Aspartame Not Linked to Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Investigators from the American Cancer Society's Epidemiology Research Program in Atlanta have concluded that the artificial sweetener aspartame, often dubiously linked to cancer, is not linked to the development of lymphoma in older adults.

Marjorie L McCullough and colleagues, believing that the existing data was contradictory, examined possible associations between the consumption of sweetened carbonated beverages and aspartame intake with overall risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (and risk by major histologic subtype).

These data are derived from the long-range Cancer Prevention Study--II Nutrition Cohort. To learn more about this large study, click on the link above to be taken to the American Cancer Society's information page.

Looking at data provided by over 100,000 men and women in 1999, the research team determined that the rate of lymphomas (there was no variable risk among subtypes) was no higher among those who consumed aspartame or consumed artificially and sugar-sweetened carbonated beverages daily compared with people that reported no aspartame intake or did not consume such beverages as frequently.

They concluded that their findings "do not support associations of daily consumption of artificially or sugar-sweetened carbonated beverages, or aspartame, with NHL risk."

Source: The Journal of Nutrition