aspartame and cancer

Phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) catalyzes the deamination of phenylalanine to cinnamic acid and ammonia. It plays a crucial role in the formation of secondary metabolites through the phenylpropanoid pathway. Recently there has been growing interest in exploring the biochemical properties of PAL for its clinical and commercial applications. PAL as a key component has been used in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. Due to its high substrate specificity and catalytic efficacy, PAL has opened a new area of interest in the biomedical field...

BACKGROUND: The food industry uses artificial sweeteners in a wide range of foods and beverages as alternatives to added sugars, for which deleterious effects on several chronic diseases are now well established. The safety of these food additives is debated, with conflicting findings regarding their role in the aetiology of various diseases. In particular, their carcinogenicity has been suggested by several experimental studies, but robust epidemiological evidence is lacking. Thus, our objective was to investigate the associations between artificial sweetener intakes (total from all dietary sources, and most frequently consumed ones: aspartame [E951], acesulfame-K [E950], and sucralose [E955]) and cancer risk (overall and by site)...

BACKGROUND: The first phase of Chile's Law of Food Labelling and Advertising showed important declines in the sugar content of packaged foods, but it is unknown whether the law led to an increase in nonnutritive sweetener (NNS) intake, particularly among preschool children. OBJECTIVES: Estimate the changes in preschoolers' NNS intake after the first phase of the Chilean law. METHODS: We used 24-h dietary recalls collected in 2016 (pre-law) and 2017 (post-law) from a cohort of preschoolers (n = 875)...

Low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) are food additives that have been widely consumed for many decades. Their safety has been well established by authoritative bodies globally and is re-evaluated periodically. The objective herein was to survey and summarize the genotoxicity potential of five commonly utilized LNCS: acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), aspartame, saccharin, steviol glycosides and sucralose. Data from peer-reviewed literature and the ToxCast/Tox21 database were evaluated and integrated with the most recent weight-of-evidence evaluations from authoritative sources...

Aspartame is a sweetener introduced to replace the commonly used sucrose. It was discovered by James M. Schlatter in 1965. Being 180-200 times sweeter than sucrose, its intake was expected to reduce obesity rates in developing countries and help those struggling with diabetes. It is mainly used as a sweetener for soft drinks, confectionery, and medicines. Despite its widespread use, its safety remains controversial. This narrative review investigates the existing literature on the use of aspartame and its possible effects on the human body to refine current knowledge...

This study aimed to investigate the molecular effects of the common natural sugar glucose and artificial sweetener aspartame on cancer stem cell (CSC) population and cancer aggressiveness of PANC-1 human pancreas adenocarcinoma cells. According to our findings while aspartame exposure significantly increased the CSC population, high glucose had no effect on it. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition marker N-cadherin increased only in the aspartame group. The findings indicate that a high level of glucose exposure does not effect the invasion and migration of PANC-1 cells, while aspartame increases both of these aggressiveness criteria...

BACKGROUND: Aspartame is one of the world's most widely used artificial sweeteners and is an ingredient in more than 5000 food products globally. A particularly important use is in low-calorie beverages consumed by children and pregnant women. The Ramazzini Institute (RI) reported in 2006 and 2007 that aspartame causes dose-related increases in malignant tumors in multiple organs in rats and mice. Increased cancer risk was seen even at low exposure levels approaching the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI)...

Aspartame (ASP), an artificial sweetener abundantly consumed in recent years in an array of dietary products, has raised some concerns in terms of toxicity, and it was even suggested a link with the risk of carcinogenesis (colorectal cancer), though the present scientific data are rather inconclusive. This study aims at investigating the potential role of aspartame in colorectal cancer by suggesting two experimental approaches: (i) an in vitro cytotoxicity screening in HT-29 human colorectal carcinoma cells based on cell viability (Alamar blue assay), cell morphology and cell migration (scratch assay) assessment and (ii) an in ovo evaluation in terms of angiogenic and irritant potential by means of the chorioallantoic membrane method (CAM)...

Irinotecan (CPT-11) is a cytotoxic drug that has wide applicability and usage in cancer treatment. Despite its success, patients suffer dose-dependent diarrhea, limiting the drug's efficacy. No effective therapy is available for this unmet medical need. The bacterial β-glucuronidase (β-GUS) plays pivotal role in CPT-11-induced diarrhea (CID) via activating the non-toxic SN-38G to toxic SN-38 inside intestine. By using structural-based virtual screening, three old drugs (N-Desmethylclozapine, Aspartame, and Gemifloxacin) were firstly identified as selective bacterial β-GUS inhibitors...

Given the widespread use of the low-calorie sweetener aspartame over the last 30 years, the current work was undertaken to evaluate aspartame epidemiology studies looking at cancer endpoints against quality appraisal criteria. The quality appraisal tool used was from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institute of Health. Studies identified included nine case-control studies and five prospective cohort studies. Most studies assessed low-calorie or diet beverages rather than aspartame intake specifically; however, common use of aspartame in diet sodas does allow for some general extrapolation of results...

