1
|
Pavanello S, Moretto A, La Vecchia C, Alicandro G. Non-sugar sweeteners and cancer: Toxicological and epidemiological evidence. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2023; 139:105369. [PMID: 36870410 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2023.105369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Several toxicological and epidemiological studies were published during the last five decades on non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) and cancer. Despite the large amount of research, the issue still continues to be of interest. In this review, we provided a comprehensive quantitative review of the toxicological and epidemiological evidence on the possible relation between NSS and cancer. The toxicological section includes the evaluation of genotoxicity and carcinogenicity data for acesulfame K, advantame, aspartame, cyclamates, saccharin, steviol glycosides and sucralose. The epidemiological section includes the results of a systematic search of cohort and case-control studies. The majority of the 22 cohort studies and 46 case-control studies showed no associations. Some risks for bladder, pancreas and hematopoietic cancers found in a few studies were not confirmed in other studies. Based on the review of both the experimental data on genotoxicity or carcinogenicity of the specific NSS evaluated, and the epidemiological studies it can be concluded that there is no evidence of cancer risk associated to NSS consumption.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Pavanello
- Department of Cardiac Thoracic Vascular Sciences and Public Health, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padua, Italy; University Hospital of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Angelo Moretto
- Department of Cardiac Thoracic Vascular Sciences and Public Health, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padua, Italy; University Hospital of Padova, Padua, Italy.
| | - Carlo La Vecchia
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Gianfranco Alicandro
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; Cystic Fibrosis Centre, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Borghoff SJ, Cohen SS, Jiang X, Lea IA, Klaren WD, Chappell GA, Britt JK, Rivera BN, Choski NY, Wikoff DS. Updated systematic assessment of human, animal and mechanistic evidence demonstrates lack of human carcinogenicity with consumption of aspartame. Food Chem Toxicol 2023; 172:113549. [PMID: 36493943 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2022.113549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Aspartame has been studied extensively and evaluated for its safety in foods and beverages yet concerns for its potential carcinogenicity have persisted, driven primarily by animal studies conducted at the Ramazzini Institute (RI). To address this controversy, an updated systematic review of available human, animal, and mechanistic data was conducted leveraging critical assessment tools to consider the quality and reliability of data. The evidence base includes 12 animal studies and >40 epidemiological studies reviewed by the World Health Organization which collectively demonstrate a lack of carcinogenic effect. Assessment of >1360 mechanistic endpoints, including many guideline-based genotoxicity studies, demonstrate a lack of activity associated with endpoints grouped to key characteristics of carcinogens. Other non-specific mechanistic data (e.g., mixed findings of oxidative stress across study models, tissues, and species) do not provide evidence of a biologically plausible carcinogenic pathway associated with aspartame. Taken together, available evidence supports that aspartame consumption is not carcinogenic in humans and that the inconsistent findings of the RI studies may be explained by flaws in study design and conduct (despite additional analyses to address study limitations), as acknowledged by authoritative bodies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah S Cohen
- EpidStrategies, A Division of ToxStrategies, RTP, NC, USA
| | - Xiaohui Jiang
- EpidStrategies, A Division of ToxStrategies, RTP, NC, USA
| | - Isabel A Lea
- ToxStrategies, Inc., Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Elmore SA, Rehg JE, Schoeb TR, Everitt JI, Bolon B. Pathologists' perspective on the study design, analysis, and interpretation of proliferative lesions in lifetime and prenatal rodent carcinogenicity bioassays of aspartame. Food Chem Toxicol 2022; 171:113504. [PMID: 36414169 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2022.113504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Aspartame, an artificial sweetener commonly used as a sugar substitute, is currently authorized for use in more than 100 countries. Hundreds of studies, conducted in various countries dating back to the 1970s, have shown that aspartame is safe at real-world exposure levels. Furthermore, multiple human epidemiology studies have provided no indication that consumption of aspartame induces cancer. Given the continued controversy surrounding the Ramazzini Institute's (RI) studies suggesting that aspartame is a carcinogenic hazard in rodents and evaluation by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, this report aims to provide the perspective of experienced pathologists on publicly available pathology data regarding purported proliferative lesions in liver, lung, lymphoid organs, and mammary gland as well as their implications for human risk assessment as reported for three lifetime rodent carcinogenicity bioassays of aspartame conducted at the RI. In the authors' view, flaws in the design, methodology and reporting of the RI aspartame studies limit the utility of the data sets as evidence that this agent represents a carcinogenic hazard. Therefore, all three RI studies, and particularly the accuracy of their pathology diagnoses and interpretations, should be rigorously reviewed by qualified and experienced veterinary toxicologic pathologists in assessing aspartame's carcinogenic risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Jerold E Rehg
