As few as one diet soda daily may increase the risk for leukemia in men and women, and for multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma in men, according to new results from the longest-ever running study on aspartame as a carcinogen in humans. Importantly, this is the most comprehensive, long-term study ever completed on this topic, so it holds more weight than other past studies which appeared to show no risk. And disturbingly, it may also open the door for further similar findings on other cancers in future studies.
The most thorough study yet on aspartame – Over two million person-years
For this study, researchers prospectively analyzed data from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study for a 22-year period. A total of 77,218 women and 47,810 men were included in the analysis, for a total of 2,278,396 person-years of data. Apart from sheer size, what makes this study superior to other past studies is the thoroughness with which aspartame intake was assessed. Every two years, participants were given a detailed dietary questionnaire, and their diets were reassessed every four years. Previous studies which found no link to cancer only ever assessed participants’ aspartame intake at one point in time, which could be a major weakness affecting their accuracy.
One diet soda a day increases leukemia, multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphomas
The combined results of this new study showed that just one 12-fl oz. can (355 ml) of diet soda daily leads to:
- 42 percent higher leukemia risk in men and women (pooled analysis)
- 102 percent higher multiple myeloma risk (in men only)
- 31 percent higher non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk (in men only)
These results were based on multi-variable relative risk models, all in comparison to participants who drank no diet soda. It is unknown why only men drinking higher amounts of diet soda showed increased risk for multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Note that diet soda is the largest dietary source of aspartame (by far) in the U.S. Every year, Americans consume about 5,250 tons of aspartame in total, of which about 86 percent (4,500 tons) is found in diet sodas.
Confirmation of previous high quality research on animals
This new study shows the importance of the quality of research. Most of the past studies showing no link between aspartame and cancer have been criticized for being too short in duration and too inaccurate in assessing long-term aspartame intake. This new study solves both of those issues. The fact that it also shows a positive link to cancer should come as no surprise, because a previous best-in-class research study done on animals (900 rats over their entire natural lifetimes) showed strikingly similar results back in 2006: aspartame significantly increased the risk for lymphomas and leukemia in both males and females. More worrying is the follow on mega-study, which started aspartame exposure of the rats at the fetal stage. Increased lymphoma and leukemia risks were confirmed, and this time the female rats also showed significantly increased breast (mammary) cancer rates. This raises a critical question: will future, high-quality studies uncover links to the other cancers in which aspartame has been implicated (brain, breast, prostate, etc.)?
There is now more reason than ever to completely avoid aspartame in our daily diet. For those who are tempted to go back to sugary sodas as a “healthy” alternative, this study had a surprise finding: men consuming one or more sugar-sweetened sodas daily saw a 66 percent increase in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (even worse than for diet soda). Perhaps the healthiest soda is no soda at all.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23097267
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16507461
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17805418
About the author:
Ethan Evers is author of the award-winning medical thriller “The Eden Prescription,” in which cutting-edge researchers perfect an effective, all-natural treatment for cancer, only to be hunted down by pharmaceutical interests which will stop at nothing to protect their $80 billion cancer drug cash machine. The Eden Prescription is based on the latest science and draws on real historical events stretching back to the beginning of the “War on Cancer.” Ethan has a PhD in Applied Science.
http://www.naturalnews.com/037772_aspartame_leukemia_lymphoma.html#ixzz2AskzJ4xm
The dangers of aspartame have been known for a very long time. I recall hearing a biochemist speaking about this excitatory neurotoxin circa 1980, warning about its toxicity before it actually was approved by the FDA (and there’s an interesting story behind that approval…). I’ve avoided aspartame ever since, and have tried to make people aware of this issue. Doesn’t anyone else feel there’s a conflict of interest when the company standing to make billions in profit is responsible for doing the research showing that product is “safe”? Especially when the company’s former executives and lobbyists hold the top positions at the FDA (so they can rubber stamp approvals)?
I managed…or taught folks to manage… fast service restaurants all over the world for about thirty-five years…for the first 15 years or so, I drank diet coke everyday…by the gallons….then about ten years ago I read about the serious studies of aspartame..and I stopped drinking DC completely…now I am a root-beer-aholic..and need to get off the high-fructose-corn-syrup….however, in 09 I started having terrible epileptic seizures….and now every 4-6 weeks I’ll have a seizure day that includes 3-6 grande-mal seizures in a row, being hospitalized for weeks at a time, losing sight in an eye…the loss of the use of a limb or two….so now I wonder if both the aspartame & HFCS has damaged my poor little brain…?
Regards,
RJ O’Guillory
Author-
Webster Groves-The Life of an Insane Family
Sorry to hear about your seizures. I would bet that the aspartame does have a big factor in your seizures. You know that that high fructose corn syrup is some nasty stuff also, just think RJ that high fructose corn syrup is mostly if not always made from GMO corn. You know RJ that you can make your own root beer!, it sounds like you are into food service and/or cooking. Stevia is a real good all natural sugar substitute, it is even said to help normalize blood sugar. Check it out, you may like it. Hell, RJ – it is even a easy plant to grow Stevia is.
…Yes DD….we are looking into our own soda production, and we are switching to real-sugar-only soda’s…but I should really just stop drinking all the soda that I consume…if my choices were limited to smoking weed or drinking soda…I’ll give up the soda….ha!
Regards,
RJ O’Guillory
Author-
Webster GRoves-The Life of an Insane Family
If you do market your own soda, RJ let us know – I will for sure check it out if possible, eh. Ya know RJ – pot lowers blood sugar- that is why people get the munchies when they smoke pot, LOL. What a treatmant for high blood sugar diabetes.
The monsters who created this poison are the same ones who have created some of the most toxic substances known to man – Monsanto. Those of you who know me, know how much I despise this Satanic POS corporation, one of the few articles I’ve written was on this scum-of-the-earth corp. Besides aspartame, they created Round-Up, Agent Orange, dioxin, RBGH & PCB’s, to name a few. Now they’re creating toxic frankenfoods known as GMO’s.
Some years ago, a study was done on the most violent criminals in prisons across the country. They discovered that in EVERY case their diets were very high in aspartame and MSG. Obviously, the combination of these two causes extreme rage and psychotic reactions in certain individuals. For this reason, I now read labels. I won’t buy anything with either ingredient in them. I only buy Pepsi Throwback now, made with REAL sugar, since high fructose corn syrup is also on my no-fly list.
Ya know what #1, I would not have anything to do with any carbonated beverages. Them monsters will get us all if we let them. They got their dirty little fingers into more than most people could ever imagine – you know that #1, and I just wish others would also know as much.