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aspartame induces lymphomas and leukaemias in rats, full plain text, M Soffritti, F Belpoggi, DD Esposti, L Lambertini: Ramazzini Foundation study 2005.07.14: main results agree with their previous methanol and formaldehyde studies: Murray 2005.08.31
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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1186 aspartame induces lymphomas and leukaemias in rats, full plain text, M Soffritti, F Belpoggi, DD Esposti, L Lambertini: Ramazzini Foundation study 2005.07.14: main results agree with their previous methanol and formaldehyde studies: Murray 2005.08.31 http://www.ramazzini.it/fondazione/d...ameGEO2005.pdf " In rodents and humans, APM is metabolised in the gastrointestinal tract into three constituents: aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol 3. " " These experiments demonstrate that the increase in lymphomas and leukaemias, observed in the APM study, could be related to methanol, a metabolite of APM, which is metabolised to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, both in humans and rats 3. " " Yellowing of the coat was observed in animals exposed to APM, mainly at the highest concentrations. This change was previously observed in our laboratory in rats exposed to formaldehyde administered with drinking water 9. " 1. The total number of rats was 1800. 1500 were given aspartame. 2. 44 [ 14.7 % ] of the 300 control rats, given no aspartame, developed lymphomas and leukemias (hemolymphoreticular neoplasias ), and none had malignant brain tumors. Of 1500 rats given aspartame, 294 [ 19.6 % ] had lymphomas and leukemias (hemolymphoreticular neoplasias), and 12 [ 0.8 % ] had malignant brain tumors. In their previous methanol study, reported Dec 2002, of 200 + 100 = 300 control rats, given no methanol, there were 41+ 15 = 56 [ 18.7% ] lymphomas and leukemias (hemolymphoreticular neoplasias), while of 600 + 100 = 700 rats given methanol, there were 187 + 15 = 202 with the same cancers [ 28.9 % ]. They added 100 rats given 15 ppm methanol to their Table 3 summarizing the formaldehyde data in their formaldehyde study, in which their 200 control rats had 15 of these cancers. In their previous formaldehyde study, reported Dec 2002, 200 control rats, given no formaldehyde, had 15 [ 7.5 %] lymphomas and leukemias (hemolymphoreticular neoplasias), while of the 600 rats given formaldehyde, 121 [ 20.3 % ] had these cancers. Probably, other factors, such as viruses, bacteria, molds, or toxic chemicals in the air, water, and food, also facilitate these cancers. http://www.ramazzini.it/eng/fondazio...gli.asp?id=210 News and events Istituto Ramazzini Collegium Ramazzini NEWS AND EVENTS 14 July 2005 Press Release Results of study on the carcinogenicity of the artificial sweetener aspartame CRC/ERF Results of study on the carcinogenicity of the artificial sweetener aspartame Summary. A long-term study to evaluate the potential carcinogenic effects of aspartame, an artificial sweetener used in more than 6,000 food and pharmaceutical products has recently been completed in the experimental laboratories of its Cancer Research Center of the European Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences "B. Ramazzini" in Bologna, Italy. The first results of the experiment were reported to the Ministry of Health and to the Superior Institute of Health of the Italian government in April 2005. In mid-June, these findings were then communicated to the European Food Safety Authority, the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center of Columbia University, the National Cancer Institute of the US government, and the National Toxicology Program of the US National Institutes of Health. First results demonstrate that aspartame, when administered to rats for the entire life span, induces an increase of lymphomas and leukaemias in female rats. The study is currently being published in the European Journal of Oncology (available at: http://www.ramazzini.it/fondazione/d...ameGEO2005.pdf ) and final results will be presented at the 3rd international scientific conference of the Collegium Ramazzini, "Framing the Future in Light of the Past: Living in a Chemical World", to be held in Bologna, Italy from September 18-21, 2005, the proceedings of which will be published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Communication. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener consumed by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. It is used in over 6,000 diet products including soft drinks, chewing gum, candy, desserts, yogurt as well as in pharmaceuticals, in particular, syrups and antibiotics for children. The average daily intake of aspartame is calculated to be about 2-3 mg/Kg of body weight, a figure which increases for children and women of childbearing age. Current daily intake allowed by regulatory bodies is 50 mg/Kg of body weight in the US and 40 mg/Kg of body weight in the European Union. Prior to the commercialization of aspartame in the 1970s, the manufacturers of the compound conducted various experimental studies on rats and mice to test its carcinogenicity. When taken together, the results of these studies were considered negative with regard to the carcinogenicity of aspartame. Doubts were however raised by some in the scientific community about the conduct of the experiments and the fact that some cases of malignant brain tumors were found among animals treated with aspartame while none were found among the control group. Given the limitations of these studies and the ever growing use of aspartame throughout the years, the European Ramazzini Foundation decided in the late 1990s to plan and perform an experiment that would, based on the total number of animals used, the number of dose levels studied, and the conduct of the experiment according to Good Laboratory Practices, provide an adequate evaluation of the potential carcinogenic effects of aspartame. The CRC/ERF study was conducted on 1800 rats (900 males, 900 females) of the colony used for over 30 years by the Foundation. In order to simulate daily human intake, aspartame was added to the standard rat diet in quantities of 5000, 2500, 100, 500, 20, 4, and 0 mg/Kg of body weight. [ This asserts that humans are twenty times more vulnerable to aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid) toxicity than rats. ] Treatment of the animals began at 8 weeks of age and continued until spontaneous death. A complete necropsy and histopathological evaluation of tissues and organs was then performed on each deceased animal, for a total of over 30,000 slides examined by microscope. The first results of the experiment show: 1) a dose-related statistically significant increase of lymphomas and leukemias in female rats. This statistically significant increase was also observed at a dose level of 20 mg/Kg of body weight, a dose inferior to the accepted daily intake permitted by current regulations (50-40 mg/Kg of body weight); 2) that the addition of aspartame to the diet induces a dose-related reduction in food consumption, without however causing a difference in body weight between treated and untreated animals. The above results demonstrate for the first time that aspartame is a carcinogenic agent, capable of inducing lymphomas and leukaemias in female rats, including when administered at dose levels very close to the acceptable daily intake for humans. In addition, the data demonstrate that the integration of aspartame into the diet did not affect the body weight of treated animals compared with untreated animals. As recognized by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization, results of long-term bioassays conducted on rodents (rats and mice) are highly predictive of carcinogenic risk for humans. In light of this fact, the results of the CRC/ERF study on aspartame call for urgent reconsideration of regulations governing its use as an artificial sweetener in order to better protect public health, in particular that of children. Websites European Foundation for Oncology and Environmental Sciences "B. Ramazzini" www.ramazzini.it/fondazione/eng 3rd international scientific conference of the Collegium Ramazzini www.ramazzini.it/living2005 Contact Kathryn Knowles Director of Resource Development European Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences "B. Ramazzini" +39 0516640460 Home | About us | Research and Activities | Publications | News and Events Support the Foundation | Partners | Contact Us | Credits | Versione Italiana FONDAZIONE "B. RAMAZZINI" - Via Guerrazzi, 18 - 40125 Bologna - tel. 051 237286 - fax 051 2911679 - CENTRO DI RICERCA SUL CANCRO - Castello di Bentivoglio, Via Saliceto, 