Health and Supplements

[thaller1]

Sucralose is not "all-natural." Not by far. It's chemically engineered in a lab by chlorinating sugar. IIRC, it is metabolized into formaldehyde. Gives me NASTY migraines (and it's not psycho-somatic...I discovered this data after I couldn't figure out why Fruit2O was giving me migraines--stopped ingesting sucralose and they went away).

This isn't the best source for info, but here it is, nonetheless:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucralose

I'm prone to migraines and my first question was about the sucralose and the amount is so little that is has no affect on me..however, I have suggested that just put out an "unsweetened" version... I don't mind mixing it with my juice.

Anyway, the benefits of the product for me far outweigh the issue.

T

 

[severine]

I wish more companies would skip that little bit of sweetener. Heck, it's on most cold medicines that you swallow whole, so I don't see the sense in it.

 

[thaller1]

I wish more companies would skip that little bit of sweetener. Heck, it's on most cold medicines that you swallow whole, so I don't see the sense in it.

I agree, they do have a tablet form which has no sweeteners..my Mom is taking that and likes it... I think that will be the wave of the future..

I'm pushing for it, but for now, I take so little I'm not worried..and I'm taking a couple of other supplements by Univera I like..... metagreens and sleep enabler...awesome.

T

 

[Moe Ghoul]

B-complex, C, D- had a D defiency, B + C for overall
CoQ10- counter some Lipitor side effects, heart
Chromium Picolinate- metabolism
Gingko, Ginseng, Flax seed & Fish oils-circulation/brain
glucosamine/chondroitin- joints

Drink 48oz of homemade decaf green tea with fresh mint and honey every day. Take an 81mg aspirin as well.

 

[ERJ-145CA]

Sucralose is not "all-natural." Not by far. It's chemically engineered in a lab by chlorinating sugar. IIRC, it is metabolized into formaldehyde. Gives me NASTY migraines (and it's not psycho-somatic...I discovered this data after I couldn't figure out why Fruit2O was giving me migraines--stopped ingesting sucralose and they went away).

This isn't the best source for info, but here it is, nonetheless:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucralose

No sucralose is not all natural but it does not metabolize into formaldehyde, that is aspartame (Equal or Nutrasweet). Even the wikipedia entry that you linked to shows it to be largely safe.

Here is the entry on Aspartame (which I completely avoid):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame

If you go to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (a public food safety advocacy group) it considers sucralose the only safe artificial sweetener. Interestingly enough Stevia or rebiana, a natural non-caloric sweetener may not be safe, again natural does not mean safe. Scroll around the link below and read the entries on Sucralose, Aspartame and rebiana.
http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm#hfcs

I'm not saying your migranes were not caused by sucralose but I am saying that it is Aspartame that metabolizes into formaldehyde, and that natural does not always mean that it's harmless.

 

[severine]

I already agreed that natural does not equal harmless. But created foods/sweeteners/etc. should be used with caution. Consider your sources. As I stated, wiki was not the best source to substantiate my statement but I was in a hurry and had 2 kids to chase around. There are many sources out there about sucralose not being "safe". They vary from alarmist to not, but it is documented.

http://www.splendaexposed.com/articles/2005/11/the_hidden_chem.html

The FDA states in their Final Report on Splenda that sucralose is “produced at an approximate purity of ninety-eight percent.” The other two percent does not have to be reported to the FDA, nor listed as added ingredients. So what’s in the other two percent? The chemicals used to synthesize sucralose in the five-step process:

1. Acetone
2. Acetic acid
3. Acetyl alcohol
4. Acetic anhydride
5. Ammonium chloride
6. Benzene
7. Chlorinated sulfates
8. Ethyl alcohol
9. Isobutyl ketones
10. Formaldehyde
11. Hydrogen chloride
12. Lithium chloride
13. Methanol
14. Sodium methoxide
15. Sulfuryl chloride
16. Trityl chloride
17. Toluene
18. Thionyl chloride

Although manufacturing guidelines specify limits on these veiled substances, there are no assurances these limits have been met since they do not have to be reported. In addition, the FDA does not presently require an Environmental Impact Statement for sucralose, so it’s open season for the rules, at present.

http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/

http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/research-adverse.html

http://www.naturalchoicechiro.com/r...-of-splenda-sucralose-an-artificial-sweetener

The thing is, there have been no long-term studies on humans. There weren't on aspartame either before it was approved. There have been other examples of chemicals that have passed FDA only to be determined to be harmful after the fact. I'd rather not risk it even if some feel it is a small risk.

I am not perfect, I do not have a perfect diet, but I do avoid artificial sweeteners. I would be interested in seeing the data on stevia, though. Other than scare tactics that were used before it was approved as a sweetener (when it could only be sold as a dietary supplement in the US, though it was approved in Europe & Japan as a sweetener long before), I haven't read anything credible. I don't use stevia either. If I want to have sweet, I either use less sugar (preferably raw sugar), fruit juices or purees, honey, or agave nectar.

 

[ERJ-145CA]

I already agreed that natural does not equal harmless. But created foods/sweeteners/etc. should be used with caution. Consider your sources. As I stated, wiki was not the best source to substantiate my statement but I was in a hurry and had 2 kids to chase around. There are many sources out there about sucralose not being "safe". They vary from alarmist to not, but it is documented.

http://www.splendaexposed.com/articles/2005/11/the_hidden_chem.html



http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/

http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/research-adverse.html

http://www.naturalchoicechiro.com/r...-of-splenda-sucralose-an-artificial-sweetener

The thing is, there have been no long-term studies on humans. There weren't on aspartame either before it was approved. There have been other examples of chemicals that have passed FDA only to be determined to be harmful after the fact. I'd rather not risk it even if some feel it is a small risk.

