Aaron Carroll, MD, associate dean for research mentoring at the Indiana University School of Medicine, hosts a Youtube series titled Healthcare Triage, where he examines timely healthcare-related issues in a style the public can easily digest. In this episode, Dr. Carroll looks at research behind the safety of saccharin, aspartame, and other artificial sweeteners.

Saccharin has been in use for over 100 years and has been the subject of at least 50 extensive clinical studies. Many of these studies found no harmful effects related to high-volumes of saccharin ingestion in rats. Some found correlated incidence of bladder cancer in rats with an already well-known susceptibility to bladder cancer. Dr. Carroll elaborates on his views about public health policies and their relationships to similar studies on aspartame, cyclamate, and diet soda consumption. He believes it is important for physicians and researchers to discuss topics like these in public forums in order to “to dispel misinformation and promote fact over fiction.”

To review the references used to create this episode, click here.

To read a story in Vox about Pepsi removing aspartame from its beverages, click here.