Aspartame is Safe, Experts Claim, But Should We Believe Them?

Note from Connie: Well now isn't this interesting? A panel of American, British and Dutch experts reviewed 500 studies, reports, and articles published over the last 25 years and they concluded that aspartame doesn't cause cancer, seizures, neurological damage or obesity.

Hmmm. Scientists from all over? That sounds impressive. Well, it turns out there's a catch, as Reuters tells us. The study was funded by Japanese food corporation Ajinomoto, which makes aspartame. Jennifer gives us the story.

University of Maryland nutrition professor Bernadene Magnuson, lead author of this study, claimed that the aspartame maker had no control over the panel and that panel members didn't know who funded the study until after it was finished. She even told Reuters, "I have no qualms in terms of who funded the study," she said.

I guess I'm just a distrustful person, because I sure do have qualms. Is it really possible that the panel was entirely independent of the company who paid for its work? Do we have any independent verification of that?

Michael Jacobson, Ph.D., who heads up the Center for Science in the Public Interest doesn't think much of this panel's conclusions either.

"This review is totally unreliable and people should simply ignore it," he said.

Even if you accept Magnuson's claim that the panel wasn't influenced by Ajinomoto, it did conclude that some people might get headaches after consuming aspartame.

Why eat or drink something that could make your head hurt when there's other, tasty and definitively nutritious drinks and foods that you could enjoy?

Jennifer Moore for SUGAR SHOCK! Blog