3-40010 Bentivoglio (BO) - tel. 051.66.40.460 - fax 051 6640223 ************************************************** ************* http://www.ramazzini.it/fondazione/d...ameGEO2005.pdf " Conclusions In our experimental conditions, it has been demonstrated, for the first time, that APM causes a dose-related statistically significant increase in lymphomas and leukaemias in females at dose levels very near those to which humans can be exposed. Moreover, it can hardly be overlooked that at the lowest exposure of 80 ppm, there was a 62% increase in lymphomas and leukaemias compared to controls, even though this was not statistically significant. When compared to the concurrent control group, an increase in the incidence of these neoplasias was also observed in males exposed to the highest dose; even though not statistically significant, this observation confirms and extends the result in females. The significance of the increase in haemolymphoreticular neoplasias is further reinforced by the following considerations, based on the results of experiments performed in the CRC laboratory. These experiments demonstrate that the increase in lymphomas and leukaemias, observed in the APM study, could be related to methanol, a metabolite of APM, which is metabolised to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, both in humans and rats 3. In fact we have shown that: 1) methanol administered in drinking water increased the incidence of lymphomas and leukaemias in female rats 11; 2) the same effect was induced in females treated with the gasoline oxygenated additive methyl-tert-butyl-ether (MTBE), which is also metabolised to methanol 12 ; and finally 3) an increase in the incidence of lymphomas and leukaemias was also observed in females treated with formaldehyde 9, 13. These results further highlight the important role that formaldehyde has on the induction of haematological malignancies in rodents. Moreover, in a recent reevaluation of the carcinogenicity of formaldehyde by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), strong, although not considered sufficient, evidence of an association with leukaemias in humans was found 14. Since the results of carcinogenicity bioassays in rodents, mainly rats and mice, have been shown to be a consistent predictor of human cancer risk 15-17, the first results of our study call for urgent re-examination of permissible exposure levels of APM in both food and beverages, especially to protect children. " " 9. Soffritti M, Belpoggi F, Lambertini L, et al. Results of longterm experimental studies on the carcinogenicity of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in rats. In Mehlman MA, Bingham E, Landrigan PJ, et al. Carcinogenesis bioassays and protecting public health. Commemorating the lifework of Cesare Maltoni and colleagues. Ann NY Acad Sci 2002; 982: 87-105. 10. Harris NL, Jaffe ES, Vardiman JW, et al. WHO Classification of tumours of haematopoietic and lymphoid tissues: Introduction. In Jaffe ES, Harris NL, Stein H, et al. Tumours of haematopoietic and lymphoid tissues. Lyon: IARC Press, 2001, 12-3. 11. Soffritti M, Belpoggi F, Cevolani D, et al. Results of long-term experimental studies on the carcinogenicity of methyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol in rats. In Mehlman MA, Bingham E, Landrigan PJ, et al. Carcinogenesis bioassays and protecting public health. Commemorating the lifework of Cesare Maltoni and colleagues. Ann NY Acad Sci 2002; 982: 46-69. 12. Belpoggi F, Soffritti M, Maltoni C. Methyl-tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE), a gasoline additive, causes testicular and lymphohaematopoietic cancers in rats. Toxicol Ind Health 1995; 11: 119-49. 13. Soffritti M, Maltoni C, Maffei F, et al. Formaldehyde: an experimental multipotent carcinogen. Toxicol Ind Health 1989; 5: 699-730. 14. International Agency for Research on Cancer. Monographs on the evaluation of the carcinogenic risk of chemicals to humans. Formaldehyde, 2-Butoxyethanol and 1-tert-Butoxy-2-Propanol. Vol. 88 (in press). Available on http://www.iarc.fr. 15. Huff J. Long-term chemical carcinogenesis bioassays predict human cancer hazards. Issues, controversies, and uncertainties. In Bailer JA, Maltoni C, Bailar III JC, et al. Uncertainty in the risk assessment of environmental and occupational hazards. Ann NY Acad Sci 1999; 895: 56-79. 16. Tomatis L, Aitio A, Wilbourn J, et al. Human carcinogens so far identified. Jpn J Cancer Res 1989; 80: 795-807. 17. Rall DP. Can laboratory animal carcinogenicity studies predict cancer in exposed children? Environ Health Perspect 1995; 103 suppl 6: 173-5. " http://www.ramazzini.it/fondazione/d...ameGEO2005.pdf page 1 Original studies/Studi originali General topics/Argomenti generali Eur. J. Oncol., vol. 10, n. 2, pp. 00-00, 2005 IN PRESS Aspartame induces lymphomas and leukaemias in rats * L'aspartame induce linfomi e leucemie nei ratti Morando Soffritti, Fiorella Belpoggi, Davide Degli Esposti, Luca Lambertini Cancer Research Centre, European Ramazzini Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences, Bologna, Italy Received/Pervenuto 15.3.2005 - Accepted/Accettato 11.4.2005 Address/Indirizzo: Dr. Morando Soffritti, Centro di Ricerca sul Cancro, Fondazione Europea di Oncologia e Scienze Ambientali "B. Ramazzini", Castello di Bentivoglio, 40010 Bentivoglio (BO), Italia - Tel. +39/051/6640460 - Fax +39/051/6640223 - E-mail: * Research supported by European Ramazzini Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences, Bologna, Italy Summary Aspartame, a widely used artificial sweetener, was administered with feed to male and female Sprague-Dawley rats (100-150/sex/group), 8 weeks-old at the start of the experiment, at concentrations of 100,000; 50,000; 10,000; 2,000; 400; 80 and 0 ppm. Treatment lasted until spontaneous death of the animals. In this report we present the first results showing that aspartame, in our experimental conditions, causes a statistically significant, dose-related increase in lymphomas and leukaemias in females. No statistically significant increase in malignant brain tumours was observed among animals from the treated groups as compared to controls. Eur. J. Oncol., 10 (2), 00-00, 2005 Key words: aspartame, artificial sweetener, carcinogenesis, rats, lymphoma, leukaemia Riassunto L'aspartame, un dolcificante artificiale largamente diffuso, è stato somministrato con il mangime a ratti Sprague-Dawley, maschi e femmine (100-150/sesso/ gruppo), di 8 settimane di età all'inizio dell'esperimento, a concentrazioni di 100.000; 50.000; 10.000; 2.000; 400; 80 e 0 ppm. Il trattamento è durato fino alla morte spontanea degli animali. In questo articolo vengono presentati i primi risultati che dimostrano come l'aspartame, nelle nostre condizioni sperimentali, causa un incremento statisticamente significativo, dose-correlato, di linfomi e leucemie nelle femmine. Nei gruppi trattati rispetto al controllo non è stato osservato nessun aumento statisticamente significativo dei tumori maligni del cervello. Eur. J. Oncol., 10 (2), 00-00, 2005 Parole chiave: aspartame, dolcificante artificiale, cancerogenesi, ratti, linfoma, leucemia Introduction Aspartame (APM) is a widely used artificial sweetener consumed by hundreds of millions of people around the world 1, 2. It is found in more than 6,000 products, including soft drinks, chewing gum, candy, yoghurt, tabletop sweeteners and some pharmaceuticals such as vitamins and sugar-free cough drops 2. Dietary surveys, performed among APM consumers, have shown that the average APM daily intake in the general population ranged from 2 to 3 mg/kg b.w. and was even more in children and pregnant women 1. The Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) both in the US and in Europe is 50 and 40 mg/kg b.w., respectively 1. In rodents and humans, APM is metabolised in the gastrointestinal tract into three constituents: aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol 3. Three long-term feeding carcinogenicity bioassays on APM were performed on rats, and one on mice, during the 1970s. Overall, the carcinogenicity studies were considered negative 4, but it must be noted that these studies did not comply with the basic requirements which must nowadays be met when testing the carcinogenicity potential of a chemical or physical agent. Because of these limitations, we decided to perform a mega-experiment following the currently accepted Good Laboratory Practices. In the present paper we are reporting our first results on the incidence of haemolymphoreticular malignancies (lymphomas and leukaemias) and malignant brain tumours. Materials and methods The APM used was produced by Nutrasweet and supplied by Giusto Faravelli S.p.A., Milan, Italy. As an active