Aspartame: Debunking Cancer Concerns and Health Risks

A doctor in Watertown, New York, advises not to worry too much about consuming aspartame, an artificial sweetener found in diet soda, despite a recent World Health Organization report suggesting it may be "possibly carcinogenic to humans." Dr. Joseph Wetterhahn explains that the risk of developing cancer from aspartame is comparable to using a cellphone or applying aloe to a sunburn, and estimates that one would have to drink 15 cans of diet soda daily for at least 20 years before the risk becomes higher than that of someone who doesn't consume any. The study categorizes aspartame as falling into the second-lowest possibility of causing cancer.