[Noisebridge-discuss] Soda Machine

[Martin Bogomolni]

(Molecular structure of Aspartame attached as JPG)

Chris, aspartame breaks down in one of three metabolic pathways, in
exactly the same way we break down other proteins in the body.

Following ingestion, the aspartame is broken down into into its three
constituent parts: aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol.

___All of these substances occur normally in the body___

Aspartame itself does not enter the bloodstream nor does it accumulate
in the body.  When you eat a one banana, drink a cup of nonfat skim
milk, one peach, a 4 oz piece of chicken, or six good sized pieces of
asparagus... you generate between one and two orders of magnitude more
methanol than you do by drinking a full six pack of diet soda.

For example, when you drink that glass of millk?  You get six times
more phenylalanine and 13 times more aspartic acid compared to an
equivalent amount of a diet beverage sweetened only with aspartame.
You also get 18 times as much methanol from breaking down the casein
in the milk.

It's not "cooking", it's metabolic breakdown.   I am a molecular
biologist and chemist, with four years of UCSC to back it up.   I'd be
happy to sit down with you and teach you the science behind the
metabolic breakdown of various things you eat, including
phenylalanine.

I'm not telling you what to, or what not to eat.  However, I will
defer to good peer-reviewed science when it comes down to the safety
of products like Aspartame, Sucralose, Saccharine, etc.

I will, always happily share my love of science with anyone though.  *grin*

SCIENCE!
-Martin
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