PUBLISHED BY

READ ONLINE | SIGN UP


Expert advice to help you live well every day.

(Abbey Lossing for The Washington Post)

Tara Parker-Pope

What you need to know about the aspartame news

If you've had a diet soda, sugar-free chewing gum, flavored yogurt or even cough drops, chances are you've consumed the artificial sweetener known as aspartame.

The ubiquitous sugar substitute was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1974, but since then it's become an essential ingredient in numerous foods and beverages. One of the most popular aspartame-sweetened products is Diet Coke.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is part of the World Health Organization, announced today that after analyzing recent data on aspartame, it has decided to classify the ingredient as a possible carcinogen.

The agency has long had aspartame (and other nonnutritive sweeteners) in its sights. It has advised people not to use sugar substitutes to help with weight loss and to reduce our dependence on both sugar and non-sugar sweeteners.

The track record of the IARC is also worth noting. The agency has said salted fish, hot dogs and other processed meats cause cancer, and has also listed aloe vera, pickled vegetables and Ginkgo biloba extract as possibly carcinogenic, too.

So what is a Diet Coke lover to do?

While most health experts advise cutting back on sodas and ultra-processed foods, many say the evidence IARC has cited in making its ruling is flawed.

Eating Lab columnist Anahad O'Connor breaks it all down for you, explaining the science behind the aspartame concerns. The bottom line is this: Aspartame does not appear to be an imminent cancer threat, but there are still lots of good health reasons to cut back on nonnutritive sweeteners and ultra-processed foods.

(Getty Images/Getty Images)

Does aspartame pose a health risk? Here's what the science says.

A World Health Organization committee may label aspartame as a possible carcinogen. Health experts say the research behind the review is flawed.

By Anahad O'Connor

Aspartame may cause cancer, global health body says

One of the world's most common, and most studied, sweeteners comes under the microscope again. It is determined to be a "possible carcinogen" and yet acceptable daily intake remains unchanged.

By Laura Reiley

(Abbey Lossing for The Washington Post)

New data on rising alcohol consumption

Did your drinking habits change during the pandemic? Reporters Caitlin Gilbert and David Ovalle have parsed through fascinating new data showing that in most states, alcohol consumption increased significantly during the pandemic years. More important, deaths related to alcohol also surged in every state. Those findings translate to 17,000 additional lives lost to alcohol.

Find out where your state ranks.

(Antonprado/Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Alcohol consumption surged during the pandemic — and deaths followed

U.S. consumption of alcohol, which had already been increasing for years, accelerated during the pandemic as Americans grappled with stress and isolation.

By Caitlin Gilbert, David Ovalle and Hanna Zakharenko

Ask a Doctor: Why is it so hard to find my veins for blood tests?

I am one of those people who has been poked and prodded many times by exasperated technicians who can't find my veins. Until now, though, I never knew there was anything I could do about it.

This week's Ask a Doctor column explains how you can better prepare for a blood test. And don't forget to submit your question to our columnist. Trisha S. Pasricha is a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School.