WHO says aspartame is a possible carcinogen

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On the back of World Health Organisation’s (WHO) updated advise of not taking artificial sweeteners for weight loss, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), has categorised aspartame, the common artificial sweetener, may be a possible carcinogenic hazard to humans.

A hazard is different to a risk. The hazard rating means it’s an agent that is capable of causing cancer; a risk measures the likelihood it could cause cancer.

Aspartame, a popular artificial sweetener found in Diet Coke, Coke Zero, chewing gum, yoghurt and other food products, is a “possible carcinogen” but it remains safe to consume at the existing daily intake guidelines, according to new rulings from two different World Health Organization-linked groups.

Aspartame is sold under the names Equal, Nutrasweet and Sugar Twin. It’s found in many diet sodas, as well as some chewing gums and sugar-free, low-calorie desserts.

WHO officials stressed that they were not advising companies to withdraw products or telling people to avoid aspartame altogether.

“We’re just advising for a bit of moderation,” said Dr. Francesco Branca, the director of the WHO’s Department of Nutrition and Food Safety.

 

What the new rulings are, and who made them?

The seemingly conflicting statements from the WHO — that aspartame may possibly cause cancer but is safe to consume — came from two separate groups within the organisation.

One group of experts, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), said aspartame is a “possible carcinogen”. That means there is limited evidence showing a potential cancer link and puts it in the same classification group as aloe vera extract and some Asian pickled vegetables. The IARC focuses on identifying cancer-causing agents.

Another expert panel, the WHO/FAO Joint Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), also reviewed aspartame and maintained its advice that it remains safe to consume within current recommended daily limits. For aspartame, this limit is 40 milligrams of aspartame per kilogram of body weight per day. That means an adult weighing 70 kg (approximately 150 pounds) would need to consume between 9 and 14 cans of diet soft drink in one day to surpass the limit. The WHO/FAO Joint Committee looks at the safety of food additives and whether they pose a risk to consumers.

 

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Studies on aspartame

There were only three human studies that looked at cancer and aspartame intake. These large observational studies used the intake of soft drinks as an indicator of aspartame intake.

All three found a positive association between artificially sweetened beverages and liver cancer in either all of the population they were studying or sub-groups within them. But these studies could not rule out other factors that may have been responsible for the findings.

A study conducted in Europe followed 475,000 people for 11 years and found that each additional serve of diet soft drink consumed per week was linked to a 6% increased risk of liver cancer. However the scientists did conclude that due to the rarity of liver cancer they still had small numbers of people in the study.

In a study from the US, increased risk of liver cancer was seen in people with diabetes who drank more than two or more cans of a diet soda a week.

The third study, also from the US, found an increase in liver cancer risk in men who never smoked and drank two or more artificially sweetened drinks a day.

From this they have decided to declare aspartame as a Group 2b “possible carcinogen”. But they have also said more and better research is needed to further understand the relationship between aspartame and cancer.

 

Conclusion

With differing views and opinions if aspartame is safe or possible cancer causing, we also need to consider all the evidence on aspartame together. The foods we typically see aspartame in are processed or ultra-processed, which have recently also been shown to be detrimental to health.

Artificial sweeteners (including aspartame) can make people crave more sugar, making them want to eat more food, potentially causing them to gain more weight.

All together, this indicates we should be more careful about the amount of artificial sweeteners we consume, since they do not provide any health benefits, and have possible adverse effects. The safest approach will still be to minimise intake of processed food and sugar, and to have more real foods and drink more water.