A Nice Little Sweetener?

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener, made by combining aspartic acid and phenylalanine. These two amino acids are naturally found in many proteins. Consequently, people will obviously be exposed to them, whether or not they take artificial sweeteners. Since the 1980s, Aspartame has been used to replace sugar in in diet soft drinks, sugar-free chewing gums, some cereals etc. The World Health Organisation's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is, however, about to classify Aspartame as 'possibly carcinogenic to humans' (https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jun/29/aspartame-artificial-sweetener-possible-cancer-risk-carcinogenic). 'Possibly carcinogenic to humans' is the IARC's lowest risk category for a mutagen (cancer-causing chemical). Evidence for any risk of using Aspartame, appears sparse and somewhat weak. Risk must depend on the daily intake of the material. Intake of virtually any substance, can be linked to health problems, if enough of it is ingested over a short enough time. The health risks of ingesting too much sugar have been evident for decades. High sugar intake can result in obesity. It also markedly increases the risk of developing diabetes. There's currently something of a 'diabetes pandemic'. Some authorities are concerned the IARC's new classification for Aspartame, could scare folk back to sugar. That wouldn't be a good move. There's risk and there's risk!