Aspartame's Safety Questioned Again

(CBS)  A new report indicates aspartame, the artificial sweetener that's the main ingredient in Nutrasweet and Equal, heightens the risk of cancer.

But the Food and Drug Administration has said repeatedly, and as recently as last Friday, that aspartame is safe.

On The Early Show Tuesday, medical contributor Dr. Mallika Marshall explained to co-anchor Julie Chen that, "These were researchers in Italy who have believed for some time that aspartame poses an increased risk of cancer."

Marshall said the researchers gave aspartame to pregnant rats, and to the baby rats beginning five weeks after birth.

"After the dose was adjusted for the smaller body weights of the rats," Marshall continued, "(the researchers) say there was a slightly increased risk of cancer among those rats who were given about 40 percent of what the FDA has deemed a maximum accepted daily dose of aspartame. Among those rats who got twice that dose, they say the risk of cancer was significantly higher."

That's a possible source of concern, Marshall pointed out, because aspartame is "all over the place. It's estimated there are 6,000 products worldwide that contain it … from diet sodas to reduced calorie foods, to gum and sugar-free candy. It can even be found in some medications to sweeten the taste to 'help the medicine go down.' so to speak. It's so all around us."

So, how concerned should consumers be?

"There are a couple of things to keep in mind," Marshall responded. "First of all, for the past 25 to 26 years, aspartame has generally been regarded as safe in the United States, based on previous studies that haven't shown a significant link with cancer or any other serious health problems. Also, this study wasn't particularly large, and the data hasn't even been published yet. I think it's going to take some time to tease out this information and try to figure out whether there is a health risk and how that should change how we handle aspartame in our food supply.

"That said, however, parents of children should keep one thing in mind. And that is, if there is a toxic effect of aspartame, and I'm not saying there is, the jury is still out, but if there is, the effects are probably going to be greater, the smaller your body weight, so children would be more susceptible than adults.

"I know we have this growing problem of childhood obesity in this country, and parents are looking for any way to reduce the caloric intake of their kids. But I think we should probably be a little less cavalier about giving our children tons of foods with artificial sweeteners and probably should go back to the basics of milk and water and fruits and vegetables instead of diet soda and reduced calorie foods."

The researchers cautioned that pregnant moms that consumed aspartame appeared to pass on the cancer risk to fetuses, with the vulnerability of fetuses being such that exposure in womb seemed to add to cancer risk later in life. The researchers noted that that parallels the human experience.

Just last Friday, the FDA shot down the conclusion of the same researchers, based on a 2005 study they did, that aspartame raises cancer risks. Previously, the European Food Safety Authority had done the same when it looked at that 2005 study.

[splenda6]

Hello, I would like to tell you my comment on
aspartame,nutrasweet,equal,I used it every since
it came out on the market.For about ten years I
had seizures,non of my doctors in California,or
here in Indiana could tell me why. When splenda
came out on the market, and I started using it, andnothing else my seizures stopped. only when I used products that contained the aspartame my seizures came back, so I don't dare use it again.
Thank you Sencerley
Virginia L. Pershing
248 N. Providence Place
West Terre Haute, In 47885
812-533-9922
[e-mail]

[dog-x8]

Did ya ever notice that our grandparents that lived on farms ate pork,lard,eggs,whole milk, REAL butter, real cream, beef, real sugar,-----all the stuff they said will now kill us. Well they lived to be very old (and healthy) people. AGE killed them, not cancer and heart disease! But its no way to go back unless you grew everything like they did. Even our fresh food is contaminated with pesticides, hormones, antibiotics and who knows what else!!!!!! What are we to do??????????????????????????

[beetle1219]

rmforall - Then why don't they submit their data to the FDA to be reviewed? What do they have to hide?

[Rich Murray]

Morando Soffritti and his Ramazzini Foundation colleagues are highly regarded world class researchers in toxicology -- their extensive website offers free full copies of 88 peer-reviewed studies:

www.ramazzini.it/fondazione/newsDetail.asp?id=12

April 05, 2007
ERF announces launch of dynamic web portal: raw data from long term carcinogenesis studies now available for download

On 5 April 2007 the European Ramazzini Foundation (ERF) launched its new dynamic, bi-lingual web portal at www.ramazzini.it. For the first time, users may now download raw study data from selected long term carcinogenicity bioassays conducted at the ERF%u2019s Cesare Maltoni Cancer Research Center of Bentivoglio (Bologna).

In addition, the new web portal includes a searchable index of the last ten years of the Foundation's scientific publications...

The Ramazzini portal, which also links to the National Ramazzini Institute and the Collegium Ramazzini, is uniquely bi-lingual, with all content available side-by-side in Italian and English.

second large Ramazzini study on low dose lifetime aspartame in rats confirms carcinogenicity -- Morando Soffritti will give data and get Selikoff award April 23 at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in NYC: Murray 2007.04.24
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1415

[beetle1219]

The doctors in this ABA video make it clear study after study shows it to be safe. NCI, FDA, everyone. Except some guy from Italy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-7w5PU3P18

[auhna]

Aspartame is the least of our worries. To the writer says she sticks to all natural if she can. That would be great if we had any more of that. The obese problem today, in my opinion, can be linked directly to the meat industry. Beef, pork and chicken. The farmers inject them with hormones, antibodies, and many other vitamins to keep them healthy. When we eat these foods, we ingest these same medicines, thereby adding weight to our bodies. We get sick, go to the doctor and receive these same medicines. Lo! we start to pack on weight. Milk, too, is double dosed; first, from the cow, then from the additional additives as well. Folks, OUR FAITH IN GOD is all that we have which we can depend on to protect and guide us.

[gunownerdan]

Cancer is big business so anything that can give Americans more cancer is good for the American economy.

[galloway0023]

Of all the things in the world to worry about, you're concerned about aspartame? Really? One scientist in a lab in Italy who won't share his data with regulators trumps 100s of other studies? Really?

Give me a break.

[cfin5]

FDA wants to start regulating vitamins by prescription only. Vegetable juice now a drug? Growing herbs in your garden can get you busted as a drug dealer? Get ready for SOILENT GREEN people, because that's all your going to be able to afford. Somebody needs to be so fired!!

[king77shaw]

if I remember correctly, Don Rumsfeld, yes, that Rumsfeld chaired or had some position of importance with the company that makes aspartame ... I think the FDA did not approve it initially and then Rummy basically beat them into submission until they said it was safe ... kind of like the CIA and weapons of mass destruction ... no joke ..