Poisonous ingredient not so sweet
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised when the FDA does nothing when presented with evidence that something we’re ingesting could be killing us.
The latest example involves aspartame, the artificial sweetener that’s commonly used in 6,000 products—including soda, yogurt, and even some vitamins—as a substitute for sugar because it’s “healthier.” Unfortunately, you couldn’t be any more wrong.
A consumer group even called on the FDA to review the safety of aspartame. It got some play in the news. And I hoped this would be the time when the FDA would finally do the right thing. However, the response was less than enthusiastic: They see no need to take any action—not even study it!
Getting the FDA to change is like trying to get my dog to stop chasing squirrels.
The latest study on aspartame shows that the artificial sweetener might lead to leukemia, breast cancer, and lymphoma. The study tested 4,000 rats that were given high doses of aspartame and allowed to live out their lives until passing away naturally.
After ingesting aspartame throughout their lives, they had a greater likelihood of getting cancer—or, as the study states, a “significant dose-related increase in the incidence.”
In human terms, that would be the virtual equivalent of drinking over seven cans of soda per day, or a child drinking close to three, in order to approximate the dosage that was used in rats.
The reason the FDA says it’s not alarmed is that the old studies that they had initially evaluated found no danger in using aspartame. However, in those particular studies, the rats were killed after two years. That means that the researchers didn’t get a full picture of the total lifetime risk factor. Timing is everything!
At the time the first attempt was made to gain legal standing for aspartame as a marketable substance, the head of the FDA refused to approve it. This was due to his concern about the studies that had found an increased incidence of cancer in lab rats given aspartame. He was removed from office coinciding with an administration change, and the new appointed head whisked aspartame right in as a legal, marketable substance. I think the biggest problem in handling the aspartame-safety question today is the heavy influence of special-interest groups on the FDA that are, yet again, winning out over the health of the American public.
The truth is that we simply don’t know what it means to put this new-to-nature molecule in the human body repeatedly over many years. Nor is it perfectly clear who may or may not be more susceptible to harm from it. To deny these facts and claim there is no so-called “proof” that aspartame is harmful is just plain wrong . . . and certainly has nothing to do with good science!
I call on you to write or phone your congressman and the head of the FDA and ask them to take action on this matter. I believe that we as citizens are quite capable of exerting our own heavy-handed influence—by voicing our concerns and demanding action. If you’re not sure who your congressman is, go to www.house.gov/writerep.
