Posted on 07/06/2007 9:11:02 PM PDT by Coleus
A U.S. consumer group called for an urgent Food and Drug Administration review of the safety of aspartame on Monday, but the FDA said there was no immediate need to do so despite a new study showing the sweetener may cause cancer. Italian researchers published a new study last week that showed aspartame -- widely used in soft drinks -- might cause leukemia, lymphoma and breast cancer in rats. "This is the second study by the same lab showing that aspartame causes cancer in rats," Center for Science in the Public Interest executive director Michael Jacobson said in a telephone interview. Aspartame is used mostly in soft drinks but is also sold in packets to use in coffee, tea or on food. "People can easily avoid products using Nutrasweet or Equal and keep these products away from kids," Jacobson added.
Morando Soffritti of the Ramazzini Foundation in Bologna, Italy, and colleagues tested aspartame in rats, which they allowed to live until they died naturally. Their study of more than 4,000 rats showed a lifetime of eating high doses of the sweetener raised the likelihood of several types of cancer. "On the basis of the present findings, we believe that a review of the current regulations governing the use of aspartame cannot be delayed," Soffritti's team wrote in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, which is published by the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. "This review is particularly urgent with regard to aspartame-containing beverages, heavily consumed by children." FDA spokesman Michael Herndon said the agency had not reviewed the study.
"However, the conclusions from this second European Ramazzini Foundation are not consistent with those from the large number of studies on aspartame that have been evaluated by FDA, including 5 previously conducted negative chronic carcinogenicity studies
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
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Keep your rat away from diet soda.
The moral of the story is: Do not feed Nutrasweet to pet rats.
Interesting to note that most neurologists and MS specialists will tell their patients to cut out artifical sweetners immediately.
I have a hard time believing this study is accurate. If it is one should be able to show a statistically significant correlation between increased cancer rates and the introduction of the nutrasweet. As far as I know that has never been discovered. My biggest doubt concerning the idea that somehow aspartame is causing cancer is that the two major components of aspartame are commonly found in many foods naturally.
Any Nutrasweet effect on cancer would be way down in the statistical noise. Real life has to be taken into account too: It’s well known that being overweight contributes to some cancers, and Nutrasweet is usually consumed as an alternative to more calorie-laden sugars in an effort to reverse, stop, or at least slow weight gain.
I have always wonder if aspartame is bad for you. I tend to think that if you are going to have a soda you may as well have the real thing. It tastes better, and the real sugar in it is probably better for you than the fake sugar anyhow.
IMO.
this crops up every few months, an urban legend.
same with soy beans and masculinity.
never mind that asians have huge populations,
have on the average i.q.’s 15 points above caucasians,
It’s not about wonder, it’s about science. Groups like CSIPI should not be allowed to commit emotional terrorism.
More formaldehyde is produced drinking water than diet soda.
If a rat were given the same amount of aspartame as 7 cans of diet Coke per day I would like it compared to the rat that was given the equivalent amount of sugar in 7 cans of regular Coke. Let’s see which rat is healthier.
I truly believe that aspartame is a poison. When I was younger I was drinking at least a 2 liter bottle of Diet Pepsi a day and I have some major mood changes every time I consumed it. My family noticed that every time I drank the stuff I would become very hyperactive and mean, almost violent. As soon as I cut out all aspartame then I went back to being my calm, laid back self. Haven’t touched the stuff in 20 years and I recommend that people stay away from it.
The truth is that lab rats cause cancer.
They're the only consistent thing in all the studies... ;-)
Cheers!
Aspartame and George Bush are to blame for all the world`s troubles.
Good thing they don’t export diet drinks from China.
Myself, I don’t think the finger can, or, should be pointed at any one product. We live in a world of preservatives, insecticides and “hormonal enhancement”. Not to mention chemical laden water. We have these things in common, so sadly, we will have the risk of disease in common.
Diet drinks have been a Weight Watchers freebie for decades. Their diets still slim people down.
This is why you should drink purified water only...
