Aspartame And Splenda May Lead To Kidney Failure

I often talk about the dangers of consuming artificial sweeteners.  These products are toxic to your body in so many ways.  A study even found that artificial sweeteners can lead to kidney decline. 

Individuals who consume a diet high in artificially sweetened drinks are more likely to experience a decline in kidney function, according to a paper presented at the American Society of Nephrology's annual meeting in San Diego, California.

Research conducted by Julie Lin MD, MPH, FASN and Gary Curhan, MD, ScD, FASN of Brigham and Women's Hospital examined the influence of sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages on kidney function decline in a group of 3,000 women subjects in a Nurses’ Health Study.

This investigation reported "a significant two-fold increased odds, between two or more servings per day of artificially sweetened soda and faster kidney function decline; no relation between sugar-sweetened beverages and kidney function decline was noted.”

The association persisted even after the study authors accounted for age, caloric intake, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, cigarette smoking, physical activity, and cardiovascular disease.

Sources:

  ScienceDaily November 2, 2009

Aspartame Dangers You Need to Know

Aspartame goes by the brand names NutraSweet and Equal. It is one of the first generation of artificial sweeteners and is 180 times as sweet as sugar. There are over 6,000 products containing aspartame, sold in over 100 countries and consumed by over 250 million people worldwide.
There have been more reports to the FDA for aspartame reactions than for all other food additives combined. And, there are over 900 published studies on the health hazards of aspartame. You can find a list in the National Library Medicine Index. 
There are also some 10,000 documented reports of adverse reactions to aspartame, including death. Since it is estimated only about 1 percent of people who experience a reaction report it, it is safe to assume at least a million people have had a reaction to this chemical.
Among the risks, the phenylalanine in aspartame dissociates from the ester bond and increases dopamine levels in your brain. This can lead to symptoms of depression because it distorts your serotonin/dopamine balance. It can also lead to migraine headaches and brain tumors through a similar mechanism.
Furthermore, the aspartic acid in aspartame is a well-documented excitotoxin. Excitotoxins are usually amino acids, such as glutamate and aspartate. These special amino acids cause particular brain cells to become excessively excited, to the point they will quickly die. Excitotoxins can also cause a loss of brain synapses and connecting fibers.
Then the ester bond in aspartame is broken down to formaldehyde and methanol, which have their own toxicities. So it is not surprising that this popular artificial sweetener has also been found to cause cancer. 

Why Splenda is Not so Splendid

Splenda was approved by the FDA in 1998 as a tabletop sweetener and for use in products such as baked goods, nonalcoholic beverages, chewing gum, frozen dairy desserts, fruit juices, and gelatins. Sucralose is also permitted as a general-purpose sweetener for all processed foods.
The approval was given after the FDA supposedly reviewed more than 110 animal and human safety studies, but out of these 110 studies, only two were human studies, and the longest one was conducted for four days!
And, those animal studies reveal plenty of problems, such as:

• Decreased red blood cells -- sign of anemia -- at levels above 1,500 mg/kg/day
  
• Increased male infertility by interfering with sperm production and vitality, as well as brain lesions at higher doses
  
• Enlarged and calcified kidneys (McNeil stated this is often seen with poorly absorbed substances and was of no toxicological significance. The FDA Final Rule agreed that these are findings that are common in aged female rats and are not significant.)
  
• Spontaneous abortions in nearly half the rabbit population given sucralose, compared to zero aborted pregnancies in the control group
  
• A 23 percent death rate in rabbits, compared to a 6 percent death rate in the control group
  

A recent study published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health also found that Splenda: 

• Reduces the amount of good bacteria in your intestines by 50 percent
  
• Increases the pH level in your intestines
  
• Affects a glycoprotein in your body that can have crucial health effects, particularly if you’re on certain medications
  

They also found unmistakable evidence that Splenda is absorbed by fat, contrary to previous claims. 
It’s truly disturbing that Splenda can destroy up to 50 percent of your healthy intestinal bacteria, as these bacteria help maintain your body's overall balance of friendly versus unfriendly micro-organisms, and support your general health.

Plain and simple, stay away from this stuff!