Aspartame does not cause cancer according to the American Cancer Society, the FDA and the National Cancer Institute. Before the 1981 FDA approval of aspartame, it was extensively evaluated in four long-term and lifetime studies in rodents which received enormous doses of aspartame, equal to the amount of aspartame in more than 1,000 cans of diet soft drink daily over a lifetime for an adult human. There was no increase in brain tumors or any other type of cancer.
A carefully controlled study was done at Duke University Medical Center with people who were convinced that aspartame caused their headaches. This study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, demonstrated that aspartame does not cause headaches or migraines.
Blackburn et al. (1997) conducted a study to investigate whether the addition of aspartame to a multidisciplinary weight control program would improve weight loss and long-term control of body weight in obese women. The researchers found that aspartame consumption was positively associated with weight loss. The researchers concluded that aspartame, as part of a multidisciplinary weight control program, may facilitate weight control.
Aspartame was associated with weight loss in two additional long-term studies. Morris et al. (1989) investigated low-calorie sweetener consumption patterns of 35 overweight individuals before and after completing a 16-week weight loss program. At the end of the 16-week period, women lost more than 15 pounds and men lost more than 20 pounds while consuming aspartame and saccharin. The researchers concluded: “These results suggest that consumption of artificial sweeteners is not a barrier to weight loss and that foods containing artificial sweeteners can be incorporated into a weight-loss program.”
Drs. Tordoff and Alleva (1990) conducted a long-term study, monitoring the diet records and body weights of 30 normal-weight adults during three separate periods, each lasting three weeks. During each period, the subjects consumed 40 ounces daily of either aspartame-sweetened soda, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)-sweetened soda or no experimental drinks. The researchers observed that drinking aspartame-sweetened soda decreased the sugar and calorie intake of both sexes significantly compared to the control period. Consumption of aspartame-sweetened soda also led to a non-significant decrease in body weight in both sexes combined, while consumption of HFCS-sweetened soda resulted in a significant weight gain in both men and women.
“Don’t believe the rumors – widely spread on the Internet – that aspartame … causes not only multiple sclerosis, but also lupus, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, Gulf War syndrome, and brain tumors. ”
-University of California, Berkeley Wellness Letter, April 1999
“I have no problem with information dissemination, even when it is wrong. But [this] has crossed the line. There is no evidence that aspartame in any way causes, provokes, mimics or worsens MS. This series of allegations are almost totally without foundation. They are rabidly inaccurate and scandalously misinformative.”
-David Squillacote, MD, Senior Medical Advisor for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation
“There continues to be unsubstantiated claims that the nonnutritive sweetener aspartame (brand name NutraSweet) poses health risks to people with diabetes. Aspartame has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a governmental agency that conducts thorough scientific reviews to determine foods are safe for public consumption. The American Diabetes Association follows FDA recommendations and recognizes that there is no credible scientific evidence linking aspartame to any health-related problems for people with diabetes.”
-American Diabetes Association Statement, February 9, 1999
rad
