According to a study out of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, there is a link between consumption of Aspartame, as well as sugar-containing soda and the risk of lymphoma and leukemia in one of the most comprehensive studies ever done on the artificial sweetener.

The researchers assessed diet in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS), and identified non-Hodgkin Lymphomas (NHLs), along with myelomas, and leukemias. They also assessed all nondietary covariate measures, including weight, smoking status, and cigarettes smoked per day, discretionary physical activity, and multivitamin use.

The results of the study were that while there didn’t seem to be a connection between soda intake and risk of NHL and multiple myeloma, in men, greater than or equal to one daily serving of diet soda increased risk of NHL and multiple myeloma compared to those men who did not consume diet soda. These results were not seen in women.

Interestingly, both men and women in the highest category of greater than or equal to one serving of diet soda per day were younger on average than subjects with less frequent consumption. Then after adjusting for age, subjects with a higher intake of diet soda had a higher BMI and animal protein intake and were less likely to smoke.

Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.