VPX ZI Bar Claims: A Little Bit Out in Left Field????

[ElMariachi]

This is mentioned in a Zero Impact Bar ad in Flex magazine.

No artificial sweeteners that will cause holes in the brain and promote Alzheimer's.


Now, people who have paid attention to my posts know that I'm not a big fan of artificial sweeteners at all, but this statement is more than a bit extreme and such bold statements only do a general disservice in terms of gathering actual information on the true effects of artificial sweeteners.

I would love to see the actual scientific basis for these claims that VPX is making here.

[Free Weight Friedel]

The same ad is in the September issue of M & F!!

[sobelik]

that will should really be a MAY as to not have any legal BS

[ElMariachi]

that will should really be a MAY as to not have any legal BS

I agree.

It's really unusual to see a company make this type of bold claim without providing a reference of peer-reviewed papers/studies that they used to support such a statement. I've never found any references that can solidly back up these claims, especially when looking at human studies.

[Elliptical Envy]

Sticky!!!!!

[Runngunn29]

I agree.

It's really unusual to see a company make this type of bold claim without providing a reference of peer-reviewed papers/studies that they used to support such a statement. I've never found any references that can solidly back up these claims, especially when looking at human studies.

You mean to tell me there wasnt some unlabeled, confusing, skewed graph showing a 9000% increase in artificial sweetner users having holes in their brain????

[ElMariachi]

I found a reference to the "holes in the brain" from Mercola, based on a study done on mice.

Aspartame is the technical name for the brand names, NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure. Aspartame was discovered by accident in 1965, when James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company was testing an anti-ulcer drug. Aspartame was approved for dry goods in 1981 and for carbonated beverages in 1983. It was originally approved for dry goods on July 26, 1974, but objections filed by neuroscience researcher Dr John W. Olney and Consumer attorney James Turner in August 1974 as well as investigations of G.D. Searle's research practices caused the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to put approval of aspartame on hold (December 5, 1974). In 1985, Monsanto purchased G.D. Searle and made Searle Pharmaceuticals and The NutraSweet Company separate subsidiaries.

Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Many of these reactions are very serious including seizures and death as recently disclosed in a February 1994 Department of Health and Human Services report.(1) A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include: Headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain.

According to researchers and physicians studying the adverse effects of aspartame, the following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame2) Brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, parkinson's disease, alzheimer's, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia, and diabetes.

Aspartame is made up of three chemicals: Aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. The book, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, by James and Phyllis Balch, lists aspartame under the category of "chemical poison." As you shall see, that is exactly what it is.

ASPARTIC ACID (40% OF ASPARTAME)

Dr Russell L. Blaylock, a professor of Neurosurgery at the Medical University of Mississippi, recently published a book thoroughly detailing the damage that is caused by the ingestion of excessive aspartic acid from aspartame. [Ninety nine percent of monosodium glutamate 9MSG) is glutamic acid. The damage it causes is also documented in Blaylock's book.] Blaylock makes use of almost 500 scientific references to show how excess free excitatory amino acids such as aspartic acid and glutamic acid in our food supply are causing serious chronic neurological disorders and a myriad of other acute symptoms.(3)

SUMMARY OF HOW ASPARTATE (AND GLUTAMATE) CAUSE DAMAGE

Aspartate and glutamate act as neurotransmitters in the brain by facilitating the transmission of information from neuron to neuron. Too much aspartate or glutamate in the brain kills certain neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells. This influx triggers excessive amounts of free radicals which kill the cells. The neural cell damage that can be caused by excessive aspartate and glutamate is why they are referred to as "excitotoxins." They "excite" or stimulate the neural cells to death.

Aspartic acid is an amino acid. Taken in its free form (unbound to proteins) it significantly raises the blood plasma level of aspartate and glutamate. The excess aspartate and glutamate in the blood plasma shortly after ingesting aspartame or products with free glutamic acid (glutamate precursor) leads to a high level of those neurotransmitters in certain areas of the brain.

The blood brain barrier (BBB) which normally protects the brain from excess glutamate and aspartate as well as toxins 1) is not fully developed during childhood, 2) does not fully protect all areas of the brain, 3) is damaged by numerous chronic and acute conditions, and 4) allows seepage of excess glutamate and aspartate into the brain even when intact.