I am not perfect, I do not have a perfect diet, but I do avoid artificial sweeteners. I would be interested in seeing the data on stevia, though. Other than scare tactics that were used before it was approved as a sweetener (when it could only be sold as a dietary supplement in the US, though it was approved in Europe & Japan as a sweetener long before), I haven't read anything credible. I don't use stevia either. If I want to have sweet, I either use less sugar (preferably raw sugar), fruit juices or purees, honey, or agave nectar.

The reason I used wikipedia is because you did. The reason I used The Center for Science in the Public Interest is because they are an unbiased food safety organization. They don't accept money from any commercial interests. For example before Stevia (rebiana) was approved they said to avoid it because there was evidence that it may be harmful, and now they say that it may be safe but more study is needed. A quote from the end of the article: "If consumers find the taste acceptable and future tests do not find major risks, rebiana may well be the elusive natural non-caloric sweetener that industry has sought for decades."

The sources that you linked to all have an obvious bias against any non-natural sweetener. One can find a site on the internet to support ones own point of view, for example here is a link to a site showing possible dangers of stevia:

http://safety.lovetoknow.com/Dangers_of_Stevia

or

http://ezinearticles.com/?Dangers-Associated-With-Stevia&id=1467205

and

http://ezinearticles.com/?Sucralose---Risky-Sweetener?&id=2191451

I understand that you don't use stevia but I was just giving an example of something blindly endorsed by sites and people who are into natural foods. In fact the last two links have articles that the dangers of Stevia are probably overhyped and that there really isn't any evidence that sucralose is very harmful either.

A quote from the third link above: * Much of negative claims against sucralose revolve around the issue of chlorine. While it is not evident that the elemental chlorine is released from sucralose, consider that chlorine is part salt's chemical structure (NaCl) and is in thousands of other foods that contain some form of chlorine.

* No scientific data links sucralose to negative effects -- just observations. Two case studies have been published regarding the relationship of migraines and sucralose:

(1) Bigal ME, Krymchantowski AV. Migraine triggered by sucralose--a case report. Headache. 2006 Mar; 46(3):515-7
(2) Patel RM, Sarma R, Grimsley E. Popular sweetener sucralose as a migraine trigger. Headache. 2006 Sep; 46(8):1303-4

Flawed -- ALL patients in these studies had a variety of other possible migraine triggers. The writers were not researchers rather physicians writing about their observations in patients they were treating for migraines. No cause and effect was established with a single subject and only two were found who reported that sucralose might have been a trigger.

I'm not looking for a flame war, I was just trying to state some facts that I believe about sucralose, which I have been using for a few years without any acute effects on me. I don't know about long term effects, if any, but I do know that after a few years of use I still feel just as good if not better than I felt before I switched from sugar to Splenda.

 

[Nick]

I'm on blood pressure medication since earlier this year At one point I was up to 160 / 120. Now it's down to about 120 / 80. Its a low dose. I do a lot of exercise too, I think it's just a genetic thing.

Other than that, I try to take a multivitamin but don't always get to it. Nothing else, really. I'm not really a big believer in pills / supplements for the most part outside of getting what you need from your diet. Then again, sometimes my diet is, shall we say, "lacking" a bit :lol:

 

[ctenidae]

When I feel my blood pressure going up, I take bourbon.
When I feel my cholesterol levels dropping, I take bacon.
When my hop levels are out of whack, I have a beer.

 

[deadheadskier]

Probably is genetic Nick, if they still have you on BP medicine.

I was put on it a few years ago and didn't care for it. Made me tired. Decided to go the exercise route instead and lost 20#. Brought it down to 110 over 70 last I checked.

 

[gmcunni]

I'm on blood pressure medication since earlier this year

does your doc know you are now running this place? that can't be good for your BP :wink:

 

[Nick]

Among other things :roll:

 

[Warp Daddy]

Better living thru chemistry !! Having trained beaucoup pharmacists and with 3 in my immediate family and being 68 and a heart attack survivor i am into minimalist approach for prescription drugs ( take one for heart and one for BP but am NOT an advocate of self medication as an alternative to the real deal ,

I do take a few well documented supplements that have stood the test of time and address some chronic issues that result from aging and overuse ( exercise related ) issues.

These include saw palmetto , lycopene , pygeum africanum , Vit E & B6,, zinc , selenium and copper pumpkin seed and nettle ,ALL wrapped up in one neat little pill taken once daily . Daily childrens aspirin and Potassium .


Works great, lost 40 lbs , exercise in the gym 3/4 days week plus walking daily, golf , skiing etc.

BP runs. 100-110/55-65 with a pulse rate in the mid 40's . My resting pulse rate goes as low as 41 - due to conditioning AND having had a triple bypass 2 yrs ago

 

[powbmps]

1 1/2 years ago I found out my triglycerides were higher than they should be. Don't really eat that poorly, so not much I could do with my diet. Started taking D3 and fish oil. Blood test a year later showed significant reduction, so I'm sticking with it.

Also, I managed to avoid any serious colds this past winter. That's a first. I believe the D3 is supposed to help boost your immune system, so maybe that's the case.

 

[Geoff]

These include saw palmetto , lycopene , pygeum africanum , Vit E & B6,, zinc , selenium and copper pumpkin seed and nettle ,ALL wrapped up in one neat little pill taken once daily . Daily childrens aspirin and Potassium .

What is this one neat little pill?

I pop an 81 mg asprin every day but anybody much over 40 should be doing that. I do a multivitamin though it's probably unnecessary.

 

[Nick]

Awesome Warp.

Despite the crappy blood pressure I do hav ea good resting heart rate - I think it's around 45. My wife has a real high one for some reason (could it be me??!!) - I think around 70 or something. :lol: of course her blood pressure is almost nonexistant.