Does aspartame cause cancer?

Aspartame is used in many foods and beverages because it is about 200 times sweeter than sugar, so much less of it can be used to give the same level of sweetness. This, in turn, lowers the calories in the food or beverage. Rumors claiming that aspartame causes a number of health problems, including cancer, have been around for many years. read more

Aspartame. Aspartame, distributed under several trade names (e.g., NutraSweet ® and Equal ®), was approved in 1981 by the FDA after numerous tests showed that it did not cause cancer or other adverse effects in laboratory animals. A 2005 study raised the possibility that very high doses of aspartame might cause lymphoma and leukemia in rats . read more