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Trenton R Schoeb
- Department of Genetics and Animal Resources Program, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Jeffrey I Everitt
- Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Debras C, Chazelas E, Srour B, Druesne-Pecollo N, Esseddik Y, Szabo de Edelenyi F, Agaësse C, De Sa A, Lutchia R, Gigandet S, Huybrechts I, Julia C, Kesse-Guyot E, Allès B, Andreeva VA, Galan P, Hercberg S, Deschasaux-Tanguy M, Touvier M. Artificial sweeteners and cancer risk: Results from the NutriNet-Santé population-based cohort study. PLoS Med 2022; 19:e1003950. [PMID: 35324894 PMCID: PMC8946744 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 54.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
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). METHODS AND FINDINGS Overall, 102,865 adults from the French population-based cohort NutriNet-Santé (2009-2021) were included (median follow-up time = 7.8 years). Dietary intakes and consumption of sweeteners were obtained by repeated 24-hour dietary records including brand names of industrial products. Associations between sweeteners and cancer incidence were assessed by Cox proportional hazards models, adjusted for age, sex, education, physical activity, smoking, body mass index, height, weight gain during follow-up, diabetes, family history of cancer, number of 24-hour dietary records, and baseline intakes of energy, alcohol, sodium, saturated fatty acids, fibre, sugar, fruit and vegetables, whole-grain foods, and dairy products. Compared to non-consumers, higher consumers of total artificial sweeteners (i.e., above the median exposure in consumers) had higher risk of overall cancer (n = 3,358 cases, hazard ratio [HR] = 1.13 [95% CI 1.03 to 1.25], P-trend = 0.002). In particular, aspartame (HR = 1.15 [95% CI 1.03 to 1.28], P = 0.002) and acesulfame-K (HR = 1.13 [95% CI 1.01 to 1.26], P = 0.007) were associated with increased cancer risk. Higher risks were also observed for breast cancer (n = 979 cases, HR = 1.22 [95% CI 1.01 to 1.48], P = 0.036, for aspartame) and obesity-related cancers (n = 2,023 cases, HR = 1.13 [95% CI 1.00 to 1.28], P = 0.036, for total artificial sweeteners, and HR = 1.15 [95% CI 1.01 to 1.32], P = 0.026, for aspartame). Limitations of this study include potential selection bias, residual confounding, and reverse causality, though sensitivity analyses were performed to address these concerns. CONCLUSIONS In this large cohort study, artificial sweeteners (especially aspartame and acesulfame-K), which are used in many food and beverage brands worldwide, were associated with increased cancer risk. These findings provide important and novel insights for the ongoing re-evaluation of food additive sweeteners by the European Food Safety Authority and other health agencies globally. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03335644.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Debras
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University, INSERM U1153, INRAE U1125, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center, University of Paris (CRESS), Bobigny, France
- French Network for Nutrition and Cancer Research (NACRe network), Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Eloi Chazelas
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University, INSERM U1153, INRAE U1125, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center, University of Paris (CRESS), Bobigny, France
- French Network for Nutrition and Cancer Research (NACRe network), Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Bernard Srour
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University, INSERM U1153, INRAE U1125, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center, University of Paris (CRESS), Bobigny, France
- French Network for Nutrition and Cancer Research (NACRe network), Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Nathalie Druesne-Pecollo
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University, INSERM U1153, INRAE U1125, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center, University of Paris (CRESS), Bobigny, France
- French Network for Nutrition and Cancer Research (NACRe network), Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Younes Esseddik
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University, INSERM U1153, INRAE U1125, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center, University of Paris (CRESS), Bobigny, France
| | - Fabien Szabo de Edelenyi
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University, INSERM U1153, INRAE U1125, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center, University of Paris (CRESS), Bobigny, France
| | - Cédric Agaësse
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University, INSERM U1153, INRAE U1125, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center, University of Paris (CRESS), Bobigny, France
| | - Alexandre De Sa
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University, INSERM U1153, INRAE U1125, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center, University of Paris (CRESS), Bobigny, France
| | - Rebecca Lutchia
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University, INSERM U1153, INRAE U1125, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center, University of Paris (CRESS), Bobigny, France
| | | | - Inge Huybrechts
