Last year, concern over the artificial sweetener aspartame suddenly flared up. Most often seen in diet soda, this sweet substance was accused of exhibiting carcinogenic properties. While this situation died down as suddenly as it started, the panic raised an intriguing question: Do diet sodas pose health risks?
A reasonable place to look for the answer to this question comes from the initial concerns regarding aspartame’s alleged carcinogenic properties. Articles covering the story refer to a publication released by the World Health Organization (WHO) which notes “there was…limited evidence…related to the possible mechanisms for causing cancer”
However, the studies rely on“limited” data. Nothing stated by the WHO explicitly confirms or denies the danger of this substance but instead begets other organizations to verify or deny their conclusions.
Additionally, the article also states that aspartame may only be dangerous in excessively high amounts. The WHO’s publication states that someone “weighing 70 [kg or roughly 150 lbs] would need to consume more than 9-14 cans per day” before they reached dangerous concentrations of Aspartame.
More recent studies also confirmed the relative safeness of Aspartame. Another report the WHO released this year mentioned several new studies on the sweetener’s threat level. While other potential correlations were noticed, the general consensus was that Aspartame showed no clear signs of being dangerous.
The outlets originally covering the story noted how uncertain the concerns were. An article from CNN Health interviews a departmental director from the WHO, Dr. Francesco Branca. He states “the studies give conflicting results” and that the current data did not seem convincing.
While our current knowledge could change with the release of another WHO publication, the current data claims that aspartame is not inherently dangerous.
However, this does not mean diet soda is entirely healthy. An article from the American Diabetes Association performed a study on the effect of artificial sweeteners on people who experience diabetes. Their findings indicated eating fake sugars causes increases in “plasma glucose, C-peptide, and insulin concentration.” While this study focused on sucralose, it sets a standard that warrants precaution.
One’s blood may not be the only thing affected by diet soda. Another study points out how people experienced higher cravings while diet soda was commonplace in their diet.
Both types of soda also introduce a different notable substance into the picture. A decent number of sodas contain caffeine, which helps keep one awake. According to the Mayo Clinic, cola has roughly one-fourth the caffeine content of a cup of coffee. It’s worth bringing this up in a discussion about diet soda as caffeine could significantly affect things like one’s sleep.
However, individuals should always approach these topics from a realistic perspective. Drinking one diet soda now and then may not cause severe health issues. Rather, the scientific evidence should encourage one to consider drinking it less often. Moderation is key, but make sure to understand the difference between being moderate and being overly precautious.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/13/health/aspartame-who-possible-cancer-cause/index.html
https://www.who.int/news/item/14-07-2023-aspartame-hazard-and-risk-assessment-results-released
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240092549
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/3-reasons-you-should-kick-your-diet-soda-habit
