s/o alcohol during pregnancy

[leeannpal]

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I had Gestational Diabetes. I've always enjoyed diet coke, and at one of my nutrition classes, someone asked about artificial sweetners during pregnancy. The nutritionist was clear that a diet coke a day or so would be fine during pregnancy. Later, on a pregnancy message board, I asked about artificial sweetner use during pregnancy, and you would have thought I was going to drink poison or something. So, I am wondering if any of you feel differently about this situation than drinking alcohol during pregnancy, and, if so, why?

[Ria]

I avoided all artificial sweeteners while pregnant...still do :) I would occasionally drink half a glass of wine while pregnant. Wine is natural and has a long track record. The sweeteners...not so much.

[leeannpal]

I avoided all artificial sweeteners while pregnant...still do :) I would occasionally drink half a glass of wine while pregnant. Wine is natural and has a long track record. The sweeteners...not so much.

 

Not according to the nutritionist I was seeing. She seemed amazed that people even worried about. According to her, there had been quite a number of studies showing that a moderate amount of sweetner usage caused no harm.

 

BTW, although we call them artificial sweetners, they aren't. All sweetners are made of chemicals, even sugar. No, aspartame may not exist naturally, but then, neither does beer. It is all in how the chemicals are put together.

[Whereneverever]

MMMMMMM Coke Zero. That's all I gotta say.;)

[Paz]

When I was pregnant with my dd, my doctor told me that one or two drinks once it a while was fine. I really didn't drink at all at the time so that really had no significance to me. He did tell me not to eat fried foods, like french fries. Now what do you think I craved, and ate, every time I got hungry? :lol: I'm a little rebellious, I guess.

[Joker]

I had different obs for each of my two pregnancies and both of them said no to diet drinks and artificial sweeteners. They said if I wanted a coke to drink a coke but stay away from diet. I still avoid them today.

Edited September 23, 2011 by Horton

[WishboneDawn]

I think frequenting a board filled almost exclusively with pregnant women is probably asking for trouble. :D

 

I can't find any research pointing to moderate intake being unhealthy. I read references to it doing harm but no quantities or links to studies were mentioned. I wouldn't worry about it.

[leeannpal]

I think frequenting a board filled almost exclusively with pregnant women is probably asking for trouble. :D

 

I can't find any research pointing to moderate intake being unhealthy. I read references to it doing harm but no quantities or links to studies were mentioned. I wouldn't worry about it.

:iagree: I think I found that out the hard way:D

 

Fwiw, I didn't drink one diet coke a day; it was more like two a week. Like most mothers, I was very worried that anything I ate would affect my baby. I was almost too vigilant because I so strictly controlled my blood sugar that I really wasn't eating enough. Most babies born to women with Gestational Diabetes are large. My daughter, born at 35 weeks, weighed 4.7 pounds. Thankfully, she is very healthy today.

[Janie Grace]

I avoided all artificial sweeteners while pregnant...still do :) I would occasionally drink half a glass of wine while pregnant. Wine is natural and has a long track record. The sweeteners...not so much.

 

:iagree: Artificial sweeteners were made in a lab. I try to limit the # of things made in a lab that I take into my body, esp. while pregnant!

[ChristusG]

When pregnant with my first two kids, I stayed away from all caffeine. The only soda I would drink is Sprite or Ginger Ale.

 

Then this pregnancy came along and I was diagnosed with borderline gestational diabetes. I can't have regular sodas with sugar in them. So I drink Diet Coke and Caffeine Free Diet Coke (mostly this one). I have one can per day. I think I would die without it. I crave something sweet each day and when that craving hits, I pull out one of those. It's the only "treat" I can have.

 

Prior to this pregnancy, I stayed away from all artificial sweeteners. And I'll go back to that after this pregnancy.

[WishboneDawn]

:iagree: Artificial sweeteners were made in a lab. I try to limit the # of things made in a lab that I take into my body, esp. while pregnant!