- French Network for Nutrition and Cancer Research (NACRe network), Jouy-en-Josas, France
- International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organization, Lyon, France
| | - Chantal Julia
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University, INSERM U1153, INRAE U1125, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center, University of Paris (CRESS), Bobigny, France
- Public Health Department, Avicenne Hospital, Assistance Publique–Hôpitaux de Paris, Bobigny, France
| | - Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University, INSERM U1153, INRAE U1125, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center, University of Paris (CRESS), Bobigny, France
- French Network for Nutrition and Cancer Research (NACRe network), Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Benjamin Allès
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University, INSERM U1153, INRAE U1125, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center, University of Paris (CRESS), Bobigny, France
| | - Valentina A. Andreeva
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University, INSERM U1153, INRAE U1125, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center, University of Paris (CRESS), Bobigny, France
| | - Pilar Galan
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University, INSERM U1153, INRAE U1125, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center, University of Paris (CRESS), Bobigny, France
- French Network for Nutrition and Cancer Research (NACRe network), Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Serge Hercberg
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University, INSERM U1153, INRAE U1125, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center, University of Paris (CRESS), Bobigny, France
- French Network for Nutrition and Cancer Research (NACRe network), Jouy-en-Josas, France
- Public Health Department, Avicenne Hospital, Assistance Publique–Hôpitaux de Paris, Bobigny, France
| | - Mélanie Deschasaux-Tanguy
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University, INSERM U1153, INRAE U1125, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center, University of Paris (CRESS), Bobigny, France
- French Network for Nutrition and Cancer Research (NACRe network), Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Mathilde Touvier
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University, INSERM U1153, INRAE U1125, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center, University of Paris (CRESS), Bobigny, France
- French Network for Nutrition and Cancer Research (NACRe network), Jouy-en-Josas, France
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Andersen ME, Gentry PR, Swenberg JA, Mundt KA, White KW, Thompson C, Bus J, Sherman JH, Greim H, Bolt H, Marsh GM, Checkoway H, Coggon D, Clewell HJ. Considerations for refining the risk assessment process for formaldehyde: Results from an interdisciplinary workshop. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2019; 106:210-223. [PMID: 31059732 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2019.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Revised: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Anticipating the need to evaluate and integrate scientific evidence to inform new risk assessments or to update existing risk assessments, the Formaldehyde Panel of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), in collaboration with the University of North Carolina, convened a workshop: "Understanding Potential Human Health Cancer Risk - From Data Integration to Risk Evaluation" in October 2017. Twenty-four (24) invited-experts participated with expertise in epidemiology, toxicology, science integration and risk evaluation. Including members of the organizing committee, there were 29 participants. The meeting included eleven presentations encompassing an introduction and three sessions: (1) "integrating the formaldehyde science on nasal/nasopharyngeal carcinogenicity and potential for causality"; (2) "integrating the formaldehyde science on lymphohematopoietic cancer and potential for causality; and, (3) "formaldehyde research-data suitable for risk assessment". Here we describe key points from the presentations on epidemiology, toxicology and mechanistic studies that should inform decisions about the potential carcinogenicity of formaldehyde in humans and the discussions about approaches for structuring an integrated, comprehensive risk assessment for formaldehyde. We also note challenges expected when attempting to reconcile divergent results observed from research conducted within and across different scientific disciplines - especially toxicology and epidemiology - and in integrating diverse, multi-disciplinary mechanistic evidence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melvin E Andersen
- ScitoVation LLC, 100 Capitola Drive, Drive 106, Durham, NC, 27713, USA.
| | | | - James A Swenberg
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Kenneth A Mundt
- Ramboll US Corporation, Amherst, MA (currently with Cardno Chemrisk, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | - James Bus
- Center for Toxicology and Mechanistic Biology, Exponent, Alexandria, VA, USA
| | | | | | - Hermann Bolt
- Leibniz Institute for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), Dortmund, Germany
| | - Gary M Marsh
- Department of Biostatistics, Center for Occupational Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Harvey Checkoway
- University of California, San Diego, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, USA
| | - David Coggon
- MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Harvey J Clewell
- Ramboll US Corporation, 6 Davis Drive, Suite 13, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA
| |
Collapse
|