The World Health Organization (WHO) has decided to maintain at their current levels its recommendations on the amount of the artificial sweetener aspartame that is considered “safe” for human consumption.
The decision comes after two groups of WHO experts reviewed thousands of scientific studies on the safety of aspartame, and its classification as a “possible carcinogen”.
When one hears the classification of “possible carcinogen”, it is common to generate fear and confusion, but the term only means that the evidence is not convincing.
Most people consume an amount of aspartame below the upper limit that is considered “safe“, but the WHO recommends that regular consumers reduce their use.
What is aspartame
Aspartame is a combination of amino acids that is about 200 times sweeter than sugar, which means that it takes a much smaller amount of aspartame than sugar to acquire the same level of sweetness.
With that, the caloric content is decreased until it is almost imperceptible.
It was discovered by mistake in 1965 by a chemist who was working to find solutions for ulcers.
Despite being so common, aspartame has been under the spotlight since it was introduced on the market in the 1980s.
Which products use aspartame
All kinds of famous brands use it in their diet products: Coca-Cola includes it in its Zero and Diet versions, Pepsi with Max and 7Up Free, and it is spread in a variety of almost 6,000 products ranging from toothpaste to yogurt to cough drops.
However, it is not the only artificial sweetener. Sucrose was a popular sweetener in the 1990s, but lost popularity due to the taste it left after consumption.
Today there are other alternatives that claim to be more natural, such as stevia, which is derived from the leaves of certain houseplants.
However, aspartame is the most widely consumed low-calorie sweetener today.
The relationship with cancer
The first body to take an interest in the evidence linking cancer to aspartame was the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the WHO’s cancer expert group.
The organization uses four possible classifications:
Group 1: Carcinogenic (cancer-causing) in humans.
Group 2A: Likely to cause cancer in humans
Group 2B: Possible cause of cancer in humans
Group 3: Not classifiable
Moved to the “possible cancer causing” category along with other substances such as aloe vera and lead. The decision focuses – for the most part – on three studies that point to a connection with a very specific type of liver cancer.
But the “possibility” refers to the strength of the scientific data. If the evidence against aspartame were stronger, it would be in another category.
How much aspartame is “safe”?
The WHO expert committee in charge of food additives is responsible for establishing safe doses for consumption.
It analyzed not only the risk of cancer, but also other possible diseases such as coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes, but “did not find sufficient reason” to change the recommendations in place since 1981.
So the safe limits remain at 40 milligrams per kilogram of your body weight per day.
It should be remembered that, recently, the WHO said that drinks with artificial sweeteners do not help people lose weight.