 

Most of what we eat is made in a lab. I just call that lab a "kitchen".

[Janie Grace]

Most of what we eat is made in a lab. I just call that lab a "kitchen".

 

Okay. You whip up some aspartame and I'll be making a roast chicken. ;)

[cindergretta]

I rarely ever drink anything alcoholic when I am not pregnant so I see absolutely zero need to drink any alcohol when I am pregnant. As far as artificial sweetners, we don't ever have any kind of them in the house. While I get the kitchen is a "lab," steaming broccoli *to me* is far different from taking this chemical and combining it with that chemical to create a non-food substance that we eat. That is just me and I have no issue with and pass no judgement on those who feel differently. :D (For what it's worth, Pop*Tarts and Fruit Loops and Kool-Aid also fall into the "lab" created substances IMO and don't truly qualify as food. :tongue_smilie: ) We aren't the healthiest eaters in the world by a long stretch, but I still have strongly held beliefs about what is healthy and what isn't. And I try to keep my dc on a diet as full of natural, non-messed with foods as possible. I make every sane attempt to avoid artificial colors, sweetners, preservatives, additives, etc. Do we sometimes have that junk around? Yup. But I strive to keep it at bay.

[twoforjoy]

Both of my OBs must have been really laid-back, because I wasn't told anything food or drink-wise was off-limits. I mean, I assume they knew I knew that any kind of regular or heavy drinking was bad, but both told me that an occasional drink was fine. Neither gave me any no-no foods, either, other than to make sure I was moderate with my fish intake. Nothing was made off-limits, though. I don't know if I drank anything with artificial sweeteners--I'm not a big fan of diet drinks generally--but I wouldn't have thought twice about it if I did.

 

I don't know, I'm not advocating throwing out moderation at all, but I do think we go a little overboard with things. Heavy drug users have healthy babies. Women who get no prenatal care have healthy babies. People who are severely malnourished have healthy babies. I think that, in general, we probably don't have to worry about eating or drinking the stuff we'd normally eat and drink, in moderation.

[mommymilkies]

:iagree: Artificial sweeteners were made in a lab. I try to limit the # of things made in a lab that I take into my body, esp. while pregnant!

 

:iagree:

[Amy in NH]

Worse than alcohol. I avoid artificial sweeteners even when I'm not pregnant.

[HLDoll]

I avoid artificial sweetners all the time. We sweeten tea and coffee with stevia and on the two or so occasions where I'll have soda in a month, I'll have regular, not diet. My initial reasoning was taste, but the more I've read about them, they're just not something I'd ever choose to ingest.

 

As for alchohol, I'll have an occosional small glass. On our beach vacation with family, my brother made me a little margarita over a lot of ice. Sometimes when we have chili my husband will split a beer with me. In our 10 years of marriage, I've been pregnant on 5 of our anniversaries, but I will have a glass of wine with a special dinner like that. I never have more than one (small) drink at a time, and that only a couple times a month. I think moderation is OK.

 

ETA: I don't think we are heavy drinkers, but we would have beer/wine a couple times a week with meals. Changing that to a couple times a month takes some discipline for me.

Edited September 24, 2011 by HLDoll

[Penelope]

The breakdown products of aspartame include aspartic acid, methanol, and formaldehyde. Since I don't know if we can say for sure that these might not be affecting a fetus in some small way, I stay away from it. But I think it's smart to stay away from as much processed food as possible in pregnancy.

 

The US govt. says it is safe but to limit to moderate use. I'd look at it with greater scrutiny given the fact that "they" say to limit it at all.

[4kiddies]

I avoid artificial sweeteners all the time, not just during pregnancy. I purposely chose things that have sugar in their as opposed to artificial sweeteners.

[Veritaserum]

I avoid artificial sweeteners all the time, not just during pregnancy. I purposely chose things that have sugar in their as opposed to artificial sweeteners.