ingredient, its purity was more than 98%. To simulate an assumed daily intake by humans of 5,000; 2,500; 500; 100; 20; 4; or 0 mg/kg b.w., APM was added to the standard Corticella diet, used for 30 years at the laboratory of the Cancer Research Centre (CRC) of the European Ramazzini Foundation (ERF), at concentrations of 100,000; 50,000; 10,000; 2,000; 400; 80; or 0 ppm. [ This asserts that humans are twenty times more vulnerable to aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid) toxicity than rats. ] APM-treated feed was administered ad libitum to Sprague-Dawley rats (100-150/sex/group), 8 weeks old at the start of the experiment, and the treatment lasted until spontaneous death. Control animals received the same feed without APM. The plan of the experiment is shown in Table 1. page 2 M. Soffritti, F. Belpoggi, D. Degli Esposti, et al. IN PRESS Table 1 - Long-term carcinogenicity bioassay on aspartame administered with feed supplied ad libitum to male (M) and female (F) Sprague-Dawley rats from 8 weeks of age until spontaneous death. Plan of the experiment. Age at start of treatment was 8 weeks. Duration was then natural life span. Group Sex (M, F, M+F) Animals (No) Treatment Dose (ppm) mg/kg b.w. a Human ADI equivalent b (X) I ---M 100---------100,000-------5,000------100X ---F 100 M+F 200 II ---M 100----------50,000-------2,500-------50X ---F 100 M+F 200 III ---M 100----------10,000---------500-------10X ---F 100 M+F 200 IV ---M 150-----------2,000---------100--------2X ---F 150 M+F 300 V ---M 150-------------400----------20--------0.4X ---F 150 M+F 300 VI ---M 150--------------80-----------4---------0.08X ---F 150 M+F 300 VII ---M 150---------------0------------0---------0 ---F 150 M+F 300 a The daily assumption in mg/kg b.w. was calculated considering the average weight of a rat for the duration of the experiment as 400 g, and the average consumption of feed as 20 g per day, both for males and females b Considering the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of 50 mg/kg b.w. for humans [ This asserts that humans are twenty times more vulnerable to aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid) toxicity than rats. ] Male (M) and female (F) rats from the colony of the CRC were used. This colony of rats has been employed for various experiments in the CRC Laboratory for nearly 30 years. Data are available on the tumour incidence among untreated Sprague-Dawley rats. These animals were monitored for feed, water consumption, and body weight, for their life span and, at death, underwent complete necropsy and histopathological evaluation (historical controls). The experiment was conducted according to the Italian law regulating use of animals for scientific purposes 5. After weaning, at 4-5 weeks of age, the experimental animals were identified by ear punch, randomised in order to have no more than one male and one female from each litter in the same group, and housed in groups of 5 in makrolon cages (41x25x15 cm), with stainless-steel wire tops and a shallow layer of white wood shavings as bedding. The animals were kept in one single room, at 23 ±2°C and 50-60% relative humidity. Once a week for the first 13 weeks, then every two weeks until 110 weeks of age, the mean daily drinking water and feed consumption were measured per cage, and body weight individually. Body weight continued to be measured every 8 weeks until the end of the experiment. Status and behaviour of the animals were examined 3 times daily, and they were clinically examined for gross changes every 2 weeks. All animals were kept under observation until spontaneous death. page 3 Aspartame, a leukaemogenic compound IN PRESS Fig. 1. Mean daily water consumption in male Sprague-Dawley rats Fig. 2. Mean daily water consumption in female Sprague-Dawley rats The biophase of the experiment terminated after 151 weeks, with the death of the last animal at the age of 159 weeks. Upon death, the animals underwent complete necropsy. Histopathology was routinely performed on the following organs and tissues of all animals from each group: skin and subcutaneous tissue, mammary gland, the brain (3 sagittal sections), pituitary gland, Zymbal glands, salivary glands, Harderian glands, cranium (five sections, with oral and nasal cavities and external and internal ear ducts), tongue, thyroid, parathyroid, pharynx, larynx, thymus and mediastinal lymph nodes, trachea, lung and mainstem bronchi, heart, diaphragm, liver, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, adrenal glands, oesophagus, stomach (fore and glandular), intestine (four levels), urinary bladder, prostate, gonads, interscapular brown fat pad, subcutaneous and mesenteric lymph nodes and other organs or tissues with pathological lesions. All organs and tissues were preserved in 70% ethyl alcohol, except for bones which were fixed in 10% formalin and then decalcified with 10% formaldehyde and 20% formic acid in water solution. The normal specimens were trimmed, following the Standard Operating Procedures at the CRC Laboratory: i.e. parenchymal organs were dissected through the hilus to expose the widest surface, and hollow organs were sectioned across the greatest diameter. page 4 M. Soffritti, F. Belpoggi, D. Degli Esposti, et al. IN PRESS Fig. 3. Mean daily feed consumption in male Sprague-Dawley rats Fig. 4. Mean daily feed consumption in female Sprague-Dawley rats Any pathological tissue was trimmed through the largest surface, including normal adjacent tissue. Trimmed specimens were processed as paraffin blocks, and 3-5 micron sections of every specimen were obtained. Sections were routinely stained with haematoxylin-eosin. Statistical analyses were performed using the poly-k test (k = 3). This test is a survival-adjusted quantal-response procedure that modifies the Cochran-Armitage linear trend test to take survival differences into account 6-8. Results During the experiment no differences were observed among the various groups in mean daily water consumption (figs. 1 and 2). A dose-related difference in feed consumption was observed between the various treated groups and the control group in both males and females (figs. 3 and 4). No differences in mean body weight were observed among treated and control groups in either males or females (figs. 5 and 6). No substantial difference in survival was observed among treated and control groups, males or females (figs. 7 and 8). Yellowing of the coat was observed in animals exposed to APM, mainly at the highest concentrations. This change was previously observed in our laboratory in rats exposed to formaldehyde administered with drinking water 9. The occurrence of lymphomas and leukaemias among male and female rats in treated and control groups is shown in Table 2. page 5 Aspartame, a leukaemogenic compound IN PRESS Fig. 5. Mean body weights in male Sprague-Dawley rats Fig. 6. Mean body weights in female Sprague-Dawley rats The data indicate that APM causes a statistically significant increase in the incidence of lymphomas and leukaemias in females, at concentrations of 100,000 (p= 0.01); 50,000 (p= 0.01); 10,000 (p= 0.05); 2,000 (p= 0.01) and 400 (p= 0.01) ppm as compared to untreated controls. This increase is dose-related (p= 0.05). Although not statistically significant, an increase was also observed in females treated with 80 ppm and in males treated with the highest dose. The haemolymphoreticular neoplasias observed in the experiment include: lymphoblastic lymphoma and leukaemia, lymphocytic lymphoma, lymphoimmunoblastic lymphoma, histiocytic sarcoma and monocytic leukaemia, myeloid leukaemia. The most frequent type of neoplasia was the lymphoimmunoblastic lymphoma (figs. 9 and 10). Lymphomas and leukaemias are considered together, since both solid and circulating phases are present in many lymphoid neoplasms, and distinction between them is artificial 10. The occurrence of brain malignancies is shown in Table 3. Sparse malignant brain tumours were observed among males and females in the treated groups and none in the controls. page 6 M. Soffritti, F. Belpoggi, D. Degli Esposti, et al. IN PRESS Fig. 7. Survival in male Sprague-Dawley rats Fig. 8. Survival in female Sprague-Dawley rats page 7 Aspartame, a leukaemogenic compound IN PRESS Fig. 9. Lymphoimmunoblastic lymphoma in a female rat administered 80 ppm aspartame in feed (lung). HE X 25 Fig. 10. A detail of the lymphoimmunoblastic lymphoma shown in fig. 9. HE X 400 In our historical controls over the last 20 years, when we consider groups of 100 or more animals per sex (1934 males and 1957 females),the overall incidence of lymphomas and leukaemias in males is 21.8% (8.0-30.9) and in females 13.4% (7.0-18.4) . The overall incidence of malignant brain tumours is 1.7% (0-5.0) in