I stopped using them 2 years ago when I got pregnant. A few weeks ago I picked up some Coke Zero. OMG, I got the worst migraines everytime I drank some!! No more for me either. I've just cut my sugar intake wayy down. I saw on TV that you should slowly decrease the amount of sugar in your foods and you won't even miss it.

I have never had a problem with sucralose, but aspartame makes me feel so ill. It's awful. I have tried to cut down on all my sugar intake in general.

I'm glad to see so many of you giving up the artificial sweeteners! I tried aspartame in college right after it came out, but then had a professor who had worked on the 'Nutrasweet project' and tried to stop it from being approved. Seems that it has a very short shelf life, especially when heated (think about putting it in your coffee) and follows the same breakdown pathway in the body that wood alcohol does (which we all remember is poison), finally turning into formaldehyde. Yuck! As far as the new sucralose, chemically speaking, after they are done substituting new atoms on the sugar molecule it starts as, it more resembles a pesticide than sugar. We don't use any artificial sweeteners anymore-too many health risks, including carb cravings, headaches, stomach upset, and who knows what long-term use will do. I have heard of a recent study that states autopsies on long-term users of aspartame have elevated levels of formaldehyde in their brains at death, though no deaths have actually been attributed to the stuff.

Keep up the good work, everyone!

very interesting post Ronni. That is both scary and disgusting! I am so glad someone told me WHY artificial sweetners are bad. I've got alot of years to undo!!!

Yikes, thanks for all the scientific backing! It gives me more incentive to keep doing what I'm doing. I'm definitely noticing a difference in my cravings...I don't crave sweets as much now but when I do eat sweets I actually feel satisfied after just one or two.

I drink a ton of stuff with artificial sweeteners in it. I've always been someone who is always thirsty, I am like constantly drinking something and do drink a good amount of water, but sometimes I just don't want just water, so I reach for the soda, iced tea, juice. Because I drink so much a few years ago I made the switch to diet drinks (I drink a ton of diet coke, diet iced tea, crystal light), and haven't noticed any side effects as far as cravings, illnesses, but I do worry about all the alleged future side effects.

Hey! Just thought I'd put in my 2 cents.

I started using artificial sweetners about 11 years ago just after my first child was born and I was trying to lose the baby weight. I started using Nutrasweet. I lost the weight and that was good. Then, after baby number 2 I tried once again to lose the weight but started using Splenda. I loved the stuff. I really mean LOVED the stuff. I lost the weight again. Several years after that I used sweetners off and on to control the weight. But, soon I noticed that my knees started hurting really bad. Walking up the steps hurt. I really thought I was going to have to see a doctor when for some reason I stopped using the sweetners and noticed that the pain went away. That was the only thing that I could think of that was different in my diet. After about 6 months I wanted to lose a few pounds again and decided to give Splenda another try. Maybe, it was just a coincidence? So, once again I started using it in my tea, cereal, coffee, etc. Two weeks later the pain was back again. It took at least two more weeks after stopping using Splenda for the pain to go away again!

Now, I stay away from all the stuff. I just use sugar in my coffee in the morning and that's my one indulgence for the day. And guess what? I can still lose the weight. Granted it's a little slower now but some of it could be b/c I'm a little older.

My knees feel great. No more pain. It's been a least two years since the last time I've used Splenda.

Wow and I thought Splenda was safe ... I've stopped with the aspartame a few years ago when I noticed that mega doses of it would give me headaches. But Splenda I've been using regularly, some days even up to 10 packets (~10grams). I've had trouble concentrating for a while, now this makes me think maybe the splenda could be to blame. I'm going to try to cut it out for a few weeks and see.

Yes aspartame digestion produces minute quantities of methanol and formaldeyde - so do bananas and many foods. This is like saying that plants produce poisonous gas (carbon dioxide). It's technically true, but very misleading.

I was talking to a medical student who said that the truth is we don't know what artificial sweeteners do in the long term. In effect, using them is a gamble. I don't like gambles with something like cancer. However, the main reason I want to quit them altogether though (currently cutting down) is I think they condition your tastebuds into wanting things artificially sweet, hence you use more, and get into a vicious circle. This medical is all for 'retraining' your tastebuds to appreciate the taste of say, tea, rather than just the sweetness (I mean tea the drink not the meal). I think this would be best. But sweetened coffee is my crutch right now (during final exam period). When I get my degree (touch wood ) I'm going to try and stop them altogether.