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A recent news story in the media picked up a meme that seems to be already common in "natural food" circles.

Diet fizzy drinks ‘could slash chances of getting pregnant during IVF’

The study concluded: “Patients should be advised about the adverse effect of sugar and mainly artificial sweeteners on the success of assisted reproduction.”

--The Sun

Similar allegations have been made in the past by natural food enthusiasts. For example, Natural Fertility Info:

[aspartame] has been linked to infertility and birth defects through DNA damage and endocrine disruption, which leads to hormonal imbalance.

While we addressed and debunked such claims before, for example in Does the artificial sweetener aspartame cause cancer? and Does aspartame "eat" holes in your cellular membranes, this news story seems to be based on a recent Brazilian study.

Are the results of the study represented fairly? Is the study reputable (e.g. peer reviewed, published in a reputable journal, etc.)?

Here is the study at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference in Salt Lake City, Utah that's taking place right now: It's in the Scientific Congress Supplement: Oral and Poster Session Abstracts at section P-420.

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  • I've changed your claim source to the Sun because the Times was paywalled and I could not copy/paste the actual quote. I've also sligthly reworded the question to eliminate leading phrasing and make it more neutral. – Sklivvz Oct 17 '16 at 12:13
  • @Sklivvz Damn paywalls! Also I wouldn't restrict it to aspartame (the recent study covered all sweetness not just aspartame). Otherwise no problem with revisions, though I (perhaps foolishly) trust the times more than the sun. – matt_black Oct 17 '16 at 12:54
  • I located the source and edited it in. You could have done that too. The question text can now be reduced IMO. –  Oct 17 '16 at 14:19

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