Normally I wouldn't cite anything published by Natural News but this entry from Melanie Grimes is an exception.
In "NutraSweet Linked to Leukemia and Lymphoma" Grimes makes a causal link between aspartame (best known by the brand name NutraSweet) and both leukemia and lymphoma chiefly by way of two studies, one from the University of Barcelona that concluded that "aspartame consumption may constitute a hazard because of its contribution to the formation of formaldehyde adducts" and another from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute that concludes "exposure to formaldehyde may cause leukemia, particularly myeloid leukemia, in humans" although that one cautions that "results from other investigations are mixed, suggesting caution in drawing definitive conclusions."
Grimes concludes by saying that if possible it's best to avoid consuming aspartame and similar artificial sweeteners, a conclusion I absolutely agree with because of its potential as a human carcinogen.
When the Searle Corporation received FDA approval to market aspartame in 1981, they scored this very controversial approval in the face in serious scientific objection. One reason? Because Searle's CEO was a very powerful man who had, only a few years earlier, served in the Cabinet of President Gerald Ford as the Secretary of Defense. The methanol content alone in aspartame is hazardous to your health, but big money has a way of getting things done.
Remember: Substances that cause cancer do so over 20, 30 even 40 years. It's why products get approved for consumption, because epidemiologists can't make predictions that far into the future about a substance that hasn't been thoroughly vetted.
Sources:
- Hauptmann M, Lubin JH, Stewart PA, Hayes RB, Blair A. Mortality from lymphohematopoietic malignancies among workers in formaldehyde industries. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2003 Nov 5;95(21):1615-23
- Trocho C, Pardo R, Rafecas I, Virgili J, Remesar X, Fernández-López JA, Alemany M. Formaldehyde derived from dietary aspartame binds to tissue components in vivo. Life Sci 1998;63(5):337-49
- Davis, Devra. The Secret History of the War on Cancer. New York. Basic Books. 2009
