What is the general consensus regarding the safety of consu...

(1º§)The ingredient aspartame, which gives the drink its sweet touch, is about to be designated as "possibly carcinogenic" by the World Health Organisation, insiders claimed this week. Aspartame is found in a variety of foods and fizzy drinks, including Diet Coke and in the EU, as for all food additives, the presence of aspartame must be indicated on the label either by its name or its E number (E951).

(2º§)Diet Coke has been made popular over the years by deals with celebs including Whitney Houston, Kate Moss, Taylor Swift and even Holly Willoughby. But the argument over whether sugar or sweeteners is better for your health has raged for years and is one of the most debated topics in nutritional science.

(3º§)WHAT'S THE DEAL? Aspartame is a sweetener that's been used for over 30 years in thousands of products to add sweetness to lower calorie and sugar-free products, including drinks, cereal bars and yoghurts.

(4º§)WHY THE FUSS? This week it emerged that the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an arm of the WHO, could declare aspartame a class 2B carcinogen. That means they deem it "possibly carcinogenic to humans". Other products that fall into this category include aloe vera extract, lead and Asian pickled vegetables. There is no denying it is complicated. Here, we take a look at aspartame, its potential dangers and whether or not you should be going cold-turkey on the popular drink. Gunter Kuhnle, professor of nutrition and food science at the University of Reading, tells The Sun: "Aspartame turns into methanol and phenylalanine in the intestinal tract. "Methanol is converted into formaldehyde by the human body, and formaldehyde is a known carcinogen. "This is at least one of the possible mechanisms."

(5º§)WHAT DOES THE SCIENCE SAY? Whether or not sweeteners are linked to cancer has long been studied. One of the most recent studies of 100,000 people in France - showed those who consumed larger quantities of artificial sweeteners, including aspartame, had a slightly higher cancer risk. But Dr Caitlin Hall, chief dietitian and head of clinical research at myota, tells The Sun: "There is some controversy surrounding these studies. "The French study could not prove definitively that aspartame caused the increased cancer risk. More research is needed."

(6º§)WHAT OF OTHER HEALTH RISKS? Only last month, the WHO issued guidelines advising people not to drink sweeteners if they want to lose weight. It said although short-term weight loss may occur, there could be "undesirable effects" in the long term, such as an increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Dr Hall says the chemicals produced by sweeteners have been found to "disrupt the delicate balance of bacteria in our gut microbiome" which do "all sorts of amazing things, like strengthening our immune system and keeping our metabolism in check". Registered dietitian Aisling Pigott, a British Dietetic Association spokesperson, says if you're eating "diet" foods to help lose weight, "it's worth making sure these are not displacing fruit, veggies and fibre rich foods too". Other studies have suggested sweeteners could affect male and female fertility, by decreasing sperm motility and affecting the ovaries. Meanwhile people with a rare inherited disease, called phenylketonuria (PKU) cannot safely consume aspartame.

(7º§)SO, SHOULD YOU QUIT DIET COKE NOW? The general consensus is that there is no need to worry. Prof Jones says: "The question is not, 'Does aspartame cause cancer or not,' but 'Does it do so at the level we are exposed to it?' The answer, I think, is no. "Think of it a bit like driving a car; the hazard is that you might get in an accident and be hurt or die but the risk is low enough that most of us don't think it will be an issue." Prof Oliver Jones, professor of chemistry at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, adds: "The amounts of methanol released are lower than found in orange juice, so unlikely an issue."

(8º§)WHAT'S THE RISK? Health experts across the globe have ruled aspartame is safe to consume, if you stick to accepted daily limits. The average Brit could guzzle 15 cans of Diet Coke in a day before exceeding the 40 milligrams of aspartame per kilogram of body weight threshold. In 2013, the European Food Safety Authority, looked at how much formaldehyde is produced from consuming aspartame and had little concern "as the amount was too low", Prof Kuhnle says. "They do not comment on whether higher intakes will cause harm. It is possible that aspartame causes cancer when consumed in amounts much higher than normally consumed." The IARC will review the evidence to determine whether or not to classify aspartame as a hazard. Statistics expert, Prof Kevin McConway from the Open University says: "They assess whether it would ever be capable of presenting a risk, under any circumstances. "Even if the only harmful circumstances are really, really unlikely." Prof Kuhnle adds: "Many things are carcinogens, but in many cases, the exposure to them is too low for this to matter. "The sun can cause cancer, but we can manage the risk." Frances Hunt-Wood, from the International Sweeteners Association, adds: "Aspartame is one of the most thoroughly researched ingredients in history with over 90 food safety agencies across the globe declaring it is safe." Rick Mumford, the deputy chief scientific adviser to the UK's Food Standards Agency, says: "Our view is that the safety of this sweetener has been evaluated by various scientific committees and it is considered safe at current permitted use levels."