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Aspertain??? #123545
07/24/06 08:01 AM
07/24/06 08:01 AM

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I bought some yogart to give as licky treats for my 2 new gliders and I accidently got the lowfat with aspertain. Will this hurt them? Or should I be safe and just disguard?
Thanks,
Letreze

Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123546
07/24/06 08:05 AM
07/24/06 08:05 AM

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I know that aspertain can kill dogs, but not sure about how gliders react. It has also been found to cause cancer in mice. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nixweiss.gif" alt="" />

I'd say play it safe - don't give them any until someone who's 100% sure can tell you yes or no, and if no one can, just buy some different yoghurt!

EDIT: Forgot to mention, the ingredients in aspertain are aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. When ingested, heated or after prolonged storage, this breaks down into formaldehyde and diketopiperazine. Both of these adversely affect the nervous system.

Last edited by Cerian_Jenkins; 07/24/06 08:12 AM.
Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123547
07/24/06 08:11 AM
07/24/06 08:11 AM

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I think once is ok, just dont do it again to be safe.

Recent studies say those rats are sick to begin with and aspertame didnt cause them to die or have cancer. May or may not be true. But play it safe.

And oh, I made same mistake before too!

Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123548
07/24/06 08:15 AM
07/24/06 08:15 AM

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That's true, but most scientists think there are nasty side effects from this. But I can't really make a judgement, as I have no idea how it would affect a suggie. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohwell.gif" alt="" />

I would just reccommend erring on the side of caution.

Motto? It's better to prevent than to cure!

Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123549
07/24/06 09:15 AM
07/24/06 09:15 AM

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Do not feed a glider Aspertain! I will not even eat it as both myself and my mother suffer from sever effects and it also has been know to kill gliders! Great that you are making sure though!

Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123550
07/24/06 09:36 AM
07/24/06 09:36 AM

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I also do not use aspartame or sacharin.... both have way too many questionable side effects for even me to use.
It's always been reccommended not to use aspartame in yogurt for the reasons above and never to use the no-fat kind, as well.
Fat-Free yogurts have had the fats removed, and once you start removing the fat you are messing with the live cultures that the yogurt is suggested to be fed for in the first place.

All yogurts are Low Fat, but I find it harder and harder to find just regular low fat yogurt, ....grrrrr, to those yogurt makers!

Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123551
07/24/06 11:11 AM
07/24/06 11:11 AM

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I am a science nerd so I have had lots of discussions with profs and other science teachers about the aspertame. The aspertame DID cause cancer in rats, but it was when they were given aspertame at EXTREMELY high doses...doses that comparatively speaking would be very difficult for a human to consume that dosage (thus them reaching the conclusion that aspertame is safe for human consumption). Something to keep in mind with those studies is that at high enough concentrations, almost anything can kill you or give you cancer..it's all a matter of concentration and toxicity.

Anywho, that being said, I can see why some people are still uncomfortable with it, and since gliders are quite small and sensitive, probably a good idea not to feed it to them again ;-)

Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123552
07/24/06 11:43 AM
07/24/06 11:43 AM

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There was also a study done with aspartame and how it binds to the internal organs, mainly the liver of the lab rats. It is concluded that aspartame consumption *may* constitute a hazard because of its contribution to the formation of formaldehyde adducts.
Now, when you think of the liver of a sugar glider being smaller than that of a rats, it's just not something I want my gliders to ingest. Study or no study, I don't eat it, so my gliders won't eat it either.

Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123553
07/24/06 12:42 PM
07/24/06 12:42 PM

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I tend to say no to anything I won't eat and being that aspartame is one of the things that makes me very sick when ingested- forget teh babies getting it!

Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123554
07/25/06 11:49 PM
07/25/06 11:49 PM

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I did a study on this in med school and was shocked to the core. The corruption, scandle, and illness surrounding the issue is truly mind boggling. But, it is true it can and has cause cancer and numerous other ailments up to and including death in otherwise healthy individuals.

When you take in aspartame, it breaks down into its 3 primary components phenylalanine, aspartic acid, and methyl ester.

Phenylalanine and aspartic acid are amino acids and both are excitotoxins. Excitotoxins excite nerve cells so much; they are literally excited to death. Both are also known to cause cancer. Phenylalanine also decomposes into diketopiperazine when stored for long periods or exposed to warm temperatures (like cooking with it or leaving it in your car or storing soda in your garage or putting it in your coffee or being inside your stomach or a million other reasons) diketopiperazine is a substance also known to cause cancer in humans and animals.