males and 0.7% (0-2.0) in females respectively. page 8 M. Soffritti, F. Belpoggi, D. Degli Esposti, et al. IN PRESS Table 2 - Long-term carcinogenicity bioassay on aspartame administered with feed supplied ad libitum to male (M) and female (F) Sprague-Dawley rats from 8 weeks of age until spontaneous death. Incidence of lymphomas and leukaemias Table 3 - Long-term carcinogenicity bioassay on aspartame administered with feed supplied ad libitum to male (M) and female (F) Sprague-Dawley rats from 8 weeks of age until spontaneous death. Incidence of malignant brain tumors b Group (100-150 rats each) Dose (ppm) Animals with lymphomas and leukaemias Animals with malignant brain tumours (No, %, No, %) @ I-----100,000-ppm-29--------29.0-------1-------1.0 ---------------------25--------25.0**----1-------1.0 ---------------------54--------27.0-------2-------1.0 II-----50,000-ppm-20--------20.0-------2-------2.0 ---------------------25--------25.0**----1-------1.0 ---------------------45--------22.5-------3-------1.5 III----10,000-ppm-15--------15.0-------0--------0 --------------------19--------19.0*------1--------1.0 --------------------34--------17.0-------1--------0.5 IV------2,000-ppm-33-------22.0-------2--------1.3 ---------------------28-------18.7*------1--------0.7 ---------------------61-------20.3-------3--------1.0 V---------400-ppm-25-------16.7-------0--------0 ---------------------30-------20.0**-----0--------0 ---------------------55-------18.3--------0--------0 VI---------80-ppm-23 -------15.3-------2-------1.3 ---------------------22 -------14.7-------1-------0.7 ---------------------45-------15.0--------3-------1.0 VII---------0-ppm-31--------20.7-------0-------0 [control groups] --------------------13---------8.7--------0-------0 --------------------44--------14.7--------0-------0 @ The malignancies observed we 10 malignant gliomas or mixed gliomas, 1 medulloblastoma, and 1 malignant meningioma * Statistically significant p= 0.05; ** Statistically significant p= 0.01 using poly-k test (k = 3) Conclusions In our experimental conditions, it has been demonstrated, for the first time, that APM causes a dose-related statistically significant increase in lymphomas and leukaemias in females at dose levels very near those to which humans can be exposed. Moreover, it can hardly be overlooked that at the lowest exposure of 80 ppm, there was a 62% increase in lymphomas and leukaemias compared to controls, even though this was not statistically significant. When compared to the concurrent control group, an increase in the incidence of these neoplasias was also observed in males exposed to the highest dose; even though not statistically significant, this observation confirms and extends the result in females. The significance of the increase in haemolymphoreticular neoplasias is further reinforced by the following considerations, based on the results of experiments performed in the CRC laboratory. These experiments demonstrate that the increase in lymphomas and leukaemias, observed in the APM study, could be related to methanol, a metabolite of APM, which is metabolised to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, both in humans and rats 3. In fact we have shown that: 1) methanol administered in drinking water increased the incidence of lymphomas and leukaemias in female rats 11; 2) the same effect was induced in females treated with the gasoline oxygenated additive methyl-tert-butyl-ether (MTBE), which is also metabolised to methanol 12; and finally 3) an increase in the incidence of lymphomas and leukaemias was also observed in females treated with formaldehyde 9, 13. These results further highlight the important role that formaldehyde has on the induction of haematological malignancies in rodents. Moreover, in a recent reevaluation of the carcinogenicity of formaldehyde by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), strong, although not considered sufficient, evidence of an association with leukaemias in humans was found 14. Since the results of carcinogenicity bioassays in rodents, mainly rats and mice, have been shown to be a consistent predictor of human cancer risk 15-17, the first results of our study call for urgent re-examination of permissible exposure levels of APM in both food and beverages, especially to protect children. References 1. Butchko HH, Stargel WW, Comer CP, et al. Preclinical safety evaluation of aspartame. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2002; 35: S7-S12. 2. Aspartame Information Center. Available on http://www.aspartame.org, 2004. 3. Ranney RE, Opperman JA, Maldoon E, et al. Comparative metabolism of aspartame in experimental animals and humans. Toxicol Environ Health 1976; 2: 441-51. 4. Food and Drug Administration. Aspartame: Commissioner's Final Decision; 1981 Fed Regist 46, 38285-308. 5. Repubblica Italiana. Decreto Legislativo 116. Attuazione della direttiva n. 86/609/CEE in materia di protezione degli animali utilizzati a fini sperimentali o ad altri fini scientifici. Supplemento ordinario alla Gazzetta Ufficiale 1992; 40: 5-25. page 9 Aspartame, a leukaemogenic compound IN PRESS 6. Bailer AJ, Portier CJ. Effects of treatment-induced mortality and tumor-induced mortality on tests for carcinogenicity in small samples. Biometrics 1988; 44: 417-31. 7. Portier CJ, Bailer AJ. Testing for increased carcinogenicity using a survival-adjusted quantal response test. Fundam Appl Toxicol 1989; 12: 731-7. 8. Piergorsh WW, Bailer AJ. Statistics for environmental biology and toxicology. London: Chapman, 1997. 9. Soffritti M, Belpoggi F, Lambertini L, et al. Results of longterm experimental studies on the carcinogenicity of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in rats. In Mehlman MA, Bingham E, Landrigan PJ, et al. Carcinogenesis bioassays and protecting public health. Commemorating the lifework of Cesare Maltoni and colleagues. Ann NY Acad Sci 2002; 982: 87-105. 10. Harris NL, Jaffe ES, Vardiman JW, et al. WHO Classification of tumours of haematopoietic and lymphoid tissues: Introduction. In Jaffe ES, Harris NL, Stein H, et al. Tumours of haematopoietic and lymphoid tissues. Lyon: IARC Press, 2001, 12-3. 11. Soffritti M, Belpoggi F, Cevolani D, et al. Results of long-term experimental studies on the carcinogenicity of methyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol in rats. In Mehlman MA, Bingham E, Landrigan PJ, et al. Carcinogenesis bioassays and protecting public health. Commemorating the lifework of Cesare Maltoni and colleagues. Ann NY Acad Sci 2002; 982: 46-69. 12. Belpoggi F, Soffritti M, Maltoni C. Methyl-tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE), a gasoline additive, causes testicular and lymphohaematopoietic cancers in rats. Toxicol Ind Health 1995; 11: 119-49. 13. Soffritti M, Maltoni C, Maffei F, et al. Formaldehyde: an experimental multipotent carcinogen. Toxicol Ind Health 1989; 5: 699-730. 14. International Agency for Research on Cancer. Monographs on the evaluation of the carcinogenic risk of chemicals to humans. Formaldehyde, 2-Butoxyethanol and 1-tert-Butoxy-2-Propanol. Vol. 88 (in press). Available on http://www.iarc.fr. 15. Huff J. Long-term chemical carcinogenesis bioassays predict human cancer hazards. Issues, controversies, and uncertainties. In Bailer JA, Maltoni C, Bailar III JC, et al. Uncertainty in the risk assessment of environmental and occupational hazards. Ann NY Acad Sci 1999; 895: 56-79. 16. Tomatis L, Aitio A, Wilbourn J, et al. Human carcinogens so far identified. Jpn J Cancer Res 1989; 80: 795-807. 