aspartame and lympoma

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issyfit
issyfit Posts: 1,077 Member
in Food and Nutrition
http://www.infowars.com/aspartame-is-linked-to-leukemia-and-lymphoma-in-new-landmark-study-on-humans/

Hubby was recently diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. I've been doing a lot of research on the disease. This study caught my attention because he was a heavy diet coke drinker, probably 5-6 cans a day for at least 20 years. I'm just wondering if anyone else on here thinks they can blame their lymphoma or that of a friend or relative, to aspartame consumption. If there is a class action lawsuit I would love to join it. Thanks.

Replies

  • RobynC79
    RobynC79 Posts: 331 Member
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    Hi - good luck to your husband.

    The study being referred to in the link seems to have been taken a little out of context, because the conclusion of the actual study is:

    "Although our findings preserve the possibility of a detrimental effect of a constituent of diet soda, such as aspartame, on select cancers, the inconsistent sex effects and occurrence of an apparent cancer risk in individuals who consume regular soda do not permit the ruling out of chance as an explanation."

    But they do say "However, in men, ≥1 daily serving of diet soda increased risks of NHL (RR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.72) and multiple myeloma (RR: 2.02; 95% CI: 1.20, 3.40) in comparison with in men without diet soda consumption",

    The lower limit of the confidence interval (CI) is very close to overlapping with 1, which would indicate no increase from control. I think they are very cautious because of that.

    So they conclude that they have not definitely linked the two.

    If you would like to read the whole study (if you don't have access to the journal), let me know? I can probably get it.
  • issyfit
    issyfit Posts: 1,077 Member
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    Thanks for your input Robyn. Dr. Mercola explains why the effect may be stronger in men:

    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/11/07/aspartame-causes-blood-cancer.aspx
  • LPCoder
    LPCoder Posts: 404 Member
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    I like that the links for the research are provided at the end of the article. Thanks for posting. If the research holds, then I am sure the FDA will get on top of it (unless some lobby group gets involved)
  • RobynC79
    RobynC79 Posts: 331 Member
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    It is interesting that the effect seems more pronounced in men. Sex differences in medicine are very real, so I am a little surprised that the authors back away so heavily from their very real result by saying that sex differences may make it a chance-effect.

    However, it's worth keeping in mind that of all the food additives out there, few have been as exhaustively studied as aspartame. While there are a number of studies showing toxicity in rodent models, some of these are designed to show the maximum safe dose, so the animals are vastly overloaded with the substance to see how much it takes to get adverse effects. I don't think anyone has ever definitely shown adverse effects at physiological doses in humans, although I am not an expert on it (neuroscientist, not epidemiologist!)
  • issyfit
    issyfit Posts: 1,077 Member
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    I like that the links for the research are provided at the end of the article. Thanks for posting. If the research holds, then I am sure the FDA will get on top of it (unless some lobby group gets involved)

    I don't trust the FDA when it comes to artificial sweeteners, there's too much money involved.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
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    Aspartic Acid are amino acids and there's a much higher concentration of these aminos in a measly 4oz chicken breast than there is in diet soda. 1 Banana will yield more methanol than a 12oz can of soda. The dosage limits that can cause any issues are VERY HIGH, and you'd have to consume massive amounts to even detect any increased levels in a blood test. Cliffs: Diet soda is fine if you don't get headaches from it, and a very small % of people do. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17828671

    Just a different view. I am sorry for your troubles, best of luck!!
  • schustc
    schustc Posts: 428 Member
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    My husband was also diagnosed with Non Hodgkins - 6 years ago. He was a HEAVY diet pop drinker. there was a lump in his neck, he had to go through Chemo and Radiation.

    All seems fine now - so there is hope - just to help you see that. I can help with some ideas on how to handle radiation burns if you need to deal with those.

    I have been trying to get him to stop the artificial sweeteners for years. He uses less than he did, but hasn't cut them out completely. :( I'm going to read this article and possibly forward to him.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
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    Aspartic Acid are amino acids and there's a much higher concentration of these aminos in a measly 4oz chicken breast than there is in diet soda. 1 Banana will yield more methanol than a 12oz can of soda. The dosage limits that can cause any issues are VERY HIGH, and you'd have to consume massive amounts to even detect any increased levels in a blood test. Cliffs: Diet soda is fine if you don't get headaches from it, and a very small % of people do. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17828671

    Just a different view. I am sorry for your troubles, best of luck!!
    Thank you for your accurate reply.
    More people should be as critical.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,249 Member
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    Thanks for your input Robyn. Dr. Mercola explains why the effect may be stronger in men:

    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/11/07/aspartame-causes-blood-cancer.aspx

    Dr Mercola is a quack and has been ordered by the FDA, several times, to stop making unsubstantiated health claims about products he sells.
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
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    Sorry to hear about your husband's illness, I hope and pray he recovers completely.

