Bittersweet sweeteners

At the end of July, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an agency of the World Health Organisation, declared that aspartame is a possible carcinogen. While it’s a startling statement for most, if the claim would have obvious consequences for both human health and business – fi rms like Coca-Cola add the artificial sweetener to a range of drinks – the truth is perhaps more complicated than the headline warning suggests. Andrea Valentino looks into it, along the way talking to Harriet Burt of World Action on Salt, Sugar and Health and Marjorie McCullough of the American Cancer Society.