The FDA remains confident that sugar substitutes, including aspartame, are safe when consumed responsibly by consumers in moderation – this includes limiting how often sweetened beverages are consumed. Aspartame has been extensively studied over time and approved for use by multiple international health authorities such as FDA and Europe’s EFSA.
Aspartame is a low-calorie sweetener that is 200 times sweeter than sugar and requires much smaller doses to produce the same sweetness. Aspartame can be found in products like Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi Zero as well as no-sugar salad dressing, no-calorie ice cream and sugar-free Jell-O Instant Pudding pudding; and can even be found in sugar-free chewing gum such as Extra.
Aspartame may contain less calories than sugar, yet has been linked with numerous health concerns. Studies have indicated that those consuming large quantities may increase their risk of diabetes and high blood pressure. Furthermore, concerns have been expressed over its potential to trigger allergic reactions such as itchy skin from contact dermatitis.
IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) of the WHO classified aspartame as a Group 2B carcinogen, or potentially cancerous to humans. Their reasoning for this classification included limited evidence suggesting it causes liver cancer in some individuals and limited evidence demonstrating other possible ways that cancer might form elsewhere. But its classification shouldn’t mean you should give up drinking diet soda or non-caloric beverages altogether!