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Shillong, July 14: The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially categorized the artificial sweetener aspartame as a “possible carcinogen,” particularly when used in diet drinks, chewing gum, gelatin, ice cream, and dairy products.
As per IANS, the assessment of aspartame’s health impacts was released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the WHO and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).
Based on “limited evidence” of carcinogenicity in humans, the IARC classified aspartame as a possible carcinogen to humans, while JECFA reaffirmed the acceptable daily intake of 40 mg per kg body weight.
Dr. Francesco Branca, Director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety at WHO, emphasized the need to evaluate factors that may contribute to cancer, given its global impact. He stated that while safety concerns are minimal at commonly used doses, potential effects of aspartame warrant further investigation through improved studies.
Aspartame, an artificial sweetener introduced in the 1980s, is widely used in various food and beverage products, including diet drinks, chewing gum, gelatin, ice cream, yogurt, breakfast cereal, toothpaste, cough drops, and chewable vitamins.
Both the IARC and JECFA conducted independent reviews to assess the potential carcinogenic hazard and other health risks associated with aspartame consumption.
The IARC classified aspartame as a possible carcinogen to humans based on limited evidence of cancer in humans (specifically hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer). Limited evidence was also found for cancer in experimental animals, and there were indications of possible mechanisms for causing cancer, according to the WHO.
JECFA concluded that the evaluated data did not provide sufficient reason to change the established acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 0-40 mg per kg body weight for aspartame. Therefore, the committee reaffirmed that aspartame consumption within this limit is safe.
The WHO explained that an adult weighing 70kg would need to consume more than 9-14 cans of diet soft drink containing 200 or 300 mg of aspartame per day to exceed the acceptable daily intake, assuming no additional intake from other food sources.