Like it or not, there’s a clear scientific consensus

After the WHO communication regarding aspartame being potentially linked to cancer (https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/30/health/health-effects-of-aspartame/index.html) I’ve been seeing a lot of knee jerk reactions from people thinking they need to avoid it. This blog post has a very good walkthrough of the issue, which is a good counter balance to read. IMO, the WHO is using poor judgement, by causing disproportionate fear over an issue that has a very clear scientific consensus, backed by a large body of evidence.

  •  araquen   ( @araquen@beehaw.org ) 
    7•1 year ago

    I’ve always hated the taste of aspartame. I’ve also deeply disliked cloying sweetness in general.

    I basically gave up sweetened drinks, and I’ll tell you, best decision I ever made: pretty much all foods have much more flavor, more nuance.

    I don’t begrudge people their choices, just that removing sweeteners from food has been a boon for me.

  •  azureeight   ( @azureeight@beehaw.org ) 
    7•1 year ago

    I appreciate the breakdown. When i first saw the reporting my question was “yeah but is it as bad as what sugar will do to me much faster” cause i struggle to eat without carbonated drinks so it’s really hard to stop. 😩

    Glad to see it’s not exactly as the headlines made it seem.

      •  azureeight   ( @azureeight@beehaw.org ) 
        3•1 year ago

        I used to, but it was during a period of my life I was very sick, so now I find the flavors intolerable. I went a long time without carbonated drinks, but the hiatal hernia/pocket that came from my illness makes digestion a bit complicated. A lot of people with digestive issues actually have soda prescribed for their diet in nursing homes, so having something not full of syrup that won’t rot you more from the inside would be nice! 😂