The sweetener aspartame is a “possible carcinogen” but it remains safe to consume in moderation and at already agreed levels, two groups linked to the World Health Organization (WHO) have declared.
In reviews released early on Friday, the WHO’s cancer agency deemed the sweetener – which is found in diet drinks and countless other foods – as a “possible” cause of cancer, while a separate expert group looking at the same evidence said it still considers the sugar substitute safe in limited quantities.
One review came from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a special branch of the WHO. The other report was from an expert panel selected by WHO and another UN group, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The guidance on the use of the sweetener remained unchanged.
“We’re not advising consumers to stop consuming [aspartame] altogether,” the WHO’s nutrition director Dr Francesco Branca said on Friday.
“We’re just advising a bit of moderation,” he said.
In a press conference ahead of the announcement, Branca tried to help consumers make sense of the seemingly conflicting declarations, especially those who seek out artificial sweeteners to avoid sugar.
“If consumers are faced with the decision of whether to take cola with sweeteners or one with sugar, I think there should be a third option considered – which is to drink water instead,” he said.
In its first declaration on the additive, the Lyon-based IARC said aspartame was a “possible carcinogen”. That classification means there is limited evidence that a substance can cause cancer.
