3 ms·

> practically universally consumed I take issue with this, frankly. Aspartame seems to be particularly popular in the USA (diet sodas), and less popular the fu

> practically universally consumed I take issue with this, frankly. Aspartame seems to be particularly popular in the USA (diet sodas), and less popular the further away you go. It's used in other stuff, sure, but most products outside of the USA just use sugar or corn-syrup-based sweeteners. I don't think anyone in my circle of family or friends has had a diet soda in decades, save for exactly one individual who drinks a lot of diet drinks.

Semaphor 5y ago
> Aspartame seems to be particularly popular in the USA (diet sodas), and less popular the further away you go. At least in Germany, it’s very similar. Most diet sodas here are aspartame sweetened.
- theon144 5y ago
  Right, but how popular is diet soda? Anecdotally, there's huge differences between soda consumption in USA and Europe.
  - tptacek 5y ago
    If that were true, it makes the epidemiological case for an aspartame link clearer, because you'd simply be able to compare cancer incidence between countries by aspartame consumption and see the evidence. It's the most studied additive in the history of the food industry, and that link has not been found.
    - xyzzy_plugh 5y ago
      It turns out measuring aspartame consumption by country is not simple and that there aren't good sets of equivalent studies across regions to draw from. I browsed some papers in the National Library of Medicine[0] and it seems like, at least as recent as a decade ago, it's generally accepted the USA has a higher intake than the rest of the globe, by 15-25% per capita, but it's hard to know for sure. I agree there should be an epidemiological case for a link, but alternatively maybe the link is that there is no strong link to cancer. Everything in moderation, as they say. 0: search "aspartame intake", I can't easily cite anything right now.

3 ms·

> practically universally consumed I take issue with this, frankly. Aspartame seems to be particularly popular in the USA (diet sodas), and less popular the fu

by xyzzy_plugh 5y ago

Semaphor 5y ago
> Aspartame seems to be particularly popular in the USA (diet sodas), and less popular the further away you go. At least in Germany, it’s very similar. Most diet sodas here are aspartame sweetened.
- theon144 5y ago
  Right, but how popular is diet soda? Anecdotally, there's huge differences between soda consumption in USA and Europe.
  - tptacek 5y ago
    If that were true, it makes the epidemiological case for an aspartame link clearer, because you'd simply be able to compare cancer incidence between countries by aspartame consumption and see the evidence. It's the most studied additive in the history of the food industry, and that link has not been found.
    - xyzzy_plugh 5y ago
      It turns out measuring aspartame consumption by country is not simple and that there aren't good sets of equivalent studies across regions to draw from. I browsed some papers in the National Library of Medicine[0] and it seems like, at least as recent as a decade ago, it's generally accepted the USA has a higher intake than the rest of the globe, by 15-25% per capita, but it's hard to know for sure. I agree there should be an epidemiological case for a link, but alternatively maybe the link is that there is no strong link to cancer. Everything in moderation, as they say. 0: search "aspartame intake", I can't easily cite anything right now.