;Resize=(1200,627)&impolicy=perceptual&quality=mediumHigh&hash=0bb23c21f69cc9587736701139cdd4881ad982866479f88d8aceb7ca33bb6444 "Cancer risk from aspartame – what the exclusive WHO report means for you")
Two trusted sources told Reuters: In July, aspartame was classified for the first time by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” The IARC is the cancer research division of the World Health Organization (WHO). Your experts will now assess the cancer risk of the sweetener based on previous analyses.
In the video above you can see why the WHO advises against using sugar-free sweeteners for weight control.
What is aspartame in?
In Europe, according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), aspartame is approved for use as a tabletop sweetener and as a food additive in foods – around
Beverages, desserts, confectionery, dairy products, chewing gum, reduced calorie products and weight control products.
What is aspartame (E 951)?
“Aspartame consists of two protein building blocks (amino acids). Its calorie content therefore corresponds approximately to that of protein and thus also to that of sugar,” explains the Federal Center for Nutrition (BzfE). However, since its sweetening power is 200 times higher than sugar, calories could still be saved by adding it.
It is already known that people suffering from the metabolic disease phenylketonuria should not take aspartame. Because it contains phenylalanine, which is harmful to them.
Now it is apparently also to be examined for a potential cancer risk. The cancer research agency IARC is responsible for this.
What categories of cancer risk are there?
The cancer research agency IARC examines which substances are considered cancer risk factors for humans. The experts divide these into four different categories:
1: carcinogenic
2A: probably carcinogenic
2B: possibly carcinogenic
3: not classified
What do the cancer risk categories mean?
Classification is based on how strong the evidence is, not how dangerous a substance is. In other words, 2A or 2B does not explain how much a food or ingredient increases the risk of cancer. The category just reflects how well documented they can cause cancer. This means that not all substances in a group are equally dangerous.
The first group “carcinogenicincludes substances from processed meat to asbestos. According to the IARC, there is convincing evidence that these cause cancer.
Night work and red meat consumption fall into the “probably carcinogenic“. This means there is limited evidence that these substances or situations can cause cancer in humans, or strong evidence that they have properties similar to other cancer causing agents (carcinogens).
The “high-frequency electromagnetic fields” associated with the use of mobile phones are “possibly carcinogenic“. As with aspartame, this means that there is either only some evidence that they can cause cancer in humans, sufficient evidence in animals, or strong evidence of the properties.
The group “unclassifiable” means that there is insufficient evidence.
You can find the complete list of IARC here.
When will the decision on aspartame be made?
IARC said it assessed 1,300 studies in its June review. At the same time, the Joint WHO and Food and Agriculture Organization’s Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) is also reviewing the use of aspartame this year. The meeting started in late June and is scheduled to announce its findings on the same day that IARC publishes its decision – 14 July.
How dangerous is aspartame so far?
Since 1981, JECFA has declared that consumption of aspartame is safe within accepted daily amounts. For example, a 130-pound adult would need to drink between 12 and 36 cans of diet soda every day — depending on the amount of aspartame in the drink — to be at risk.
An IARC spokesman said the findings of both the IARC and JECFA committees are confidential until July, according to Reuters. They are “supplementary” to the previous assessments and provided “the first fundamental step in understanding carcinogenicity”. Carcinogenicity means the property of a substance to cause cancer or to increase the incidence of cancer.
Debate and criticism of aspartame classification
In the food industry, the potential classification as “possibly carcinogenic” is already triggering a major debate. Because in the past this had an impact, recipes were adjusted and there was a wave of lawsuits in the USA about glyphosate. “IARC is not a food safety agency and its review of aspartame is not scientifically comprehensive and is heavily based on widely discredited research,” Frances Hunt-Wood, secretary-general of the International Sweeteners Association (ISA) told the news outlet.
Another panel, whose members include Mars Wrigley, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola (KO.N) and Cargill, said it had “serious concerns about the IARC review, which could mislead consumers”.
Listing aspartame as a possible carcinogen should encourage more research, the sources close to the IARC said. And it should help authorities, consumers and manufacturers to make more informed decisions in terms of health.