Think Twice About That Diet Soda

The artificial sweetener aspartame, which is sold as brand names Equal and NutraSweet, is used in soft drinks, sugar-free gum and thousands of other products. It has been suspected for many years that these artificial sweeteners may, in large quantities, be associated with the development of certain cancers. Now a fairly large study of 1800 rats has likely found a strong connection to cancer, in doses previously considered safe. a recipe for disastrous bone health.

The Food and Drug Administration allows up to 50mg per kilogram of body weight per day as an acceptable intake. That is equal to about 20 cans of diet soda for a normal weight person. The researchers in the new study gave seven groups of rats drinking water with either no aspartame or between 4mg and 5000mg per kilogram of body weight of aspartame. Even at the low dose end, which might be equivalent to just under two cans of diet soda per day for humans, there were more cancers, particularly lymphomas and leukemias. The most interesting finding in this study, however, was that cancers increased in direct proportion to the amount of the sweetener added to the water.

With sales declining as people have begun to understand that sodas, regular or diet, are not healthy choices, the soda companies are beginning to resort to questionable tactics. Cadbury-Schweppes, makers of 7-up, makes advertising claims that its product is “all-natural”. Both Pepsi and Coca-Cola have unveiled their healthy alternatives with “Vitamins” added to their diet colas. These claims fly in the face of nutritional common sense and endanger the health of millions across the country and around the world.

In addition to carcinogenic sweeteners, the phosphoric acid in carbonated beverages can leach calcium from the bones of those who drink them. This is particularly concerning to women who, because of hormonal changes as they age, are already prone to loss of bone density. Add to this the bone loss from carbonated beverages and we get a recipe for disastrous bone health.