Artificial sweeteners have become increasingly controversial due to their questionable influence on consumers' health. They are introduced in most foods and many consume this added ingredient without their knowledge. Currently, there is still no consensus regarding the health consequences of artificial sweeteners intake as they have not been fully investigated. Consumption of artificial sweeteners has been linked with adverse effects such as cancer, weight gain, metabolic disorders, type-2 diabetes and alteration of gut microbiota activity...

The current review assessed cancer studies of aspartame based on a quality appraisal using the Klimisch grading system. Nine studies having complete histopathology were included: three 2-year studies by Searle; three transgenic mice studies by the NTP; three lifetime studies by the Ramazzini Institute. A tenth study limited to brain tumors was not rated. None were determined as Klimisch Code 1 (reliable without restrictions). The Searle studies predated GLP standards but their methodology was comparable; transgenic mouse models are not validated, but are accepted as supporting data...

In this study, acesulfame (ACE), saccharin (SAC) and cyclamate (CYC) were found in all paired urine and blood samples collected from healthy adults, with mean values of 4070, 918 and 628 ng mL(-1), respectively, in urine and 9.03, 20.4 and 0.72 ng mL(-1), respectively, in blood. SAC (mean: 84.4 ng g(-1)) and CYC (4.29 ng g(-1)) were detectable in all liver samples collected from liver cancer patients, while ACE was less frequently detected. Aspartame (ASP) was not found in any analyzed human sample, which can be explained by the fact that this chemical metabolized rapidly in the human body...

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used as an alternate for sugar in several foods and beverages. The study reports that consumption of aspartame containing product could lead to cancer. However, the effect of aspartame on apoptosis process in cancer is not yet understood clearly. HeLa cells were exposed to different concentrations (0.01-0.05 mg/ml) of aspartame for 48 h. Cytotoxicity of aspartame on cancer cells was determined by SRB assay. The result indicates no significant changes on cell viability...

Nowadays low calorie or intesive sweeteners are getting more and more popular. These sweeteners can be placed to the market and used as food additives according to the recent EU legislation. In the meantime news are coming out one after the other stating that many of these artificial intensive sweeteners can cause cancer - the highest risk has been attributed to aspartam. Low calorie sweeteners, just like all the other additives can be authorized after strickt risk assessment procedure according to the recent food law...

For the first time, the aspartame case shows how a corporation decided to ban an artificial ingredient in the wake of public opinion notwithstanding the regulatory assurance claims that it is safe. PepsiCo Inc. made an unprecedented decision most likely based on life-span carcinogenicity bioassay studies from the Cesare Maltoni Cancer Research Center of the Ramazzini Institute (CMCRC/RI), which provide consistent evidence of aspartame's carcinogenicity in rodents. Although CMCRC/RI experiments have been criticized for not complying with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines, the newly launched aspartame-free soft drink may not be an isolated case...

BACKGROUND: Aloe vera has antioxidant, antiinflammatory, healing, antiseptic, anticancer and antidiabetic effects. The aim of the present study was to design and evaluate the formulation of Aloe vera chewing gum with an appropriate taste and quality with the indications for healing oral wounds, such as lichen planus, mouth sores caused by cancer chemotherapy and mouth abscesses as well as reducing mouth dryness caused by chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In Aloe vera powder, the carbohydrate content was determined according to mannose and phenolic compounds in terms of gallic acid...

AIM: To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) negative/treatment naïve subjects with low hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels (<10(4)  copies/ml) and low alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels (<2 × upper limit of normal) in patients with HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: A total of 226 treatment naïve patients diagnosed with HBV-related HCC, divided into five Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stages, were enrolled and retrospectively analyzed...

PURPOSE: To synthesize a new polymeric prodrug based on α,β-poly(N-2-hydroxyethyl)(2-aminoethylcarbamate)-d,l-aspartamide copolymer bearing amine groups in the side chain (PHEA-EDA), covalently linked to the anticancer drug doxorubicin and to test its potential application in anticancer therapy. METHODS: The drug was previously derivatized with a biocompatible and hydrophilic linker, leading to a doxorubicin derivative highly reactive with amino groups of PHEA-EDA...

BACKGROUND: Concern about the carcinogenic potential of aspartame was raised after an increase in lymphomas and leukemia was reported in an animal study at doses similar to human exposure. Two prospective cohort studies published after the report found inconsistent results for estimated aspartame intake, artificially sweetened beverage consumption, and risk of lymphoid neoplasms. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine associations of artificially and sugar-sweetened carbonated beverage consumption (for comparison) and aspartame intake with risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) overall and by major histologic subtype in the Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort...