June 30, (THEWILL) – The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised concerns over reports linking artificial sweeteners, especially aspartame, to possible increased cancer risk.
WHO said that one of its key committees has assessed the potential carcinogenic effect of aspartame and “will update its risk assessment exercise”.
A Reuters report had said that WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) will hold a meeting in July, where popular sweetener, aspartame, will be listed as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” for the first time.
The IARC said it has assessed 1,300 studies in its June review.
“IARC has assessed the potential carcinogenic effect of aspartame (hazard identification). Following this, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) will update its risk assessment exercise on aspartame, including the reviewing of the acceptable daily intake and dietary exposure assessment for aspartame.
“The result of both evaluations will be made available together, on 14 July 2023,” WHO said in a statement on Thursday.
Aspartame has no calories and is approximately 200 times sweeter than table sugar.
About 95 percent of carbonated soft drinks that have a sweetener use aspartame, as well as about 90 per cent of ready-to-drink teas, representing a huge amount of the beverage market share.
A report by Washington Post said Aspartame has also come under renewed scrutiny by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The FDA approved aspartame for human consumption in 1981 but has since reviewed its safety five times. More than 90 countries have approved its use.
The WHO response comes more than a month after it warned against the use of artificial sweeteners, saying they do not help in losing weight and can have serious health effects. It also released new guidelines advising against using so-called non-sugar sweeteners (NSS).
