The Gurrola Family

Tag Archives: Aspartame

Are You Consuming Fake Sugar?

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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 done, on over two million people, in 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). Clearly the healthiest soda is no soda at all.

Here’s just a few of the other possible side effects:

We need to stop looking for quick easy fixes and get back to enjoying real food and real activities. We can’t expect great health and an enjoyable life when we don’t fuel our bodies right.

Foods Artificial Sweeteners Are Hiding In

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Walk into any big box grocery store and you’ll find that artificial sweeteners are everywhere.

They’re tucked into soft drinks, baked goods, and fruit juices to make them taste sweet without the extra calories.

Most products that contain artificial sweeteners are usually labeled as “diet” or “reduced sugar,” but not all are (you can even find some in foods that claim to have “natural” ingredients).

Because they’re not always clearly labeled on food packaging, consumers may not realize that they’re eating them.

These include sweeteners such as sucralose (Splenda®), aspartame (NutraSweet®, Equal®), and acesulfame-K (Sunett®, Sweet One®).

It’s worth noting, however, that although many artificial sweeteners have gotten a bad rap, most are FDA-approved and don’t appear to be bad for you in moderation.

The approval process means that these compounds gone through a series of scientific tests that suggest they’re safe for human consumption. But there’s still a lot we don’t know about how they affect the body.

For instance, they’re marketed toward those trying to lose weight, but some studies suggest that consuming artificially-sweetened foods long-term is linked to weight gain & cancers. It’s also unclear how eating these super-sweet compounds for years can affect children, so it’s best for young people to avoid them.

Sucralose, the main ingredient in Splenda®, is structurally very similar to sugar except for one slight modification that allows it to pass through the body without getting broken down. It’s 600 times sweeter than sugar and was FDA-approved in 1999.

Acesulfame potassium, also known as acesulfame K (K is the symbol for potassium) or Ace K, is a calorie-free sugar substitute (artificial sweetener) often marketed under the trade names Sunett and Sweet One. Ace K is an older, more bitter sweetener that hasn’t been as extensively studied as other artificial sweeteners. It’s usually paired with sucralose to cut down the bitterness and is often found in soft drinks. Acesulfame Potassium contains methylene chloride, a known carcinogen.

Aspartame has many studies that linked it to cancer. Plus those with a rare disorder called phenylketonuria (PKU) may be sensitive to the chemical.

We went to a local grocery store to see where these ingredients are popping up. Here are just a few food products we found artificial sweeteners hiding in. (Click the photo to zoom in & details are in the caption)

 
So what did we learn? A ton — and I mean, a ton — of processed low-calorie and diet foods contain artificial sweeteners, but we also found it in unexpected places!

It’s always good to be informed about what you eat. Read labels. Shop along the perimeter of the grocery store where the vegetables are. Eat real food. Amen.