Compound Interest: aspartame

What do the IARC’s carcinogen classifications actually mean?

July 14, 2023 68Comments 15Likes 48075Views

Infographic on the IARC carcinogen classification system. Classifications are shown along with example substances that fall within each category. Classifications range from group 1 (carcinogenic to humans) to group 4 (probably not carcinogenic).

Alcohol: Well known to be carcinogenic to humans. Despite this, a large proportion of the population drink it regularly. More surprisingly, whenever the International Agency for Research on Cancer updates its carcinogen classifications for other substances with a lower cancer risk, there’s often media fanfare. In recent years, the IARC has upgraded classifications for red meat and aspartame, leading to a spate of panicked articles. This republished and updated post takes a look at what the classification groups actually mean, and how worried we should be about a substance’s classification.

Coke & Diet Coke: The Facts and the Fiction

August 6, 2015 8Comments 2Likes 13076Views

Coke & Diet Coke – Fact & Fiction — Click to enlarge

Over the past week, you may well have seen a couple of graphics purporting to explain the effect that drinking a can of Coke or Diet Coke has on your body. They’ve been picked up by a range of online news and media sites, and as a result circulated widely. Unfortunately, although some of the information contained in them is correct, a lot of it is sensationalised, hyperbolic, or just plain wrong. This graphic is an attempt to sort the fact from the fiction, and give a clearer picture of what’s going on when you drink a can of Coke.

Undeserved Reputation? Aspartame, The Artificial Sweetener

April 28, 2015 41Comments 2Likes 10018Views

Last week, Pepsi announced they will be removing aspartame, the artificial sweetener, from Diet Pepsi (in the US), and replacing it with another artificial sweetener, sucralose. This reignited the discussion on aspartame, probably one of the most maligned substances in fizzy drinks – but what does the science say on its safety? This graphic looks at the evidence behind aspartame’s bad reputation, and whether it makes sense to remove it from drinks.