Are Artificial Sweeteners Worth It? Health Officials Can't Seem to Agree Share This article The World Health Organization (WHO) announced recently that the artificial sweetener aspartame could cause cancer, particularly cancer in the liver. The declaration captured the attention of consumers worldwide because since it was introduced into the food supply in 1980, the product has been added to more than 5.000 sugar-free, diet, and low-calorie foods and beverages including Diet Coke, Trident gum, Jell-O, Log Cabin Sugar-Free Syrup, Equal, Crystal Light, and Zero-Sugar Snapple.
It can even be found in health products like toothpaste, chewable vitamins, and cough drops. However, just hours after the WHO made the announcement, in a rare move, the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) publicly stated they disagree with WHO's classification of aspartame as a possible carcinogenic, largely because of the research the global health organization used to arrive at their conclusion. The FDA cited "significant shortcomings in the studies" the WHO used, and added, "FDA scientists do not have safety concerns." The WHO says unsafe levels of aspartame consumption begin at 40 milligrams per kilogram per day, which is the amount in about nine cans of Diet Coke.
Robert Rankin, president of the Calorie Control Council told CBN News "Obviously, that level of consumption is not realistic." Dr. Samuel Cohen, a professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center told ABC News, "I think the main t.
