Aspartame, a common artificial sweeteners used in food and beverages, may be declared as “a possible carcinogen” next month by WHO.
Aspartame is one of the most common artificial sweeteners used in diet fizzy drinks, chewing gum, instant coffee, as well as dairy-free milks. As per reports, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is likely to declare this artificial sweetener as “a possible carcinogen” next month.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization’s (WHO) cancer research arm, would list Aspartame as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” in July, news agency Reuters reported quoting sources.
According to the report, the decision is taken considering all the published evidence against aspartame, recommendations from the WHO’s expert committee on food additives and national regulators.
This declaration may force food and beverage makers to recreate recipes and look for alternatives. A similar situation was seen in 2015 when IARC ruled glyphosate as being “probably carcinogenic”.
Can aspartame really cause cancer?
A 2022 observational study from France had linked consumption of artificial sweeteners in large amount, including aspartame, to a slightly higher cancer risk.
Whether aspartame is a carcinogenic to the human body depends on an individual’s intake daily, according to Dr Pooja Babbar, Consultant, Medical Oncology, CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram.
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Dr Pooja elaborated, “Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame are regulated by FDA in the US. FDA has set the ‘Acceptable Daily Intake’ limit for aspartame at 50 mg per kg of body weight per day, whereas European Union has recommended a slightly lower ‘Acceptable Daily Intake’ (ADI) of 40 mg per kg per day.”
“So, to consider aspartame as a potential carcinogenic, we also need to look at the amount an individual intake daily. If the amount is more than ADI of 40 to 50 mg per kg per day, then definitely it is carcinogenic to the human body. To give you an idea, a 60 kg adult would have to consume at least 12 cans of diet soft drinks every day to do that.”
People who have ‘Phenylketonuria’ should avoid Aspartame
Dr Pooja cautioned that aspartame should be avoided by people who have Phenylketonuria, a genetic disorder in which the body cannot break down phenylalanine.
“Phenylalanine is an amino acid found in aspartame and such people need to be cautious. This is the reason why aspartame-containing products carry the warning that phenylketonuric contains phenylalanine and such people should avoid it,” she added.
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