 

:iagree: I'm particularly sensitive to artificial sweeteners (they trigger migraines), but I would avoid them even if I didn't immediately get ill after consuming them. Real sugar, honey, molasses, etc. are the sweeteners we consume.

[Cheryl in NM]

Not according to the nutritionist I was seeing. She seemed amazed that people even worried about. According to her, there had been quite a number of studies showing that a moderate amount of sweetner usage caused no harm.

 

BTW, although we call them artificial sweetners, they aren't. All sweetners are made of chemicals, even sugar. No, aspartame may not exist naturally, but then, neither does beer. It is all in how the chemicals are put together.

 

There's actually a difference between harvesting/processing and creating. Artificial sweetners (aspartame) is created in a lab. Sugar is processed from corn or beets (not a chemical). Beer is fermented (that is processed).

 

There is a huge difference.

[Carpe]

There's actually a difference between harvesting/processing and creating. Artificial sweetners (aspartame) is created in a lab. Sugar is processed from corn or beets (not a chemical). Beer is fermented (that is processed).

 

There is a huge difference.

 

By this logic cocaine in natural because it's processed from a plant. It, and sugar, are still chemicals; they've come too far from their natural state and are rendered too pure to be considered anything but.

 

As for diet coke, I was told aspartame is safe during pregnancy but not during nursing, sucralose (splenda) is the opposite, and it's best to avoid all the others.

 

I did not drink alcohol or eat artificial sweeteners while pregnant.

[leeannpal]

The breakdown products of aspartame include aspartic acid, methanol, and formaldehyde. Since I don't know if we can say for sure that these might not be affecting a fetus in some small way, I stay away from it. But I think it's smart to stay away from as much processed food as possible in pregnancy.

 

The US govt. says it is safe but to limit to moderate use. I'd look at it with greater scrutiny given the fact that "they" say to limit it at all.

 

According to Snopes.com it is not true that formaldehyde is a product of aspartame. I believe there are a lot of smoke and mirror sites out there about artificial sweetners.

[leeannpal]

There's actually a difference between harvesting/processing and creating. Artificial sweetners (aspartame) is created in a lab. Sugar is processed from corn or beets (not a chemical). Beer is fermented (that is processed).

 

There is a huge difference.

 

No, there isn't. Sugar has a chemical formula whether is comes from sugar cane, beets or honey. Aspartame is just made with other chemicals. And, what I meant by beer not being natural is that hops, wheat and other things must be put together by people in order to create beer. You won't find it naturally anywhere.

[leeannpal]

I know it seems I am advocating the use of artificial sweetners. I am not. I do believe they can be harmful for certain people. They have been a godsend to my husband who has Type II Diabetes. I'll admit I find it a little odd that some people believe that drinking alcohol is much healthier than drinking something with artificial sweetners.

[twoforjoy]

I know it seems I am advocating the use of artificial sweetners. I am not. I do believe they can be harmful for certain people. They have been a godsend to my husband who has Type II Diabetes. I'll admit I find it a little odd that some people believe that drinking alcohol is much healthier than drinking something with artificial sweetners.

 

Has there ever been a study indicating that moderate consumption of artificial sweeteners would cause harm to a fetus? I've never heard of such a study, or of a child having problems because the mother ingested artificial sweeteners when pregnant.

[Penelope]

According to Snopes.com it is not true that formaldehyde is a product of aspartame. I believe there are a lot of smoke and mirror sites out there about artificial sweetners.

 

I never, ever check Snopes for scientific information. ;) I do not take my information from fake sites or scary forwarded emails, either. :tongue_smilie:

Formaldehyde is not a direct product, but it is a product of the breakdown of methanol, which does come from aspartame. But that doesn't bother me too much.

 

I'm actually more concerned about the amino acids. I think the advice to limit consumption says something. I wouldn't worry that much about an occasional diet Coke. However, no matter what mainstream thought from internet sources is, I do think aspartame is still a little bit controversial during pregnancy. Every OB I have had in the past 10 years has said to avoid it or limit it. Apparently even the FDA says to limit it.

