A new study in humans is taking the fizz out of the artificial sweetener fight. Researchers say aspartame, a sweetener used in diet soda and some chewing gums, is unlikely to raise the risk of cancer.
Coffee drinkers are waking up to good news with their morning brew. That artificial sweetener you're adding may not be bad for you after all. For the first time a study conducted on humans found there is no link between aspartame and cancer.
Aspartame is the main ingredient found in sugar substitutes like NutraSweet and Equal. It sweetens diet soda, yogurt and gum.
Dr. Caroline M. Apovian says, "Anything that's usually sweetened by sugar can be sweetened by aspartame."
Dr. Apovian says this should be good news for people who have shied away from artificial sweeteners because of health concerns.
"There was fear because of the reports of saccharine, the sweetener that was used most often beforehand that, that was linked to bladder cancer. I think there was a fear that other artificial sweeteners would have some sort of link with cancer. It was just that people didn't know," says Dr. Apovian.
Researchers followed the eating and drinking habits of 500,000 Americans and tracked their health progress for the past decade.
"We have a population that is using more and more aspartame. And it's very reassuring to hear that in thousands of people researched, that we're not seeing an increase in certain cancers," said Dr. Apovian.
Many consumer groups are praising the study because it was conducted by independent researchers without ties to the industry.
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