The sugar substitute aspartame is found in many drinks and foods. As expected, the WHO has classified this sweetener as «possibly cancer causing». At the same time, scientists note that the use of aspartame without exceeding the daily limit is safe for humans.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the Joint Committee of Experts on Food Additives of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have released health impact assessments of the sugar-free sweetener aspartame. Noting «limited evidence» for aspartame's carcinogenicity to humans, IARC has classified it as possibly carcinogenic to humans (IARC Group 2B), and JECFA has confirmed the acceptable daily intake of aspartame at 40 mg/kg body weight. As previously reported by Medportal.
For example, if a can of a diet soft drink contains 200 or 300 mg of aspartame, then in order to exceed the allowable daily intake (in the absence of other sources of aspartame in the body through food), an adult weighing 70 kg should drink more than 9-14 cans of the drink per day .Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that has been widely used since the 1980s in a variety of foods and beverages, including diet drinks, chewing gum, gelatin, ice cream, dairy products such as yogurt, cereals, and toothpaste. and medicines such as cough drops and chewable vitamins.
“Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Cancer causes one sixth of all deaths each year. Scientists, hoping to reduce these rates and human losses, are constantly expanding research aimed at assessing the initiating as well as contributing factors of cancer, said Dr Francesca Branca, Director of the WHO Department of Nutrition and Food Safety. “Evaluations for aspartame do not give serious doubt about its safety at the doses in which it is commonly consumed, but indicate potential effects that require additional and more thorough research.”