A new st udy published in the Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention journal suggests that the regular use of artificial sweeteners like aspartame does not increase your risk of developing stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, or certain other cancers.
The Italian study of over 3000 participants was done by the Institute of Pharmaological Research “Mario Negri” in Milan, Italy. Between 1991 and 2005, case-control studies were performed with participants from two groups – users or non-users of artificial sweeteners. The groups were: 230 people with stomach cancer and 547 healthy controls; 326 people with pancreatic cancer and 652 healthy controls; and 454 people with endometrial cancer and 908 healthy controls. After following both groups in each of the three groups, researchers found that the use of the artificial sweeteners did not play a part in any increased risk of the cancers. They also divided the sweetener use into saccharin and other sweeteners to see if it would make a difference. Again, the results did not show any increase in cancer.
So what does this mean? The researchers do note that this study was only done in Italy and not in other countries and was also restricted to three kinds of cancer. K The European Ramazzini Foundation (ERF) noted Environmental Health Perspectives (2007) that there was a connection between aspartame and cancer in rats. The cancers in the ERF study included leukemia, lymphoma and breast cancer.
