Aspartame is Killing Us, Right?

From Tatiana:

Neil, where are you on artificial sweeteners? I know it's a hotbed, but what do you think about the body's insulin reaction to artificial sugar, even Stevia vs. real sugar? I can scarcely survive without my Crystal Light and chewing gum, is why I'm asking. :)

Ahhh.  Good question Tatiana.

The biology, chemistry, anatomy and physiology nerd in me loves the "don't consume artificial sweetners" debate.  Loves it!

I especially love the Aspartame debate. It's such a rich debate. Full of twists and turns worthy of any epic Hollywood crime drama. Some have dubbed Aspartame as "By Far the Most Dangerous Substance Added to Most Foods Today." Others claim its very existence is due to a government conspiracy equal in scope to the JFK assassination and the moon landing controversy. 

Folks on the "never use Aspartame" side blame it for nearly all the ills which befall modern society, including the insulin issue you mentioned. According to some, Aspartame is poisonous and accounts for over 75% of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. These reactions include serious symptoms ranging from dizziness, to seizures, to even death.

However, on the other side of the argument, Aspartame is just a benign little sweetener. A sweet little sweetener who's only wish is to make its consumer's life happier, easier and healthier. This side of the argument cites over 200 scientific studies supporting its safety. It also points out, somewhat convincingly, that the main ingredients of Aspartame (amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine) are chemicals you'd find in even greater amounts in more common foods we eat like meat, milk, fruits and vegetables.     

Sketch by G. A. Harker

The Aspartame issue is one where, in the past, I donned my suit of armor, saddled up Rocinante and drug my squire Sancho all over the countryside tilting at windmills.  At the time, I was truly convinced I was helping to slay giants. But unfortunately I came to realize, as in Don Quixote, what I was doing was more idealistic than realistic.

Aspartame is used in over 6000 products world-wide.  It is consumed by hundreds of millions of people every single day. It has been widely used for over 30 years. Despite this, you'd have a hard time proving direct causality in our generally declining health.

I would desperately love for Aspartame (and other artificial sweetening villains) to be the cause of all of society's health woes. Then it would be a simple task to get folks back on track. To cure certain cancers, eliminate obesity and decimating auto-immune disease (& etc.) it would be as simple as eliminating, maybe even outlawing these products. 

But therein lies the problem. See, if you got rid of all artificial sweeteners I doubt it would change ONE single thing about the civilized world's generally declining health & fitness. Oh maybe a person, or two (those unique individuals who are particularly sensitive to these chemicals) would experience certain healthy benefits. But the rest of us won't see much difference. Not the difference they say.

Do I think eliminating artificial sweeteners will improve your health?

Sort answer: Yes. however, not until you combine it with getting proper amounts of exercise (GPP), eating a well-balanced diet, getting enough sleep and decreasing stress.

We don't know everything there is to know about Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners. Who knows, maybe someday they'll discover something concrete that will convince us all that these chemicals really are giants, but for now they are only windmills.

We are already IN the battle

I listened to a talk today that inspired me to be better. Better at being ... well, a HUMAN. 

Unlike David (to the R) who PR'd his half marathon last weekend and took 3rd in his age group (out of 216 - congrats, man!), I sometimes let fear hold me back.

Fear of what?

It'd be easier to list all of things I'm NOT afraid of (Ha!). Not really. Actually, it's a pretty short list. Here it is: 

1. Pain. I fear the pain of failure, rejection & ridicule. I fear the pain of loss (love & liberty). I fear the pain of inaction as much as I fear acting and then screwing up. I fear the pain of ill health (You knew this one would be in there!). I fear the pain of death.

 I Guess that about sums it up. I fear pain.

The talk I heard today gave me clarity that I haven't had in a while. The main thing I learned was this: 

We are already IN the battle. 

Fear, or no fear. Pain, or no pain. We are neck deep in it, man. Maybe chin deep already. No one is getting out of this life unscathed.   

Pain is one of life's certainties. It's right up there with "death and taxes." When it comes to dealing with pain, we have only 2 choices:

1. We can turn our backs on the pain, and hope we can blindly "flinch" at all the right times as life stabs us in the back, or ...
2. We can turn and face our fear and FRICKIN PUNCH IT BACK.

Both of these choices hurt, but one is more noble than the other. It's more bold, more courageous, more trancendent than the other. Either way, anyone hoping to secure a more healthy and meaningful life will have to choose one. 

For me, I've never been all that lucky. I doubt I'll ever figure out when exactly to flinch.  

Overhead Squats

"OH Squats" is not a leg workout.  It looks like a leg workout, but it is not.  Well, not necessarily.  It'll surely add strength, endurance and flexibility to your legs, but we primarily use OH squats for different reasons. 

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OH squats ask for a lot from your core and supporting nervous system.  Poor core strength, lack of flexibility and lack of skill are primary reasons we eventually fail at OH Squats.  The more weight/reps you add, the more support is needed from all three of these.  You will max out your own ability to support the OH portion of the OH squat LONG before your legs give out.  It is why we don't call this a leg workout.

If we were aiming for your legs, it would be more effective to go straight at them using front squats and/or back squats.  If you compare the weights you use today (last time) to your front, or back squats, they aren't really even close. 

That you might gain more "direct" leg stimulation while squatting with the bar on your back should not discourage you from performing OH squats occasionally.  GPP understands that using OH squats adds strength indirectly to all body parts and systems unilaterally. 

OH squats serve to uniquely improve core strength, flexibility and nervous stimulation.  They do so in ways which contribute improvement to fitness in areas not directly related to squatting.  This serves to add improved health and fitness which is more absolute.    

Workout Notes:

1. It is extremely important to establish a safe "pass through" grip with a length of PVC, or a broom stick.  Attempting a pass through with a weighted bar can cause serious injuries to your shoulders. 
2. Also, if you lack the flexibility to go below parallel with a significant weight above your head, lighten up and use today as an opportunity to work on improving shoulder flexibility and developing a more mature squat. 
3. Not everyone has the shoulder flexibility to do OHS. Don't force this issue. Today might be the day you work on doing super light OHS with a PVC in an effort to incr your shoulder flexibility for next time. If you really must add weight, switch OHS for front squats. 
4. Know the "Principles of the Bail." (below)