Reacción a "Reactions: aspartame sweetener is classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans, although the acceptable daily intake remains unchanged"

For current consumers of diet drinks, this news isn’t cause for major alarm. Aspartame has been classed in IARC’s Category 2B, which means there’s limited evidence that it might cause cancer, not that it does or is likely to. The work from JECFA confirms that normal levels of consumption appear to be safe.  

Beyond this focus on aspartame and cancer specifically, we know the use of sweeteners in our food supply is increasing – in Australia for example, the food industry has been turning away from aspartame for some time, with more use of ‘natural’ sweeteners such as Stevia (cite). As governments and consumers have looked to reduce sugar intake, we’re seeing an increase in sweetener use across the food supply – not just in drinks. It's important that we continue to study the long-term effects of this on a range of health outcomes. Given other recent guidance from the World Health Organization that non-sugar sweeteners should not be used as a means of achieving weight control or reducing the risk of heart disease or diabetes, it might still be wise to think about the overall benefits to health (and your wallet) from trading a soft drink habit of any kind for healthier alternatives such as tap water.