NZFSA slams junk science of anti-aspartame campaigners

New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) acting chief executive, Dr Andrew McKenzie is concerned that campaigns against aspartame could have health consequences for some at-risk people.

“For those dealing with far more serious health issues such as diabetes and obesity, using junk science to cast doubt on a proven, safe alternative to sugar is very disappointing,” says Dr McKenzie.

The NZFSA is concerned that anecdotal claims made by anti-aspartame campaigners about the sweetener do not seem to be supported by actual evidence.

NZFSA’s principal toxicologist John Reeve (who has over 30 years' experience in toxicology, including serving on international expert consultations) says people making these claims need to come clean about the credentials they have. “People need to ask ‘does this person have anything to say that’s backed by evidence?’ and ‘what are their qualifications for making these claims?’

“Toxicological data is very complex and needs careful interpretation. Prime examples are recent Italian studies on rats which claimed to show that aspartame causes cancers. These studies were conducted in a way that could not possibly have provided any information about the toxicity of aspartame - or in fact anything else - in the rats’ diet. The animals used were allowed to live until they died naturally, meaning that all the study did was show the results of ageing, which as we all know is a natural process that leads, inevitably, to death."

"In fact, the only conclusion that can be drawn from the results is that aspartame appears to be safe because the studies showed that those rats fed it (even at very high doses) lived as long (if not longer) as untreated rats, despite consuming up to more than 100 times the ADI (acceptable daily intake) every day of their lives.”

Anybody who wants to avoid foods containing aspartame can identify its presence from the label.