flavour base, though both are low calorie and zero sugar.

Re: Artificial Sweeteners May Change Our Gut Bacteria in Dangerous Ways

#127

Post by sjolsen »

beat wrote: post #70

I'm currently trying to kick a Diet Coke habit (my equivalent of smoking), which I think is contributing to several health problems, not the least of which is carrying about 40 pounds more than I should around. Part of it, which isn't covered by these studies, is how a reliance on diet soda affects your diet overall. It serves as a lubricant, for lack of a better word, for dense starchy carbs and salt. I can wolf dow…

I'm assuming you're talking about canker sores. I don't know how much help this will be to you, but here it is anyway:

You may have tried these, but I've found the best ways to dull the pain are swishing 50/50 Maalox/Benadryl and using a styptic pencil.

Also, I've found in my case that what helps most to prevent them is keeping my mouth as clean as possible. The two main causes I've identified are illness and physical trauma to the tissue. The worst offender is the crap plaque excrete; it eats away at tissue, and I've found more than a few new sores under a stray piece of lunch. Oh, and I've had far fewer sores since I switched to an SLS-free flavour of Sensodyne.

Re: Artificial Sweeteners May Change Our Gut Bacteria in Dangerous Ways

#128

Post by thaumasiotes »

rodly wrote: post #110
encoderer wrote: post #105

I can't remember the source, but somebody was speaking recently on the US healthcare system. He made the point that the proof our healthcare in this country is broken is that when you go to the doctor to complain about illness nobody has ever been asked "How have you been eating?". Unless you have specific medical restrictions, there is little time spent on how your diet affects your health. My dream of quantified-se…

I think part of the reason for this is that generally speaking, people who eat poorly know they're eating poorly and would rather have their cake and eat it too. They know soda is bad for them and that apples are good for them. That sitting all day long doesn't expend a lot of energy and running the back hills for a half hour does. So when someone asks an ill person who eats poorly "How have you been eating?" they kn…

> their patients can reliably take the 3 seconds to swallow a pill everyday

This isn't even close to being true. Compliance is one of the biggest issues in modern medical practice. And people who reliably take the three seconds to swallow a pill every day are much, much healthier than people who don't, no matter what's in the pill.

Re: Artificial Sweeteners May Change Our Gut Bacteria in Dangerous Ways

#129

Post by serf »

darcyparker wrote: post #8

Aspartame (Nutrasweet) is pretty controversial in how it got approved by the FDA. See: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robbie-gennet/donald-rumsfeld-... When I was 8 years old, I started having grand mal seizures and my parents noted a strong correlation between drinking a Diet Coke and having a seizure. When they eliminated it from my diet, my seizures declined. Fortunately I stopped having seizures around 12 years of…

forgive me for asking perhaps an obvious question , but did you reduce overall caffeine intake by switching from diet coke, or did you stick to something with similar caffeine levels and still experience the reduction in seizures?

Re: Artificial Sweeteners May Change Our Gut Bacteria in Dangerous Ways

#130

Post by cpeterso »

gojomo wrote: post #101
trekky1700 wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also have a bad Diet Coke habit. Drink cans and cans a day. I hear Elon Musk and Bill Gates also drink copious amounts. I wonder what it is about Diet Coke that's so addictive.

Caffeine and phenylalanine, in addition to the sweetness-without-actual-energy that is likely backfiring to create further sweet-cravings. (I wouldn't be surprised if research eventually concludes regular Coke is safer than Diet Coke, even given the problems with HFCS. So, if trying to quite Diet Coke, you might 1st want to try substituting regular Coke... which you might find more satiating and thus consume less of,…

Yep, there are a couple recent studies showing diet sodas have no weight loss benefit over regular soda.
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