Does the artificial sweetener aspartame cause cancer?
Found in products like diet sodas and ready-to-drink teas, the popular artificial sweetener aspartame is under scrutiny by the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research of Cancer to be a possible cancer-causing agent.
Although the IARC is part of WHO, both organizations will report their findings and final decision from separate studies on the sweetener on July 14, Reuters reported. A source told the news outlet that for the first time, the sweetener will be marked as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” by WHO’s cancer subcommittee.
WHO previously updated a page on its website, advising consumers to “not use non-sugar sweeteners for weight control,” hinting at the final decision to be announced mid-July, as reported by the Deseret News.
But there is some opposition to the idea that aspartame is dangerous.
The federal Food and Drug Administration is set to renew the product's safety for consumption this year and told The Washington Post in an email that it “can affirm that scientific evidence has continued to support its conclusion that aspartame is safe for the general population.”
“Aspartame is one of the most studied food additives in the human food supply,” the FDA’s page on artificial sweeteners says. “To determine the safety of aspartame, the FDA has reviewed more than 100 studies designed to identify possible toxic effects, including studies that assess effects on the reproductive and nervous systems, carcinogenicity, and metabolism.”
Robert Rankin, who is the president of a trade group for manufacturers of artificial sweeteners called the Calorie Control Council, told the Post that he doesn’t think the warning will have much of an impact.
“IARC focuses on finding substances that could cause cancer and has concluded working at night, using aloe vera, and drinking hot water are carcinogenic, and classify processed meats the same as tobacco and asbestos,” he said. “Real-world context on risk is essential and IARC does not provide that.”
What products have aspartame?
The Coca-Cola Company uses artificial sweeteners in some of its products, including Coke Zero, Diet Coke, Fanta Zero, Fresca, Gold Peak Diet Tea, Mello Yello Zero, Minute Made lIght, Pibb Zero, Seagrams Ginger Ale Zero Sugar and Sprite Zero.
Snapple’s zero-sugar products are also sweetened with aspartame.
Outside of drinks, Extra gum also contains the sweetener.
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