The World Health Organisation (WHO) have recently warned that aspartame sweetener is a potential carcinogen.
The artificial sweetener is a key ingredient in chewing gums and diet sodas, and has become the topic of heated debates in recent times.
The WHO's controversial declaration, scheduled for 14 July, will be made by WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) according to sources via Reuters.
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The soon-approaching IARC assessment will classify aspartame sweetener into one of four possible categories.
These include; carcinogenic to humans, probably carcinogenic to humans, possibly carcinogenic to humans or 'not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans'.
Regardless of whether or not aspartame is deemed carcinogenic, there are already known health hazards that come with drinking diet sodas.
We often think that they're healthier for us and so drink them on a daily basis.
Some people often end up getting addicted to them.
Here's what happens to your body after you stop drinking diet sodas all together.
You'll have a sharper mind
The chemicals in artificial sweeteners alter the brain chemicals and nerve signals.
According to a review in European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, these chemical alterations lead to headaches, anxiety and insomnia.
An animal test on rats found that diet soda damaged nerve endings in the brain that are responsible for motor skills.
Food tastes better
Each time you drink a diet soda, the artificial sweeteners give your taste buds an overwhelming amount of sweetness.
Aspartame is 200 times sweeter than table sugar.
Brain scans have shown that sweeteners confuse the sugar receptors in the brain and prolong a person's craving for sugar.
You'll be able to lose weight easier
Many people drink diet soda in a bid to help them lose weight.
However, there is evidence to suggest that diet sodas don't help in the bid to shed extra pounds.
A nine-year study found that older adults who drank diet soda kept packing on extra weight around their stomach.
In a follow up study, it was found that daily diet soda use increases a person's risk of obesity by 65% within the next ten years.
Your bones get stronger
One 2014 study found that soda drinking post-menopausal woman had lower bone density in their hips.
Giving up diet sodas is a great way to strengthen your bones and decrease the risk of fractures.
Your kidneys function better
An 11-year study found that women who drank two servings of diet soda a day increased their risk of developing kidney function problems.
Kidneys work overtime trying to make sense of the extra chemicals in diet sodas.
Once you stop drinking them, your kidneys can focus on clearing toxins, stabilising blood pressure and absorbing minerals.
You're at lower risk of diabetes
According to a study in Diabetes Care, drinking a diet soda before a meal will prime the pancreas to release a lot of insulin.
Insulin is the fat-storing hormone in your blood.
When the pancreas is overworked and produces too much insulin, diabetes can develop.
Topics: Health, Food And Drink
Ben Thompson