Study Linking Aspartame to Cancer Risk Deemed "Weak"
Health nuts rejoice.... 
FULL STORY
Aspartame made headlines this week when a new study found a correlation between drinking diet soda and an increased risk of leukemia, Non-Hodgkin?s lymphoma and other blood-related cancers. However, the Harvard hospital that promoted the research later apologized for bringing increased attention to "weak science."
The research, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was originally promoted by Brigham and Women?s Hospital (BWH), a Harvard teaching facility with a press release titled, ?The truth isn?t sweet when it comes to artificial sweeteners.?
But hours before the article went live online the hospital released a new statement.
?Upon review of the findings, the consensus of our scientific leaders is that the data is weak, and that BWH Media Relations was premature in the promotion of this work,? wrote Erin McDonough, senior vice president of communications at BWH.
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These researchers were following in the footsteps of a long-term 2005 Italian study that found more lymphomas and leukemias in rats fed high doses of aspartame. The FDA and European Food Safety Authority found shortcomings in the study and?because most studies involving animal and humans at the time found no problems with aspartame?said the sweetener was not cause for concern in a 2006 statement.
The new study led by epidemiologist Eva Schernhammer and her team at BWH used records of more than 77,000 women and 47,000 men in the nurses and health professional?s study, one of the largest and longest investigations of factors that influence women?s health.
They concluded the possibility of a detrimental effect of diet soda on select cancers, but their results differed between men and women. They also found a risk for people who drank sugared sodas, saying further studies are needed.
?Epidemiological studies only show association; they never prove cause and effect,? said Dennis Bier, editor of the journal.
He said this paper was accepted in the same manner as every other article that gets published with outside peer reviewers.
?I do think this finding is strong enough to justify further study on aspartame and cancer risk,? said Harvard?s Walter Willet, a co-author of the study and member of the editorial board of the ACJN in an NPR story.
The research, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was originally promoted by Brigham and Women?s Hospital (BWH), a Harvard teaching facility with a press release titled, ?The truth isn?t sweet when it comes to artificial sweeteners.?
But hours before the article went live online the hospital released a new statement.
?Upon review of the findings, the consensus of our scientific leaders is that the data is weak, and that BWH Media Relations was premature in the promotion of this work,? wrote Erin McDonough, senior vice president of communications at BWH.
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These researchers were following in the footsteps of a long-term 2005 Italian study that found more lymphomas and leukemias in rats fed high doses of aspartame. The FDA and European Food Safety Authority found shortcomings in the study and?because most studies involving animal and humans at the time found no problems with aspartame?said the sweetener was not cause for concern in a 2006 statement.
The new study led by epidemiologist Eva Schernhammer and her team at BWH used records of more than 77,000 women and 47,000 men in the nurses and health professional?s study, one of the largest and longest investigations of factors that influence women?s health.
They concluded the possibility of a detrimental effect of diet soda on select cancers, but their results differed between men and women. They also found a risk for people who drank sugared sodas, saying further studies are needed.
?Epidemiological studies only show association; they never prove cause and effect,? said Dennis Bier, editor of the journal.
He said this paper was accepted in the same manner as every other article that gets published with outside peer reviewers.
?I do think this finding is strong enough to justify further study on aspartame and cancer risk,? said Harvard?s Walter Willet, a co-author of the study and member of the editorial board of the ACJN in an NPR story.
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