Additives to Avoid - Part 2: Aspartame

The controversial sugar substitute aspartame, sold under the names NutraSweet^tm and Equal, has been the source of many health concerns over the past several years.

Several studies have found a possible link between aspartame and diseases such as brain tumors and lymphoma. One, a recent study from The Cesare Maltoni Cancer Research Centre, examined aspartame consumption by rats. The researchers’ results indicated that aspartame is potential carcinogen even at a daily dose much lower than the current acceptable daily intake (Soffritti et al., 2006). In another study, published in 1996, researchers analyzed brain tumor data from 1975-1992 in the United States. They stated that “compared to other environmental factors putatively linked to brain tumors, the artificial sweetener aspartame is a promising candidate to explain the recent increase in incidence and degree of malignancy of brain tumors” (Olney et al., 1996).

Numerous side effects have also been reported with aspartame’s use, such as seizures, chronic fatigue, depression, worsening of fibromyalgia, and joint pain. In 1995, the FDA Epidemiology Branch Chief, Thomas Wilcox, stated that 75% of all reports of adverse reactions to food supply substances from 1981-1995 were from aspartame (Wikipedia.com).

Although there are several studies suggesting that aspartame may be linked to various ailments, some groups, such as the Calorie Control Council, insist that aspartame is safe. The ‘Aspartame Information Centre’s website, which is sponsored by the Calorie Control Council, mentions that the FDA has concluded there is no “reasonable evidence of possible public health harm” and “no consistent or unique patterns of symptoms reported with respect to aspartame that can be causally linked to its use” (Calorie Control Council, 2006). Even with this statement by the FDA, there are still recent studies that mention aspartame may be a harmful substance. We suggest that people carefully consider the available evidence when choosing whether or not to consume products containing aspartame.

References

Calorie Control Council (2006). Aspartame Information Centre. Available online from http://www.aspartame.org/index.html [Cited June 25, 2007].

Olney, J.W., N.B. Farber, E. Spitznagel, L.N. Robins (1996). "Increasing Brain Tumor Rates: Is There a Link to Aspartame?" Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology, Volume 55, pages 1115-1123.

Soffritti, Morando, et al. (2006). First Experimental Demonstration of the Multipotential Carcinogenic Effects of Aspartame Administered in the Feed to Sprague-Dawley Rats. Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 114(3): 379-385.

Wikipedia.com (2007). Entry on Aspartame Controversy.Available online from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame_controversy [Cited June 25, 2007].