Aspartame/Nutrasweet really does cause cancer?

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A

aidanjm

Lifer
Aug 9, 2004
12,411
2
0
Originally posted by: bleuikoBut remember, rats are a lot smaller than a person..
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yes, but the authors have expressed the daily dose in mg/kg (i.e., milligrams of aspartame per kilogram bodyweight).

i.e., it's adjusted for bodyweight.

the important question would be whether rats are more vulnerable to the toxic effects of aspartame than are human beings.
 
A

aidanjm

Lifer
Aug 9, 2004
12,411
2
0
Originally posted by: bleuiko
That is not to say that this study does not have any validity in that aspartame does cause cancer at high consumption...
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the study also indicated that relatively *low* doses of aspartame taken over a lifetime increases the risk of cancer in the experimental rats.

Originally posted by: bleuiko
My conclusion on this matter? Same thing my mother used to tell me.

Too much of anything (even good) is probably bad for you.

I drink diet soda, but I try not to drink too much. I like going to the beach and being in the sun, but you better bet that I'm going to buy the biggest SPF sunscreen that I can find. I eat BBQ, but try to keep down the charcoal parts (carcinogenic).... list goes on.

Keep a balance and just enjoy life. I can promise you that you will die someday. For sure.
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I prefer not to consume any aspartame at all, as it seems to give me a nasty headache. I also think it has a fake kind of sweetness which I don't enjoy.

If it seems likely that aspartame does cause cancer in rats even with relatively small to moderate doses taken over a long period of time, then I don't want aspartame in my body on a regular basis.
 
A

Auryg

Platinum Member
Dec 28, 2003
2,377
0
71
Seriously, every one of these artificial sweeteners can't be good for you. Listen to all of the side effects people have had in this thread alone.

If it's giving cancer at these small dosages, even if you don't get cancer, it just *isn't* good for you. The human body is a complex thing, and shoving chemicals in it for the sake of having less calories is silly. Just drink less pop.

Yes, I realize chemicals are in a lot of foods. And no, I'm not some whackjob hippie-my favorite snack is Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls.

What did I see on the ingredients list on a bag of potato chips the other day though? Potatoes, sunflower seed oil, salt.

I smiled.
 
N

newmachineoverlord

Senior member
Jan 22, 2006
484
0
0
Welcome to 2006. Still, keep bumping this repost every three months until someone gets snopes to fix their page, as snopes has (or had) an incorrect article on this topic.
 
A

aceO07

Diamond Member
Nov 6, 2000
4,491
0
76
I hate artificial sweeteners. I can taste them in almost all food products with it. It usually have a strange taste or after taste.

I'd get away from HFCS too if it was possible. It's almost everywhere.

As for cancer, I assume it's not really a problem unless you have a good amount of it every day.
 
aircooled

aircooled

Lifer
Oct 10, 2000
15,965
1
0
I know if I have real sugar regularly, I'll end up with diabetes (due to family history), so I'll take the risk with the artificial sweeteners.
 
moshquerade

moshquerade

No Lifer
Nov 1, 2001
61,504
12
56
Originally posted by: bleuiko
Originally posted by: aidanjm
Originally posted by: Phokus
I don't 100% understand this abstract, can some science dude translate the significance of the numbers?
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the key finding is that even quite small daily doses of aspartame administered over a lifetime are associated with a range of different types of cancers in rats.

the smallest daily dose of aspartame that led to cancer in rats in this study (20 mg/kg) is lower than what many people would be consuming every day.

(the level of consumption for humans which is - or was - thought to be safe is 40 to 50 mg/kg per day according to a quick google search)

so the study raises the possibility that the "safe" or "approved" aspartame levels for daily consumption for humans might not be so safe afterall...
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But remember, rats are a lot smaller than a person. That is not to say that this study does not have any validity in that aspartame does cause cancer at high consumption... but then again, as people have mentioned... everything causes cancer. Did you know that life itself causes cancer? (cell mitosis leads to mutation... which can cause cancer).

My conclusion on this matter? Same thing my mother used to tell me.

Too much of anything (even good) is probably bad for you.

I drink diet soda, but I try not to drink too much. I like going to the beach and being in the sun, but you better bet that I'm going to buy the biggest SPF sunscreen that I can find. I eat BBQ, but try to keep down the charcoal parts (carcinogenic).... list goes on.

Keep a balance and just enjoy life. I can promise you that you will die someday. For sure.
Click to expand...
The voice of reason :thumbsup:
 
Red Dawn

Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
57,529
3
0
So in conclusion if you are a Rat it's best to stay away from that stuff. It's also best to stay away from researchers too as they tend to be hazardous to a Rats health!
 
Ns1

Ns1

No Lifer
Jun 17, 2001
55,420
1,600
126
I don't know, I stay away from it because it tastes like ass.
 