The excess glutamate and aspartate slowly begin to destroy neurons. The large majority (75%+) of neural cells in a particular area of the brain are killed before any clinical symptoms of a chronic illness are noticed. A few of the many chronic illnesses that have been shown to be contributed to by long-term exposure excitatory amino acid damage include:

Multiple sclerosis (MS), ALS, memory loss, hormonal problems, hearing loss, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, hypoglycemia, AIDS dementia, brain lessions, and neuroendocrine disorders.

The risk to infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly, and persons with certain chronic health problems from excitotoxins are great. Even the Federation of American Societies For Experimental Biology (FASEB), which usually understates problems and mimics the FDA party-line, recently stated in a review that "it is prudent to avoid the use of dietary supplements of L-glutamic acid by pregnant women, infants, and children. The Existence of evidence of potential endocrine responses, i.e., elevated cortisol and prolactin, and differential responses between males and females, would also suggest a neuroendocrine link and that supplemental L-glutamic acid should be avoided by women of childbearing age and individuals with affective disorders."(4) Aspartic acid from aspartame has the same deleterious effects on the body as glutamic acid.

The exact mechanism of acute reactions to excess free glutamate and aspartate is currently being debated. As reported to the FDA, those reactions include5) Headaches/migraines, nausea, abdominal pains, fatigue (blocks sufficient glucose entry into brain), sleep problems, vision problems, anxiety attacks, depression, and asthma/chest tightness.

One common complaint of persons suffering from the effect of aspartame is memory loss. Ironically, in 1987, G.D. Searle, the manufacturer of aspartame, undertook a search for a drug to combat memory loss caused by excitatory amino acid damage. Blaylock is one of many scientists and physicians who are concerned about excitatory amino acid damage caused by ingestion of aspartame and MSG. A few of the many experts who have spoken out against the damage being caused by aspartate and glutamate include Adrienne Samuels, Ph.D., an experimental psychologist specializing in research design.




Another is Olney, a professor in the department of psychiatry, School of Medicine, Washington University, a neuroscientist and researcher, and one of the world's foremost authorities on excitotoxins. (He informed Searle in 1971 that aspartic acid caused holes in the brain of mice.)

I fail to see how they could extrapolate the results of a study done on mice(I'm still looking to find this actual study) and then confer the statement that this automatically means that humans WILL wind up with "HOLES IN THEIR BRAINS"

Kind of irresponsible advertising, a little bit worse than the Muscletech "35 pounds of mass with 2 servings of Cell-Tech" as this is playing fast and loose with actual data, rather than just mere embellishment.

[ElMariachi]

Sticky!!!!!

Sarcasm envy?

[Elliptical Envy]

Sarcasm envy?

This needs to be moved to the Company Promotion section!!!!

Naw, I like your posts ElM so I'm going to be checking this out. So, are you against all artificial sweetners in supplements like ace K, sucralose, and what not?

[ElMariachi]

This needs to be moved to the Company Promotion section!!!!

Naw, I like your posts ElM so I'm going to be checking this out. So, are you against all artificial sweetners in supplements like ace K, sucralose, and what not?

I try to avoid them as much as possible. I'm not paranoid about them though, like "whoa, if I have one serving of this damn acesulfame k, my brain will felt, my hands will fall off, and my eyes will pop out of their sockets."

As a rule, I stay away from aspartame completely, I just find it unnecessary and there are a ton of foods/products that contain absolutely no aspartame. I do get a whole bunch of sucralose from a variety of products, especially my powdered amino's which have become my workout staples. Xtend and ICE FTW!

My current weakness, while cutting, is Diet Arizona Green Tea, which has sucralose in it.

[Elliptical Envy]

One of my e-friends used to be against artifical sweetners as well. It really is hard to escape them in supplements.

[EMISGOD]

I snort them.

[fitnfirm]

Oh geez Its a well known fact that Jack likes to do wild imagination advertising. You will probably have to email him and ask your question.

[GeneGnomeX]

Oh geez Its a well known fact that Jack likes to do wild imagination advertising. You will probably have to email him and ask your question.

I am glad this thread was made because some of us don't read mags.

[Fitsho]

Oh geez Its a well known fact that Jack likes to do wild imagination advertising. You will probably have to email him and ask your question.

exactly! He is trying to catch your attention, and look, he has acheived his goal, you let him win

[OneBetter]

i guess the term win is a bit subjective in this case..

