Diet Soda Drinkers Suffer Kidney Damage

[Ed Anger]

My stool is long and hard.

[Maximus]

I don't know who this is news to. Aspartame, at least, has been linked to all kinds of bad long-term effects for a long time.

[DisturbedPervert]

This is why I stick to vodka

[dps]

I don't know who this is news to. Aspartame, at least, has been linked to all kinds of bad long-term effects for a long time.

Yeah, I thought this was pretty much common knowledge.

[Capetan Mihali]

Asparlame. 

[Capetan Mihali]

I'm trying to stick to my red vermouth these days.  A liter for Italian for 6 bucks?  I'll take it!

[DGuller]

Big deal.  They have dialysis machines these days.

[Martinus]

Wait, that bitch drank 3x Red Bull or Mountain Dew per day? It's not the sweetener that killed her kidneys.

[Martinus]

I don't know who this is news to. Aspartame, at least, has been linked to all kinds of bad long-term effects for a long time.

Yeah, I thought this was pretty much common knowledge.

Anything can be harmful in excess quantities, but isn't a lot of the anti-aspartame craze a bit on the cooky side?

[The Larch]

Wait, that bitch drank 3x Red Bull or Mountain Dew per day? It's not the sweetener that killed her kidneys.

If 3 per day puts her into so much trouble, I weep for Caron Butler's kidneys.

I lost 11 pounds this summer by giving up Mountain Dew. That's right Mountain Dew. A lot of people don't know I'm a Mountain Dew addict so I guess this is my confession.

To try and give this up was crazy for me! I was going through withdrawals. I was in the bed sweating. My wife would turn over in the bed and ask "Are you OK?" Honestly, those first two weeks without The Dew [were] the roughest two weeks of my life. I'm talking headaches, sweats and everything. Before that I drank at least six 12-ounce Mountain Dews a day.

It was so bad at one point that I had to have a cold one right there at the night stand before I went to bed. I had to get the coasters and let it drip a lil' bit and just have it waiting on me. Come 2 a.m., I'd wake up out of my sleep, I'd pop one open and hear the fizz sound ... and just down it! Then I always had to have another one in the morning when I woke up. Before practice I had one too and before games I would knock back two.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/More-on-Caron-Butler-s-extreme-Mountain-Dew-addi?urn=nba,198240

[Caliga]

Anything can be harmful in excess quantities, but isn't a lot of the anti-aspartame craze a bit on the cooky side?

Yes.

[Fate]

Anything can be harmful in excess quantities, but isn't a lot of the anti-aspartame craze a bit on the cooky side?

Yes.

The anti-aspartame cooks have the same kind of scientific backing as the anti-vaccination crowd (none).

Notice that their article had zero biochemical justification. We're left to infer a direct correlation when the reason behind it could just as well be that people who drink diet coke versus regular coke are more likely to be diabetic (shocker) thus have a higher chance of having shot kidneys.

[PDH]

Aspartame has been tested hundreds of times, and as far as I recall (without resorting to Wiki for detailed analysis) only the very gullible have ever died as a result of ingesting it.

[BuddhaRhubarb]

Too much Taurine (an ingredient in Red Bull and many other drinks) can cause kidney damage. It screws with your kidney's ability to notice the potassium in your system, making it seem like you aren't getting enough potassium, and making your kidneys work too hard, causing pain, and problems with function. At least that's what happened with me when my high blood pressure was diagnosed. One of the first things they asked about, noting the kidney damage (small) that i had was die I drink a lot of red bull.

I drink none, though I used to drink genki drinks in Japan, which are the same thing, and likely contributed.

[BuddhaRhubarb]

Also if any of these people use Citran or anything with ephedrine in it, that also messes up your kidneys if you go beyond the daily recommends. which most people do with sodas.