Reuters broke news last week that the Coke Zero I drink and the Trident gum I chew may cause cancer. Actually, the words used were “possibly carcinogenic,” which doesn’t sound deadly but doesn’t sound healthy either. That designation came from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) about aspartame, an ingredient in both of these sugar-free items, as well as Crystal Light, Log Cabin Sugar Free Syrup, Sugar-free Jell-O, Equal and Nutrasweet.
The media jumped on this like sauce on ribs. CBS. Forbes. Vox. CNN. Washington Post. The list goes on. Those of us who consume sugar-free products with aspartame stopped gulping and chewing for a moment and took note.
I read in the past about aspartame creating cravings for other products with aspartame, and I find that to be true. When I drink a Coke Zero, I crave Trident gum — and vice versa. But, like most things, I assumed the average person had to consume massive amounts of aspartame for it to be a legitimate health concern. I continue to live by the “little bit of everything is good, too much of one thing is bad” mantra. And, after researching these stories a bit further, I will continue to live by this and drink my one can of Coke Zero each day.
The best piece I read on this subject was from Verge, which stated, “You don’t have to freak out about aspartame in your diet soda. The IARC will reportedly classify aspartame as a possible carcinogen. But this isn’t a food safety agency, and the context matters.” Yes, it does.
The story stated that IARC “only assesses the hazard of a given substance, not the risk. For example, there is a hazard of a meteor destroying the Earth or the sun causing skin cancer. But that’s not what matters to the average person. What matters is the actual risk of a hazard happening.”
According to the story, the IARC reviews data about a substance and then declares whether it’s carcinogenic, probably carcinogenic, possibly carcinogenic, or unclassifiable. The article goes much more in depth, but data from the story confirms my view. “The FDA sets the ADI for aspartame at 50 milligrams per kilogram of weight.” The story also did the math for us, stating if you weigh 150 pounds, you could consume 3,400 milligrams per day. A packet of NutraSweet has 37 milligrams. A 12-ounce can of Diet Coke has 200 milligrams. That means you could consume 91 packets of NutraSweet or 17 cans of Diet Coke every day.
So don’t throw out your Crystal Light, Log Cabin Sugar Free Syrup, or Sugar-free Jell-O quite yet. And, maybe more importantly, be careful what news you listen to, watch or read.
Cheers, and have a thoughtful Thursday. Thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com
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