Doc Talk: Putting aspartame’s category 2B carcinogen label into perspective

Food products containing aspartame. The artificial sweetener was labelled a category 2B carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. PHOTO: AFP
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SINGAPORE – Imagine this scene. Three friends meet at a bar for a drink. They have known one another for many years and go by the names IARC, JECFA and FDA. They have a common interest on the topic of cancer.

The question of whether aspartame, a common artificial sweetener, causes liver cancer, crops up during their conversation.

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