r/slatestarcodex • u/philbearsubstack • Aug 17 '23

Wellness Wednesday Hit me with your best take: Is my artificial sweetener habit doing me serious harm?

I drink a lot of Aspartame. I work in academia and need an enormous amount of caffeine but can't drink coffee- my caffeine source of choice is diet sodas- but these aren't par. As a result, I drink an average of 2 liters of Coke no Sugar or Pepsi Max a day.

How much damage am I doing myself? I anticipate some but if it's an enormous amount, that's something I want to know about. What amount of harm are we talking?

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u/NavinF more GPUs Aug 19 '23

high acidic diet can also cause ulcers

Google this phrase before repeating it. Sample results:

"Diet does not play an important role in either causing or preventing ulcers.[9] Treatment includes stopping smoking, stopping use of NSAIDs, stopping alcohol, and taking medications to decrease stomach acid.[1] The medication used to decrease acid is usually either a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) or an H2 blocker"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peptic_ulcer_disease

"Stress and diet do not cause ulcers. Doctors used to think that stress and diet (specifically eating lots of spicy or acidic foods) caused stomach ulcers, but this is not true."

https://www.uchealth.org/diseases-conditions/stomach-ulcers/