Rumsfeld & Aspartame

Apparently aspartame is a KNOWN carcinogen and Rumsfeld got it approved by the FDA because he used to be CEO of the company... can anyone explain this better, or provide more information about aspartame? I think we could all benefit from this.

Mon. Jun 12, 8:49am

Rumsfeld headed the company in the early 80's- nutrasweet, and used the political contacts he made in the 70's working for Ford or Nixon (with Cheney). This is what a lot of ex-pols do, they go into corporate America and trade on their inside knowledge of Washington.

The real issue is not Rumsfel, but rather aspartame and all the other supposedly safe sweetners out there. Since their introduction, obesity rates have soared, and no matter what anyone says, I cannot imagine that they are safe.

Monday, June 12, 2006, 12:03 PM

Fake sugars except Stevia and Xylitol require the same response

Yes Rumsfield headed the company and yes he used his connections. This is not new news.

With regard to any fake sugar -- except for Stevia and Xylitol, all require the same response from the body in terms of cortisol -- which holds onto fat and insulin.

With regard to weight gain, because the body's response is the same but there are fewer calories people who eat and or drink things with fake sugars EAT MORE -- on average at least 100 calories.

Eating just 100 calories over the required body limit -- a person will gain 10 lbs a year -- over the course of 5 years, that's 50 lbs at least!

Any item with a gylcemic value higher than 55 should be avoided.

Glycemic Index
What is the Glycemic Index?
The glycemic index is a ranking of carbohydrates based on their immediate effect on blood glucose (blood sugar) levels. It compares foods gram for gram of carbohydrate. Carbohydrates that breakdown quickly during digestion have the highest glycemic indexes. The blood glucose response is fast and high. Carbohydrates that break down slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream, have low glycemic indexes.
What is the Significance of Glycemic Index?
• Low GI means a smaller rise in blood glucose levels after meals
• Low GI diets can help people lose weight
• Low GI diets can improve the body's sensitivity to insulin
• High GI foods help re-fuel carbohydrate stores after exercise
• Low GI can improve diabetes control
• Low GI foods keep you fuller for longer
• Low GI can prolong physical endurance
What is Glycemic Load?
• Glycemic load builds on the GI to provide a measure of total glycemic response to a food or meal
• Glycemic load = GI (%) x grams of carbohydrate per serving
• One unit of GL ~ glycemic effect of 1 gram glucose
• You can sum the GL of all the foods in a meal, for the whole day or even longer
• A typical diet has ~ 100 GL units per day (range 60 - 180)
• The GI database gives both GI & GL values
How to Switch to a Low GI Diet
• Use breakfast cereals based on oats, barley and bran
• Use "grainy" breads made with whole seeds
• Reduce the amount of potatoes you eat
• Enjoy all types of fruit and vegetables (except potatoes)
• Eat plenty of salad vegetables with vinaigrette dressing

Glycemic Index Range
• Low GI = 55 or less
• Medium GI = 56 - 69
• High GI = 70 or more

Measuring the GI
To determine a food's GI rating, measured portions of the food containing 10 - 50 grams of carbohydrate are fed to 10 healthy people after an overnight fast. Finger-prick blood samples are taken at 15-30 minute intervals over the next two hours. These blood samples are used to construct a blood sugar response curve for the two hour period. The area under the curve (AUC) is calculated to reflect the total rise in blood glucose levels after eating the test food. The GI rating (%) is calculated by dividing the AUC for the test food by the AUC for the reference food (same amount of glucose) and multiplying by 100 (see Figure 1). The use of a standard food is essential for reducing the confounding influence of differences in the physical characteristics of the subjects. The average of the GI ratings from all ten subjects is published as the GI of that food.
The GI of foods has important implications for the food industry. Some foods on the Australian market already show their GI rating on the nutrition information panel.Terms such as complex carbohydrates and sugars, which commonly appear on food labels, are now recognised as having little nutritional or physiological significance. The WHO/FAO recommend that these terms be removed and replaced with the total carbohydrate content of the food and its GI value. However, the GI rating of a food must be tested physiologically and only a few centres around the world currently provide a legitimate testing service.
Glycemic Index Foods
Food category
Breads
White bread 70
Wholemeal bread 69
Pumpernickel 41
Dark rye 76
Sourdough 57
Heavy mixed grain 30-45

Legumes
Lentils 28
Soybeans 18
Baked beans (canned) 48

Breakfast cereals
Cornflakes 84
Rice Bubbles 82
Cheerios 83
Puffed Wheat 80
All Bran 42
Porridge 46

Snack foods
Mars Bar 65
Jelly beans 80
Chocolate bar 49

Fruits
Apple 38
Orange 44
Peach 42
Banana 55
Watermelon 72

Dairy foods
Milk, full fat 27
Milk, skim 32
Ice cream, full fat 61
Yogurt, low fat, fruit 33

Soft and sports drinks
Fanta 68
Gatorade 78

Monday, June 12, 2006, 12:57 PM

cheers for the info

The real issue is definitely Rumsfeld for me. Thanks for the info - I'll never be touching Nutrasweet again!

Clearly, I needed something nastier and scarier than cancer to put me off artificial sweeteners, since I've been giving in once in a while.
Rumsfeld does it for me. From this moment, I'm sure that if I just picture his evil, grinning face every time I consider eating something artificially I will lose my appetite in an instant.

This could work for all kinds of foods, actually.
Don't suppose Kissinger had a cheese puffs connection, did he?

Monday, June 12, 2006, 2:12 PM

Whoever wrote that long post-- incredible info, thanks so much!!

Monday, June 12, 2006, 2:23 PM

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