Artificial sweeteners and cancer Since the 1970s, debate about whether there is a link between artificial sweeteners and cancer risk has raged. It was ignited when animal studies found an increased risk of bladder cancer in mice fed extremely high amounts of saccharin and cyclamate (55 ). However, mice metabolize saccharin differently than humans. Since then, a 2007 study followed 9,000 participants for 13 years and analyzed their artificial sweetener intake. After accounting for other factors, researchers found no link between artificial sweeteners and the risk of developing various types of cancer (56 ).Furthermore, a 2015 review of studies published over an 11-year period did not find a link between cancer risk and artificial sweetener consumption (57 ). Cyclamate was banned for use in the United States after the original mouse bladder cancer study was published in 1970. Since then, extensive studies in animals have failed to show a cancer link. However, cyclamate was never re-approved for use in the United States. Meanwhile, a large 2022 cohort study with 102,865 French adults concluded that saccharin and acesulfame-K were associated with an increase in cancer risk (58 ).However, the World Health Organization (WHO), while acknowledging some limited studies linking aspartame to cancer risk, has concluded the evidence is insufficient for them to label it unsafe at this time, calling for further research (59