Aspartame classified as possible carcinogen but acceptable daily intake remains unchanged
Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)
Uniting the global cancer community to reduce the cancer burden together.
UICC welcomes the long-standing efforts by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and World Health Organisation (WHO) to identify potential causes of cancers.
Today, IARC and the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFAR) published in?The Lancet Oncology?a joint evaluation of aspartame, an artificial sweetener introduced in the 1980s and widely used in various food and beverage products such as diet drinks, chewing gum, gelatin, ice cream, yoghurt, breakfast cereal and toothpaste.
Following its review of research, IARC has classified aspartame as ‘possibly carcinogenic’, with the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFAR) confirming that the acceptably safe level of intake of aspartame remains unchanged at 40mg/kg per day. This level is equivalent to 9-14 half-litre cans of artificially sweetened soda for a person weighing 70kg.
IARC uses?four categories for classifying agents, from "carcinogenic to humans" (group 1), including tobacco smoke, solar radiation, alcohol and air pollution to group 3, "not classifiable as carcinogenic". Aspartame currently falls under group 2B.
"The findings of limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and animals, and of limited mechanistic evidence on how carcinogenicity may occur, underscore the need for more research to refine our understanding on whether consumption of aspartame poses a carcinogenic hazard."
–?Dr Mary Schubauer-Berigan ?of the IARC - International Agency for Research on Cancer / World Health Organization Monographs programme.
Aspartame has been classified as a ‘possible carcinogenic’ (group 2B) due to less than sufficient evidence in experimental animals and limited human evidence of links to?hepatocellular carcinoma, a form of liver cancer.
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"Many may be worried to hear that the artificial sweetener, aspartame, has been classified as ‘possibly carcinogenic’. The evidence for a direct link between aspartame and cancer isn’t strong, so aspartame is unlikely to cause harm if consumed within safe levels.?
For some time we’ve recommended that people limit the consumption of sugar sweetened drinks, and drink mostly water and unsweetened options and this recommendation is consistent and remains appropriate in light of this new evaluation.?
Future research should focus on well-conducted studies to better understand the relationship between aspartame and cancer risk."
–?Dr Panagiota Mitrou , Director of Research, Policy and Innovation at World Cancer Research Fund
UICC is aligned with the position of the World Cancer Research Fund as well as with WHO’s recommendation for adults and children to limit the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake. WHO further advises?not using non-sugar sweeteners to lower the risk of noncommunicable diseases.
UICC re-emphasises its general recommendations to reduce the risks of developing cancer and other non-communicable diseases: by?maintaining a balanced diet, engaging in regular physical activity; increasing intake of fruits and vegetables, strictly limiting the consumption of alcohol and ultra-processed foods, limiting exposure to the sun, and not using tobacco products.
For more comprehensive findings, refer to the summary published in The The Lancet Group Oncology. The complete evaluation will appear in?Volume 134 of the IARC Monographs.