2024-07-24 02:43:08
“The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified aspartame as ‘possibly carcinogenic to humans’ and the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives of WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has reaffirmed the acceptable daily intake of 40 mg per kilogram of body weight,” WHO said in a statement.
The Joint Expert Committee concluded that the data evaluated did not provide sufficient grounds to change the previously established acceptable daily intake of 0 to 40 mg per kilogram of body weight for aspartame. Therefore, the Committee indicated that a person can safely consume aspartame up to this daily amount, WHO notes.
He continued: “With a can of diet soda containing 200 or 300 mg of aspartame, an adult weighing 70 kg would have to consume more than 9 to 14 cans per day to exceed the acceptable daily intake, assuming no other aspartame intake from other food sources.”
Aspartame is an artificial (chemical) sweetener that has been widely used in a variety of food and beverage products since the 1980s, including low-calorie (or “diet”) drinks, chewing gum, gelatin, ice cream, dairy products such as yogurt, breakfast cereals, toothpaste, and medications such as cough drops or chewable vitamins.
The IARC and Joint Committee assessments of the effects of aspartame were based on scientific data collected from a variety of sources, including peer-reviewed articles, government reports, and studies conducted for regulatory purposes.
IARC and WHO will continue to monitor new evidence and encourage independent research groups to conduct further studies on the potential association between aspartame exposure and health effects in consumers.
2024-07-24 02:43:08