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I was wondering if aspartame is safe or not. I have heard of some studies that show it causes cancer in rats.

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2 Answers

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The old joke is that "researchers have been found to cause cancer in rats".

Depending on how much stock you put in cohort studies, this from the US national cancer institute might answer your question:

A study of about half a million people, published in 2006, compared people who drank aspartame-containing beverages with those who did not. Results of the study showed that increasing levels of consumption were not associated with any risk of lymphomas, leukemias, or brain cancers in men or women.

You can read more on the web page linked to above, but my impression is that unless you consume very large amounts of diet soda (or have a genetic predisposition for it) you should be OK. As usual, the best way to avoid cancer is to have good genes, exercise and eat a balanced diet. And don't smoke.

Aspartame would not be on my list of worries.

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I wonder what the "conversion rate" of rat studies to applicability to humans is. – Zach Feb 10 at 3:04
Good question. As I understand it, you should always be wary with rat studies before there is furhter confirmation. – Ateisten Feb 10 at 9:25
I would accept this answer, if it weren't for the last sentence. You shouldn't add your opinion into an answer addressing a scientific question. Why, if you drink diet soda, do you not have a life, anyway? I prefer to get my calories from real food. Furthermore, I've done informal taste tests, and can't tell a difference between diet and regular. – Zach Feb 13 at 15:52
My attempts at humour is not for everyone. Removed as per your request and added as evidence for the claim in the joke... – Ateisten Feb 14 at 10:55
Oh, and informal taste tests are worthless. Give me a double-blinded any day. – Ateisten Feb 14 at 10:58
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Wasn't it saccharin that is regulated for causing cancer?

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 Yes. After studies in rat, it was fount to cause bladder cancer, and a warning label was implemented. Later studies found that only rats were affected. Read more: cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/… – Ateisten Feb 9 at 7:21
Stack Excahnge is not a forum or message board. Answers should be well research and sources cited where possible. If there is an explanation on another site please summerise it in your answer in addition to just providing links. Refer to the skepticexchange.org/faq – rjstelling♦ Jul 10 at 19:23

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