Aspartame — one of the most widely used artificial sweeteners in the world — might soon be declared “possibly carcinogenic to humans”. The ingredient is under fresh scrutiny by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) for its link to cancer.
A new review on the side effects of consuming the sweetening agent, which is 200 times sweeter than table sugar but low on calories, will be out on 14 July 2023, revealed a 30 June Reuters report.
What is aspartame?
Discovered in 1965, aspartame is made using two naturally occurring amino acids, phenylalanine and aspartic acid. It is globally used in zero-sugar and low-sugar products — ranging from diet sodas like Coke Zero to Mars’ Extra chewing gum and Snapple drinks.
According to IARC-WHO’s classification standards, aspartame is a Class 2b carcinogen. Group 2B is considered the lowest-risk group of carcinogens and also includes aloe vera and pickled vegetables. Meanwhile, higher-risk foods include red meat and hot drinks.
About the WHO-IARC ruling
The review by the cancer-research wing of WHO intends to assess whether aspartame is a potential hazard or not, based on all the published evidence. The ruling was finalised in early June after a meeting of the group’s external experts.
This comes after a 2022 study published in the PLOS Medicine journal found a connection between consuming high amounts of aspartame and an increased risk of developing obesity-related cancer and breast cancer.
It is important to note that the IARC findings do not take into account how much product a person can safely consume. This is usually handled by a WHO expert committee on food additives, the Joint WHO and Food and Agriculture Organization’s Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), and determinations from national regulators.
What do companies using aspartame say?
As per the 30 June report by Forbes, American Beverage Association, the representative of companies like the Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo, said aspartame is safe to consume and doesn’t have a risk of causing cancer in humans.
In their email statement to the publication, it stated that food safety agencies like the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “continue to find aspartame safe”. The representative also called IARC “not a food safety agency”.
So is aspartame safe to consume?
The sugar substitute has been a part of various studies over the years. In 1981, JECFA called aspartame safe to consume within accepted daily limits. It has maintained the same stance for more than four decades since then.
As per the daily limit, an adult weighing 60 kg should most likely consume between 12 and 36 cans of diet soda – depending on the amount of aspartame in the beverage – every day to be at risk.
Additionally, in 1974, the FDA approved aspartame to be used as a tabletop sweetener and dry base for foods including drinks, gelatins, dairy and puddings. It was approved as a general sweetener in 1996.
However, JECFA, which has been closely monitoring the ingredient, is once again reviewing aspartame this year. According to Reuters, the committee meeting began at the end of June and its findings will possibly be released on the same day as IARC’s public decision.
(Main and featured image credit: Mikael Stenberg/Unsplash)
This story first appeared here.