Phenylalanine has been shown to cause mood changes though I would imagine the caffeine would be the more likely culprit for hyperactivity. I have drank the stuff forever and don’t notice any mood changes except if I don’t get my caffeine. I do prefer the new sweeteners which taste better to me. I think you did the right thing though by eliminating it since you noticed it was causing a problem for you.
This once again proves the FDA is actually not looking out for the public...it's there to protect the profits of companies.
Pesticides are often made out as an unalloyed evil. It is more honest to note that the better nutrition made possible by fighting destructive pests has aided public health more than microscopic residues of these substances has harmed it. If it weren’t for pesticides many of us wouldn’t even have the luxury of complaining about pesticides. We’d be too busy scrabbling after that last bit of food.
Shame yourself all you want.
And in other news, a moose bit your sister.
Ever consider all the caffeine?
Anecdotal evidence is worthless in science, there are no statistically relevant studies demonstrating your claims.
Millions of people are sensitive, some even deathly allergic to very common foodstuffs. This used to be a place where there was room for some personal responsibility. If a food or beverage gave you problems, you would avoid it in the future. Now you try to project your personal preferences in food and beverage onto the entire nation. No thank you.
Quite so. People think that because something has nutrasweet or splenda, they somehow become immune to the caffeine in a daily quantity of cola beverage that they would never think of imbibing in its original sugary form.
I have been drinking Diet MD for 22 years. The vision out of my third eye has never been better.
Can’t feed it to my husband or daughter either. Aspartame gives them violent headaches. It’s scary.
Spare the preacher the preaching? This is richer than full sugar Coke.
12 oz. cans * 20 cans = 240 ozs. of water, or about two gallons/day, every day, in addition to all other fluids. Try that in a hot climate like Florida and your potassium, sodium, etc. levels will drop through the cellar. I have medical problems and am not supposed to have more than a liter of fluids/day (I cheat)
The stuff gave me a seizure.
“And in other news, a moose bit your sister.”
....and several butcher’s aprons.
And now, for something completely different.
A test that cuts as far across species as this, is at best a lesson about what not to feed your pet rats. Did you know that onions are a potent health hazard... to cats? Let’s start the onion bans now!
Personally, I miss cyclamate.
What I meant is that Phenylalanine, one of the components of aspartame, is one of 20 amino acids used to form proteins encoded by DNA. It is found in most protein rich foods regardless of whether they are organic or not. Aspartic acid is a non-essential amino acid meaning that our bodies make it from other amino acids.
My personal opinion is that that there are a lot of myths that “health conscious” people believe concerning foods and the effects of small amounts of contaminants and preservatives. This is not to say that individuals should not try to improve the quality of their food intake only that sometimes one can be doing more harm and spending more money based on intentions rather than any real result.
Many people have been misled into taking high doses of Soy products which are very high in estrogen like chemicals which could be especially harmful to men and developing boys. Also ironically most vegetarian and health foods sold in stores are highly processed.
I just believe in a reasonable approach to living and have a distaste for the myth of some kind of pristine back to nature nutritional nirvana which has never existed. (At least not since the garden of Eden)It is amazing to me how quickly people, where nutrition and the environment are concerned, believe the most outrageous pernicious fictions and become such pain in the asses to everyone around them in the process. lol
Point well taken. As the population increases the food supply must increase. Most easily aided by chemical control of pests on the crops. There is definite value in control of mosquitoes and other disease carrying insects.
But I don’t believe insecticides are microscopic or incidental to human health.
It’s a catch 22..We have better crops and fewer vermin. We also ingest these life saving measures with the creatures we aim to chemically kill. In the form of run off to water sources, air quality, the food we eat, etc.
I drink a lot of caffeine (well not right now since I’m preggers) and I’ve never been hyperactive after drinking a lot of it. I’ve never had a problem with caffeine and sugar. With aspartame I was bouncing off the walls. In fact, if I ate pudding with aspartame, I could immediately feel the effects and crave more. It was like speed. Really weird.
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