Aspartame has come under scrutiny numerous
times, with claims of health effects ranging from cancer to seizures. A new
study has supported earlier animal studies that artificial sweeteners in soft
drinks are associated with an increased risk of lymphoma and leukemia 1
As a part of the Nurses' Health Study (NHS)
and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS they found men, drinking one or
more serving of diet drink per day was associated with a 31 per cent increased
risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a more than doubling of risk of multiple myeloma.
While in men and women combined, drinking one or more serving of diet soda each
day was associated with a 42 per cent increased risk of leukaemia. They also
found positive associations also existed between intakes of aspartame
specifically and non-Hodgkin lymphoma and multiple myeloma.
There are also significant animal studies
to support this. A series of independently funded experiments showed a link
between Aspartame and cancer in rat eperiments when tested with life-time use
of Aspartame, starting while still in the womb 2,3. These experiment
were impressive because they monitored rats until their natural death (up to
144 weeks), rather than ceasing tests at the usual 110 weeks. This gives a
better idea of the potential for Aspartame to cause cancer, because 80% of
cancer diagnoses are typically made in the last 1/3 of life, a critical point
which other experiments miss.
Not unlike the recent human study reported
above, the Mega life span study identified multiple tumours located at
different sites of the body and being of numerous types. Dose related increases
occurred in both male and females. That is the more aspartame consumed the
higher the rates of cancer. This is a very powerful indicator of the problem. The
most occurring tumours where lymphomas/leukaemia, preneoplastic and neoplastic
lesions of the renal pelvis and ureter, malignant schwannomas of peripheral
nerves, preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions of the olfactory epithelium,
malignant brain tumours as well as other malignant tumours including tumours of
the bladder 2. The study identified aspartame to be a
"multi-potential carcinogenic compound".
In a follow up study which consisted of
over 4000 male and female sprague- drawley rats which were administered
prenatally till natural death 100 or 20mg/ per kg of body weight of aspartame 3.
As with the first mega study multiple types and locations of tumors were
identified in rats which were significantly lower than the ADI and comparing
the postnatal and prenatal studies prenatal exposure further increased the
occurrence of lymphomas/leukaemia in females 3.
Of greatest concern was that these carcinogenic
effects where identified at doses which were that of at least half of the
accepted daily intake and could easily be consumed in a day. However, Food
Standards Australia New Zealand regulatory body advises Australian and New
Zealand consumers that aspartame is safe and advocates that aspartame has no
cancer causing properties
1 Schernhammer
ES, Bertrand KA,
Birmann BM,
Sampson L,
Willett WW,
Feskanich D.
Experimental Demonstration of the Multipotential Carcinogenic Effects of
Aspartame Administered in the Feed to Sprague‑Dawley Rats. Environmental Health
Perspectives 114 (3). 2012
2 Soifritti,
M., F. Belpoggi, D. D. Esposti, L. Lambertini, E. Tibaldi, and Anna Rigano.
2006. First Am J Clin
Nutr. 2012 Oct 24. [Epub ahead of print]. Consumption of artificial
sweetener- and sugar-containing soda and risk of lymphoma and leukemia in men
and women.
3 Soffritti,
M., F. Belpoggi, E. Tibaldi, D. D. Esposti, and M. Lauriola. 2007. Life‑span
exposure to low doses of aspartame beginning during prenatal life increases
cancer effects in rats. Environmental Health Perspective. 115 (1293‑7).