17. Rall DP. Can laboratory animal carcinogenicity studies predict cancer in exposed children? Environ Health Perspect 1995; 103 suppl 6: 173-5. page 10 M. Soffritti, F. Belpoggi, D. Degli Esposti, et al. IN PRESS ************************************************** ************* Here I have combined fairly equivalent data from their aspartame, methanol, and formaldehyde studies. Aspartame groups were 100-150 rats each, methanol 100 rats each, and formaldehyde 50 rats each (formaldehyde control groups 100 rats each). Aspartame and methanol are directly comparable, since the 11% methanol component of aspartame upon ingestion is immediately and fully released into the GI tract, and then much of that quickly turned into formaldehyde and then formic acid, both of which account for the toxicity of methanol. Fully 11% of aspartame is methanol-- 1,120 mg aspartame in 2 L diet soda, almost six 12-oz cans, gives 123 mg methanol (wood alcohol). If 30% of the methanol is turned into formaldehyde, the amount of formaldehyde, 37 mg, is 18 times the USA EPA limit for daily formaldehyde in drinking water, 2 mg in 2 L water. For instance, hangover researchers claim that it is the ~150 mg/L methanol impurity, about one part in 10,000, twice the level from aspartame in diet sodas, in dark wines and liquors that, turned into formaldehyde and then formic acid, is the major cause of the dreadful symptoms of "morning after" hangover: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1143 methanol (formaldehyde, formic acid) disposition: Bouchard M et al, full plain text, 2001: substantial sources are degradation of fruit pectins, liquors, aspartame, smoke: Murray 2005.04.02 rmforall J. Nutrition 1973 Oct; 103(10): 1454-1459. Metabolism of aspartame in monkeys. Oppermann JA, Muldoon E, Ranney RE. Dept. of Biochemistry, Searle Laboratories, Division of G.D. Searle and Co. Box 5110, Chicago, IL 60680 They found that about 70% of the radioactive methanol in aspartame put into the stomachs of 3 to 7 kg monkeys was eliminated within 8 hours, with little additional elimination, as carbon dioxide in exhaled air and as water in the urine. They did not mention that this meant that about 30% of the methanol must transform into formaldehyde and then into formic acid, both of which must remain as toxic products in all parts of the body. They did not report any studies on the distribution of radioactivity in body tissues, except that blood plasma proteins after 4 days held 4% of the initial methanol. This study did not monitor long-term use of aspartame. Males Females Males + Females Animals with lymphomas and leukaemias [hemolymphoreticular neoplasias] % of each group of animals Group 100 rats each aspartame dose a equivalent methanol dose (11% of aspartame) roughly equivalent formaldehyde dose (30% of methanol) --------------------20,000-40.0 ----------------------------28.0 #^ --------------------------- 34.0 I--100,000-29.0 ------------25.0** ------------27.0 II---50,000-0.0-----5,000-36.0-1,500-46.0 ** ------------25.0**---------24.0--------20.0* ------------22.5------------30.0--------33.0 ----------------------------------1,000-22.0* -----------------------------------------22.0* -----------------------------------------22.0 ------------------------------------500-24.0* -----------------------------------------14.0 -----------------------------------------19.0 III-10,000-15.0 -----------19.0* -----------17.0 -----------------------500-35.0 ----------------------------24.0 ----------------------------29.5 -----------------------100-26.0** ----------------------------16.0 ----------------------------21.0 -------------------------------------50-20.0 -----------------------------------------14.0 -----------------------------------------17.0 IV---2,000-22.0 -------------18.7* -------------20.3 V-------400-16.7 --------------20.0** --------------18.3 -------------------------------------10--8.0 ----------------------------------------10.0 -----------------------------------------9.0 -----------------------15-20.0 [-50 rats ] ---------------------------10.0 [-50 rats ] ---------------------------15.0 [100 rats ] VI-------80-15.3 --------------14.7 --------------15.0 VII--------0-20.7-------0-28.0------0--8.0 [ control groups ] ---------------8.7---------13.0----------7.0 --------------14.7---------20.5----------7.5 a Considering the life-span average weight of a rat (male and female) as 400 g and the average consumption of food as 20 g per day * aspartame, statistically significant p= 0.05; ** aspartame, statistically significant p= 0.01 using poly-k test (k = 3) # methanol, p0.05 using X2 test ^ methanol, p0.05 using Cochrane-Armitage test for dose-response relationship * formaldemyde, p0.05 using X2 test ** formaldehyde, p0.01 using X2 test The control groups vary widely, with the percentage of rats with these most common cancers, present at natural death, ranging from 7.0% to 28.0%. A layman can only speculate as to the possible causes in a uniform population of rats in the same huge laboratory facility for decades, such as various viruses, bacteria, or molds, or variable impurities in the tap water. Formaldehyde at 50 ppm shows a doubling of the percentage of rats with these cancers, for groups of just 50 rats. It is a safe bet that studies using groups of 100 to 200 rats would establish significance at this 50 ppm level, which in turn would mandate the reduction of the present USA EPA level (1999) from 1 ppm for lifetime exposure to formaldehyde in drinking water to 0.05 ppm, since the human limit is estimated by dividing the lowest harmful animal level by 1000. The various standards for methanol and formaldehyde are not in harmony: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/835 ATSDR: EPA limit 1 ppm formaldehyde in drinking water July 1999: Murray 2002.05.30 rmforall http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1108 faults in 1999 July EPA 468-page formaldehyde profile: Elzbieta Skrzydlewska PhD, Assc. Prof., Medical U. of Bialystok, Poland, abstracts -- ethanol, methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid, acetaldehyde, lipid peroxidation, green tea, aging: Murray 2004.08.08 2005.07.11 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1140 EPA Preliminary Remedial Goals, PRGs, 2003 Oct, air and tap water -- methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid -- not mentioned is methanol from aspartame, dark wines and liquors: Murray 2004.11.20 rmforall We can grasp the main picture by studying the results at a high level of exposu II--50,000-20.0------5,000-36.0-1,500--46.0** ------------25.0**-----------24.0--------20.0* ------------22.5-------------30.0---------33.0 The results amount to 1.3 to 5.75 times their control group levels. Aspartame, methanol, and formaldehyde results broadly agree. Unknown factors are causing differences between males and females. ************************************************** ************* Rich Murray, MA Room For All 505-501-2298 1943 Otowi Road Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505 USA http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/messages group with 146 members, 1,208 posts in a public, searchable archive http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1186 aspartame induces lymphomas and leukaemias in rats, free full plain text, M Soffritti, F Belpoggi, DD Esposti, L Lambertini, 2005 April, 2005.07.14: main results agree with their previous methanol and formaldehyde studies, Murray 2005.07.19 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1185 Ramazzini Institute (Italy) lifetime study with 1800 rats shows aspartame at human use levels causes cancer (methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid), M Soffritti and F Belpoggi: Felicity Lawrence, The Guardian (UK): Murray 2005.07.15 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1189 Michael F Jacobson of CSPI now and in 1985 re aspartame toxicity, letter to FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford; California OEHHA aspartame critique 2004.03.12; Center for Consumer Freedom denounces CSPI: Murray 2004.07.27 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1045 http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame...2-response.htm Mark Gold exhaustively critiques European Commission Scientific Committee on Food re aspartame ( 2002.12.04 ): 59 pages, 230 references http://www.HolisticMed.com/aspartame Aspartame Toxicity Information Center Mark D. Gold 12 East Side Drive #2-18 Concord, NH 03301 603-225-2100 http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame.../methanol.html "Scientific Abuse in Aspartame Research" Gold points out that industry methanol assays were too insensitive to properly measure blood methanol levels. ] Fully 11% of aspartame is methanol-- 1,120 mg aspartame in 2 L diet soda, almost six 12-oz cans, gives 123 mg methanol (wood alcohol). If 30% of the methanol is turned into formaldehyde, the amount of formaldehyde is 18 times the USA EPA limit for daily formaldehyde in drinking water, 2 mg in 2 L water. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/835 ATSDR: EPA limit 1 ppm formaldehyde in drinking water July 1999: Murray 2002.05.30 rmforall Aspartame is made of phenylalanine (50% by weight) and aspartic acid (39%), both ordinary amino acids, bound loosely together by methanol (wood alcohol, 11%). The readily released methanol from aspartame is within hours turned by the liver into formaldehyde and then formic acid, both potent, cumulative toxins. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1182 Joining together: short review: research on aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid) toxicity: Murray 2005.07.08 rmforall http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1071 research on aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid) toxicity: Murray 2004.04.29 rmforall http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1143 methanol (formaldehyde, formic acid) disposition: Bouchard M et al, full plain text, 2001: substantial sources are degradation of fruit pectins, liquors, aspartame, smoke: Murray 2005.04.02 rmforall http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1131 genotoxicity of aspartame in human lymphocytes 2004.07.29 full plain text, Rencuzogullari E et al, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey 2004 Aug: Murray 2004.11.06 rmforall http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1088 Murray, full plain text & critique: chronic aspartame in rats affects memory, brain cholinergic receptors, and brain chemistry, Christian B, McConnaughey M et al, 2004 May: 2004.06.05 rmforall http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1067 eyelid contact dermatitis by formaldehyde from aspartame, AM Hill & DV Belsito, Nov 2003: Murray 2004.03.30 rmforall Thrasher (2001): "The major difference is that the Japanese demonstrated the incorporation of FA and its metabolites into the placenta and fetus. The quantity of radioactivity remaining in maternal and fetal tissues at 48 hours was 26.9% of the administered dose." [ Ref. 14-16 ] Arch Environ Health 2001 Jul-Aug; 56(4): 300-11. Embryo toxicity and teratogenicity of formaldehyde. [100 references] Thrasher JD, Kilburn KH. Sam-1 Trust, Alto, New Mexico, USA. http://www.drthrasher.org/formaldehy..._toxicity.html full text http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/939 aspartame (aspartic acid, phenylalanine) binding to DNA: Karikas July 1998: Murray 2003.01.05 rmforall Karikas GA, Schulpis KH, Reclos GJ, Kokotos G Measurement of molecular interaction of aspartame and its metabolites with DNA. Clin Biochem 1998 Jul; 31(5): 405-7. Dept. of Chemistry, University of Athens, Greece http://www.chem.uoa.gr "K.H. Schulpis" "G.J. Reclos" http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1052 DMDC: Dimethyl dicarbonate 200mg/L in drinks adds methanol 98 mg/L [ becomes formaldehyde in body ]: EU Scientific Committee on Foods 2001.07.12: Murray 2004.01.22 rmforall Clearly, Europe has placed the issue of aspartame toxicity on the table as a legitimate, urgent issue for evidence-based public discussion. Perhaps this shift in the climate of opinion is due to: European Ramazzini Foundation, led by Morando Soffritti, MD. Cancer Research Center, European Ramazzini Foundation for Oncology and Environmental Sciences, Bentivoglio Castle, 40010 Bentivoglio (BO), Italy. +39-051-6640460 fax +39-051-6640223 Annuals of the New York Academy of Science. 2002 Dec; Vol. 982: The RF research program was started in 1966 by the eminent Cesare Maltoni, (1930-2001): p. 6 "Maltoni was known for his meticulous and carefully documented experiments. He studied 198 chemicals and agents and conducted 394 separate experiments using 138,281 animals. Of the 135 agents studied, 68.9% were found to be carcinogenic, 5.92% showed borderline carcinogenicity, and 25.18% were found to be noncarcinogenic in the animals tested." Often, the hundreds to thousands of rats in each study were exposed daily for two years and then thoroughly examined for cancers after their later natural deaths. http://www.nyas.org/books/vols/v982.html Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Carcinogenesis Bioassays and Protecting Public Health: Commemorating the Lifework of Cesare Maltoni and Colleagues Edited by Myron A. Mehlman (Collegium Ramazzini, Princeton, NJ); [Dept. of Environmental Medicine, The Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York City, 609-683-4750] Eula Bingham (University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH); Philip J. Landrigan (Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY); Morando Soffritti, Fiorella Belpoggi, European Ramazzini Foundation; Ronald L. Melnick, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC Proceedings of an April 29-30, 2002 Academy conference. Volume 982 ISBN 1-57331-406-4 231 pages 14 papers 0 posters Price: $135.00 Member Price *: $15.00 December 2002 Long-term experimental carcinogenesis studies are the cornerstone of human health protection and risk assessment for drugs and chemicals. Great contributions to the development of bioassay methodology and the understanding of the mechanisms of carcinogenesis were made by Professor Cesare Maltoni at the European Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences "B. Ramazzini," Bologna, Italy. This volume is based on a conference that was held on the first anniversary of Professor Maltoni's death to honor him and to celebrate the work on carcinogenesis bioassays carried out at the Ramazzini Foundation Cancer Research Center in Italy and at the National Toxicology Program, NIEHS, in the United States. Papers include reviews of previously unreported findings and discussion of the continued utility of such studies for the protection of public health. Full text of volume 837 and forward is available at Annals Online to Academy Members at Members Online and to subscribing libraries. New York Academy of Sciences 2 East 63rd St., NY, NY 10021 "(3) formaldehyde may produce lymphomas and leukemias..." Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2002 Dec; 982: 26-45. Ramazzini Foundation cancer program: history and major projects, life-span carcinogenicity bioassay design, chemicals studied, and results. Soffritti M, Belpoggi F, Minardi F, Maltoni C. Cancer Research Center, European Ramazzini Foundation for Oncology and Environmental Sciences, Bologna, Italy. The Ramazzini Foundation research program was started over thirty years ago. The features of this program a (1) systematic and integrated project design; (2) consistency over time; (3) homogeneity of approach: key members of the team remain unchanged; and (4) choice to work on new frontiers of scientific research. The program centers mainly on three projects: Project 1: experimental carcinogenicity bioassays; Project 2: experimental anticarcinogenesis assays to identify factors and active principles (compounds) capable of opposing the onset of tumors while being suitable for preventive/chemopreventive intervention; Project 3: epidemiological studies, both descriptive and analytical, on tumor incidence and mortality in persons professionally and environmentally exposed to industrial carcinogenic risks. The project involving experimental carcinogenicity bioassays for the identification of exogenous carcinogens (environmental and industrial above all) began in 1966. This project has included 398 experimental bioassays on 200 compounds/agents using some 148,000 animals monitored until their spontaneous death. Among the studies already concluded, 47 agents have shown "clear evidence" of carcinogenicity. The results have demonstrated for the first time that (1) vinyl chloride can cause liver angiosarcoma as well as other tumors; (2) benzene is carcinogenic in experimental animals for various tissues and organs; (3) formaldehyde may produce lymphomas and leukemias; and (4) methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE), the most common oxygenated additive used in gasolines, can cause lymphomas/leukemias. Many of the results achieved have led to the introduction of norms and measures of primary prevention. Publication Types: Historical Article PMID: 12562627 p. 48 "The sweetening agent aspartame hydrolyzes in the gastrointestinal tract to become free methyl alcohol. (25)" "(25) Medinsky MA & Dorman DC. 1994; Assessing risks of low-level methanol exposure. CIIT Act. 14: 1-7. (30) Monte WC. 1984; Aspartame, methanol and the public health. Journal Applied Nutrition. Vol 36: 42-54." Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2002 Dec; 982: 46-69. Results of long-term experimental studies on the carcinogenicity of methyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol in rats. Soffritti M, Belpoggi F, Cevolani D, Guarino M, Padovani M, Maltoni C. Cancer Research Center, European Ramazzini Foundation for Oncology and Environmental Sciences, Bologna, Italy. Methyl alcohol was administered in drinking water supplied ad libitum at doses of 20,000, 5,000, 500, or 0 ppm to groups of male and female Sprague-Dawley rats 8 weeks old at the start of the experiment. [ Since 11% of aspartame is its methanol component, always quickly released into the GI tract upon ingestion, the above methanol levels correspond to about 200,000, 50,000, 5,000, and 0 ppm aspartame levels, while the 2005 aspartame levels used were 100,000, 50,000, 10,000, 2,000, 400, 80, and 0 ppm. Animals were kept under observation until spontaneous death. Ethyl alcohol was administered by ingestion in drinking water at a concentration of 10% or 0% supplied ad libitum to groups of male and female Sprague-Dawley rats; breeders and offspring were included in the experiment. Treatment started at 39 weeks of age (breeders), 7 days before mating, or from embryo life (offspring) and lasted until their spontaneous death. Under tested experimental conditions, methyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol were demonstrated to be carcinogenic for various organs and tissues. They must also be considered multipotential carcinogenic agents. In addition to causing other tumors, ethyl alcohol induced malignant tumors of the oral cavity, tongue, and lips. These sites have been shown to be target organs in man by epidemiologic studies. Publication Types: Review Review, Tutorial PMID: 12562628 p. 88 "The sweetening agent aspartame hydrolyzes in the gastrointestinal tract to become free methyl alcohol, which is metabolized in the liver to formaldehyde, formic acid, and CO2. (11) [Medinsky & Dorman 1994]" Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2002 Dec; 982: 87-105. Results of long-term experimental studies on the carcinogenicity of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in rats. Soffritti M, Belpoggi F, Lambertin L, Lauriola M, Padovani M, Maltoni C. Cancer Research Center, European Ramazzini Foundation for Oncology and Environmental Sciences, Bologna, Italy. Formaldehyde was administered for 104 weeks in drinking water supplied ad libitum at concentrations of 1500, 1000, 500, 100, 50, 10, or 0 mg/L to groups of 50 male and 50 female Sprague-Dawley rats beginning at seven weeks of age. Control animals (100 males and 100 females) received tap water only. Acetaldehyde was administered to 50 male and 50 female Sprague-Dawley rats beginning at six weeks of age at concentrations of 2,500, 1,500, 500, 250, 50, or 0 mg/L. Animals were kept under observation until spontaneous death. Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were found to produce an increase in total malignant tumors in the treated groups and showed specific carcinogenic effects on various organs and tissues. PMID: 12562630 Surely the authors deliberately emphasized that aspartame is well-known to be a source of formaldehyde, which is an extremely potent, cumulative toxin, with complex, multiple effects on all tissues and organs. This is even more significant, considering that they have already tested aspartame, but not yet released the results: [ comment made spring, 2003 ] p. 29-32 Table 1: The Ramazzinni Foundation Cancer Program Project of [200] Long-Term Carcinogenicity Bioassays: Agents Studied No. No. of Bioassays Species No. Route of Exposure 108. "Coca-Cola" 4 Rat 1,999 Ingestion, Transplantal Route 109. "Pepsi-Cola" 1 Rat 400 Ingestion 110. Sucrose 1 Rat 400 Ingestion 111. Caffeine 1 Rat 800 Ingestion 112. Aspartame 1 Rat 1,800 Ingestion http://members.nyas.org/events/confe...f_02_0429.html Soffritti said that Coca-Cola showed no carcinogenicity. ************************************************** *********** http://www.annalsnyas.org/content/vol982/issue1/ Table of Contents Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2002 Dec; 982: 87-105. Results of long-term experimental studies on the carcinogenicity of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in rats. Soffritti M, Belpoggi F, Lambertin L, Lauriola M, Padovani M, Maltoni C. Cancer Research Center, European Ramazzini Foundation for Oncology and Environmental Sciences, Bologna, Italy. MORANDO SOFFRITTI, FIORELLA BELPOGGI, LUCA LAMBERTIN, MICHELINA LAURIOLA, MICHELA PADOVANI, and CESARE MALTONI Formaldehyde was administered for 104 weeks in drinking water supplied ad libitum at concentrations of 1500, 1000, 500, 100, 50, 10, or 0 mg/L to groups of 50 male and 50 female Sprague-Dawley rats beginning at seven weeks of age. Control animals (100 males and 100 females) received tap water only. Acetaldehyde was administered to 50 male and 50 female Sprague-Dawley rats beginning at six weeks of age at concentrations of 2,500, 1,500, 500, 250, 50, or 0 mg/L. Animals were kept under observation until spontaneous death. Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were found to produce an increase in total malignant tumors in the treated groups and showed specific carcinogenic effects on various organs and tissues. PMID: 12562630 Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2002 Dec; 982: 46-69. Results of long-term experimental studies on the carcinogenicity of methyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol in rats. Soffritti M, Belpoggi F, Cevolani D, Guarino M, Padovani M, Maltoni C. Cancer Research Center, European Ramazzini Foundation for Oncology and Environmental Sciences, Bologna, Italy. MORANDO SOFFRITTI, FIORELLA BELPOGGI, DANIELA CEVOLANI, MARINA GUARINO, MICHELA PADOVANI, and CESARE MALTONI Methyl alcohol was administered in drinking water supplied ad libitum at doses of 20,000, 5,000, 500, or 0 ppm to groups of male and female Sprague-Dawley rats 8 weeks old at the start of the experiment. Animals were kept under observation until spontaneous death. Ethyl alcohol was administered by ingestion in drinking water at a concentration of 10% or 0% supplied ad libitum to groups of male and female Sprague-Dawley rats; breeders and offspring were included in the experiment. Treatment started at 39 weeks of age (breeders), days before mating, or from embryo life (offspring) and lasted until their spontaneous death. Under tested experimental conditions, methyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol were demonstrated to be carcinogenic for various organs and tissues. They must also be considered multipotential carcinogenic agents. In addition to causing other tumors, ethyl alcohol induced malignant tumors of the oral cavity, tongue, and lips. These sites have been shown to be target organs in man by epidemiologic studies. Publication Types: Review Review, Tutorial PMID: 12562628 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1108 faults in 1999 July EPA 468-page formaldehyde profile: Elzbieta Skrzydlewska PhD, Assc. Prof., Medical U. of Bialystok, Poland, abstracts -- ethanol, methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid, acetaldehyde, lipid peroxidation, green tea, aging: Murray 2004.08.08 2005.07.11 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1140 EPA Preliminary Remedial Goals, PRGs, 2003 Oct, air and tap water -- methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid -- not mentioned is methanol from aspartame, dark wines and liquors: Murray 2004.11.20 rmforall http://www.epa.gov/iris/subst/0305.htm also http://www.china-pops.net/enwww/IRIS...subst/0305.htm 1998.05.05 USA Environmental Protection Agency EPA Integrated Risk Information System IRIS This site explains that the harmful rat dose of 500 mg/kg body weight per day was divided by 10 for "interspecies extrapolation" (the higher vulnerability of humans than rats), by 10 for "range of sensitivity" (the variation of individual human vulnerability), and by 10 for "subchronic to chronic exposure" (the increased danger from lifetime as compared to the 3 month exposure in the rat test), giving a total reduction of 10x10x10 = 1000 for the UF = Uncertainty Factor. The human Oral RfD is the rat Oral RfD divided by 1000, so 500 mg/kg/day is reduced to 0.5 mg/kg/day , so that the allowed dose for a 60 kg human is 30 mg oral methanol daily. Moreover, a recent study found that after 4 months of moderate oral aspartame, 12 rats took four times longer to finish a simple, one-turn maze-- an alarming level of neurotoxicity: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1088 Murray, full plain text & critique: chronic aspartame in rats affects memory, brain cholinergic receptors, and brain chemistry, Christian B, McConnaughey M et al, 2004 May: 2004.06.05 rmforall "Control and treated rats were trained in a T-maze to a particular side and then periodically tested to see how well they retained the learned response. Rats that had received aspartame (250 mg/kg/day) in the drinking water for 3 or 4 months showed a significant increase in time to reach the reward in the T-maze, suggesting a possible effect on memory due to the artificial sweetener." [ The 2005 Ramazzini study found that 2 years ingested aspartame at 20, 100, 500, 2,500, and 5,000 mg/kg levels all produced a significant, substantial increase in female rats of lymphomas and leukaemias by the time of natural death. ] The 11% methanol component of aspartame is immediately released in the GI tract, so these rats were being exposed to only 27.5 mg/kg/day methanol. The EPA IRIS on 1998.05.05 used a 1986 90 day rat study to find a No-Observed-Effect Level (NOEL) value of 500 mg/kg/day, which, divided by 1000, became their human long-term safe methanol level of 0.5 mg per kg body weight per day, which for a 60 kg average person is 30 mg methanol daily, for oral exposure. However, the rat level is 18 times greater than that for the level of dramatic memory loss and clear-cut brain changes found by McConnaughey M, May 2004. This suggests reducing the human long-term safe level twenty times to ..025 mg/kg/day = 25 micrograms per kg body weight per day, which for a 60 kg average person is 1.5 mg oral methanol per day. Since methanol from any source, once in the human blood stream, is always quickly and largely turned into formaldehyde and then formic acid, resulting in durable retained cumulative complex toxic products, this implies a somewhat smaller formaldehyde ingestion limit. A third of the methanol would lead to a limit of 0.5 mg ingested and inhaled formaldehyde daily for a 60 kg average person. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1141 Nurses Health Study can quickly reveal the extent of aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid) toxicity: Murray 2004.11.21 rmforall The Nurses Health Study is a bonanza of information about the health of probably hundreds of nurses who use 6 or more cans daily of diet soft drinks -- they have also stored blood and tissue samples from their immense pool of subjects. Dark wines and liquors, as well as aspartame, provide similar levels of methanol, above 100 mg daily, for long-term heavy users. Methanol is inevitably largely turned into formaldehyde, and thence largely into formic acid. Both products are toxic, and at this level of use, about 2 L daily, almost six 12-oz cans of diet drink, are above recent lifetime EPA safety limits in tap water for methanol and formaldehyde of respectively, for a 60 kg person, 30 mg and 9 mg daily. The 1999 EPA level for formaldehyde in drinking water was 1 ppm, while recent WHO levels are 2.6 ppm. The immediate health effects for dark wines and liquors are the infamous "morning after" hangover, for which many informed experts cite as the major cause the conversion of the methanol impurity, over one part in ten thousand (red wine has 128 mg/L methanol), into formaldehyde and formic acid. Everyone knows the complex progression of symptoms at this level of long-term, chronic toxicity. Aspartame reactors have a very similar progression. If 1% of all people exposed to aspartame are heavy users with symptoms, then there would easily be about 2 million cases in the USA alone. This is a public health emergency. At the very least, professionals and the public should be alerted to investigate their own exposure, and be given a chance to try a very safe, simple, inexpensive treatment for complex, intractable, progressive symptoms -- reducing or eliminating their intake. There are as well, many safe substances that prevent or treat the toxicities -- for example, high folic acid levels expedite the elimination of formaldehyde. These toxicities are largely uncontrolled co-factors that affect every disease and must confuse and impede many health research programs on all levels. People in high-pressure, critical occupations, such as pilots, nuclear plant operators, and national leaders, should certainly be alerted. Also, two careful studies show substantial methanol release from degradation of pectins by bacteria in the colon from fruits and vegetables -- a topic that deserves careful, thorough research. Due to my bias, based on detailed reviews by Monte WC (1984) and by Mark D Gold (2003), for months I have been discounting the startlingly high methanol levels reported in the abstract for Lindinger W (1997). I had been reducing the values in their abstract from g to mg, an unwarrented "correction" by a factor of a thousand, only to find that thefull text study and their many related studies supply expert, robust results: Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1997 Aug; 21(5): 939-43. Endogenous production of methanol after the consumption of fruit. Lindinger W, Taucher J, Jordan A, Hansel A, Vogel W. Institut fur Ionenphysik, Leopold Franzens Universitat Innsbruck, Austria. After the consumption of fruit, the concentration of methanol in the human body increases by as much as an order of magnitude. This is due to the degradation of natural pectin (which is esterified with methyl alcohol) in the human colon. In vivo tests performed by means of proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry show that consumed pectin in either a pure form (10 to 15 g) or a natural form (in 1 kg of apples) induces a significant increase of methanol in the breath (and by inference in the blood) of humans. The amount generated from pectin (0.4 to 1.4 g) [ 400 to 1400 mg ] is approximately equivalent to the total daily endogenous production (measured to be 0.3 to 0.6 g/day) [ 300 to 600 mg ] or that obtained from 0.3 liters of 80-proof brandy (calculated to be 0.5 g). [ 500 mg ] This dietary pectin may contribute to the development of nonalcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. PMID: 9267548 Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1995 Oct; 19(5): 1147-50. Methanol in human breath. Taucher J, Lagg A, Hansel A, Vogel W, Lindinger W. Institut fur Ionenphysik, Universitat Innsbruck, Austria. Using proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometry for trace gas analysis of the human breath, the concentrations of methanol and ethanol have been measured for various test persons consuming alcoholic beverages and various amounts of fruits, respectively. The methanol concentrations increased from a natural (physiological) level of approximately 0.4 ppm up to approximately 2 ppm a few hours after eating about 1/2 kg of fruits, and about the same concentration was reached after drinking of 100 ml brandy containing 24% volume of ethanol and 0.19% volume of methanol. PMID: 8561283 [ Corrected 2005.07.11: 24 ml means 19 g ethanol, and 0.19 ml means 0.15 g = 150 mg methanol. One L diet soda has 61.5 mg methanol in the aspartame molecule, so 100 ml diet soda has 6.15 mg methanol, so the brandy has 24.4 times more methanol than diet soda. A pound of fruit gives about as much methanol as 2 L (nearly 6 cans) diet soda. ] I urge Channing Laboratory and its participating universities to rapidly mount an in-house study to study the Nurses Health Study database for the hundreds of nurses who are long-term users, above 6 cans diet drinks daily, for correlations with every disease, as well as ubiquitous co-factors like wine and liquor, cigarette smoke, and fruits and vegetables. It could vastly serve the world public health to make the initial findings widely available immediately. The disparaged issue of aspartame toxicity could be swiftly made legitimate, and the resulting progress on all levels remarkably accelerated. A single scientist could do this. Comments pro and con are welcome. A convenient venue would be the moderated Usenet group: bionet.toxicology. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1184 corporate corruption of health sciences, International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, entire issue, 2005 Oct-Dec: Gary N Greenburg, OEM-L: aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid) toxicity, Murray 2005.07.14 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1155 continuing aspartame debate in British Medical Journal, John Biffra, Bob Dowling, Nick Finer, Ian J Gordon: Murray 2005.02.09 rmforall http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/782 RTM: Smith, Terpening, Schmidt, Gums: full text: aspartame, MSG, fibromyalgia 2002.01.17 rmforall Jerry D Smith, Chris M Terpening, Siegfried OF Schmidt, and John G Gums Relief of Fibromyalgia Symptoms Following Discontinuation of Dietary Excitotoxins. The Annals of Pharmacotherapy 2001; 35(6): 702-706. Malcolm Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Gainesville, FL, USA. BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia is a common rheumatologic disorder that is often difficult to treat effectively. CASE SUMMARY: Four patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia syndrome for two to 17 years are described. All had undergone multiple treatment modalities with limited success. All had complete, or nearly complete, resolution of their symptoms within months after eliminating monosodium glutamate (MSG) or MSG plus aspartame from their diet. All patients were women with multiple comorbidities prior to elimination of MSG. All have had recurrence of symptoms whenever MSG is ingested. Siegfried O. Schmidt, MD Asst. Clinical Prof. Community Health and Family Medicine, U. Florida, Gainesville, FL Shands Hospital West Oak Clinic Gainesville, FL 32608-3629 352-376-5071 ************************************************** ************ |
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