Artificial sweeteners cause cancer

Probably not. The artificial sweetening substances that have been in longest use in Australia are cyclamate and saccharin. Studies with laboratory rats have shown that when they were fed large amounts of saccharin, there was an increase in bladder cancer. In contrast, with humans, most studies indicate that the use of artificial sweeteners is not a cause of bladder cancer. Cyclamate is not as widely used as saccharin and most experts consider it does not cause cancer. Both cyclamate and saccharin are approved for use as artificial sweeteners in many countries and also by the World Health Organization. Aspartame is now widely used as an artificial sweetener. There is no evidence to suggest that its use causes cancer.

There are no food additive code numbers for artificial sweeteners. When they are used, the label must state that the food or drink is artificially sweetened and the full name of the artificial sweetener.