2023-07-14 01:24:47
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the sweetener aspartame as a possible carcinogen, but has endorsed the limit of acceptable daily intake for humans which was fixed up to now, which is 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener widely used in various food and beverage products since the 1980s for replace sugaras diet drinks, chewing gum, gelatin, ice cream, dairy products such as yogurt, breakfast cereals, toothpastes and medications such as cough drops and chewable vitamins.
Its potential has been evaluated harm to health on many occasions, but until now it had not been established that it was connected to cancer. After once again analyzing all the available scientific evidence, which they consider nevertheless “limited”, the WHO has reaffirmed that aspartame is safe for the health of a person who consumes this sweetener on a daily basis, as long as it is within the limit.
For example, with a can of soda common (containing 200 or 300 mg of aspartame), an adult weighing 70 kg would need to consume more than 9-14 cans per day to exceed the Acceptable Daily Intake, assuming no further intake from other food sources.
The problem: kids and heavy users
At a press conference, the director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety of the WHO, Francesco Branca, has pointed out, however, that his recommendation is “moderate both the consumption of sugars and sweetenersdue to its negative effects on health.
In fact, the expert has been asked specifically about what a consumer should do in a supermarket, bar or restaurant if they want a soft drink: ask for a traditional one, with sugar, or one with zero sugar but that contains this type of sweetener.
“If consumers are faced with the decision of whether to drink a cola with sweeteners or one with sugar, I think a third option should be considered, which is to drink water instead, and totally limit consumption of sweetened products. There are alternatives that do not contain other sugars or sweeteners and those should be the products preferred by consumers,” advised the specialist.
At this point, he has emphasized the importance of controlling its consumption in children: «Let’s give the example of a child who weighs 20 kilos. That means the daily limit is 800 milligrams, that is, 2 or 3 cans of soda a day. So there may be children with a high intake of sugary soft drinks. That is not a good practice. There may be families who, instead of having water on the table, have a large can of carbonated drinks and sweeteners. It is possible that children are at high risk because starting consumption at an early age accustoms them to that taste and to those levels, but also because the exposure is long term and I am not sure that our studies can conclude the effects of a exposure throughout life.
In addition, the director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety of the WHO has indicated that the concern about aspartame should be for those consumers who consume it a lot: “Basically, someone who drinks a soft drink once in a while should not worry about it. This is what we can say for now. The occasional level of exposure, which is far from the acceptable daily intake, is safe or does not cause an appreciable risk to health. The problem is for high consumers.
Despite everything, the WHO leader has insisted that the recommendation is not for producers or authorities to “withdraw products from the market” that contain aspartame, “nor for consumers to stop consuming them.”
“We only advise a little moderation. There is the option to reduce the sweetness of the products or consume products that have other forms of sweet taste, such as fruit, which can be used as a dessert instead of other products that contain other sugars or sweeteners.
Some studies link it to cancer or diabetes
The health safety assessment of aspartame has been carried out separately by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the WHO, and the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Specifically, the 13 members and 13 experts from 15 countries of this mixed committee have ensured that there are “sufficient reasons” to decrease the daily limit of 0-40 mg/kg of body weight for aspartame.
“The evidence for an association between aspartame consumption and cancer in humans is not convincing,” summarized the head of the WHO Food and Nutrition Standards and Scientific Advice Unit, Moez Sanaa.
Human epidemiological studies reviewed by this committee have identified aspartame as being linked to “some carcinogenic effects and some effects on type 2 diabetes.” “However, these studies are mainly based on long-term observations. There are some large studies, but it cannot be ruled out that there are effects that confound the results, in particular the estimation of exposure,” the expert detailed.
Possible relationship with a type of liver cancer
On the other hand, 25 IARC experts, after years of previous work, met in Lyon (France) from June 6 to 13, 2023 to make a final decision. Their assessment took into account all types of exposure, eg food and occupational.
After obtaining “limited” scientific evidence, these experts have concluded that aspartame is a “possible carcinogen” for humans and have included it in group 2B, the third highest level. This category is generally used when there is limited but not convincing evidence of cancer in humans or convincing evidence of cancer in experimental animals, but not both.
“But this should not really be taken as a direct statement that there is a known risk of cancer from consuming aspartame,” said one of the IARC officials, Mary Schubauer-Berigan.
Scientists have warned, mainly, of the possible relationship of aspartame with hepatocellular carcinoma, which is a type of liver cancer. Specifically, they have analyzed three studies comprising four large cohorts conducted in the United States and in 10 European countries.
Consumption of sweetened beverages was examined in all three studies. In the European study, an overall positive association was observed between the consumption of these sweeteners and cases of hepatocellular carcinoma. The two US investigations found positive associations for liver cancer and sweetener consumption in relevant subgroups of the cohorts.
However, “despite the consistent positive results in these three studies,” the working group concluded that “chance, bias, and confounding could not be ruled out with reasonable confidence and therefore determined that the evidence was limited.
Due to the “limited” solid scientific evidence, experts have urged “develop new studies”. “Evaluations of aspartame have indicated that, although safety is not a major concern at the doses commonly used, potential effects have been described that need to be investigated by more and better studies,” Branca concluded.
“It is safe”
The International Council of Beverage Associations (ICBA) and the International Sweetener Association (ISA) have applauded the position of the World Health Organization (WHO) that has classified the sweetener aspartame as a possible carcinogen, but has endorsed the acceptable daily intake limit that was set so far.
Specifically, the International Center for Research on Cancer (IARC) has included this sweetener in risk level 2B as a possible carcinogen. But the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives has ensured that the acceptable daily intake limit remains 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.
Through a statement, the executive director of ICBA, Kate Loatman, has highlighted that «this definitive conclusion from the world’s leading health and food safety experts affirms once again that aspartame is safe«. “After rigorous review, this finding further strengthens confidence in the safety of aspartame,” she insisted.
Likewise, the leader of this beverage employer has recalled that the conclusion that aspartame “is safe” is based on “the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence of more than four decades, as well as on the positive determinations of the safety authorities food in more than 90 countries.
Loatman has also regretted that the WHO position was leaked on June 29, before all the exact details were known: “While the leaked opinion may have unnecessarily confused consumers with sensationalist speculation, the IARC has already referred to the committee joint expert panel of WHO and FAO, who again determined that aspartame is safe, in their capacity as the appropriate global authority to comprehensively assess the safety of aspartame consumption.”
For its part, the International Sweetener Association (ISA) has insisted that the WHO conclusions “are consistent with those of more than 90 food safety agencies around the world that have confirmed the safety of aspartame, including the European Authority Food Safety, which has reviewed aspartame twice, and the US Food and Drug Administration.
The employers have also clarified that one of the WHO organizations that has carried out the review, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), “not a food safety agency«.
In addition, they have highlighted that their 2B classification “does not take into account the levels of intake or the real risk, which makes the IARC review much less complete than the exhaustive reviews carried out by food safety organizations, and that it can confuse to customers”.
“To put this in context, the IARC 2B classification places aspartame in the same category as kimchi and other pickled vegetables. The IARC should be the first to clarify that it is not suggesting that people should stop eating kimchi at meals.”
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