Aspartame, an artificial sweetener found in a variety of diet soft drinks, has been declared safe to drink in current amounts by The European Food Safety Authority, CBS News reports.
"The Panel concluded that aspartame was not of safety concern at the current aspartame exposure estimates," the EFSA said in its summary of the report, ruling out any "potential risk of aspartame causing damage to genes and inducing cancer."
Also known under the brand name NutraSweet, aspartame is used in Diet Coke, and the news will likely help improve Cola Cola Co.'s fall sales, as the company has recently launched an advertising campaign hoping to dispel fears about the dangers of aspartame.
"Coke is trying to get out front and proactively defend these diet sweeteners," John Sicher, editor of Beverage Digest, which tracks the industry, told CBS News. However, artificial sweeteners are still "falling out of favor" as consumers begin to move towards more organic and natural ingredients.
While aspartame has previously been linked to cancer, U.S. health officials say that studies have provided no clear evidence of a scientific association between the sweetener and the disease in humans. The sweetener has, however, been linked to weight gain and obesity, as well as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
"Even if [aspartame is] 100 percent safe to use, it's still problematic from a nutrition standpoint," said Andy Bellatti, a registered dietitian based in Las Vegas who is critical of the food industry's marketing practices.
Click here to read the EFSA's full report on aspartame.
