The WHO warned about the “carcinogenic” potential of the sweetener aspartame

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The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Thursday that aspartame is “possibly” carcinogenic to humans. It is an artificial sweetener used in different products, such as soft drinks.

The WHO authorities commented that this sweetener is one of the most used in the food industry since it entered circulation. On this, they explained that different entities have pointed to aspartame as the cause of various health problems, such as diabetes or premature births.

Now, the scientists of this organization have launched the alert about the possible carcinogenic effect of this component.

Aspartame: what the WHO says about the sweetener

Francesco Branca, director of the Department of Nutrition, Health and Development of the WHO, spoke at the presentation of two evaluations on this sweetener and commented: “we are not advising companies to withdraw their products, nor advising consumers to stop consuming them completely”

“The general public should not be concerned about the cancer risk associated with a chemical classified in group 2B,” WHO members clarified. The decision to include aspartame in that group was made after “limited indications” related to cancer in humans, in particular, for hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer, according to the WHO.

Evidence for this type of cancer emerged from three studies conducted in the US and ten conducted in different European countries. However, the scientists explained that “additional studies are needed to further clarify the situation.”

Staff of the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of the WHO and the FAO (the Food and Agriculture Agency of the United Nations) also conducted studies on the carcinogenic potential of aspartame. The tests were carried out between June 27 and July 6.

Those in charge of the experimentation concluded that the data did not provide sufficient reasons to justify a modification of the permitted daily dose, which has been established since 1981.

This dose is a maximum of 40 mg per kilogram of body weight and means that a person can safely consume aspartame within that limit. For example, a 70 kg adult would have to consume between 9 and 14 cans of a “light” drink (with 200 to 300 mg of sweetener) per day to exceed the permitted dose, assuming that they have not ingested aspartame contained in other products.

This sweetener with no nutritional value has been widely used since the 1980s and is present in many products, from low-calorie drinks, known as “light”, to ready meals, chewing gum, jellies or ice cream. And also in medicines, such as cough drops and toothpaste.

Aspartame is defined as a “synthetic sweetener” derived from the combination of two amino acids, phenylalanine and aspartic acid, from which its name comes, which are part of the composition of proteins, the specialists specified.

As indicated, it was discovered by chance in 1965 by a chemist from the Searle pharmaceutical company who was looking for a treatment for ulcers.

This food additive is a low calorie artificial sweetener. Its energy value is similar to that of sugar (4 kcal/g), but its sweetening power is 200 times higher. This means that a much smaller amount is needed to get a comparable flavor.

It is estimated that 200 million people around the world consume it on a daily or regular basis, with a marked growth in recent years.

* With information from Agencia Télam.