WHO declares aspartame possible carcinogen but safe for consumption in moderation

GLOBAL – In a highly anticipated ruling, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared aspartame, the popular artificial sweetener, to be a “possible carcinogen” but it remains safe to consume in moderation, only at already agreed levels.

“We’re not advising companies to withdraw products, nor are we advising consumers to stop consuming altogether,” said Francesco Branca, the World Health Organization’s nutrition and food safety director. “We’re just advising for a bit of moderation.”

The WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) said aspartame should be added to the list of possibly carcinogenic substances.

IARC carried out its first-ever evaluation of the carcinogenicity of aspartame at a meeting in Lyon, France, from 6 to 13 June and categorized it in Group 2B, based on the limited evidence available, which specifically concerned hepatocellular carcinoma – a type of liver cancer. There was also limited-strength evidence regarding cancer in experimental animals.

However, a separate report by the Joint Food and Agriculture Organisation and WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) said it had not found convincing evidence of the link between the substance and cancer.

JECFA continues to recommend people keep consumption of aspartame below 40mg/kg a day, a level it first set in 1981. For the average person, this would be equivalent to between 9 to 14 cans of diet soda per day, based on the average aspartame content of the beverages.

“If consumers are faced with the decision of whether to take cola with sweeteners or one with sugar, I think there should be a third option considered, which is to drink water instead,” Branca said.

“Science is continuously expanding to assess the possible initiating or facilitating factors of cancer, in the hope of reducing these numbers and the human toll.”

Aspartame is an artificial chemical sweetener widely used in various food and beverage products since the 1980s. It is found in diet drinks, chewing gum, gelatin, ice cream, dairy products such as yogurt, breakfast cereals, toothpaste, cough drops, and chewable vitamins.

The International Sweeteners Association’s secretary general Frances Hunt-Wood pointed out that aspartame, like all low/no-calorie sweeteners, when used as part of a balanced diet, provides consumers with a choice to reduce sugar intake, a critical public health objective.

IARC and WHO said they will continue to monitor new evidence and encourage independent research groups to develop further studies on the potential association between aspartame exposure and consumer health effects.

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