The Lowdown on Sweet?

NY Times ^ | February 12, 2006 | MELANIE WARNER

[neverdem]

WHEN Dr. Morando Soffritti, a cancer researcher in Bologna, Italy, saw the results of his team's seven-year study on aspartame, he knew he was about to be injected into a bitter controversy over this sweetener, one of the most contentiously debated substances ever added to foods and beverages.

Aspartame is sold under the brand names Nutra-Sweet and Equal and is found in such popular products as Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, Diet Snapple and Sugar Free Kool-Aid. Hundreds of millions of people consume it worldwide. And Dr. Soffritti's study concluded that aspartame may cause the dreaded "c" word: cancer.

The research found that the sweetener was associated with unusually high rates of lymphomas, leukemias and other cancers in rats that had been given doses of it starting at what would be equivalent to four to five 20-ounce bottles of diet soda a day for a 150-pound person. The study, which involved 1,900 laboratory rats and cost $1 million, was conducted at the European Ramazzini Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences, a nonprofit organization that studies cancer-causing substances; Dr. Soffritti is its scientific director.

The findings, first released last July, prompted a flurry of criticism from the Calorie Control Council, a trade group for makers of artificial sweeteners that has spent the last 25 years trying to quell fears about aspartame. It said Dr. Soffritti's study flew in the face of four earlier cancer studies that aspartame's creator, G. D. Searle & Company, had underwritten and used to persuade the Food and Drug Administration to approve it for human consumption. "Aspartame has been safely consumed for more than a quarter of a century and is one of the most thoroughly studied food additives," read one news release from the council.

At the same time, Dr. Soffritti's findings have energized a vociferous group...

[neverdem]

http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2005/8711/abstract.html

[ozoneliar]

Like I needed a reason not to drink diet soda(other than the fact it tastes horrible).

[i_dont_chat]

Artificial sweeteners make me feel depressed. I've given it several attempts -- and without exception, I get depressed.

[Revolting cat!]

Artificial sweeteners make me feel depressed.

You oughta try chatting!

[VeritatisSplendor]

My husband loves the stuff. I do the wifely nag thing every now and then, what's wrong with water, or tea, or selzer, if you don't want the calories?

These are probably cancer-prone rats, but still the amounts of aspartame consumed are only 5 to 10 times what a normal person might drink.

Mrs VS

[Monterrosa-24]

I drink way too much Diet Coke. Three liters per day is not too uncommon. For anything artificial that is just too much. Guess I should cut it out...cold turkey.

I can drink black coffee but it just doesn't have fizz!

[luvbach1]

Does anyone agree that Splenda tastes best? My only complaint with it is that it tastes too sweet. But no bad after taste.

[Monterrosa-24]

If they phase out Diet Coke for Coke Zero it will cure my diet drink addiction fast. I can't abide Coke Zero.

[Age of Reason]

Like I needed a reason not to drink diet soda(other than the fact it tastes horrible).

I gave up any kind of sugar or sweetener, including corn syrup, years ago.

I drink plain seltzer water now.

The other day I was at the supermarket looking at what the person ahead of me was buying:

Bottles filled with bright colored liquids--bright reds, pelican-puke greens, etc.--sugar water masquerading as a harmless drink.

Salted dried chips, processed garbage of every description.

Ugh!

Not to mention all the chemicals and crap in the bread and other sturff he was buying.

No wonder supermarkets have so many pills and remedies in their over-the-counter medicine aisle.

[Retired Chemist]

Aspartame gives me an instant headache. I avoid it like the plague.

[SamAdams76]

I use Splenda. It is indistinguishable from sugar.

[AmericaUnite]

Guess I'll stick with seltzer. I don't like regular soda has high fruitose corn sweetner. What about splenda?

[alicewonders]

I miss the Coca-colas from my childhood, when they used cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. It used to burn going down - man was it good!

[doc30]

Now that at least one study has demonstrated that aspatame may cause cancer, California regulations will mandated food items containing aspartame no carry the "may cause cancer" label. Anyone who now gets cancer in California can now sue the heck out of the soft drink companies. It could be the next 'asbestos' in trial litigation.

[VeniVidiVici]

Diet Rite with Splenda is awesome.

[wildehunt]

I switched to flavored seltzers some years back, I just didn't like the taste of diet and sugar was out of the question.
Some folks think they're an acquired taste.

Adirondack
Citrus, Lemon-Lime, Mandarin-Orange, Raspberry-Lime, and Wildberry
1-liter bottles
2-liters bottles (no citrus)

Boylans Lemon Seltzer 12 oz Bottle
Boylans Orange Seltzer 12 oz Bottle

Canada Dry Mandarin-Orange
Lemon-Lime Raspberry Black Cherry
1-liter bottles, 2 liter and cans

White Rock Lemon-Lime

Faygo in Orange
Lemon-Lime Raspberry Black Cherry
1 and 2 -liter bottles

Cap-10 in orange, wild berry, cherry, lemon, lime, and cranberry raspberry liter and half liter six paks

[grey_whiskers]

Generally, if not coffee (1st cup in the day), then bottled water (love Sparkletts), or green tea with Splenda.

Cheers!

[Monterrosa-24]

Thanks for the ideas and alternatives.

[Uncle Fud]

Feed batch of rats #1 a quantity of aspartame.

Feed rat batch #2 the same quantity of refined sugar.

Let's see which rats die first.