WHO prepares to recognize popular sweetener as life-threatening

The world-famous sugar substitute aspartame is about to be officially recognized as a potential carcinogen – a substance that leads to the development of cancer. The WHO Agency for Research on Cancer has announced that this will happen within a month, according to Reuters. Today, aspartame is added almost everywhere: in sugary sodas, sweetened drinks, juices, chewing gums and much more.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer research arm of the World Health Organization (WHO), is today assessing the potential hazards of various substances based on all published data. Until now, IARC’s decisions on various substances have caused stir among consumers, led to lawsuits and forced manufacturers to revise recipes and switch to alternative products. On July 14, IARC will announce its decision on aspartame.

Meanwhile, since 1981, aspartame has been recognized as safe for health within accepted daily allowances. For example, a 60 kg (132 lb) adult would have to drink 12 to 36 cans of diet soda daily—depending on the drink’s aspartame content—to be at risk. This sentiment has been widely shared among national regulators, including in the US and Europe.

However, today another division of the VO, the Committee on Additives, conducts aspartame risk assessment, which determines the likelihood of a specific type of harm (such as cancer) under certain conditions and levels of exposure. “IARC decisions can have a huge impact. In 2015, the body’s commission conclusion that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic.” Years later, even when other bodies such as the European Food Safety Authority challenged the decision, companies still felt the effects. U.S. courts awarding damages to consumers accused of cancer of using his glyphosate-based weedkillers.

IARC decisions are often criticized for raising unnecessary concerns about substances or situations that are difficult to avoid. There are four different levels of classification – “carcinogenic”, “probably carcinogenic”, “possibly carcinogenic”, and “not classifiable”. The levels are based on the strength of the evidence, not how dangerous a particular substance is.

The first group includes substances ranging from processed meat to asbestos, all of which, according to IARC, have strong evidence that they cause cancer. Night work and red meat consumption are classified as “probable”, meaning there is limited evidence that these substances or situations can cause cancer in humans, and either stronger evidence that they cause cancer in animals, or strong evidence that they have similar characteristics to other human carcinogens.

RF electromagnetic fields” associated with mobile phone use are “possibly cancer causing”. As with aspartame, this means that there is either limited evidence that they can cause cancer in humans, sufficient evidence in animals, or compelling performance data.

The last group – “not classifiable” – means that there is not enough evidence. “IARC is not a food safety authority and their assessment of aspartame is not scientifically comprehensive and is largely based on widely discredited research,” said Francis Hunt-Wood, secretary general of the International Sweetener Association.

Manufacturers are expressing concern that misguided consumers will start consuming more sugar instead of choosing safe, sugar-free and low-sugar options. And thus hurt themselves much more.

Aspartame has been actively studied for many years. Last year, an observational study of 100,000 adults in France found that people who consumed more artificial sweeteners, including aspartame, had a slightly higher risk of developing cancer.

This followed a study in the early 2000s at the Ramazzini Institute in Italy that reported that some cancers in mice and rats were linked to aspartame.

However, the first study failed to prove that aspartame causes an increased risk of cancer, and the methodology of the second study raised questions. Therefore, aspartame is now approved for use worldwide by regulators who have reviewed all available data, and major food and beverage manufacturers have defended their use of the ingredient for decades.

IARC reported that 1,300 studies were reviewed during the June review. So far, the final conclusions have not been made public. However, just recently, the WHO itself published recommendations for those who want to control weight to switch to sugar-free sweeteners. “The world froze in anticipation of the verdict on aspartame,” notes a well-known therapist, military doctor Alexei Vodovozov. – Just in case, let me remind you that coffee has been in the “probably carcinogenic” group for thirty years – absolutely innocent. And red meat and sausages are generally concentrated carcinogenic evil. Alcohol and ultraviolet light are proven group 1 carcinogens. But a notable panic is already accelerating, they say, everyone who ate aspartame will die immediately after the publication of the report.

So experts advise to wait until then. And then – to wait. But still, do not abuse sweets – its harm has been proven unconditionally.