Safety of Aspartame Overwhelmingly Confirmed

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- An Italian study on potential risks of aspartame is rebuffed by the scientific community.

The Calorie Control Council -- an international non-profit association representing the low-calorie and reduced-fat food and beverage industry -- says a rat study conducted by Italy's Ramazzini Institute totally contradicts extensive scientific research and regulatory reviews on aspartame. Authors of the study say aspartame may be linked to an increased risk of leukemia and lymphoma in rats.

The Calorie Control Council says the Ramazzini study did not follow the guidelines of the National Toxicology Program (NTP), the United States government toxicology initiative administered by the National Institute of Environmental and HealthSciences (NIEHS).

Four long-term carcinogenicity studies on aspartame conducted according to international standards found no link between aspartame and any form of cancer. Numerous regulatory agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted extensive reviews of the data.

The FDA does not recommend any changes in the use of aspartame. And based on the Ramizzini study, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) -- a scientific body that provides independent and objective advice on food safety issues in the European Union -- says, "EFSA does not consider it appropriate to suggest any change in consumers' diets relative to aspartame."

Lyn Nabors, president of the Calorie Control Council says, "Consumers and health professionals can be assured that aspartame is safe for humans. And the rigorous scrutiny and battery of studies to which aspartame has been subjected should provide people with additional confidence in it safety."

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

SOURCE: Environmental Health Perspectives, published online Nov. 17, 2005