Understanding the link between aspartame and cancer.
Expert Rev Anticancer Ther
; 24(9): 793-802, 2024 Sep.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39041328
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Aspartame, invented in 1965 by GD-Searle, is an intense artificial sweetener taste approximately 200 times as sweet as sucrose and used as an additive in more than 6,000 products. Aspartame (APM) was submitted for pre-marketing safety evaluation in early 1980. The studies, performed by GD-Searle, produced controversial results. AREAS COVERED Because of the great commercial diffusion of aspartame, in 1997 the Ramazzini Institute (RI) started a large experimental project on rodents to test the carcinogenic effects of aspartame following an experimental model with more sensitive characteristics, namely a large number of rat and mice, starting treatment from prenatal life, observation until spontaneous death. Overall, the project included studying 2270 rats and 852 mice. These studies have shown that aspartame is a carcinogenic agent in experimental animals, inducing a significant dose-related increased incidence of several types of malignant tumors and, among them, hematological neoplasia, and liver cancer. EXPERT OPINION The results of these studies on aspartame by the Ramazzini Institute opened a real front on the evaluation of artificial sweeteners and their possible health risks. Adequate long-term carcinogenicity bioassays on other diffuse artificial sweeteners such as acesulfame-k, sucralose, saccharin, including their blends, are likewise important for public health.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Aspartame
/
Sweetening Agents
/
Carcinogens
/
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
/
Neoplasms
Limits:
Animals
/
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Expert Rev Anticancer Ther
/
Expert rev. anticancer ther
/
Expert review of anticancer therapy
Journal subject:
NEOPLASIAS
/
TERAPEUTICA
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Italia
Country of publication:
Reino Unido