If you believe diet sodas are healthier than regular ones, you should rethink your life choices.
Soft drinks or sodas are the ultimate guilty pleasures. The feeling of cold, sweet, and caffeinated drinks is one of the best, especially on a hot day. Sodas mean sugar and an excess amount of sugar. Because of this, people turn towards diets or sugar-free products.
But then again, sugar-free does not mean healthy, especially now that one ingredient is declared a “possible” carcinogenic.
Aspartame Declared as Possible Carcinogenic
According to the study by the Food and Agriculture Organization Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization, aspartame, which is an artificial sweetener used as an alternative to sugar, is a “possible” carcinogenic ingredient.
When we say carcinogenic, it means it can cause cancer. Aside from sodas, Aspartame is also used for chewing gum, ice cream, and other diet drinks. Moreover, Aspartame can possibly cause hepatocellular carcinoma, a form of liver cancer.
“Considering the fact that there’s limited evidence for a single type of cancer in humans, plus limited evidence in the animal studies [and] the mechanistic studies, in our view, this is really more of a call to the research committee to try to better clarify and understand the carcinogenic hazard that may or may not be posed of aspartame consumption.”
Even if there is a lack of evidence as of this time, dieticians warn that it is possible when Aspartame is regularly consumed.
The World Health Organization also released a limit on aspartame consumption. If your weight is 70kg, nine to 14 sugar-free drinks are still acceptable, given that each can contain 200 to 300 milligrams of aspartame.
Aside from possibly resulting in cancer, too much consumption of products with aspartame can lead to kidney stones, diabetes, and many more sicknesses.
Giving into temptation and cravings is okay. However, going overboard with sweets, artificial flavorings, and sweeteners does more harm than good. If you have reached the end of this article, let this remind you to skip the diet sodas and drink water.
