While regulatory agencies have deemed aspartame safe for human consumption, certain studies have raised concerns about its potential carcinogenic effects. Animal studies have suggested a possible link between aspartame intake and an increased risk of cancer, particularly leukemia and lymphoma.

The FDA approval of aspartame was highly contested, beginning with suspicions of its involvement in brain cancer, alleging that the quality of the initial research supporting its safety was inadequate and flawed, and that conflicts of interest marred the 1981 approval of aspartame, previously evaluated by two FDA ...

Dates, honey maple syrup, and coconut sugar are your best sugar alternatives. The occasional use of stevia and monk fruit are also good options. The worst sweeteners include artificial sweeteners like sucralose, saccharin, and aspartame, high fructose corn syrup, agave, and brown rice syrup.

Aspartame, along with many other commonly added ingredients in store-bought food and drinks, is a carcinogen. The side effects of aspartame do not stop with cancer, however. Aspartame can cause weight gain and loss of brain cells, along with milder things such as headaches and dizziness.