Aspartame, one of the most common artificial sweeteners used in products like diet soda, chewing gum and ice-cream, is expected to be labelled as a possible cancer risk to humans by the World Health Organization (WHO) next month, according to reports.
The WHO’s cancer research arm, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), has conducted a safety review of aspartame and will publish a report in July. It is preparing to list the sweetener as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”, meaning there is some evidence linking it to cancer, but that it is limited.
The IARC ruling is based on all the published evidence, but does not take into account how much of a product a person can safely consume. It is intended to assess whether something is a potential hazard, not a risk.
A separate WHO expert committee on food additives, known as JECFA, is also reviewing aspartame use this year and will announce its findings on the same day as the IARC. JECFA has said aspartame is safe to consume within accepted daily limits since 1981.
Aspartame has been widely used since the 1980s as a table-top sweetener, and in products such as diet fizzy drinks, breakfast cereals and cough drops. It is authorised for use globally by regulators who have reviewed all the available evidence, and major food and beverage makers have for decades defended their use of it.
However, similar IARC rulings in the past have raised concerns among consumers, led to lawsuits and pressured manufacturers to change their recipes. The food industry and some scientists have criticized the IARC’s assessments as confusing and alarmist.
“IARC is not a food safety body,” said Frances Hunt-Wood, the secretary general of the International Sweeteners Association. “It does not assess risk or exposure. It only looks at hazard. It does not tell us anything about how much of something we can safely consume.”
The IARC classification also causes confusion because it includes substances or situations that are hard to avoid or very common. For example, other “possibly carcinogenic” substances include aloe vera, diesel and pickled Asian vegetables.
The IARC spokesperson confirmed to the Guardian that “IARC has assessed the potential carcinogenic effect of aspartame (hazard identification). Following this, the joint FAO/WHO expert committee on food additives will update its risk assessment exercise on aspartame, including the reviewing of the acceptable daily intake and dietary exposure assessment for aspartame. The result of both evaluations will be made available together, on 14 July 2023.”
The WHO has not commented on the reports or the IARC ruling. The consumers are advised to wait for the official announcement and follow the guidance from the health authorities.
Relevant articles:
– Popular artificial sweetener Aspartame used in Diet Coke causes cancer, WHO to declare, WION, June 29, 2023
– Aspartame sweetener to be declared possible cancer risk by WHO, say reports, The Guardian, June 29, 2023
– WHO to declare artificial sweetener aspartame a possible cancer risk, sources say, CBC News, June 29, 2023
– Aspartame – is it a possible cause of cancer?, MSN News, June 29, 2023