Diet Coke bottle on a spoonful of sweetener. Illustrated | GettyimagesThe World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is set to deem aspartame, the artificial sweetener used in many diet sodas and chewing gums, "possibly carcinogenic to humans," Reuters reported at the end of June. Aspartame has been considered safe for consumption since 1974 and was approved as a general sweetener in 1996, per Bloomberg. "There is broad consensus in the scientific and regulatory community that aspartame is safe," the American Beverage Association told the outlet. Still, however, this is not the first time research has shown a link between aspartame and cancer — last year, a study tied the sweetener to increased risks of "breast cancer ... and obesity-related cancers."

Source: The Star July 04, 2023 02:50 UTC