SPH Study Claims Saccharin Is Safe

People who use artificial sweeteners face little or no unusual risk of bladder cancer, a School of Public Health (SPH) study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes.

Researchers at the SPH compared the use of saccharin and cyclamates by bladder cancer patients to that of a random selection of similar healthy people.

The study did not find a consistent relationship between greater usage of the sweeteners and increased disease. Dr. Alan S. Morrison, associate professor of Epidemiology at the SPH and director of the study, said such a relationship "would be expected if artificial sweeteners were carcinogenic."

But...

However, Morrison added that, "It would be wise for children and pregnant women to stay away from artificial sweeteners," since risks may be larger for these groups.

Morrison also said that, because the use of saccharin became widespread only recently, "as more time passes, a carcinogenic effect might become apparent."

The subject has been controversial since 1977, when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a ban on saccharin due to the discovery that large doses of saccharin cause bladder cancer in rats. Congress postponed the ban pending the outcome of further studies, but the FDA requires diet-drink bottlers to label their soda with warnings of the possible risk.

Not Likely

Bladder cancer is relatively rare in the United States, this year expected to account for 5 per cent of the cancer in men and 3 per cent in women. The lifetime chance of developing bladder cancer is 1 in 80.

Even considering a margin of error, the study finds the use of artificial sweeteners to be much less harmful than cigarette smoking, SPH researchers reported.

Bitter

Dr. Robert Hoover, an epidemiologist at the National Cancer Institute, yesterday advised cautious use of saccharin since it may be at least "weakly carcinogenic," and has shown no "measurable medical benefits."

The purchase of sugar substitutes and diet drinks may be a harmless voluntary choice by people who then "feel better about their self-image," Hoover said. He emphasized, however, the necessity of "informed decisions," and questioned the use of artificial sweeteners as a food additive.