[Farrar]

I think people really cling to the things they did during their pregnancies as being the only right way. Unlike other times in our lives, I think, for whatever reason, it's hard to admit you made a small mistake when you were pregnant (whether by doing something not perfect or by unnecessarily not doing something that would have been fine). That's all I can say.

[Jennifer3141]

No, there isn't. Sugar has a chemical formula whether is comes from sugar cane, beets or honey. Aspartame is just made with other chemicals. And, what I meant by beer not being natural is that hops, wheat and other things must be put together by people in order to create beer. You won't find it naturally anywhere.

 

 

Dangit!! So I can stop waiting for that beer tree to bear fruit?!?!? :D

[cindergretta]

I think people really cling to the things they did during their pregnancies as being the only right way. Unlike other times in our lives, I think, for whatever reason, it's hard to admit you made a small mistake when you were pregnant (whether by doing something not perfect or by unnecessarily not doing something that would have been fine). That's all I can say.

 

 

:iagree:

 

I am a lousy pg woman. I am extremely concerned about medications and artificial anything, but then eat whatever I crave, even if it is fast food tacos. :( Oxymoron much??

[mommaduck]

Worse than alcohol. I avoid artificial sweeteners even when I'm not pregnant.

:iagree: There is a difference between alcohol and artificial sweeteners. I don't care that both have to be made; the process and type of result are entirely different. Their effects on the body, entirely different (there are positive effects from alcohol as well as negative. there are no positive effects from sweeteners). Their long term knowledge is different.

 

Pass me a glass of wine, but don't you dare pass me a diet anything.

[Cheryl in NM]

By this logic cocaine in natural because it's processed from a plant. It, and sugar, are still chemicals; they've come too far from their natural state and are rendered too pure to be considered anything but.

 

As for diet coke, I was told aspartame is safe during pregnancy but not during nursing, sucralose (splenda) is the opposite, and it's best to avoid all the others.

 

I did not drink alcohol or eat artificial sweeteners while pregnant.

 

Cocaine is natural. It's just not good for you. Not every natural thing is good for you. Natural does not equal safe. Here is the definition of "natural".

 

No, there isn't. Sugar has a chemical formula whether is comes from sugar cane, beets or honey. Aspartame is just made with other chemicals. And, what I meant by beer not being natural is that hops, wheat and other things must be put together by people in order to create beer. You won't find it naturally anywhere.

 

Please see the definition of "chemical"

Edited September 25, 2011 by Cheryl in NM
Re-thought my post-it might have been too snarky. Sorry.

[leeannpal]

Penelope, where does your scientific information about aspartame come from?

 

I wasn't implying that I get any sort of information from Snopes. It is a website set up to dispute "facts" that are anything but that circulate on the internet.

 

Did you know that fruit juices contain higher levels of methanol than any diet drink? Check out the link below. There is a lot of misinformation out there. My information came from a nutritionist while pregnant and from my sister, a doctor, who researched use of artificial sweetners during pregnancy for me- and, btw produced a couple of printed studies for me to read.

 

http://nutrition.about.com/od/calories/p/aspartame.htm

[leeannpal]

Cocaine is natural. It's just not good for you. Not every natural thing is good for you. Natural does not equal safe. Here is the definition of "natural".

You could argue that the processing that goes into cultivating and preserving food, even preservation by canning and salt makes food not natural. In that case then the only natural edible foods are the ones that you would pick right from the plant and put in your mouth. If that's what you believe that's fine. But green beans picked from my garden, washed, covered with water and canned are NOT chemicals. They were caused by me to grow and caused by me to be preserved so some might not consider them natural. There IS a gray area.

 

 

 

To both of you: Please see the definition of "chemical"

 

If you are using chemical instead of another word, please elaborate. Otherwise, your use of the word chemical is inaccurate in this thread. Honey has NO chemicals in it. Beet sugar, corn sugar and sevia are natural. Some say they are not healthy, but again, natural and healthy are not always synonymous. Sometimes natural ingredients have names that are found in the periodic table of elements, like salt. Remember that the periodic table of elements also contains minerals. Just because it's in the periodic table of elements doesn't mean that it's a "chemical".

 

Anything with a chemical formula is chemical, i.e. chemistry. There are several types of sugars that all have differing chemical formulas. My definition certaily fits Merriam-Webster's first definition.

 

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/571880/sugar

[EKS]

Interesting question.

 

I drank a ton of (caffeine free) diet coke when I was pregnant with my first. I'm talking like 36 oz per day. That child has fairly severe learning disabilities.

 

I didn't touch artificial sweeteners when I was pregnant with my second. That child has no learning disabilities.

[Cheryl in NM]

Anything with a chemical formula is chemical, i.e. chemistry. There are several types of sugars that all have differing chemical formulas. My definition certaily fits Merriam-Webster's first definition.

 

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/571880/sugar

 

All atoms have a chemical composition. YOU are a chemical. You are using the incorrect term for sugar which is a product of evaporation. That is, if you are talking about table sugar as opposed to sugar that occurs naturally in foods.

[justamouse]

Never artificial sweeteners. Ever. evereverever.

 

:iagree: There is a difference between alcohol and artificial sweeteners. I don't care that both have to be made; the process and type of result are entirely different. Their effects on the body, entirely different (there are positive effects from alcohol as well as negative. there are no positive effects from sweeteners). Their long term knowledge is different.

 

Pass me a glass of wine, but don't you dare pass me a diet anything.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

[EKS]

Anything with a chemical formula is chemical, i.e. chemistry.

 

All matter in the universe has a chemical formula.

[Perry]

I don't think enough is known to consider it safe.

 

Diet Soda Linked To Weight Gain

 

Huffington Post Amanda Chan First Posted: 6/29/11 09:04 AM ET Updated: 8/29/11 05:12 AM ET

 

React

 

Diet soda might not help you stay trim after all, new research suggests.

A study presented at a American Diabetes Association meeting this week shows that drinking diet soda is associated with a wider waist in humans. And a second study shows that aspartame -- an artificial sweetener in diet soda -- actually raises blood sugar in mice prone to diabetes.

"Data from this and other prospective studies suggest that the promotion of diet sodas and artificial sweeteners as healthy alternatives may be ill-advised," study researcher Helen P. Hazuda, Ph.D., a professor and chief of clinical epidemiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio's School of Medicine, said in a statement. "They may be free of calories but not of consequences."

In the first study, researchers collected height, weight, waist circumference and diet soda intake data from 474 elderly people who participated in the San Antonio Longitudinal Study of Aging. They were followed up an average of 9.5 years later, according to the research.

Researchers found that the diet soda drinkers had waist circumference increases of 70 percent greater than those who non-diet soda drinkers. And people who drank diet soda the most frequently -- at least two diet sodas a day -- had waist circumference increases that were 500 percent greater than people who didn't drink any diet soda, the study said.

Artificial sugar didn't produce any better results in the second study in mice. Researchers for this study found that diabetes-prone mice that were fed a diet that included aspartame for three months, had higher blood glucose levels than mice not given aspartame.

This isn't the first news illuminating diet soda's health risks. A study published earlier this year found people who drink the beverage every day have a higher stroke and heart attack risks. And UK researchers found earlier this month that sugary drinks can dull taste buds, leading consumers to crave the sweet stuff even more.

 

[Guest submarines]

Not according to the nutritionist I was seeing. She seemed amazed that people even worried about. According to her, there had been quite a number of studies showing that a moderate amount of sweetner usage caused no harm.

 

.

 

This is not surprising at all. Both of those point of views (1. Alcohol in pregnancy will harm the baby, and 2. Artificial sweeteners are not harmful) are two very mainstream ideas and go together quite nicely. The same nutritionist probably subsribes to the idea that carbs from processed grains should be the bulk of our diets. :glare:

 

FWIW, I wouldn't avoid alcohol while pregnant, and I avoid artificial sweeteners and products sweetened with them, as well as sugar. Once a week or so I'd have some stevia in my coffee.

[joannqn]

I typically avoid artificial sweeteners and don't let my kids have them either with rare exceptions. For example, we just got home from a birthday party where two of the kids and I each had a Fresca. I didn't realize they had aspartame until after I allowed it. I didn't even drink half of mine because I hate the taste.

[Joker]

Perry - I found your linked article very interesting. My mom was always tiny until after her first back fusion surgery. Her latest dr. told her to try to cut out all fake sugar and she's lost 15 lbs in two months! Her stomach has seemingly deflated since she cut out diet drinks and light yogurt. I honestly wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it.

[Annie]

I always avoid artificial sweeteners, but I certainly wouldn't eat them while pregnant. I also never drink alcohol since I'm LDS, but if I weren't, I think I would be more likely to drink the occasional glass of wine during pregnancy than the occasional diet Coke.

[Perry]

Perry - I found your linked article very interesting. My mom was always tiny until after her first back fusion surgery. Her latest dr. told her to try to cut out all fake sugar and she's lost 15 lbs in two months! Her stomach has seemingly deflated since she cut out diet drinks and light yogurt. I honestly wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it.

I recently read an article about how diet soft drinks mess up carb metabolism and cause cravings, but now I can't find it. I think the stuff has caused a lot more harm than good.

 

Good for your mom! :hurray:

[twoforjoy]

:iagree:

 

I am a lousy pg woman. I am extremely concerned about medications and artificial anything, but then eat whatever I crave, even if it is fast food tacos. :( Oxymoron much??

 

Is there any evidence that fast food tacos are harmful to the developing fetus?

 

I guess I just wonder why every woman is so hard on herself about what she ate/drank/took during pregnancy. Avoid crack. Avoid meth. Avoid jello shots. But I really see no scientific basis for women feeling guilty about drinking diet soda, having a Taco Bell taco, or taking a Tylenol once in a while during pregnancy.

[WishboneDawn]

Is there any evidence that fast food tacos are harmful to the developing fetus?

 

I guess I just wonder why every woman is so hard on herself about what she ate/drank/took during pregnancy. Avoid crack. Avoid meth. Avoid jello shots. But I really see no scientific basis for women feeling guilty about drinking diet soda, having a Taco Bell taco, or taking a Tylenol once in a while during pregnancy.

 

:iagree:

[cindergretta]

I guess there isn't evidence that fast food tacos are harmful so much as evidence that fast food isn't good for me, much less a munchkin trying to develop. Plus, there is evidence that healthy, fresh food is actually good for me and the wee one. All the fat and sodium and processing just can't be a good idea, for baby or me. But oh!! How I crave them when pg....

[Susan in TX]

I don't eat stuff with artificial sweeteners, ever. But I was put on bedrest in the hospital with my last pregnancy and I had gestational diabetes. They gave me yogurt sweetened with aspartame every day and I could have had a diet coke with lunch and dinner if I had wanted. They also brought me artificial sweetener for my coffee and iced tea. So even though I think artificial sweeteners are very unhealthful, I don't think the mainstream medical community sees any harm in them.

 

Susan in TX

[Veritaserum]

I don't harbor any guilt for what I did or didn't eat during my pregnancies. :confused: I do, however, make a conscious effort to generally avoid processed foods because I believe them to be unhealthy for myself and, consequently, my developing baby. Did I indulge in cravings? Sure. But I avoided the worst things, just as I do when not pregnant.

[mom4him]

I asked about artificial sweetner use during pregnancy, and you would have thought I was going to drink poison or something.

 

That is because you are. Google it. Once I did I never used another item that had artificial sweetener in it.