WHO: Aspartame blacklisted. Is it carcinogenic?

You use sweeteners because they are healthier than sugar. The latest WHO report shows that this doesn't always have to be the case. Aspartame officially lands on the list of substances that may be carcinogenic.

If you are already standing over the dustbin holding all the diet drinks, yoghurts and sweetener you add to your tea - wait. The devil's not as scary as he's painted.

The devil's not as scary as he's painted.

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WHO: aspartame carcinogenic

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has long been looking at aspartame. It has now taken it under the microscope, analysing some 7,000 studies and expert opinions from around the world. Based on this, it published a report on 14 July 2023, adding aspartame to a group of products that may be carcinogenicand.

Does this mean we should get rid of popular sugar-free drinks immediately? Not necessarily.

"JECFA also considered the evidence on cancer risk, in animal and human studies, and concluded that the evidence for a link between aspartame consumption and cancer in humans is not convincing" - admitted Dr Moez Sanaa, head of the Food and Nutrition Division at WHO.

The WHO experts also point out that occasional consumption of aspartame is safe for most consumers, and that the addition of aspartame to the list of carcinogenic hazards is "raising a flag" and expressing the need for further robust research.

Classification of carcinogenic products according to WHO

The WHO classifies products and substances with carcinogenic potential into four categoriesand:

• 1 - carcinogens (causes cancer)
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• 2A - substances that are probably carcinogenic (probably causes cancer)
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• 2B - substances that may cause cancer (possibly causes cancer)
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• 3 - substances not classified as a carcinogen (unclassifiable as a cancer risk)
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According to the latest report, aspartame has been assigned to category 2B, i.e. substances with possible carcinogenic effects. In the same group are, for example, diesel, phenoxy herbicides, methylmercury compounds... but also carpentry work, aloe vera, pickled cucumbers, ferns, cosmetics with coconut and 1108 other thingsand.

If you have aloe vera or fern at home, don't throw the pot through the window just yet. After all, the carcinogenicity of substances is influenced by the way they are administered (e.g. some ingredients are only dangerous if they enter our respiratory tract) or by the daily dose. And it is this latter aspect that we should have the most questions about with aspartame.

What is aspartame?

First let's take a closer look at the new 'public enemy'. Aspartame is a table and industrial sweetener. It appears in product formulations under the designation E951. Its chemical name is Asp-Phe dipeptide methyl ester.

Aspartame is characterised by its sweet taste, lack of caloric value and the fact that it does not raise blood glucoseand.

It was originally used as a sugar substitute for diabetics. Later, the fit products industry also loved it. Nowadays, a large proportion of products labelled "sugar-free", "zero", "diet" or "light" contain aspartame in their ingredients.

Suggested maximum daily intake of aspartame

In 1981, JECFA set the acceptable intake of aspartame at 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per dayand. This means that a person weighing 70 kilograms can safely consume 2.8 grams of aspartame per day. Is this a lot?"

A good example would be popular sugar-free fizzy drinks. The aspartame content in these varies from 50 mg to 125 mg per glass (230 ml). Assuming the highest aspartame concentration (125 mg) - there is approximately 0.8 g of aspartame in a large bottle (1.5 l) of the drink. This is quite far from the permissible limit. To reach the upper limit, our theoretical average person would have to drink 5.25 litres of such a drink (i.e. 3.5 bottles of our equally theoretical orangeade). 

Yes, some 21 glasses.

Updated JECFA recommendation on aspartame

According to a new JECFA report published alongside the WHO report, the acceptable amount of aspartame in a daily serving remains unchangedand. Despite aspartame's classification as a category 2B carcinogen on the list of carcinogenic hazards, the researchers did not find sufficient evidence to justify limiting the acceptable daily intake of this sweetener.

It is also worth noting that the US Food and Drug Administration disagrees with the recognition of aspartame as a potential carcinogen. It also allows a higher amount for daily consumption - 50 mg per kilogram of body weightand.

Can aspartame be safe if it is on such a list?

Does aspartame harm health? According to the current state of medical knowledge: used in appropriate daily portions - rather notand. It is difficult to answer this question with certainty and unequivocally, as researchers have to rely on population studies in which it is very difficult to grasp the cause-effect relationship. One thing we can be sure of is that aspartame is harmful to people who suffer from phenylketonuria.

What to replace aspartame with

If you are using sugar substitutes for the sake of your figure, according to the WHO... you can stopand. In its latest recommendations, the World Health Organisation has retreated from such recommendations. Instead, it has replaced them with a common-sense approach to the use of sugar in diet - we should limit it from an early age.

Additionally, the use of sweeteners "doesn't teach" that the taste of sugar is actually negative, as it hides obesity and metabolic diseases, adds pharmacist.

So the best solution seems to be simply to eat a healthy, balanced diet and to satisfy the appetite for sweet flavours with fruit. And when it comes to diet drinks...

See also:

• Healthy breakfast recipes
• Ketogenic diet
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Summary