The dangers of consuming food or drink that contain chemicals

 The World Health Organization (WHO) today classified aspartame, a popular artificial sweetener, as a possible carcinogen. The decision was based on limited evidence and doesn’t change the recommended acceptable daily intake levels for aspartame.

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used in many low-calorie products like Diet Coke and sugar-free Jell-O. It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decades ago, but some people continue to question the safety of this sugar substitute.

I want to insert my comments now before you finish reading this. The Food and Drug Administration or FDA allows chemicals in food because it's in very small amounts. But because most of these chemicals are commonly used in several different foods and drinks no one knows how much the average person is consuming. And because chemicals in the body don't pass through, they normally get stored in fat cells, and those fat cells can become cancerous.

The human body can only process natural food and drinks, like water or juice from fruits or vegetables. Any food or drink additives that can't be processed will be stored in the body. The body can't pass through anything that it can't process.

So the question is what can I eat and what can't I eat.? Recently, eating natural food and drinking bottled water has become the new trend.

                                                                                                                                                             

Eat only fresh food, which pretty much eliminates canned foods, anything that comes frozen, and even dairy products. I forget to mention bakery goods. You can make your own bread, pies, and cakes because you know what ingredients you use. The problem with buying ready-made food is that commercial food companies will substitute natural ingredients with chemicals that taste the same to keep the price down. Read the label when in doubt.     

The WHO’s cancer research group, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), uses four categories to classify carcinogens or cancer-causing agents.

Aspartame is now listed in Group 2B alongside things like gasoline, lead, and whole-leaf aloe vera extract. Group 1 consists of harmful substances with “sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans,” including tobacco smoke and ultraviolet radiation.

To be placed in Group 2B, the research group must find “limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans,” or “sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals,” or “strong evidence that the agent exhibits key characteristics of carcinogens (regardless of whether from exposed humans or human cells or from experimental systems).”

“For current consumers of diet drinks, this news isn’t cause for major alarm. Aspartame has been classed in IARC’s Category 2B, which means there’s limited evidence that it might cause cancer, not that it does or is likely to,” Alexandra Jones, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow in Food Policy and Law at the George Institute for Global Health in Australia, said in a statement.

How Dangerous Is Aspartame?

Some people have turned to aspartame and other artificial sweeteners as a way to reduce their sugar intake. Consuming too many added sugars has increased the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

But with the news that aspartame is a “possible carcinogen,” some people may wonder if the swap from sugar to aspartame is worth it.

“No one ingredient or food increases cancer risk. It’s the amounts and patterns of food we consume over time, along with other genetic and lifestyle factors, that influence health risk,” Debbie Petitpain, MS, RDN, LDN, a registered dietitian in Charleston, South Carolina, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told Verywell in an email.

Aspartame is one of six sweeteners currently approved by the FDA as “safe for the general population under certain conditions of use.” The FDA determined that it’s safe for most people to consume up to 50 mg/kg body weight of aspartame every day.

Most of this article was written by experts in the field and it only pertains to sweeteners put into drinks because it's widely used. This is not the only chemical widely used in our foods and drinks. Most low-fat or low carb foods or drinks have little taste so chemical food additives are added to adhance the flavor.

Think about your health when your shopping.

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