The Study
Association between Aspartame Consumption and Cancer Risk: Evidence from a Large Prospective Cohort.
This study shows that people who drank more aspartame were more likely to get cancer later, but it doesn't prove aspartame caused it. Other habits or health differences might explain the link.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
Scientists looked at whether people who drink diet soda or use aspartame sweeteners get more cancer over time.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 552 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1The increases sound big, but they are small in real life.
- 2Also, the study can't prove aspartame caused the cancer.
- 3People who drank aspartame had a 13% higher chance of getting any cancer and a 17% higher chance of getting cancers linked to weight.
- 4For some cancers, the risk was 19% higher.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The Journal of nutrition
Year
2026
Authors
Xinyu Zhu, Jean A. Welsh, Marjorie L. McCullough, A. Sylvetsky, Terryl J Hartman, Alpa V. Patel, Emily L. Deubler, E. Ferranti, C. Um
Related Content
Claims (4)
Some artificial sweeteners with no calories might raise your chances of getting cancer.
Drinking diet drinks with aspartame might be linked to a higher chance of certain cancers in older Americans, especially in the gut and reproductive organs, but it doesn’t seem to matter if someone is already overweight, and more aspartame doesn’t clearly mean higher risk.
Drinking diet drinks with aspartame might be linked to a higher chance of getting cancer, according to a big study of U.S. adults — but we can't say for sure it's the aspartame causing it.
Eating more aspartame doesn’t seem to increase cancer risk in a predictable way, so if there’s any link, it’s probably because of other factors — not because aspartame directly causes cancer.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.