this post was submitted on 29 Mar 2024
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science

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just science related topics. please contribute

note: clickbait sources/headlines aren't liked generally. I've posted crap sources and later deleted or edit to improve after complaints. whoops, sry

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[–] [email protected] 32 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (3 children)

Here’s another year old article that came out in response to this.

TLDR: You should not worry, and the only people who might think about worrying are those drinking 12 cans of diet soda a day — so basically no one.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/07/13/1187284010/world-health-organization-is-aspartame-carcinogenic

"Our results do not indicate that occasional consumption should pose a risk to most consumers," said Dr. Francesco Branca, director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety at the WHO, during a press conference in Geneva. He said the problem is for "high consumers" of diet soda or other foods that contain aspartame. "We have, in a sense, raised a flag here," Branca said, and he called for more research.

But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it disagrees with this new classification, pointing to evidence of safety. In a written statement, an FDA official told NPR that aspartame being labeled by the WHO "as 'possibly carcinogenic to humans' does not mean that aspartame is actually linked to cancer."

The WHO has long set the acceptable daily intake, or ADI, of aspartame at a maximum of 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day. So, a person who weighs 60 kilograms (about 130 pounds), could consume up to 2,400 milligrams per day, which is roughly equivalent to 12 cans of Diet Coke — much higher than most people consume.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago

In Mexico and other countries there are cities where you cannot drink the water so you end up drinking soda your entire life. Coca-Cola buys the good water and pollutes the rest so that they are the only safe drinking option.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

The Vox article comes to the same conclusion.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 7 months ago (3 children)

I beg to differ I know for fact my dad drinks 12 cans or more a day. Hell I did at one time but with regular Dr Pepper. It not hard to go through a 12oz can of soda.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Regular Coke, sure not hard. Diet, though?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 7 months ago

The few people I've known that would drink that much daily drink diet only. It has been pretty obvious throughout my life that people who have no self-control are more likely to go for things like diet sodas and "lite" whatever. I hate sweeteners, I can't stand diet anything both because it tastes bad to me and it makes me feel ill, but to me it still seems like it would be easier to drink 12 cans of diet soda than the same amount of "normal" soda. It's a disgusting amount either way.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I have a coworker who has a 1.5L bottle of coke zero beside him everyday.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

How big is said coworker? And I remember working in call center when I was younger and always having a 20oz bottle of soda. Looking back I know how dumb that was, but shit I smoked cigarettes back then too so wasn't all they bright.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 7 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago

Oh I do a ton. I was referring when I was younger.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 7 months ago

I came in here ready to defend delicious aspartame from people who aren't science literate and was surprised to see many really good arguments and comments already posted. Lemmy, you're pretty cool as a community right now.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 7 months ago

So according to WHO, aspartame is more cancerous than glyphosate

[–] [email protected] 39 points 7 months ago (3 children)

Does it have atomic mass? Then it probably can cause cancer.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

I have atomic mass ... am I ... Doctor Manhattan?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Does it interact in any way whatsoever with the electromagnetic spectrum?

Yeah that'll give you cancer alright

[–] [email protected] 20 points 7 months ago

This is a good rule, especially for things that change their own atomic mass.

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