But the worst of the bunch is methyl ester. Methyl ester is, well, another word for methyl alcohol, otherwise known as methanol. They call it methyl ester because almost everyone knows methanol is toxic, so they change the name so people don’t put the two together. Methyl ester literally means methanol. Methanol is a very, very toxic form of alcohol. Why? It’s so toxic because your body can’t get rid of it, so it just accumulates and when your body tries to get rid of it, it processes it into formaldehyde literally embalming you alive. See, the reasons are simple. Your body was meant to be able to process hydrocarbons with two and three carbon atoms. Methyl alcohol has only one carbon atom. Because of this, your body can’t eliminate it or make it non-toxic like it does ethyl alcohol, aka ethanol, or booze. In fact the way you treat methanol poisoning is to make the body keep busy processing ethyl alcohol while you remove the methanol through dialysis. You literally make the patient so drunk with ethanol that their body is so busy dealing the ethanol, the methanol isn’t converted into formaldehyde.

There is a woman sentenced to life in prison for murdering her husband with methanol poisoning right now. Many people believe his death was not murder, but rather cause by mixing dietary supplements with an aspartame containing beverage. Such a mixture may have easily broken down the aspartame much more efficiently than our body can which may have lead to his death by means of methyl ester poisoning.

There are many little known facts surrounding aspartame and its FDA approval, most of which center around the fact that it was well known by the FDA that the test results provided by the FDA were falsified. The studies included insane amounts of false claims, incorrect procedure, and missing protocols. And their test subjects, their mice did die, almost all of them died. Course, not to mention the fact that nearly all of the key FDA members responsible for its approval now given ridiculously high paying jobs at the company requesting approval, JD Searle after aspartame was approved. There was one instance in fact where the head of the FDA decided to over-rule this approval because the product is so dangerous. The president at the time, Ronald Regan, made a presidential order which took away all powers of the head of the FDA until after aspartame was approved. Of course, after aspartame was approved, he was replaced. Originally, Canada refused to approve it as a food additive. Then, one man in Britain, the head of their version of the FDA, approved it without review or research after which he was also employed as a consultant with JD Searle. After than happened, it was rubber stamped around the world. Canada decided that since America, and Britain approved it, it must be safe, as did every other country around the world. No other real, truthful studies were ever performed, anywhere.

Aspartame has been connected with so many deaths, so many cancers and ailments, and aspartame finds its way into so many foods, the real impact is unknowable. Most experts believe millions upon millions are sick or have died from it. But the truth of the matter is, even most physicians are not even aware of how dangerous it can be. It is believed to be so benign and innocuous, it is often overlooked in almost every case. How would you feel if you were diagnosed with multiple sclerosis? How betrayed would you feel if your “MS” went away when you removed aspartame from your diet? That, friends, absolutely HAS happened!

Back to the real question, your gliders. It probably won’t hurt them if they have it once and you didn't give them a whole bunch. But, in some animals, even some people can’t process phenylalanine. In humans, we call that condition PKU. In such humans and animals, aspartame is deadly, so deadly in fact humans are screened for it at birth. If you gave it to them some time ago, a day or two, and they seem fine, they probably are. However, you should not consider aspartame containing products safe for them or for you. Products sweetened with Splenda are just as low in calories, taste better, and are far, far safer (they can give some the poops though LOL).

Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123555
07/26/06 04:10 AM
07/26/06 04:10 AM

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I AGREE WITH SOWEN!!! I am in the medical field and have gone though medical school. aspertame is not goot for any one! human, dog cat, fish or even marsupial! it can cause cancer, weight gain, migranes just to name a few! i would not feed it to myself little lone my suggies

Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123556
07/26/06 05:13 AM
07/26/06 05:13 AM

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Sowen, thank you for a really great, informative post!

