Explained: WHO Says Artificial Sweeteners Is Possible Cause Of Cancer But No Need To Completely Stop Consumption

A research team of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has categorised common artificial sweetener aspartame as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”. The component is largely widely used in diet drinks including Diet Coke and other sugar-free foods and drinks. The claim was made by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is the cancer research arm of the WHO. However, the company’s food safety group said that there is not enough evidence to support this fact and that the component can be still consumed at fair levels. For example, a couple of aspartame tablets in tea and coffee can be consumed on a daily basis and that is fairly safe. 

Similarly, the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration also said that aspartame cannot be termed a potential cause of cancer. “Aspartame is one of the most studied food additives in the human food supply. FDA scientists do not have safety concerns when aspartame is used under the approved conditions,” the FDA said in a statement, according to a report by NBC.

Dr Francesco Branca, director, the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety at WHO, said: “One can of diet soft drink has about 200 to 300 mg of aspartame. This means an average adult weighing 70 kg can consume 9 to 14 cans of soda safely. However, we always recommend that people limit their consumption of sweeteners altogether.”

A group of 13 members and 13 experts from 15 countries with no conflicts of interest formed the second committee of WHO and Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). said that there was limited evidence to prove that aspartame is a cancer-causing agent. “However, a consistent association between aspartame consumption and a specific cancer type could not be demonstrated. All the studies had limitations in how they estimate exposure with aspartame or beverages containing aspartame. Reverse causality, chance, bias and confounding by socioeconomic or lifestyle factors, or consumption of other dietary components could not be completely ruled out,” the committee said. 

What is artificial sweetener aspartame?

The artificial sweetener aspartame is very commonly used in food and beverages. It is a non-nutritive sweetener (NNS)

Sweeteners are used in a wide range of food products and beverages, ranging from soft drinks to jams, dairy products, and canned food. People tend to replace sugar with artificial sweeteners because sweeteners contribute only a few or no calories to the diet and generally will not raise blood sugar levels" and will give the flavour at the same time, according to US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The US FDA says that aspartame is safe in the general population under approved conditions for usage.

Aspartame is usually found in products labelled as sugar-free, zero sugar, or diet, such as diet-versions of Coca-Cola or Pepsi cold drinks. It is also found in ice creams, fruit juices, sugar-free energy bars, etc

Healthline notes that aspartame is 200 times more sweet than sugar, which means that a very small amount can replace a good amount of sugar.

The ingredients of aspartame include aspartic acid and phenylalanine. Both are naturally occurring amino acids — also known as proteins. Aspartic acid is produced naturally by your body, and phenylalanine is an essential amino acid that you get from food.

Aspartame is broken down into methanol in human body, note Healthline, and adds that methanol can also be produced in body on the consumption of fruit, fruit juice, fermented beverages, and some vegetables.

The US FDA notes that while aspartame is safe to use in the general population, people with rare genetic disorder called phenylketonuria (PKU) should avoid or restrict aspartame usage.