The WHO formally designated the artificial sweetener aspartame as a “possible carcinogen” on Friday. Citing its use in diet drinks, chewing gum, gelatin, ice cream, and dairy products. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) produced a report on the health effects of the non-sugar sweetener aspartame. IARC classified aspartame as probably carcinogenic to humans, citing “limited evidence” for carcinogenicity in humans. While JECFA confirmed the tolerable daily consumption of 40 mg per kg body weight.
“Cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally. Every year, 1 in 6 people die from cancer. 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,” said Dr Francesco Branca, Director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, WHO. “The assessments of aspartame have indicated that, while safety is not a major concern at the doses. Potential effects have been described that need to be investigated by more and better studies,” Branca added.
IARC Classification: Aspartame as a Potential Carcinogen
Since the 1980s, aspartame has been widely utilised in a variety of food and beverage products. It is included in diet drinks, chewing gum, gelatin, ice cream, and dairy products. The two organisations conducted separate but complementary evaluations to investigate the potential carcinogenic risk. Also assessed other health hazards connected with aspartame intake. On the basis of minimal evidence for cancer in humans, the IARC classified aspartame as potentially carcinogenic to humans.
“For example, with a can of diet soft drink containing 200 or 300 mg of aspartame, an adult weighing 70kg would need to consume more than 9–14 cans per day to exceed the acceptable daily intake, assuming no other intake from other food sources,” according to the WHO. “The findings of limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and animals, and of limited mechanistic evidence on how carcinogenicity may occur, underscore the need for more research to refine our understanding on whether consumption of aspartame poses a carcinogenic hazard,” said Dr Mary Schubauer-Berigan of the IARC Monographs programme.
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