A World Health Organization (WHO) agency made headlines on Thursday by suggesting that aspartame, the artificial sweetener commonly found in diet drinks and low-sugar foods, may possibly be linked to cancer. However, another WHO committee maintained its previous assessment that aspartame consumption at safe levels does not pose a risk of cancer. According to their standards, a person weighing 150 pounds could consume about a dozen cans of diet soda a day without increasing their risk of cancer.
This declaration by a WHO agency marks the first time the international organization has publicly addressed the potential effects of aspartame, which has been a controversial ingredient for many years. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) based its conclusion that aspartame could be a possible carcinogen on limited evidence from three observational studies. These studies found a connection between the consumption of artificially sweetened beverages and an increased incidence of liver cancer, even at levels below a dozen cans per day. The IARC acknowledged that the results might be skewed by the profile of individuals who consume higher quantities of diet drinks and called for further investigation.
Dr. Francesco Branca, director of the WHO Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, advised individuals who consume large amounts of aspartame to consider switching to unsweetened beverages like water. However, he emphasized that moderate consumption of aspartame does not pose a risk to most people. Concerns about obesity, diabetes, and changing consumer preferences have led to an abundance of no- and low-sugar food and beverage options worldwide. Aspartame, approved by U.S. regulators, can be found in thousands of products, including diet sodas, teas, energy drinks, and even yogurts.
In response to the WHO agency’s findings, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expressed disagreement and maintained its position that aspartame is safe. The FDA clarified that the WHO’s classification of aspartame as a possible carcinogen does not mean there is a proven link to cancer. The FDA declined to provide further details but its statement is expected to spark further debate in Europe and prompt a review in the United States. The contrasting positions of the global agencies are likely to cause confusion among consumers.
The WHO has occasionally faced criticism for its cancer risk assessments, as seen with glyphosate, where the initial classification was later revised to confirm its harmful effects. The WHO’s designation of a cancer link to glyphosate paved the way for lawsuits against herbicide manufacturers. The beverage industry has vigorously opposed any scientific or regulatory findings linking artificial sweeteners to health risks, including cancer. Aspartame is the latest battleground for multinational companies seeking to challenge new studies or potential connections to health problems.
Kevin Keane, interim president of the American Beverage Association, stated that aspartame is safe and pointed to the WHO’s second panel, the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives, which maintained its recommendation for daily intake unchanged. Keane emphasized that the FDA and food safety agencies from over 90 countries also support this conclusion.
The safety of sugar alternatives, such as the long-standing controversy over saccharin in the diet drink Tab, has faced intense scrutiny in the past. Once suspected to cause bladder cancer in rats, further research found that the findings did not apply to humans, leading to the removal of saccharin from the list of potential carcinogens. More recently, other sweeteners have been scrutinized for their potential health risks.
At the center of the debate over aspartame are rodent studies conducted between 2005 and 2010 by Italian researchers that suggested a link to cancer. However, these studies have been widely criticized, including by the FDA, which dismissed them as compromised. Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer of the American Cancer Society, acknowledged the need for more research while stating that current evidence does not suggest that consuming a daily Diet Coke would significantly increase the risk of cancer. He noted that the science is more conclusive when it comes to reducing cancer risk by avoiding tobacco, alcohol, processed meat, and excess body weight.
The IARC classifies substances into four categories: carcinogenic, probably carcinogenic, possibly carcinogenic, and no classification. The classification reflects the strength of the scientific evidence rather than the likelihood of causing cancer. The other WHO group on food additives recommended a daily intake of aspartame below 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, slightly lower than the suggested U.S. level of 50 milligrams.
The WHO’s evaluation of aspartame involved a review of existing studies by 25 cancer experts from 12 nations. The review concluded that there was limited evidence linking artificially sweetened drinks to an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer. The studies involved nearly 500,000 people and tracked their intake of juice and soft drinks in relation to liver and bile duct cancers. The findings indicated that each additional serving of diet soft drinks per week was associated with a 6 percent increased risk of liver cancer.
The beverage industry trade group, the American Beverage Association, has contended that the WHO’s food additive panel should take precedence over the cancer experts in evaluating the safety of aspartame. Recently, the association financed a coalition led by former U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretaries Alex Azar and Donna Shalala to challenge the WHO’s findings. The ongoing debate within the global scientific community and among industry players is likely to create confusion among consumers.
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