A huge THANKS to IFBB Fitness Pro, Sandy Grant for sharing this article with me.

Sandy has an Allergic Sensitivity to Aspartame, and has steered far and clear from any products "sugar free" or "low calorie" to say the least... Once Sandy took herself thru her own elimination trial and error testing, she found herself HEALTHY and SYMPTOM FREE once she took out any Saccharine or Aspartame sweetened products.

Please read, and click thru ALL the links on the site! Very good information!

http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-information.html

Aspartame Structure

The structure of aspartame seems simple, but what a complicated structure aspartame really is. Two isolated amino acids in aspartame are fused together by its third component, deadly methanol. In this structure, methanol bonds the two amino acids together, but when released at a mere 86 degrees Fahrenheit, the methanol becomes a poisonous free radical.

Methanol breaks down into formic acid and formaldehyde, embalming fluid. Methanol is a dangerous neurotoxin, a known carcinogen, causes retinal damage in the eye, interferes with DNA replication, and causes birth defects.

Aspartic acid makes up forty percent of the structure of aspartame. Under excess conditions, the structure of aspartic acid can cause endocrine (hormone) disorders and vision problems. Aspartic acid is a neuroexicter, which means its structure affects the central nervous system. Hyperactivity is stimulated by aspartic acid, so this structure is not good for ADD/ADHD conditions and should be avoided during pregnancy.

Adverse reactions to aspartic acid are: headaches/migraines, nausea, abdominal pain, fatigue, sleep disorders, vision problems, anxiety attacks, depression, and asthma/chest tightness. The second isolated amino acid in aspartames chemical structure is phenylalanine, fifty percent of aspartames 3-D structure. Too much phenylalanine causes seizures, elevated blood plasma, is dangerous for pregnancy causing retardation, PMS caused by phenylalanine's blockage of serotonin, insomnia, and severe mood swings.

ALSO:

If you are apart of MIKE DAVIES FITNESS FACTORY EXPRESS, Mike has written a great article on the Dangers of Sweeteners.

So, you might want to RETHINK your Sugar Free Fixes in your contest prep, It could be holding you back in more ways than you know...!

~Trainer Shannon