Friday, 10 July 2009

  • Can People Stop Mentioning Cancer When I Drink Diet Soda?

    Cancer is never a good thing to throw around lightly. Even when people are serious, though, I still don't like telling people I prefer diet soda to regular and then having them say, "Yeah, but that stuff will give you cancer."

    I'm not so naïve as to think companies wouldn't market something that could be harmful to your health. I mean, hello, we have cigarettes in this world. Still, they come with a warning label on the package. Moreover, the FDA and others have independently researched the effects of aspartame (artificial sweetner) extensively. According to trusty Wikipedia, a safety report in 2007 concluded aspartame "is safe at current levels of consumption as a non-nutritive sweetner." Of course, some doubt the viability of the government-endorsed research.

    A lot of this controversy about aspartame and diet soda stems from older studies on the effects of aspartame on rats. While apparently no report has been substantial enough to warrant restrictions on the compound's consumption, some scientists suggest there should be more research into possible links between aspartame and brain tumors and lymphoma.

    Then again, other foods also have traces of carcinogenic substances that must be monitored for safe levels of toxins. Peanut butter, for one, is often "contaminated" with traces of aflatoxin, a by-product of a mold that affects the peanut plant. Combine that with the fact peanut butter is pretty fattening, and you may think twice before spreading Skippy on your jelly and bread.

    What do you make of the "diet soda gives you cancer" debate? Are possible links between aspartame and cancer enough to make you stay away from diet drinks?

    Healthkicker.com

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Comments (83)

  • for_ever_mustard@xanga

    I HATE the way artificial sweeteners taste so yeah, I stay away from them.  The only artificial sweetener I don't mind is the one in Orbit, I think it's called Xylitol.  It doesn't taste bad and it helps me guard against cavities :)
  • kiwi_cheese@xanga

    i think almost anything today can give you cancer, so the whole diet soda gives you cancer is...kinda stupid in a way.  i mean, cancer is a serious thing but there are tons of other things that will give you cancer, like the sun!

    i'm not so sure about this, but i think the only way you could get cancer from diet soda is if you drink too much of it every single day.  it goes with everything else that you should balance yourself so you don't overload your body with whatever.  i mean you can die form drinking too much water! o.o

    i, however, don't even drink soda so i guess i don't really need to worry about that :P
  • niceBrice@xanga

    I drink Diet Peanut Butter Pepsi and I'm not concerned.
  • mldodson@xanga

    Sorry, but I got cancer of the uterus, and I swear, though doctors won't back me up on this, that it was because of the TON of diet soda I used to drink.  I should have gotten the message when I couldn't drink it when I was pregnant--it made me sick--but some 20 years later, the diet soda started making me sick again.  I switched from brown to citrus, but that didn't work. 


    Bottom line--no cancer in my family, but I got serious tumors in my uterus (I even passed one) which spread to my ovaries.  Until somebody proves me wrong, I will always believe it was diet soda that caused it. 


    And like Patrick Swayze has stated, "Chemo is hell on wheels!" Do you really love your diet soda that much?


    P. S.  And it gave me such halitosis, too!
  • XxCheshireGrinxX@xanga

    Everything gives you cancer...well too much of anything :p
  • xperfectxbodyx@xanga

    according to my biochemistry teacher, it is almost impossible to consume enough artificial sweetener to get cancer with how the lab rats got it.
  • anonymous

    See the links on the right side of this page-- http://dorway.com/dorwblog/  Aspartame is bad stuff.
  • KrazeeKunoichi009@xanga

    @testubebaby@xanga - THANK YOU. Me too.

    - Kunoichi

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