Aspartame will be declared a potential human cancer risk, a bombshell report claimed today.
The artificial sweetener, used in a host of soft drinks, including Diet Coke and Dr Pepper, will be listed as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” in a World Health Organization reclassification in the coming weeks, officials said.
But what is aspartame? What other products is it found in? And how much is safe to consume?
MailOnline answers all your questions here.
Aspartame, an artificial sweetener used in products such as Diet Coke, may be listed as a ‘possibly carcinogenic to humans’ by the WHO
What is Aspartame?
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that was first developed in the 1960s – completely by accident – and released to the market about 20 years later.
It is about 200 times sweeter than sugar.
This means that it takes less grams per gram than sugar to achieve the same sweet result, meaning products containing it tend to have fewer calories.
Unlike sugar, it does not raise blood sugar, making it a convenient alternative for diabetics.
Chemically, aspartame consists of three substances: aspartic acid (40 percent), phenylalanine (50 percent), and methanol (10 percent).
What is it found in?
Aspartame is added to hundreds of products that market themselves as “diet” or “sugar-free.”
The best-known examples are Diet Coke and Dr Pepper, but also sugar-free gums such as Extras.
Other examples include low-fat or diet yogurt and jelly.
Is there aspartame in Coke Zero and Pepsi Max too?
Both products list aspartame in their ingredients list.
Other soda brands such as Fanta, Lucozade, and Sprite, as well as some squash and juice brands, such as Robinsons and Ribena, also contain the artificial sweetener.
This means it’s not just stereotypical “diet” or “diet” soft drinks that contain the sweetener and many people could be consuming them without realizing it.
What are the dangers?
Aspartame consumption has been anecdotally associated with headaches, dizziness, and upset stomach.
However, blind trials, where participants did not know whether the product they are consuming contains the sweetener, have failed to replicate this.
But there have been broader health concerns for years, including that it causes cancer, alters the gut biome, causes depression and, paradoxically, even contributes to obesity by increasing people’s appetites.
Yet health and food regulators have repeatedly declared them safe to use following “rigorous” safety assessments.
However, there is one exception. People with phenylketonuria, a rare inherited blood disorder, cannot process phenylalanine ? one of the building blocks of aspartame.
When people with phenylketonuria consume phenylalanine, it can build up in their blood and eventually damage their vital organs.
For this exact reason, aspartame must be listed as an ingredient on any product containing it, both in the US and UK, as well as other countries.
Only about one in 10,000 people has the condition.
What does the ruling entail?
The shocking decision means WHO’s subsidiary body, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), will officially link aspartame consumption to cancer.
However, according to Reuters, it is expected to receive a 2B ruling.
This means that it is ‘possibly carcinogenic to humans’.
This is the middle of five categories and means ‘there is some evidence that it can cause cancer in humans’. At the same time, the connection is ‘far from conclusive’.
The same 2B cancer risk status from the IARC is also given to aloe vera extract, lead and various dyes.
By comparison, red meat is considered a probable human carcinogen, or 2A ? one notch higher than the expected amount of aspartame.
The IARC has previously listed the radio-frequency electromagnetic fields emitted by cell phones as a 2B cancer risk and acrylamide, the brown-black substance that forms on food from frying or baking, as a 2A cancer risk.
IARC rankings are based on evidence that a substance or hazard poses a carcinogenic risk to humans and not on individual risk.
For example, both smoking tobacco and processed meat are rated 1 for cancer risk, meaning the evidence base linking the substance to an increased risk of cancer is very strong.
However, it does not mean that bacon is as carcinogenic as smoking.
Will Diet Coke Be Slammed With Cancer Warnings?
Such rules are left to the individual countries.
But no similar warnings have been posted for red or processed meat in the UK, despite stronger links to cancer being found, according to previous IARC rulings.
Any attempt to include such a warning would likely be considered an overreaction and would meet stiff resistance from the soft drink and sweetener industry.
Those who opposed the horror of “nanny statism” would also campaign against it.
But it could, if the evidence base is strong enough, lead to a recommended intake of aspartame by health authorities, for example the NHS.
Depending on what experts think, this could lead to Britons being advised to consume only one product containing aspartame per day or week, for example.
Such warnings may be published in health information, similar to the NHS’s Eat Well guide.
How Much Aspartame Is Safe to Consume?
Even if aspartame is declared “possibly carcinogenic” to humans, the individual risk can vary wildly.
The IARC makes its classification based on evidence linking a substance to cancer, not the actual risk itself.
Safe consumption levels would be determined by a separate body, the Joint WHO and the Expert Committee on Food Additives of the Food and Agriculture Organization.
It would provide advice on individual consumption levels, which could then be adjusted by national health authorities.
Current recommendations for safe daily consumption of aspartame are 50mg per kg of body weight in the US and 40mg per kg of body weight in the UK.
This brings the UK recommendation to about 2800mg for a 70kg adult.
Since the average can of Diet Coke contains 180 mg of real aspartame, the British Dietetic Association says an adult would need to consume 15 cans per day to reach the sweetener’s acceptable daily intake.
Will manufacturers face backlash?
Any IARC ruling on aspartame’s cancer risk could spark backlash from consumers, with customers avoiding products containing aspartame due to cancer fears.
Similar boycotts have taken place based on other IARC rulings.
In 2015, her committee concluded that glyphosate, a weed killer, is “probably carcinogenic.”
The ruling is often cited as the reason why the product has been banned in several countries, and many more individual states, cities or local governments have also issued regulations against its use.
Such a consumer response to aspartame could, in theory, lead food and beverage companies to change the formulation of their products.