WHO considers aspartame "likely" a human carcinogen

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Friday that aspartame, a non-sugar artificial sweetener used in carbonated beverages, "is likely to be carcinogenic to humans." However, the daily safe dosage has not changed.

Dr. Francesco Branca, Director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety at the WHO, stated during his presentation of two dedicated studies evaluating this artificial sweetener, "We do not advise companies to withdraw their products, nor do we advise consumers to completely stop consuming them."

The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a subsidiary of the WHO, conducted the first evaluation of the "potential carcinogenic risk and other health risks associated with aspartame consumption." Experts who met from 6 to 13 June classified aspartame as "likely to be carcinogenic to humans" (Group 2B according to the agency's classification).

This classification was based on "limited evidence of humans' susceptibility to cancer (specifically, hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer)," according to the organization.

The WHO also noted the presence of "limited evidence of cancer occurrence in experimental animals and limited evidence regarding the potential mechanisms that may cause cancer."

Branca emphasized the need for "further studies of better quality" to investigate "some potential effects" that have been observed.

The Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives composed of the Food and Agriculture Organization and the WHO, met from 27 June to 6 July to evaluate the risks associated with aspartame.

The Joint Committee concluded that the "evaluated data does not suggest a sufficient reason to revise the previously established acceptable daily intake of aspartame" set in 1981, which ranges from 0 to 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Therefore, the committee reaffirmed that it is "safe for individuals to consume aspartame within these limits every day."

The organization added in its statement: "For example, for an adult weighing 70 kilograms to exceed the acceptable daily intake of aspartame, they would need to consume more than 9 to 14 cans of diet soft drinks containing 200 or 300 milligrams of aspartame daily, assuming there is no additional intake from other food sources."

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



AFP