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- B
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Listen to a lecture in a biology class, take detailed notes while listening.
cancer – a type of disease
consumption – eating
critic – someone who is critical of something
propose – to suggest
substitute – one thing that replaces another thing
Fill in the following diagram.
Theory:
Support:
1.
2.
Now answer the questions using your notes.
Aspartame's Safety
Summarize the text using your notes and diagram.
- 1: Aspartame can cause cancer.
- 2: Rats that ate more aspartame were more likely to develop cancer.
Listen again:
M: Today, many food producers have become used to using sugar substitutes in their products. Diet sodas and diet snacks are two examples. In such foods, . sugar is replaced with non-sugar sweeteners. However, are these sugar substitutes safe? Some people propose that aspartame, one of the most popular sugar substitutes, is not safe. These critics think that long-term consumption of aspartame may lead to cancer. Let's look at one study that suggests these critics might be correct.
This study was conducted by a European foundation dedicated to cancer research. Researchers there studied 1,800 rats over a period of seven years. The rats were given different amounts of aspartame. Many of the rats developed cancer. Those rats that had more aspartame were more likely to get cancer. Rats that had less aspartame were less likely to get cancer. Now, it is important to realize that this is just one study among many. Other studies that have been conducted on aspartame have shown different results. So the evidence is not complete, However, this recent study does suggest a possible link between aspartame consumption and cancer in humans.
