Europe launches probe into diet sweetener

[Aaltrude]

By Dr. William Campbell Douglass (http://www.healthiertalk.com/users/wcdouglass)on 06/29/2011

The fix is in!
European lawmakers have ordered the European Food Safety Authority (their equivalent of the FDA) to re-open the case against aspartame.
And the EFSA is none too happy about it.
The new case against aspartame
A spokeswoman told the news media that the EFSA has examined this artificial sweetener repeatedly, and "has never had any indication that aspartame presents a risk in terms of genotoxicity or carcinogenesis."
They've "never had any indication" because they've never bothered to look! Funny how it works that way.
They actually did begin a review into the safety of aspartame, but in 2009 they cut it short. Why? Because they claimed they couldn't find anyone who was actually hurt by aspartame.
I guess they must have missed the study last year that showed that two servings of diet soda increased the risk of premature birth by 38 percent, while four servings a day boosted it by 78 percent.

Read more: http://www.healthiertalk.com/europe-launches-probe-diet-sweetener-4198

[Julieanne]

I don't really know how they sort these things out. Not defending aspartame at all, but eg the person taking two servings of diet soda is probably eating/drinking other stuff too. How can you tell what affects what? Obviously, I have no scientific background. Please be gentle in your explanations!

[Islander]

I don't know what Douglas is referring to, Julieanne; he can be snarky. Virtually all the effects I have heard about on humans are anecdotal. Not dismissing anecdotes, enough anecdotes = data, but the only proof I've seen is lab rat studies. Actually, I seem to remember quite a few such studies back in the day, which the FDA originally took seriously and later had a "change of heart" and dismissed. I suspect the "change" referred to was someone's, you know, pocket change....

[Aaltrude]

I no longer have access to it unfortunately but some years ago while still working in a hospital I read an article in the online British Medical Journal (BMJ) that indicated that 100% of industry funded studies showed that there were no health problems related to aspartame yet 92% of independent studies showed that there were health problems associated with aspartame. This article was published before the study on rats that you refer to Islander.

[highlander]

I'm going with Aaltrude's quoted stats.