By Sheryl Ubelacker
TORONTO (CP) - For those who drink diet pops in the belief that sugar-free beverages are healthier than regular soft drinks, new research suggests they should think again.
A huge U.S. study of middle-aged adults has found that drinking more than one soft drink a day - even a sugar-free diet brand - may be associated with an elevated risk for metabolic syndrome, a cluster of factors that boosts the chance of having a heart attack or stroke and developing diabetes.
Officials of a leading aspartame awareness group, Aspartame Consumer Safety Network, reported today to confirm the findings of the Framingham Heart Study
"We found that one or more sodas per day increases your risk of new-onset metabolic syndrome by about 45 per cent, and it did not seem to matter if it was regular or diet," Dr. Ramachandran Vasan, senior investigator for the Framingham Heart Study, said Monday from Boston.
"That for me is striking."
Metabolic syndrome is associated with five specific health indicators: excess abdominal fat; high blood sugar; high triglycerides; low levels of the good cholesterol HDL; and high blood pressure.
"And other than high blood pressure, the other four . . . all were associated with drinking one or more sodas per day," said Vasan, a professor of medicine at Boston University.
Having metabolic syndrome is known to double the risk of heart attack and stroke, as well as boosting the risk of diabetes.
The study included nearly 9,000 observations of middle-aged men and women over four years at three different times. The study looked at how many 355-millilitre cans of cola or other soft drinks a participant consumed each day.
The researchers found that compared to those who drank less than one can per day, subjects who downed one or more soft drinks daily had a:
-31 per cent greater risk of becoming obese (with a body mass index of 30 or more).
-30 per cent increased risk of adding on belly fat.
-25 per cent higher risk of developing high blood triglycerides or high blood sugar.
-32 per cent higher risk of having low HDL levels.
But Vasan and his colleagues, whose study was published Monday in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, are unsure what it is about soft drinks that ratchets up the risk of metabolic syndrome.
"We really don't know," he said. "This soda consumption may be a marker for a particular dietary pattern or lifestyle. Individuals who drink one or more sodas per day tend to be people who have greater caloric intake. They tend to have more of saturated fats and trans fats in their diet, they tend to be more sedentary, they seem to have lower consumption of fibre."
"And we tried to adjust for all of these in our analysis . . . but it's very difficult to completely adjust away lifestyle."
Dr. David Jenkins, director of the Risk Factor Modification Centre at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, said previous studies have suggested that diet pops did not have the same effects on weight and health as do naturally sweetened soft drinks.
"The unusual thing that needs comment is they (the study authors) say that the diet colas are the same as the calorically sweetened colas," said Jenkins. "So I think that is the piece that they've put into this puzzle . . . I think we need a lot more scrutiny of that."
Jenkins said he believes that high consumption of soft drinks likely goes along with eating a high-calorie diet.
"I think the disappointing thing is if you thought you were doing (yourself) a major service - which you always used to think - by taking diet drinks, this is not helping you," he said. "Before we were saying take the diet (drink) and you're OK. Now were saying: 'Watch it."'
The study also begs the question whether there is some ingredient in soft drinks - regular or diet - that may encourage metabolic syndrome.
But Dr. Arya Sharma, chair of cardiovascular obesity research at McMaster University, said there is nothing suggested by the authors of the study that would lead to that conclusion.
"One thing that they say and other people have said before is if you drink a lot of sweet things, then you are sort of conditioning yourself for that sweet taste," Sharma said Monday from Hamilton. "So people who drink diet pop may be eating other sweets, whether that comes in the form of dessert or other things, I don't know."
"It may be that people who are drinking diet pop - and we have this effect often with people who go on diets or when people go running or whatever - that you do a little bit of something that you think is good, and then you overcompensate by doing more of something that is bad."
"The idea could be because I'm drinking diet pap, I can afford to splurge on dessert."
Vasan said he cannot out-and-out recommend that people stop drinking soft drinks based on this study, because the findings are based on association, not clear cause and effect.