    But before you jump on the class action suit bandwagon - thing about a few things first.....YOUR HUSBAND chose to drink that much diet pop a day. This research is brand new- he drank the stuff for 20 years out of his own free will....... He will not get better due to a class action suit - so rather spend your energy on helping him through this and not spending years trying to make money out of it....
  • amflautist
    amflautist Posts: 941 Member
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    I like that the links for the research are provided at the end of the article. Thanks for posting. If the research holds, then I am sure the FDA will get on top of it (unless some lobby group gets involved)

    I don't trust the FDA when it comes to artificial sweeteners, there's too much money involved.

    This^^^^

    Wise woman!
  • Mads1997
    Mads1997 Posts: 1,494 Member
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    Sorry to hear about your husband's illness, I hope and pray he recovers completely.

    But before you jump on the class action suit bandwagon - thing about a few things first.....YOUR HUSBAND chose to drink that much diet pop a day. This research is brand new- he drank the stuff for 20 years out of his own free will....... He will not get better due to a class action suit - so rather spend your energy on helping him through this and not spending years trying to make money out of it....

    THIS^^^
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
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    I hope your husband conquers it quickly.

    I'm always wary of these kind of studies. It's the same old thing we always see - an attempt to pin a condition that is most likely the result of an incredibly complex interplay of factors onto one single factor.

    You gotta wonder, who are the guys who drink the most diet soda? I'd wager they are generally a tad overweight and a tad underexercised. I say this because I am one. Most really fit people I know don't drink soda at all, or they'll just bang a full sugar one back because they know they'll be burning it off again in no time. So the real question is - what other lifestyle choices do these >1 diet soda drinkers make that are likely more to blame for a chronic illness than the aspartame itself?

    I'm not saying they won't solidify the link - they've done it before (trans fat for example) - but it's few and far between.
  • love22step
    love22step Posts: 1,103 Member
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    I like that the links for the research are provided at the end of the article. Thanks for posting. If the research holds, then I am sure the FDA will get on top of it (unless some lobby group gets involved)

    Why do you trust the FDA?
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
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    http://www.infowars.com/aspartame-is-linked-to-leukemia-and-lymphoma-in-new-landmark-study-on-humans/

    Hubby was recently diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. I've been doing a lot of research on the disease. This study caught my attention because he was a heavy diet coke drinker, probably 5-6 cans a day for at least 20 years. I'm just wondering if anyone else on here thinks they can blame their lymphoma or that of a friend or relative, to aspartame consumption. If there is a class action lawsuit I would love to join it. Thanks.

    Infowars.com is Alex Jones' website. Isn't that the 9/11 conspiracy guy?
  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
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    http://www.infowars.com/aspartame-is-linked-to-leukemia-and-lymphoma-in-new-landmark-study-on-humans/

    Hubby was recently diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. I've been doing a lot of research on the disease. This study caught my attention because he was a heavy diet coke drinker, probably 5-6 cans a day for at least 20 years. I'm just wondering if anyone else on here thinks they can blame their lymphoma or that of a friend or relative, to aspartame consumption. If there is a class action lawsuit I would love to join it. Thanks.

    Infowars.com is Alex Jones' website. Isn't that the 9/11 conspiracy guy?

    yes it is lol

    ETA: OP infowars is not a reliable source of information, that man is cray cray
  • almonds1
    almonds1 Posts: 642 Member
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    I like that the links for the research are provided at the end of the article. Thanks for posting. If the research holds, then I am sure the FDA will get on top of it (unless some lobby group gets involved)

    I don't trust the FDA when it comes to artificial sweeteners, there's too much money involved.
    Just like smoking.....
  • issyfit
    issyfit Posts: 1,077 Member
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    I appreciate everyone's input.
  • basenji
    basenji Posts: 208 Member
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    I don't have a comment about the aspartame but I just want to say good luck to you and your husband. My sister-in-law had non-hodgkins lymphoma then 6 years later she was diagnosed with hodgkins lymphoma. She has a clean bill of health and is doing great!

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