That was really fascinating! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yelclap.gif" alt="" />

Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123557
07/26/06 08:22 AM
07/26/06 08:22 AM

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WOW, GREAT POST Sowen! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumb.gif" alt="" />

Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123558
07/26/06 08:27 AM
07/26/06 08:27 AM
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,659
Wallis Texas
Charlie H Offline
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I would not in any way suggest using artificial sweeteners in a gliders diet. But everyone seems to be jumping on the band wagon to condemn the FDA. Apparently they are not the only group you should be questioning. Look at what the scientists in Europe are saying:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/05/aspartame_eu.html

These are the findings of professionals not just the opinions of laymen. Something to think about. It is easy to get caught up in rumors and personal opinions.
Charlie H


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Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123559
07/26/06 08:31 AM
07/26/06 08:31 AM

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Hmm, interesting. It also says at the bottom of the article CharlieH posted "Aspartame has also found to be a safe artificial sweetner by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration."

Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ozzi] #123560
07/26/06 08:57 AM
07/26/06 08:57 AM

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Funny how the formaldehyde was not mentioned in that article. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nixweiss.gif" alt="" />

Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ozzi] #123561
07/26/06 09:01 AM
07/26/06 09:01 AM

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Thanks for that (albeit scary) informative post... I knew a lot of it but didn't have the research info and words to put it into.. scary stuff!

Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123562
07/26/06 09:10 AM
07/26/06 09:10 AM

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I also wanted to post the page here of a study done at Cesare Maltoni Cancer Research Center, European Ramazzini Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences, that contradicts what the FDA states as safe in your article, Charlie. This was an experiment done in lab rats and focused on the aspartame being a carcinogenic.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query...l=pubmed_docsum

</font><blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr />
The results of this mega-experiment indicate that APM is a multipotential carcinogenic agent, even at a daily dose of 20 mg/kg body weight, much less than the current acceptable daily intake. On the basis of these results, a reevaluation of the present guidelines on the use and consumption of APM is urgent and cannot be delayed.


<hr /></blockquote><font class="post">

I suppose you can find studies and articles to support any of your beliefs on the web............

Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123563
07/26/06 02:35 PM
07/26/06 02:35 PM

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Personal experience here. I get severe headaches with aspartame. (I also have reactions to chemical/non natural household cleansers.)

I didn't realize the soda I bought a couple weeks ago was a "diet" as it was a first time tryout to see if I wanted to buy more when they went on sale the following week. I was in a hurry so I grabbed it from the store cooler and headed out. I drank not even 1/4c of the soda before I got distracted and busy. Not ten minutes later I developed a headache. Thirty minutes after that, it was so bad I was nauseas from the level of the headache pain. I couldn't figure out where the headache had come from. Well, not until the husband came home and picked up the bottle that I (in my atypical ADD state) had left on the tabl in the entryway. He made a comment on "eww, didn't know they made diet" and that's when I realized what happened. Now, that was LESS than 1/4c of the soda. Imagine what could have happened if I had the whole thing. If this artificial chemical does that to me, in my rather large (5'8 210lb) body, what could be the implications of giving it to my monkies?

Pass. I'll stick with the real and natural things for them.. and myself.

Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123564
07/26/06 05:03 PM
07/26/06 05:03 PM
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,659
Wallis Texas
Charlie H Offline
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I do not agree with the FDA and their findings but thought it worth mentioning. These are the same people who allow wholesale saturation of our food stuffs with soy bean isolates. It is a shame when money and politics are allowed to dictate to us what is safe to eat.
Charlie H


Rescue & Rehabilation
http://www.angelfire.com/tx/glidertree/
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Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123565
07/26/06 07:31 PM
07/26/06 07:31 PM
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 9,910
Phoenix, AZ
KattyM Offline
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Posts: 9,910
Phoenix, AZ
The Mayo Clinic site has this table on sugar substitutes: Sugar substitutes: Sweet taste without all the calories. I'm not sure if this particular article was compiled 9/13/2004, but they do state, "According to the National Cancer Institute, there's no scientific evidence that any of the artificial sweeteners approved for use in the United States cause cancer." They do also note that aspartame should not be consumed by people with PKU.

I still wouldn't offer it to my sugar babies. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/heartpump.gif" alt="" />

Thank you, sowen, for your post! Glad to know Splenda is better; it's what I use for myself, and I'm seeing more products using it.

This is all very interesting...


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Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123566
07/27/06 07:37 AM
07/27/06 07:37 AM

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Splenda=diuretic.. please keep this in mind when eating it- in MOST people the sugar alcohols that are used in splenda and many low carb treats publicly available act as a diuretic. By most I mean 90% of the population. Depending on the person the amount needed to NOTICE this besides in loose stools varies. But I can point to examples where people came back to me and said eating the entire candy bar gave me the runs while eating one or 2 pieces was fine.. or similar... so please keep that in mind when using such things...