[ElMariachi]

exactly! He is trying to catch your attention, and look, he has acheived his goal, you let him win

So no response on what the deal is with these advertising claims???

[Elliptical Envy]

Doesn't seem to be any updates here.

[TinyMan]

Doesn't seem to be any updates here.

Kind of a pity. I've argued both ways on artificial sweeteners for a long time (almost as long as I've been here). I would have liked to see something substantive to support this claim.

[Elliptical Envy]

Kind of a pity. I've argued both ways on artificial sweeteners for a long time (almost as long as I've been here). I would have liked to see something substantive to support this claim.

Stop lying.

[leonidas300]

Kind of a pity. I've argued both ways on artificial sweeteners for a long time (almost as long as I've been here). I would have liked to see something substantive to support this claim.

There is nothing to support this claim, it is utter bs and completely false and reprehensible that they would put this crap in an ad. It is almost as bad as their hyperplasia claims in the NO Shotgun ads.

[stealth_swimmer]

There is nothing to support this claim, it is utter bs and completely false and reprehensible that they would put this crap in an ad. It is almost as bad as their hyperplasia claims in the NO Shotgun ads.

It's not like they said that other artificial sweeteners will put holes in your brain. They said that Zero Impact bars didn't have anything of the sort

So right there, I think that makes the hyperplasia claims in NO Shotgun ads worse(even though it said MAY cause hyperplasia, rofl...that's like saying jumping off a skyscraper MAY cause someone to learn how to fly)

[Fitsho]

what difference does it make what the ad says, you guys know how the quality of the bars are, you have posted this yourself, so why sit here and worry about some ad that was strictly created for marketing purposes which is blatantly obvious.

And like FitnFirm said, if you want to know where these claims come from you are going to have to ask the man who wrote them, Jack Owoc

[Guard_Pass_old]

check the feedback....nuff said

[ElMariachi]

There is nothing to support this claim, it is utter bs and completely false and reprehensible that they would put this crap in an ad. It is almost as bad as their hyperplasia claims in the NO ads.

A physical therapist told me about those. I had never noticed it in the ad before, but it was good for a laugh.

[ElMariachi]

check the feedback....nuff said

You mean the infamous..... READ THE LOGS!!!!


Personally I'm just curious how these bars would stop holes from forming in my brain. I mean, if we could seriously harness the technology that VPX has discovered in their research and use it for good, rather than just financial gain........who knows what could be accomplished? Perhaps we could even fix the hole in the ozone layer.



EDIT-I emailed questions to the "GURU" at VPX, that name makes him/her sound intelligent, perhaps they will direct me to the proper studies that led them to arrive at this particular conclusion.

guru@vpxsports.com

[kathyfit]

I agree.....just ask Jack. He is a very educated man.....

[Fitsho]

You mean the infamous..... READ THE LOGS!!!!


Personally I'm just curious how these bars would stop holes from forming in my brain. I mean, if we could seriously harness the technology that VPX has discovered in their research and use it for good, rather than just financial gain........who knows what could be accomplished? Perhaps we could even fix the hole in the ozone layer.



EDIT-I emailed questions to the "GURU" at VPX, that name makes him/her sound intelligent, perhaps they will direct me to the proper studies that led them to arrive at this particular conclusion.



guru@vpxsports.com

no where in the ad does it say "these bars will stop holes from forming in the brain"

[ElMariachi]

no where in the ad does it say "these bars will stop holes from forming in the brain"

Well, it's claiming that artificial sweeteners WILL......not MAYBE....but WILL cause holes in the brain. So, perhaps the producer of this ad has discovered some secret that has eluded scientists from all over the world, as this statement is not proven by any scientific literature that I have thus far encountered. With that kind of sheer scientific trail-blazing, who knows what other knowledge might have been unearthed?????

[Fitsho]

Well, it's claiming that artificial sweeteners WILL......not MAYBE....but WILL cause holes in the brain. So, perhaps the producer of this ad has discovered some secret that has eluded scientists from all over the world, as this statement is not proven by any scientific literature that I have thus far encountered. With that kind of sheer scientific trail-blazing, who knows what other knowledge might have been unearthed?????

McDonalds also claims to be healthy - what is your point? is this really that important?