
Ask HN: Can Aspartame cause diabetes - smithmayowa
Do drinks that utilize aspartame as their sweetener instead of sugar also cause diabetes, or do they have bad side effects.<p>I stopped taking sugary drinks months ago but recently was introduced to drinks with aspartame as a good substitute to sugary drink and I will like to know if they really are a healthy substitute for sugary drinks.
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damla
It is considered as a safe supplement. However, I have an awkward experience
with artificially sweetened gum during my oral glucose tolerance test. I had
pregnancy diabetes during maternity and my father had Type-II diabetes, so I
did this as a check-up following child-birth. Before this test I fasted
overnight, than went to the lab and drank a very sugary liquid. My blood sugar
measured for at the beginning and hourly for 3 hours. I wasn't allowed to eat
anything, or drink too much water. After the third measurement, I got very
thirsty, also was feeling nauseated and asked if I am allowed to chew a gum to
help moisten my mouth, and they said no problem. Gum not only helped moistened
my mouth also helped me feel much better. I taught that was help of menthol.
Than I got my results and there was a rapid increase in my blood sugar at the
fourth measurement. Lab did not worry about the results because all my
measurements was in acceptable limits. But how that measurement had risen
became a mystery for me. I'm not sure which sweeteners that gum included, but
it was a well-known gum brand with a clear non-sugar label.

In any means, I myself try to stay away from sugary drinks, and any kind of
sweeteners as much as possible. If it's a special occasion, or a meal that I
really like with a certain sugary drink as a side, I drink. But I don't
replace with an artificially sweetened version. You will get used to live
without them, and will not crave after a while.

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cimmanom
I’ve read about research that suggests that tasting sweet things causes your
body to release insulin in anticipation of a boost in blood glucose.

With artificial sweeteners, that glucose boost never occurs, but the insulin
is in your bloodstream anyway. That helps contribute to insulin resistance -
which is a key feature of type II diabetes.

I don’t know if there have been studies explicitly making this link, but it’s
certainly plausible.

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mangoleaf
Anecdotal evidence from my personal experience. I am diabetic. After watching
my body's response to aspartame, I dropped eating or drinking anything with it
in it. It also caused a brain fuzziness where I had trouble recalling words
and memories. This affect was also reported by a friend who was drinking lots
of aspartame. Try to focus on non-sweetened or naturally sweetened. If you go
for artificial, spread your consumption around to the various types to keep
the negative effects minimized.[1]

[1] [http://vqrn.com/Sugar-Free-Foods.html](http://vqrn.com/Sugar-Free-
Foods.html)