"The simple message is eat healthy, exercise regularly and everything should be done in moderation," he said. "If you're a regular soda drinker you should be aware that this study adds to the evidence that regular soda may be associated with metabolic consequences."
"If you're a diet soda drinker, stay tuned for additional research to confirm or refute these findings."
CDC review
In Nov. 1984 the CDC compiled a report reviewing 213 of 592 cases of aspartame complaints. Some of these included cardiac arrest, seizures, disorientation, hyperactivity, extreme numbness, excitability, memory loss, loss of depth perception, liver impairment, severe mood swings and even DEATH. Frederick L. Trowbridge added an executive summary that conflicted with the information in the report by stating that the complaints were "generally of a mild nature." Death, of course, not a mild nature symptom!!!
DR. JEROME BRESSLER REPORT TO FDA:
[Test Results from Lab showing Aspartame causes Cancers, precancerous growths/conditions and Death. Kept under FDA seal of secrecy until FOIA forced their release to public. By then, Aspartame had already been approved by political manipulations.]
Original:
Pituitary - Markedly enlarged; slightly hyperemic.
Heart - Left Ventricle has undergone dilitation walls thin.
Lung - Right, anterior, medial and post-caval lobe have
undergone consolidation.
Testes - Marked atrophy, bilaterally.
Seminal Vesicle - Marked atrophy, bilaterally.
Thyroid - Moderately enlarged, bilaterally. A 2 mm in dia., dis-
crete, sl raised, moderately firm yellowish-grey lesion
is located in the posterior tip, bilaterally. (Thyroid
submitted in toto wrapped in a lens paper).
Heart - Wall of left ventricle thin
Brain - Marked autolysis
Pituitary - Marked autolysis
Pituitary - Marked enlargement.
Pitutiary - appears markedly hyperemic
Heart - Left ventricle has undergone a moderate amount of dili-
tation. Wall, left ventricle is thin.
Female Rat No. F16CF (Path No. 95619)
Heart - Focal Fibrosis.
Kidney - Mild chronic nephritis.
Female Rat No. K29CF (Path No. 95631)
Heart - Focal fibrosis
Kidney - Focal calcification
Female Rat No. M4CF (Path No. 95632)
Liver - Focal hyperplasia
Female Rat No. M10CF (Path No. 95634)
Kidney - Focal calcification.
Pituitary - Adenoma
Ovary - Fibrosis and Pigmentation.
(65)
Female Rat No. M15CF (Path No. 95635)
Pituitary - Adenoma.
Ovary - Cyst.
Female Rat No. B30CF (Path No. 95801)
Kidney - Focal calcification.
Female Rat D29CF (Path No. 95803)
Urinary Bladder (1) Chronic diffuse inflammation.
(2) Diffuse mild hyperplasia.
The second phase of the review consisted of the microscopic examination of
all tissues from the high dose females - a total of 36 animals. The
inconsistencies are listed below:
Female Rat No. B14HF (Path. No. 95657)
Eye was reported as not examined but eye was present and
normal.
Female Rat No. F25HF (Path. No. 95823)
Urinary Bladder - Mild diffuse hyperplasia.
Female Rat No. H7HF (Path No. 95623)
Ovary - Neoplasm - probably granulosa cell tumor.
Female Rat No. H9HF (Path No. 95665)
Heart - Focal fibrosis.
Urinary Bladder - Mild focal hyperplasia.
Female Rat No. H15HF (Path No. 95665)
Lymph Node - The diagnosis of lymphoma, benign, was present on
the Searle microscopic report. According to Dr. Frith, lymphoma
is generally not considered to be benign and he would diagnose
lympphosarcoma.
Female Rat NO. H18HF (Path No. 95667)
Pituitary - Adenoma.
Brain - Mild bilateral hydrocephalus.
Female Rat No. K18HF (Path No. 95824)
Pituitary - Adenoma
Female Rat No. K24HF (Path. No. 95671)
Mass noted grossly - nothing consistent with mass reported
microscopically.
