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Posts with tag aspartame
Posted Sep 11th 2007 1:51PM by Patricia Mayville-Cox
Filed under: Research, Daily news
A new
study which involved a review of more than 500 reports by an international panel from 10 universities and medical schools states that aspartame is safe. According to the study, there is no evidence that the sweetener causes cancer, neurological damage or other health problems in humans. Aspartame is sold under various brand names including Equal and NutraSweet and has few calories.
The panel used data from NHANES to determine the most current levels of aspartame consumption and found that at those levels, aspartame is safe for consumption, is not cancer-causing or capable of causing neurological damage.
I don't consume any aspartame because I don't like the taste, but this is good news for people who do use aspartame for various reasons.
Posted Jun 26th 2007 2:29PM by Brian White
Filed under: All Cancers, Non-toxic alternatives, Nutrition
To those knowledgeable about cancer causes, the role of fake (artificial) sweeteners in many beverages these days probably make you not want to drink anything but water. Personally, I banned all soft drinks many years ago regardless of the presence of real or fake sweeteners. It was very hard, yes -- but now after researching the role of
Aspartame and other fake sweeteners in the role of cancer, I'll never go back.
Which brings us to the might and oddly bizarre FDA. That federal agency again has swept aside the growing evidence of the artificial sweetener Aspartame contributing to cancer. Another study was released this week that showed this connection, but health officials are making excuses once again.
Yes, there is the commercial interests at play here (like always) with the sweetener companies themselves, but with so much evidence that connects Aspartame with cancer, it's just amazing a ban has not come forward yet.
Posted Jun 15th 2007 6:00AM by Brian White
Filed under: All Cancers, Non-toxic alternatives, Thought for the Day
I've looked into fake sweeteners for quite some time and it confounds me why some of the beverage products are still on the market when toxic substances like
aspartame are contained in them.
I've also looked at the argument that aspartame does or does not assist in the development of various cancers. A final decision has been to not eat or drink anything with aspartame just to be safe. In fact, ditching soft drinks (regular and diet) years ago was the best decision I ever made in terms of
coming to a cancer-free lifestyle.
Think about this:
Do you like that Equal of NutraSweet? Have you tried all-natural sweeteners like stevia or agave nectar instead? We all need to eat something sweet, but there are much better alternatives to sweeteners than aspartame.
The problem is that the brands aspartame is sold under are so large and are found virtually anywhere -- making them much more likely to be consumed. For those concerned with cancer prevention (all of us, I think), it's not really a wise choice, ever. Feel free to disagree, as always.
Posted Apr 22nd 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: All Cancers, Research, Daily news, Thought for the Day
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has something important to say about the sugar substitute aspartame.
Think about this:
Italian researchers concluded in 2005 that aspartame causes cancer. But Laura Tarantino of the FDA Office of Food Additive Safety concludes after a review of the study data that the low-calorie sweetener is not a carcinogen.
A similar review by the FDA's European counterpart agrees. There is no evidence this substance, used for 25 years to sweeten soda, gum, dairy products, and some medications, causes cancer.
Italian researchers say they will release their latest aspartame study results on Monday.Posted Nov 21st 2006 1:55PM by Chris Sparling
Filed under: Brain Cancer, Leukemia, Kidney Cancer, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma
I have heard differing stories over the years regarding the safety of artificial sweeteners. In most cases, the arguments center around one that has been around for quite some time now: aspartame. Is it harmful? Is it safe? Has it been shown to cause certain types of cancer (leukemia, lymphoma, brain cancer)? Are the results conclusive? So on and so forth. I actually even remember once hearing that aspartame was harmful for lab mice, but not for humans. Huh?
The confusion, at least it seems, may finally be cleared up, thanks to a study conducted by the National Cancer Institute. After surveying over 340,000 men and 225,000 women from 1995 to 2000, researchers found that the development of any of the three above-mentioned cancers was not any higher in people who regularly consumed aspartame than those who reportedly did not. While survey studies can sometimes produce slightly inaccurate results (due to several factors, including the "testing effect"), these findings appear to be solid.
