You may recall the work of Dr. Morando Soffritti and his international team of researchers who uncovered the link between aspartame and leukemia. Last fall, we received the first tidbits about his long-term study of aspartame on rats and more horrible health risks.
Finally, Dr. Soffritti’s final study is available (free study link below), and the news is as bad as one could expect. The carcinogenic effect of aspartame was found at levels as low as 400 parts per million, or about 20 milligrams a day for humans. No surprise, that’s far lower than current daily limits in America (50 milligrams) and the UK (40 milligrams).
Considering more than 200 million people consume aspartame in their foods, drinks, vitamins and toothpaste, among other things, and their exposure to it begins in the womb, there’s no telling how big the problem truly is.
Will Dr. Soffritti’s latest findings provoke far more scrutiny about the debatable safety of artificial sweeteners, especially among its defenders — think former G.D. Searle CEO Donald Rumsfeld? With people more aware unnaturally sweetened diet soft drinks can double their obesity risks, I certainly hope so.
Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 114, No. 3, March 2006: 379-385Free Full Text Article
New York Times February 12, 2006Registration Required