Study: Aspartame Does Not Increase Cancer Risk

A recent federal study assures consumers that aspartame, an ingredient found in diet sodas and artificial sweeteners, does not increase the risk factor for cancer like many believed.

The study, done on humans, not lab rats, followed the diets of thousands of seniors, many of whom consumed large amounts of foods containing aspartame.

Study Details

• Over 500,000 men and women participated in the study.
  
• The study focused on the amount of soda, iced teas and fruit juices consumed. It also considered whether they added products containing aspartame to their coffee and tea.
• Of those people, only 2,106 developed cancer like lymphoma and leukemia. 376 developed brain tumors.
  
• The cancer cases that developed were found to be unrelated to aspartame consumption.
  

The study, performed by the National Health Institute, rejects findings from an Italian study that reported an increased cancer risk factor in lab rats. The study showed an increase development of leukemia and lymphoma when lab mice were given low amounts of aspartame.

Consumer worry over the use artificial sweeteners has heightened over the course of aspartame's 25 year history on the market. The public concern may have been sparked over the cancer link of lab rats to a sweetener, saccharin, consumed in the '70's. Although no human case of cancer development caused by saccharin was documented, concerns were raised about safety of artificial sweeteners.

The finding of the federal study, are very reassuring to consumers and many consumer advocacy groups.



_{Sources: The Cincinnati Enquirer.Aspartame not linked to cancer, study says
U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Is aspartame safe?
American Association of Cancer Research}