High Aspartame use and BC

I never drank sodas until high school and then started with diet drinks (father was going through cancer and mom and I were doing a lot of nervous eating and needed to cut some calories). This was in the late 70s. I drank Tab and then Diet Coke EVERY day, sometimes multiples, until last March when I quit cold turkey on the recommendation of my naturopath.  I started reading about the chemical composition of the artificial sweeteners and their effects on the body and it completely creeped me out. I had no idea! 

Also used birth control for 20+ years and have been off for ~4 years or so.

What caused my cancer? Who knows... 

I truly believe it is that and so much more...

Did Tab contain aspartame?  I thought it contained calcium or sodium cyclamate, both of which were banned years ago.  If aspartame is proven to be harmful, it may soon follow them into obscurity. Aspartame came into use as a substitute for the banned cyclamates.

I drink a lot of diet sodas.  Neither my doctor or my dentist believe that I have been harmed by them. I guess anything should be done in moderation.  Certainly I would prefer to use artificial sweeteners than end up fat as a pig and with no teeth from eating too much sugar.

I HATED diet soda, and never drank it.  I stopped drinking soda totally and haven't had one since about 2004.  I was diagnosed in 2011.

Just came across this post.   I have always told people....My only "vice" is diet soda.  I've been drinking it since I was in junior high (30 years ago) ,at least one can a day.  In addition, I've used Splenda and/or Equal for years.   I've always said to people that this  can't be good for me....it has to be doing something to my body.......and sure enough, August 2011 I was diagnosed with IDC.  Now, I don't blame the diet soda on my cancer, as I do have a strong family history, but it certainly could have contributed.  I miss the soda so much and have switched to iced tea, with one packet of sugar, but today I couldn't stand it and had a Diet Coke.  It tasted so good!   Artificial sweeteners are the one thing I've given up since my diagnosis.....I'n slowly working my way to some organic fruits and veggies.  I don't know ladies....it's a crap shoot.......I hate to say it, but that's what I think, unfortunately! 

Can't believe it but I finally gave up Diet Pepsi about a month and a half ago.  My new addiction is Crystal Light energy.  That's how I'm getting my caffeine now.  I wonder if it's any better than diet pepsi, since it has artificial sweeteners in it too.  I do use Crystal Light Pure on most days, but when I need caffeine, I use the energy.  Anyone know how much artificial sweeteners are in Crystal light versus diet soda?

I have never had aspartame or other artificial stuff

I don't drink soda..never did

I don't like sweets or sugar. I even find some fruits too sweet for me

I drink coffee, water, fresh orange juice (small amounts), red wine, homemade smoothies

I was on BIrth Control until I was 29. Then had a hysterectomy. Still have my ovaries



Breast Cancer...IMHO is a crapshoot

I will never know why I got it.

Ok - My mom is 90 years old this year - drank diet sodas for at least 45 years, that I know of, both her sisters have had breast cancer and never had diet sodas... and then there is me - ladies, I don't think you know what addicted to diet soda is - I have been working for almost a year to lower my caffiene - diet coke addition (heavy aspartame). I have gone from @ 15 cans of soda a day - to 5 cans on a good day... and Yes I had Breast cancer.. Yesterday was my 1 year anniversary for being Cancer-Free. I have come to realize - the "what-if this caused my cancer" doesn't help much in taking each step, each day.. Do your best to improve what you eat - I think that's the best we can do... Personally, I got too hung up on what caused me to get it (anti-depressants, artificial sweetners, where I lived, etc..) Be aware, but don't get caught up like I did. 

Hi there. Yes, I used aspertame all thru the 80s and 90's and most of the 00's. Thats very interesting. I had triple negative IDC in 2007 and am happy to be here. 

I haven't gone through all the posts but Splenda has one molecule of sugar replaced by one of chlorine so your body doesn't recognize it as sugar and passes it through. That chlorine is thousands of times less than that ingested by chlorinated water. Aspartame breaks down into formaldehyde but the body does this naturally with many other types of food...and at much higher concentrations than diet soda would ever create. Healthfood advocates often use this type of information as scare tactics. Sugar, natural and in any other form, and Vitamin C in large quantities, cancer cells LOVE. Obesity is another factor that is a risk for cancer. Smoking and drinking. But these things get pushed aside more in favor of the next chemical du jour to pounce upon. That is not to say that there are not environmental factors that come into play but it would be better to stray away from the health food/naturalpath people and deal with evidence based science. Diabetes is another contributor to cancer and other serious health problems and Splenda is a far better solution to eating a bowl full of berries if you NEED them sweetened, than sugar is. It is best to ween yourself from the "sweet" bug no matter what and enjoy food in its natural state because sweet, even artificial, stimulates insulin and you DON'T want that!!!

GMaFoley....right on!

Well, I'm probably the only American that actually disdains soda. Never had a taste for it, it always tasted "salty" to me and left me thirsty. Needless to say, I don't drink soda at all, regular or diet, And....I got BC.

I drink Crystal Light Pure made with Truvia, from the Stevia plant.  I love it!

Hi all! I am 55, the youngest of 4 sisters. I have been trying to compare what I eat and what my sisters eat and trying to see if there was something I ate that might have precipitated my diagnosis. The only thing that I believe is different from the things they eat and myself is related to Aspartame. I have been eating a lot of sugar free items, like yogurt, crystal light tea etc, etc and just started to think that it might be related to my BC diagnosis.

 Its crazy but I have been trying to figure this out within this past week and I came to the conclusion that since we dont have BC in the family and we eat/drink the same things (w/the exception of what I mentioned above) do the same things, go to the same places, etc etc. It has to be something that I have in my diet that has contributed to it and for my peace of mind even if that is not it, I am throwing away everything that contains ASPARTAME.

I was having everything sugar free because of my mother's diabetes (she's 88). Even if I go back to having the regular sugar (in moderation) that's what I am going to do, as well as keep exercising and trying to live a "healthy lifestyle", whatever that means because at 11:00 am we are told that one thing is good for us and 10 minutes later we are told that "its the worst thing we can eat".  Just my 2 cents!

Come t think of it, she drank Crystal Light all the time too.