Simplifying WHO’s Final Results on Aspartame’s Link to Cancer

By
Chew Ming Hui
-

Last Updated on 2023-07-25 , 11:30 am

Are you a fan of Diet Coke or Sprite?

We have news for you, good or bad, your call.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released its final results on the link between cancer and aspartame, a sweetener in Diet Coke and other products.

The verdict: can is can lah.

What is Aspartame?

Asparagus, eh, paiseh, we meant aspartame, is an artificial sweetener present in a wide range of food and beverage products that is potentially carcinogenic.

“Carcinogenic” means that it causes cancer.

You can find aspartame in just about any diet drink, including Diet Coke, Ribena Light, 7Up Free, Sprite and Fanta Zero Orange.

We don’t know whether it’s more surprising that aspartame is so common or that Sprite is considered a healthy soft drink.

This sweetener is also found in chewing gum, ice cream, cough drops, yoghurt, breakfast cereal and even toothpaste.

Sian… If aspartame is carcinogenic, then how? Stop brushing your teeth ah?

Perhaps that’s why toothpaste advertisements always claim that their products are recommended by nine out of ten dentists—I guess that one dentist knew what was up all along.

WHO’s Final Verdict on Aspartame

Okay, so aspartame seems to be everywhere. The problem now is: is it a problem that it’s everywhere?

According to WHO, yes, but also no.

WHO reached the final verdict alongside the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).

The long and short of it is this: aspartame could be carcinogenic, but there is insufficient evidence to prove it is carcinogenic.

Simi? Liddat means what?

It means aspartame is here to stay. It means aspartame consumption limits will not be changed. It also means you could technically still drink your Diet Coke with no worries.

Buey tahan. Put another way; it’s like WHO is saying it’s still attached to its ex, aspartame being the ex here.

Limited Evidence of Aspartame’s Carcinogenicity

IARC has classified aspartame as possibly carcinogenic to humans, with the keyword here being “possibly”.

IARC categorises substances into four groups depending on the strength of evidence showing a substance’s carcinogenicity:

  1. Group 1: carcinogenic to humans
  2. Group 2A: probably carcinogenic to humans
  3. Group 2B: possibly carcinogenic to humans
  4. Group 3: not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans

This means that aspartame is in Group 2B; there is limited evidence of its carcinogenicity in humans and less than sufficient evidence in experimental animals.

Bo bian lor. More research must be done to assess aspartame’s risks further.

“We need better studies with longer follow-up and repeated dietary questionnaires in existing cohorts,” Dr Moez Sanaa, WHO’s Head of the Standards and Scientific Advice on Food and Nutrition Unit, shared.

For now, aspartame products will likely remain on the shelves.

Acceptable Daily Intake of Aspartame 

Here’s where there’s a pivotal difference to draw between the strength of evidence as to a substance’s carcinogenicity and the real risk of developing cancer at a given exposure level to the substance.

Gong simi?

Essentially, there’s good news and bad news.

The bad news is this: just because IARC has insufficient evidence proving aspartame’s carcinogenicity, it doesn’t mean that aspartame will not cause cancer at particular exposure levels.

The good news? It’s unlikely that you’ll contract cancer from aspartame unless your entire diet consists of aspartame-containing products—JECFA has reaffirmed the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 0-40mg/kg body weight for aspartame.

This means that for an adult weighing 14kg, you’ll have to drink more than 9-14 cans of diet soft drinks daily to exceed the ADI.

Good luck with that.

If you’d like to learn about aspartame, read this article.

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Chew Ming Hui
Email: [email protected]