Throckmorton

Throckmorton

Lifer
Aug 23, 2007
16,829
3
0
Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Who gives a ***** rats ass anymore? Seriously. Everything gives you cancer now according to one study or another. Oranges, potatoes, meat, protein...I mean ***** come on. Just eat whatever the hell you want and quit being a little bitch about it. If you believe everything you read...
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If you don't care what causes cancer, why don't you buy yourself an X-ray machine and blast yourself daily?
 
Gunslinger08

Gunslinger08

Lifer
Nov 18, 2001
13,234
2
81
Originally posted by: Throckmorton
Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Who gives a ***** rats ass anymore? Seriously. Everything gives you cancer now according to one study or another. Oranges, potatoes, meat, protein...I mean ***** come on. Just eat whatever the hell you want and quit being a little bitch about it. If you believe everything you read...
Click to expand...

If you don't care what causes cancer, why don't you buy yourself an X-ray machine and blast yourself daily?
Click to expand...

Can of soda: $0.50
X-ray machine: $50,000

Can of soda: delicious
X-ray machine: not delicious

I can definitely see the logic of your argument here.
 
Throckmorton

Throckmorton

Lifer
Aug 23, 2007
16,829
3
0
Originally posted by: joshsquall
Originally posted by: Throckmorton
Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
Who gives a ***** rats ass anymore? Seriously. Everything gives you cancer now according to one study or another. Oranges, potatoes, meat, protein...I mean ***** come on. Just eat whatever the hell you want and quit being a little bitch about it. If you believe everything you read...
Click to expand...

If you don't care what causes cancer, why don't you buy yourself an X-ray machine and blast yourself daily?
Click to expand...

Can of soda: $0.50
X-ray machine: $50,000

Can of soda: delicious
X-ray machine: not delicious

I can definitely see the logic of your argument here.
Click to expand...

My point is that he/she can't distinguish between a small change of getting cancer and a bigger chance. Just because a lot of things can potentially cause cancer doesn't mean you should stuff every carcinogen into your body.
 
U

uclaLabrat

Diamond Member
Aug 2, 2007
5,632
3,046
136
The problem is we don't know how the tests were conducted, so the validity of the conclusions may be dubious. I didn't research it at all, but it seems like everyone would have cancer if the implications presented were indeed true.

Now, aspartame is just two amino acids, aspartate and phenylalanine. That's right, your body is already full of this shit. Now, whether or not ingesting more of it can alter physiological processes is the question at hand. So the whole "chemicals are bad" argument is just ignorant.

Aspartame can break down either in the body or by heating to give off methanol, which is bad. However, the doses required to have any toxicological effect are higher than any sane person could drink in a day, roughly on the order of 4L of soda per day, IIRC.

I'm actually more worried about things like sucralose, as this sweetener is a modified glucose, which is a chlorinated sucrose. Carbon-Chlorine bonds have been implicated as carcinogens due to their potential to do radical chemistry (See carbon tetrachloride, dichloromethane, and chloroform).


News Flash: You're going to die eventually. Stop worrying.
 
U

uclaLabrat

Diamond Member
Aug 2, 2007
5,632
3,046
136
Originally posted by: uclaLabrat
The problem is we don't know how the tests were conducted, so the validity of the conclusions may be dubious. I didn't research it at all, but it seems like everyone would have cancer if the implications presented were indeed true.

Now, aspartame is just two amino acids, aspartate and phenylalanine. That's right, your body is already full of this shit. Now, whether or not ingesting more of it can alter physiological processes is the question at hand. So the whole "chemicals are bad" argument is just ignorant.

Aspartame can break down either in the body or by heating to give off methanol, which is bad. However, the doses required to have any toxicological effect are higher than any sane person could drink in a day, roughly on the order of 4L of soda per day, IIRC.

I'm actually more worried about things like sucralose, which is a chlorinated sucrose. Carbon-Chlorine bonds have been implicated as carcinogens due to their potential to do radical chemistry (See carbon tetrachloride, dichloromethane, and chloroform).


News Flash: You're going to die eventually. Stop worrying.
Click to expand...

Edited for facts. Stupid double post.
 
redgtxdi

redgtxdi

Diamond Member
Jun 23, 2004
5,464
8
81
I think a really good question *might* be............j




HOW WELL DO YOU TRUST THE FDA??????


Do we know enough about the FDA to decide whether or not they're on the people's side???

And, if not........what motive would they have for blind-siding the public on things like carcinogens.


(Don't want to start a "conspiracy theroist's" agenda, but considering they are a pretty big part of what we ingest these days.........I'm curious as to what people think of them)
 
destrekor

destrekor

Lifer
Nov 18, 2005
28,799
359
126
life causes cancer. life causes death. we are all screwed.
;)
but seriously, let's stop breathing oxygen! IT KILLS US OVER TIME!
 
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