Coke Zero (Photo: Network)
The World Health Organization on Friday classified aspartame sweetener as a possible carcinogen, but said it was safe for people as long as they consumed it within the recommended daily limit.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a body of the World Health Organization, has identified a possible link between aspartame and a type of liver cancer called liver carcinoma after reviewing three large human studies conducted in the US and Europe that examined beverages sweetened by artificial sweeteners.
Aspartame is used in Diet Coke, Pepsi Zero sugar and other diet sodas, and also in types of chewing gum and candy.
"Need to explore more"
Dr. Mary Chauvoir-Brigan at IARC stressed that the classification of aspartame as a possible carcinogen is based on limited evidence. All three studies could have been affected by chance, bias or other flaws, Chauvoir-Brigan noted. More research is needed to determine whether consuming the artificial sweetener can really lead to cancer, she said.
"This should not be seen as a direct statement indicating that there is a known risk of cancer from aspartame consumption," Chaubauer-Brigan told reporters during a press conference before the findings were released to the public. "In our opinion, this is really more of a call to the research community to try to clarify and better understand the danger that can be caused or posed by aspartame consumption," Chauvoir-Brigan said.
A T cell in the immune system kills a cancer cell (Photo: ShutterStock)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration disagrees with IARC's conclusion that aspartame is a possible human carcinogen, an agency spokesperson said Thursday. The FDA reviewed the same evidence as IARC in 2021 and identified significant flaws in the studies, the spokesperson said.
"Aspartame is one of the most researched food additives in the human food supply," the spokesperson said. "FDA scientists have no safety concerns when using aspartame under approved conditions."
How much is too much?
The Joint Committee on Food Additives said Thursday that current evidence supporting the link between aspartame and cancer in humans is not convincing. JECFA is an international group of scientists from the World Health Organization and the United Nations that recommends how much product people can consume safely.
JECFA said Thursday that aspartame is safe for consumption if a person's daily intake of the sweetener does not exceed 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day. The FDA's recommended daily limit is slightly higher, at 50 milligrams of aspartame per kilogram of body weight.
An adult weighing 70kg, for example, would need to drink more than nine to 14 cans of aspartame-containing soda such as Diet Coke daily to exceed the limit and could face health risks, Dr. Francesco Branca, head of the WHO's nutrition department, said during Wednesday's press conference.
Those who drink an occasional can of soda or occasionally chew aspartame-containing gum don't have to worry about health risks, Branca said. The World Health Organization simply advises people to use in moderation when consuming food or beverages containing aspartame, he said.
Branca warned that children who consume aspartame-sweetened soda may exceed the daily limit by drinking just three cans. He said children who start consuming aspartame early in life may face an increased health risk later, although more research on lifelong exposure is needed.
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- Artificial sweeteners
- cancer