FSA-Commissioned Study Examines Aspartame’s Alleged Health Effects

The U.K. Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products
and the Environment (COT) has released a December 2013 position paper on
the purported health effects of aspartame, which is currently being reviewed
by the European Food Safety Authority as part of its re-evaluation of all food
additives. Commissioned by the U.K. Food Standards Agency (FSA), the paper
apparently analyzes a double-blind randomized crossover study conducted by
University of Hull York Medical School researchers, who asked 50 participants
with self-diagnosed adverse reactions to aspartame to consume a snack bar
without knowing whether it contained the substance in question.

Based on the study’s findings, which compared the responses of these participants to a control group, COT has concluded that “the results presented did not indicate any need for action to protect the health of public.” The committee will release the full minutes of its discussion once the study has been accepted for publication into a peer-reviewed scientific journal. See FSA News Release, December 4, 2013.

Issue 506