Live data from Hacker News

Aspartame sweetener to be declared possible cancer risk by WHO, say reports

theguardian.com

581–584 of 584 posts

Re: Aspartame sweetener to be declared possible cancer risk by WHO, say reports

#581
post #291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cancer rates are rising rapidly. Soon 50% of people will have cancer. I’d say something is going on

From NIH's National Cancer institute: * Approximately 39.5% of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetimes (based on 2015–2017 data). This is no where near 50% of people "having cancer". * The rate of new cases of cancer (cancer incidence) is 442.4 per 100,000 men and women per year (based on 2013–2017 cases). (.442%) * The cancer death rate (cancer mortality) is 158.3 per 100,000…

This just says we're living longer, not that cancer is suddenly becoming an epidemic.

Live long enough and you will get cancer.

Re: Aspartame sweetener to be declared possible cancer risk by WHO, say reports

#582
post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a computer science professor who drank so much diet coke that she had a wall of empty cans stacked up from floor to ceiling in her office. Even then, 20 years ago now, I was so grossed out with that level of artificial intake I wanted to grab her shoulders and shake her. But that wouldn't have helped my grade.

Why? Why does it matter to you?

eh, because... empathy? I like to see people make decent choices.

Re: Aspartame sweetener to be declared possible cancer risk by WHO, say reports

#583

Earlier quoted context omitted.

agreed, it's really hard with lobbyists, captured agencies, flawed studies, social media noise, political narratives, etc etc etc. We try our best to just go back to first principles: as close to the food source as possible, as few added ingredients as possible, organic, etc.

Ahh, the naturalist fallacy. But the natural substitutes for artificial sweeteners are markedly worse for you, and more primitive, less industrial cooking and food preparation techniques often can be as well.

huh, there's a fallacy for everything these days. well yes, some mushrooms are as close to nature as possible but would kill us. but believing in nature more than pepsico is usually a decent choice.

Re: Aspartame sweetener to be declared possible cancer risk by WHO, say reports

#584

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a computer science professor who drank so much diet coke that she had a wall of empty cans stacked up from floor to ceiling in her office. Even then, 20 years ago now, I was so grossed out with that level of artificial intake I wanted to grab her shoulders and shake her. But that wouldn't have helped my grade.

What is “artificial intake”? Would it have been preferable to “real” intake of sugar from regular Coke?

I suppose that's the big debate. Although one can safely say it would have probably been preferable to stack cans of sparkling water. or maybe perri-air.
Post reply on HN