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Health News Archive 263 - Cancer
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Aspartame (Nutra-Sweet or Equal) Causes Cancer - Lymphoma, Leukemia

The final report of a seven-year study by the Ramazzini Foundation on aspartame (also known as Nutra-Sweet or Equal) has linked it to high rates of lymphomas, leukemias, urinary tumors, tumors of certain nerves and other cancers in rats.

The carcinogenic effect of aspartame was found at levels as low as 400 parts per million, or about 20 milligrams a day for humans. This is far less than current daily limits in America (50 milligrams) and the UK (40 milligrams). The researchers state, "The results of this experiment indicate that aspartame is a carcinogenic agent (cancer causing), even at a daily dose of 20 mg/kg body weight, much less than the current acceptable daily intake. On the basis of these results, a reevaluation of the present guidelines on the use and consumption of aspartame is urgent and cannot be delayed."

When the initial findings were released almost a year ago, they were met with criticism from artificial sweetener trade groups, and support from groups critical of aspartame.

The phenylalanine in aspartame dissociates from the ester bond and increases dopamine levels in your brain. This can lead to symptoms of depression because it distorts the serotonin/dopamine balance. It can also lead to migraine headaches and brain tumors through a similar mechanism.

Furthermore, the aspartic acid in aspartame is a well-documented excitotoxin. Excitotoxins are usually amino acids, such as glutamate and aspartate. These special amino acids cause particular brain cells to become excessively excited, to the point they will quickly die. Excitotoxins can also cause a loss of brain synapses and connecting fibers.

Then the ester bond in aspartame is broken down to formaldehyde and methanol, which have their own toxicities. So it is absolutely no surprise that leukemia is associated with using it.

No government regulatory agency has yet acted on the findings; there have been calls for a ban in Britain, and the European Food Safety Authority has begun a review of the study's results. United States FDA officials have said that they also intend to conduct a review.

In the mean time, consider Stevia, a 0 calorie, 0 glycemic supplement from a plant native to South America, which has traditionally been used as a natural sweetener.

Source: Morando Soffritti, Fiorella Belpoggi, Davide Degli Esposti, Luca Lambertini, Eva Tibaldi, and Anna Rigano.  First Experimental Demonstration of the Multipotential Carcinogenic Effects of Aspartame Administered in the Feed to Sprague-Dawley Rats; Environ Health Perspect 114:379-385 (2006 Mar).