For many, reaching for a diet coke in the grocery aisle has been considered a healthier alternative to drinking regular sodas full of sugar.
However, all that could change because one of the world’s most common artificial sweeteners will soon be declared a health risk.
According to a Reuters exclusive, a sweetener called Aspartame will be labelled a possible carcinogen next month by the World Health Organization’s cancer research committee.
In July, the sweetener will be listed as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” for the first time by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Health Organization’s (WHO) cancer research team, according to Reuters.
The report indicates that Aspartame is used in more than just products like the popular Coca-Cola diet soda. In fact, this sweetener can be found in regular juices like Snapple or even Mars’ Extra chewing gum.
Prior to this new development, the WHO committee on additives (the Joint WHO and Food and Agriculture Organization’s Expert Committee on Food Additives), has said aspartame is safe to consume within accepted daily limits.
Reactions to the news are mixed with some people wondering why it took so long for this research to see the light of day to some grieving the loss of their favourite sodas.