Posted May 19th 2006 6:36PM by Dalene Entenmann
Filed under: Drug, Prevention
The Food and Drug Administration, FDA, announced it has
identified the following soft drinks as containing high levels of benzene, a chemical known to cause cancer:
- Crush Pineapple
- Safeway Select Diet Orange
- Crystal Light Sunrise Classic Orange
- Giant Light Cranberry Juice Cocktail
- AquaCal Strawberry Flavored Water Beverage
Dr. Laura Tarantino, director of the FDA's Office of Food Additive Safety, said drinking sodas high in benzene does not pose a health risk -- while the people at the Environmental Working Group accuses the FDA of past and present suppression of information about benzene in soft drinks and views the benzene levels in soft drinks a problem. "FDA's test results confirm that there is a serious problem with benzene in soda and juices," said Richard Wiles, senior vice president at Environmental Working Group.
Basically, the problem is
sodium benzoate and
ascorbic acid, which together form benzene. Benzene is a known cancer-causing chemical.
This is a problem that has been going on for years -- both here and in Europe. Over the months we have reported on the possible cover-ups and controversy related to the cancer risks of some soft drinks and about the good guys and bad guys of this continuing story. You can read a bit of background on this issue
here and
here.
Posted May 6th 2006 8:00AM by Dalene Entenmann
Filed under: Leukemia, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Hodgkin's Lymphoma
The European Food Safety Agency, EFSA, has evaluated and rejected the Ramazzini Institute research study that showed aspartame increases the risk for some cancers. The official stand from the EFSA is there is no cancer risk from aspartame, or the drinks and foods containing the artificial sweetener.
During the news conference, EFSA's Iona Pratt stated, "Our conclusion on the basis of all the evidence currently available to us is that there's no reason to revise the previously established acceptable daily intake, nor at this stage, to undertake any further extensive review of the safety of aspartame."
According to EFSA, the increased incidence of leukemias and lymphomas in the rats in the Ramazzini study could be explained as chronic health problems that made the animals predisposed to such conditions, and not consumption of aspartame.
Huh? Did she just say the researchers started the study using sickly rats and
that's why they developed tumors? The Ramazzini Institute, which tested aspartame on 1,800 rats over their entire lives, stands by its findings, and plans additional studies. This controversy is
never --
ever --
really -- going to be settled.
Posted Apr 5th 2006 8:00AM by Dalene Entenmann
Filed under: Drug, Prevention
One of my good friends uses
artificial sweeteners as a substitute for sugar, and she has been doing so for years. I wrinkle my nose mostly because
I do not care for the metallic taste, and I am one of those people who believes if there is smoke there might be fire.
The
aspartame
controversy has raged on for years, each side steadfast in their flame-fanning research-supported stated opinions.
Putting my personal preference and belief aside, I am sharing with you that
The Calorie Control Council, established in 1966, as an international non-profit
association representing the low-calorie and reduced-fat food and beverage industry, has released the results of a
National Cancer Institute five-year epidemiology study indicating there is no risk between aspartame and cancer. For
those who believe in the safety of aspartame, this conclusion will come as a welcome relief from worry. For those who
strongly believe aspartame is a dangerous chemical, all I can say is -- do not shoot the messenger. I realize in an
attempt to fairly report all things cancer-related and give both sides a voice, someone is not going to be happy about
it. And if the past is any indicator of the future, I am sure this will not be the last word on the aspartame subject.
Posted Feb 13th 2006 3:27PM by Dalene Entenmann
Filed under: Leukemia, Prevention
Last
July, Dr. Morando Soffritti, European Ramazzini Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences director, of Bologna,
Italy, published research findings linking aspartame to lymphoma, leukemia and cancer in rats. Dr. Soffritti's study
alarmed many people who use artificial sweeteners, and sparked a controversial debate among scientists and consumers.
Dr. Soffritti's study involved 1,900 rats that had been given daily doses of the sweetener equivalent to four to five
20-ounce bottles of diet soda for a 150-pound person. Part of the reasoning behind the new study to examine the
findings of Dr. Soffritti's original study, is that he allowed rats in his study to live three years, as opposed to the
normal two years research rats live. Two rat years is equivalent to 53 human years. His argument for studying rats an
additional year, is that cancer is a disease striking most people in the third part of life. In all fairness, the
controversy regarding the safety of aspartame began years ago, and evokes strong debate, and conflicting evidence, on
both sides of the aspartame argument. The new study will be published in the United States later this year. Do you
think artificial sweeteners are safe?