Amie

Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123567
07/28/06 12:04 AM
07/28/06 12:04 AM

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Sowen, thanks for the aspertame info. After reading all of that it makes me re-think my use of aspertame (for myself, I don't give it to my gliders). It is sad what a large role politics can play in FDA regulations :-(

I wanted to add that the reason that Splenda and other sugar or fat substitutes (I think there was a fat substitute called Oleo or olestra or something similar)? cause "the runs" is because they are intentionally made chemically so the body cannot digest them. This is how they can be marketed as zero calorie products...the body can't digest them, hence zero calories for us, and since we can't digest them they go "straight through"...hence the interesting warnings you get on some bags of potato chips with the "oleo" stuff (sorry, sp) on them...just in case you wanted to know an interesting poop fact :-)

Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123568
08/17/06 08:39 PM
08/17/06 08:39 PM

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This is the first I have checked back in on this thread since my post. With the summer traveling we all love to do with our kids out of school, an unfortunate death in the family, and with loads of work, I've been too busy to do much else.

I very my appreciate all of the positive remarks regarding my post. Posts like that do take a long time to write, edit, finalize, and such. I think I spent a couple hours on it. For those of us who are not "writers", it's not so easy and takes some time to get our thoughts on paper so-to-speak.

But yes, in summation, if it's too good to be true, it usually is. And in the case of having your sweet without the calories is WAY WAY WAY too good to be true.

If we look back to the time before science started screwing with our food, even just back to the early 20th century, you will notice how vastly different the people were back then. They were smaller than we are today. Not just in weight, we do have a lot of overweight people today but that's not what I am talking about, their actual bone structure was much smaller. If you have ever seen women's gloves from the twenties, you would know what I mean. A modern day 10 year old could not wear them. They were extremely narrow with shorter and very slender fingers. In comparison with women's gloves today, the difference is stunning.

Most of the changes that have happened to the human race, especially in the west, are attributable to better nutrition during pregnancy and the first 20 years of life. That lead to bigger bones, a better, healthier, larger muscular structure, etc. etc. etc. We have come a long way in understanding what our bodies need. One only needs to look at a box of cereal and read about the enrichers and vitamin additives that have been added to the cereal to realize that. But, like always, there is no free lunch so-to-speak. Along with that came pharmacologically and hormonally enhanced meats, genetically engineered fruits and vegetables, toxic preservatives and sweeteners, and the list goes on and on. All of these were in the name of greed. To line the pockets of farmers and the food industry by providing larger heavier fatter live stock, bigger and more plentiful produce, and sweeteners and food enhancers that require pay-offs and cloak and dagger games to legally sell. Just like the rest of the USA Inc, the FDA has been just as corrupt. Always eat organic, free-range, if possible and always, always avoid artificial sweeteners and preservatives.

Just because it's everywhere, and everybody uses it, that does not mean it's safe. It just means we think what they want us to and the corruption won out.

Overall, we are much better off today, thus the vast improvement in average life spans. However, due to things like aspartame, MSG, and preservatives, almost all cancers (especially brain cancer) are much more prevalent today by a huge huge margin. Even in the past thirty years, cancer rates have sky-rocketed. An amount grossly excessive to what could be attributed solely to better diagnostic methods.

The most important thing any of us, living in a modern society, will ever learn is this.......

Knowledge makes well, greed makes ill.

It is unfortunate that the foods that are really good for us are generally more expensive. Just take eggs for example. Free-range eggs from chickens who have not been exposed to drugs and hormones can be 3x more expensive. But that just goes to show you how much more money farmers and the food industry have made by tampering with nature (at our expense).

I urge everyone to read the label. If you can't pronounce it, you probably shouldn't eat or drink it. We work so hard today to try to stay healthy. We work out, run, go to the gym and TRY to eat right. It is so sad that we try so hard and yet poison ourselves with a diet soda after the work out. So all of you, be careful what you eat. Be careful what you feed your little fuzz-butts. Even the best of intentions can have the most dire consequences.

Re: Aspertain??? [Re: ] #123569
08/19/06 01:58 PM
08/19/06 01:58 PM

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I LOVE that last paragraph!! Sure does make since to me!!


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