WHO cancer agency deems artificial sweetener aspartame ‘possibly carcinogenic’.

Aspartame, a popular artificial non-sugar sweetener used in food and beverage products is a “possible carcinogen”, two groups linked to the World Health Organization (WHO) declare on Thursday (July 13).

Assessments of the health impacts of aspartame were released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Health Organization (WHO)/Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).

Citing “limited evidence” for carcinogenicity in humans, IARC classified aspartame as possibly carcinogenic to humans (IARC Group 2B) and JECFA reaffirmed the acceptable daily intake of 40 mg/kg body weight.

Aspartame is an artificial (chemical) sweetener widely used in various food and beverage products since the 1980s, including diet drinks, chewing gum, gelatin, ice cream, dairy products such as yogurt, breakfast cereal, toothpaste and medications such as cough drops and chewable vitamins.

Source: www.reuters.com

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