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primesuspect
The Curator of Delightful Experiences Admin, D&D Supernerd, Supporter, Expo Attendee
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Independent researchers, and the FDA, have been attempting to establish a conclusive link between Aspartame and cancer (or other crippling illnesses) for quite some time. The link remains completely inconclusive. The public outrage, however, stems from faulty studies conducted in the 1960s, and echoed again by the same researcher (John Olney) in the 1990s.
Numerous in vitro genotoxicity studies, animal carcinogenicity studies and human epidemiologic studies have consistently failed to prove the results conveyed by Olney.
You can read about these studies yourself:
http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10408440701516184
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/supporting/pub/1641.htm
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273230002915424
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/1998/aspartame-0916.html
In fact, the Annals of Oncology from Oxford have thoroughly concluded that John Olney's data was scientifically unsound (source: http://bit.ly/u26qf1), and contaminated by what's called the "ecological fallacy." This same sentiment has played out with independent researchers at the European Food Safety Administration (EFSA), FDA and even the National Cancer Institute.
Much of this outcry is also owed to one Betty Martini, who in 1996 went public with allegations that aspartame was responsible for a host of issues ranging from lupus to multiple sclerosis (source: http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blasp.htm). Though she claimed to be a researcher working in this field, investigation into her background uncovered the fact that she was not a doctor, and had no scientific accreditation of any kind. The American Council on Science and Health had this to say in 1999, to drive the point home:
"MS and lupus have been around a lot longer than aspartame has, and repeated scientific studies have found no connection between the sweetener and such symptoms."
Sadly, your sentiment echoes many of the sentiments that Martini manufactured, and was subsequently unable to substantiate to any conceivable level of scientific rigor. Most attempts to discredit aspartame as an artificial sweetener are often accompanied by few to no sources with data, much less the medical rigor demanded of a claim like you've made. Worse yet, we have no method by which we might prove that the anecdotal stories that have triggered the aspartame panic are even TRUE.
Of course it's easy to dismiss the need for proof with a legion of anecdotal beliefs like this one, and it's equally easy to dismiss the science I've provided as the symptoms of a massive global conspiracy to line the pockets of big business by hiding the dangers of aspartame.
However, I ask everyone to critically think about the EVIDENCE I have provided, and to weigh the probability that some sort of global conspiracy has been kept a secret by tens of thousands of researchers for more than forty years. The obvious answer is that the probability is vanishingly small. As vanishingly small as the cancer/disease risk aspartame represents to humans versus any other food.
Another ding for personal responsibility and no regulation.
Thanks for the details, Thrax. I was getting ready to look stuff up but you have thoroughly summed it up.
As far as government regulated sugar: let's not.
Despite those studies being "proven" false on multiple occasions by multiple institutes the Canadian government is willing to spend over 50 million dollars to reopen the Jeffery Mine in Asbestos, Quebec. Even though I agree with asbestos causing cancer it is still being disputed by upper levels of government.
Aspartame is in the same boat essentially. I think it's harmful and have refused to touch it. I personally think it's a marketing ploy to say "0 calories, 0 sugar" even though there are health effects. Everytime I've drank it I've felted bloated and uncomfortable. I may be wrong many years from now but for the time being I'd like to think there are two sides to this story. One that thinks aspartame is bad for you and one that says it's a good way to diet.
edit: 500th comment since 2004. Awwww yaaaa