(66)
Female Rat No. - M2HF (Path. No. 95672)
Uterus - Chronic mild endometritis.
Female Rat No. M30HF (Path. No. 95343)
Kidney - Focal calcification.
Uterus - Chronic mild endometritis.
Female Rat No. M30HF (Path. No. 95675)
Pancreas - Focal hyperplasia.
The third phase of this review consisted of microscopic verification of
all masses reported grossly at necropsy from all female animals not
examined in phases 1 and 2 and included a total of 73 animals. The
inconsistencies are listed below:
Female Rat No. D10Lf (Path No. 92521)
Subcutaneous mass was diagnosed as an angiofibroma on Searle
report. The lesion is more consistent with an angiosarcoma.
Female Rat No. K9MF (Path. No. 95707)
Uterus - Polyp.
Female Rat No. M1LF (Path. No. 95844)
Tissue mass seen grossly was reported as missing and not
available for microscopic examination. The tissue was
present and was a mammary fibroadenoma.
In summary, Dr. Frith reviewed:
1) All 36 high dose females (all slides) including 3 that had
been excluded from the study due to autolysis.
2) 36 (one-half) of the control females (all slides) including
1 animal that had been excluded from the study due to auto-
lysis.
3) Remaining 73 female animals with grossly observed masses.
(sufficient slides were reviewed to substantiate the masses)
4) 5 additional animals selected by the investigators (A1HM,
A9HM, A29HM, C2CM, C24HM).
(67)
The slides reviewed in the first two categories above constituted 20% of
the total animals on the study. Dr. Frith reviewed these slides blindly
and then compared his findings with the Searle microscopic reports.
According to Dr. Frith, his findings were in agreement with those of
SEarle, for the most part. In his opinion, some of the lesions that he
reported as inconsistencies were small, and might be considered
insignificant by some pathologists. Dr. Frith did feel, however, that the
ovarian neoplasms (animals H10CF, H19CF, and H7HP, and chronic cystitis
and diffuse hyperplasia (animal D29CF) should have been reported.
Dr. Frith also considered two other discrepancies to be significant. They
were:
1) The reporting of a mass (by Searle) as missing which was
actually present (MlLF).
2) The finding of a polyp of the uterus which was not diagnosed
by Searle (K9MF)
The second of the above two discrepancies assumes even more significance
in view of the following:
The Histopathologic Summary table (table 11) in Volume I of the submission
to FDA lists the following incidence of Uterine Polyps on page 87:
Incidence of Uterine Polyps
Controls Low Medium High
1 of 69 1 of 34 4 of 34 6 of 33
(1%) (3%) (12%) (18%)
The finding of one additional uterine polyp by Dr. Frith (in animal K9MF)
increases the incidence in the mid dose to 5 of 34 (15%).
On page 82 of Volume I of the submission to FDA, is the statement: "other
sporadic findings is included endometrial hyperplasia, polyp, cyst,
congestion and squamous metaplasia." The term "sporadic findings" was
used to characterize the incidence of uterine polyps, in spite of the fact
that Searle had done a statistical analysis of these findings.
(68)
The errors are tabulated below:
Wt. Shown In Wt. Recorded on
Animal No. Organ Submission Original Pathology Sheet
A12CM Kidneys 3.75 G 3.45 G
L28LM Ven. Prostrate 747 mg. 474.7 mg.
C0lMM Kidneys 9.40 G 9.219 G.
C02HM Kidneys 1.46 G 4.259 G
E14HM Kidneys 11.74 G 4.746 G
J12HM Pituitary 3.0 mg. 3.3 mg.
J30HM Ven. Prostrate 444 mg. 444.8 mg.
F17CF Ovaries 36.7 mg. 233.5 & 36.7 mg.
H30CF Liver 9.4 G 9.493 G
B20HF Uterus 1115 mg. 1155 mg.
K11HF Adrenals 799.1 mg. 797.1 mg.
(42)
