I HAVE MY TAP DANCING SHOES ON.
NOT TO WORRY.
>> BREAKING NEWS TO GET TO.
THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION,
JUST IN THE PAST COUPLE OF
MINUTES, SAID THAT ASPARTAME,
THE POPULAR SWEETENER USED IN
SODA, IS A POSSIBLE CANCER RISK.
THE REPORT WE ARE BRINGING YOU
FIRST SHOWS THERE IS LIMITED
EVIDENCE THAT IT COULD HAVE
LINKS TO LIVER CANCER.
IT IS IN A LOT OF STUFF.
IT IS IN DIET SODA, ICE CREAM,
GUM, CEREAL, TOOTH PASTE, EVEN
SOME MEDICATIONS, FOR EXAMPLE.
YOU CAN’T MISS THIS.
SO CAN WE JUST LEVEL IN PLAIN
ENGLISH HERE?
IT FEELS LIKE THE UPSHOT REPORT
IS CONFUSING.
ON THE ONE HAND THEY SAY
ASPARTAME IS IN SO MUCH STUFF
AS A POSSIBLE CARCINOGEN.
THEN OVER AND OVER AGAIN, THEY
SAY THERE IS ONLY LIMITED
EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT IT COULD
CAUSE CANCER.
>> LET’S BREAK THIS DOWN AND
THINK ABOUT WHAT THEY SAID AND
WHAT THEY DIDN’T SAY.
THEY DEFINITELY DID NOT SAY
THAT ASPARTAME DEFINITELY
CAUSES CANCER AND THAT EVERYONE
NEEDS TO STOP CONSUMING IT
TODAY.
WHAT THEY DID SAY, BASED ON TWO
DIFFERENT REPORTS WITH TWO
DIFFERENT AGENCIES.
ONE IS THE CANCER RESEARCH
AGENCY AND THE OTHER ONE SAID
CONSUMPTION OF FOOD ADDITIVES.
THE FIRST AGENCY SAID BASED ON
LIMITED EVIDENCE, ASPARTAME
COULD POSSIBLY BE ASSOCIATED
WITH CANCER.
THAT DOESN’T MEAN IT DEFINITELY
DOES AND IT DOESN’T MEAN THAT
IT PROBABLY DOES.
IT IS NOT THAT HIGH OF A RATING.
THE OTHER AGENCY WHICH SAYS
THIS IS HOW MUCH WE THINK IS
SAFE TO CONSUME, THEY DID NOT
CHANGE THEIR RECOMMENDATION FOR
WHAT IT PREVIOUSLY WAS, WHICH
IS ROUGHLY 40 MILLIGRAMS PER
KILOGRAMS.
I WILL PUT THAT IN OUR METRIC.
IF YOU TAKE AN AVERAGE 150
POUND PERSON, THEY WOULD NEED
TO DRINK OVER NINE TO 14 CANS
OF SODA A DAY OR OTHER
ASPARTAME IN FOODS TO EXCEED
THAT AMOUNT.
FOR MOST OF US AT HOME, YOU CAN
CONTINUE TO HAVE A DIET COKE
EVERY DAY, AND THAT KIND OF
THING.
WE NEED MORE RESEARCH, AND
PEOPLE SHOULD BE MINDFUL OF
THEIR CONSUMPTION, BUT WE DO
NOT NEED TO PANIC.
>> IS A HELPFUL OR MORE
CONFUSING FOR THE FDA TO COME
OUT NOW AT THE SAME TIME AND SAY
, STRAIGHT UP, ASPARTAME HAS
ALREADY HAD A LOT OF STUDIES
DONE.
THEY SAY THEY’RE NOT CONCERNED.
THE IDEA OF WHETHER IT IS UP
ESSENTIAL CARCINOGEN, IT’S UP
THERE WITH ALOE VERA AND
PICKLED VEGETABLES.
SO THE FDA’S UPPER LIMIT IS
ACTUALLY HIGHER THAN THE WORLD
HEALTH ORGANIZATION.
IT IS 50 MILLIGRAMS PER
KILOGRAM.
I THINK THEY ARE ESSENTIALLY THE
SAYING THE SAME THING.
THERE IS AN ASSOCIATION
POTENTIALLY WITH LIVER CANCER.
I THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT
MORE RESEARCH SHOULD ALWAYS BE
DONE, BUT I THINK BOTH OF THEIR
BOTTOM LINE IS, PEOPLE DO NOT
NEED TO STOP CONSUMING IT THEY
SHOULD BE MINDFUL OF HOW MUCH
THEY ARE CONSUMING, JUST LIKE
ANYTHING, UNTIL WE HAVE MORE
INFORMATION.
I THINK WE CAN ALL ENJOY IT A
DIET SODA TONIGHT AND TOMORROW