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Aspartame news is very palatable(Dallas Morning News, The (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) WASHINGTON _ The news on aspartame was a little sweeter earlier this month, with one of the largest human studies so far finding no association with cancer. Known by brand names such as NutraSweet and Equal, aspartame has been in and out of headlines since its approval in 1981, largely because of data raising the possibility of a link to brain cancer. After years of relative quiet, the controversy revived in February, when a team of Italian researchers published disturbing data from an extensive animal study. The scientists, writing in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, reported that rodents fed aspartame at levels under the daily acceptable limit appeared to have an increased risk of lymphoma, leukemia and brain cancers. Even the report's language was alarming: "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," the team from Bologna wrote. The Italian study prompted investigators from the National Cancer Institute to examine aspartame patterns among more than 550,000 older men and women who had enrolled in a health study in 1995 and 1996. This month in Washington, during the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, the NCI scientists reported that no matter how they analyzed the data, no associations between aspartame and blood or brain cancers emerged. "This goes a long way toward alleviating concerns about aspartame," says Michael Jacobson, director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer group that has called for further investigation into the safety of the sweetener. However, he isn't ready yet to declare the case closed. "There's still a question mark over it," he says. That's because there are limits to the amount of information any one study can produce, and Jacobson is still bothered by some of the earlier data. In the newest research, the scientists identified 1,972 cases of blood cancers and 364 cases of brain cancer over five years. Among those who had more than 200 milligrams of aspartame daily _ just over the amount in one can of soda _ the average consumption was about 400 milligrams. At any level of consumption, even the highest amounts, the scientists couldn't find any difference between healthy people and those with cancer. "Our observations don't show a significant increased risk of cancer," researcher Unhee Lim said at the meeting. The strengths of the new study include the fact that people answered questions about eating habits before anyone had developed cancer. In some studies, people are questioned after they become ill, and participants may distort the consumption of foods they believe may have made them sick. The research was also praised for involving so many participants. Investigations with large numbers offer more statistical power for analysis. But no study is perfect. People had to recall what they ate when they filled out questionnaires, so the amount of aspartame consumed was based on memory. Also, the study followed people for five years and cannot rule out the possibility that a smoldering cancer may appear later. To that end, the researchers plan another analysis in the future. Experts also say that the results from the Italian study need to be verified. Meanwhile, the new numbers should be "reassuring to the users of aspartame," says Richard Adamson, a scientific consultant to the American Beverage Association. Aspartame remains the country's artificial sweetener of choice. Nutrasweet estimates that its product is used in about 5,000 other products and consumed by about 250 million people worldwide. The use of Splenda is increasing, Adamson says. Splenda, the newest sweetener on the block, has not raised safety concerns in animal studies, Jacobson says. Despite the fact that aspartame, saccharin and other additives seem to have been dogged with periodic controversy, Jacobson says that given the overall concerns about weight gain and diabetes, he would still recommend diet sodas over full-calorie ones. Even better, he says, would be shedding the notion that every thirst must be quenched with something sweet. "Water is always available," he says. (EDITORS: STORY CAN END HERE) ___ SWEETENERS AT A GLANCE What are artificial sweeteners? They are products used to sweeten foods and beverages. Because they are many times sweeter than sugar, tiny amounts go a long way, which reduces the calorie content of foods. Use of artificial sweeteners is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Common sweeteners on the market are saccharin (Sweet `N Low, Sugar Twin), aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal) and sucralose (Splenda). What evidence suggests a link between artificial sweeteners and cancer? Studies on rats in the 1970s suggested that saccharin might raise the risk of bladder cancer. Further research suggested an increased risk at high doses, especially in male rats. However, human studies have not found any association with bladder cancer. Aspartame research has made headlines from time to time. In the late 1990s, a study indicated that an increase in the number of Americans with brain tumors might partially be tied to the sweetener. However, researchers from the National Cancer Institute found that brain tumor rates had been rising even before aspartame's approval in 1981. The latest controversy was fueled by Italian data from animal studies, which suggests an increased risk of blood and brain cancers. However, one of the most extensive human studies of the subject released this month has not found any associations in people. Studies on sucralose, or Splenda, have not suggested any connection with cancer or other health problems. WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration: www.fda.gov The National Cancer Institute: www.cancer.gov SOURCE: the National Cancer Institute ___ (c) 2006, The Dallas Morning News. Visit The Dallas Morning News on the World Wide Web at http://www.dallasnews.com/ Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services. For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail [email protected]. |