Aspartame labelled a 'potential cancer risk' - so how many cans of Diet Coke are safe to drink?
- 11 months ago
A sweetener commonly found in diet drinks and chewing gum has been added to the World Health Organisation's list of possible carcinogens - but you may not have to kick your Diet Coke habit just yet.
Josephine Franks
Sky News reporter @jos_franks
Aspartame, a sweetener commonly found in diet drinks and chewing gum, has been declared a potential cancer risk by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The sweetener has been listed as "possibly carcinogenic to humans".
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the WHO's cancer research arm, said there was "limited evidence" aspartame caused cancer in humans.
"While safety is not a major concern at the doses which are commonly used, potential effects have been described that need to be investigated," the WHO's Dr Francesco Branca said.
And giving advice to the public, he added: "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."
Analysis: How concerned should you be?
If there's limited evidence, why has the WHO made this declaration?
The scale used by the IARC indicates the level of evidence there is for a substance being carcinogenic.
The IARC uses four categories: 1 - causes cancer; 2A - probably causes cancer; 2B - possibly causes cancer and 3 - no evidence available on cancer risk.
Aspartame was classified as 2B, "possibly carcinogenic", on the basis of limited evidence for cancer in humans (specifically hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer).
Other possible 2B carcinogens in the group include aloe vera, bracken ferns, lead and working as a hairdresser.
The scale does not say how much exposure you need to raise your cancer risk - it just identifies the substances as hazards.
Alice Davies, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, told Sky News: "Something being classed as a carcinogen doesn't tell you how much it could increase the risk of cancer.
"Sometimes there are things that might cause cancer in theory, but in reality the dose that you're exposed to is too low to increase your risk.
"So, for example, processed meat and smoking are both carcinogens but smoking causes about 54,000 cases of cancer in the UK each year whereas processed meat only causes about 5,400."
So how much aspartame can I have a day?
This is where another arm of the WHO comes in, the Joint WHO and Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Expert Committee on Food Additives - JECFA for short.
JECFA reviewed the data on aspartame consumption and said adults can safely consume up to 40mg per kilo of body weight.
This does not change the daily limits recommended previously.
That means an adult who weighs 70kg could consume 2,800mg of aspartame a day.
Aspartame is found in drinks including Coke Zero, Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max, Sprite Zero and Fanta Zero.
Josephine Franks
Sky News reporter @jos_franks
Aspartame, a sweetener commonly found in diet drinks and chewing gum, has been declared a potential cancer risk by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The sweetener has been listed as "possibly carcinogenic to humans".
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the WHO's cancer research arm, said there was "limited evidence" aspartame caused cancer in humans.
"While safety is not a major concern at the doses which are commonly used, potential effects have been described that need to be investigated," the WHO's Dr Francesco Branca said.
And giving advice to the public, he added: "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."
Analysis: How concerned should you be?
If there's limited evidence, why has the WHO made this declaration?
The scale used by the IARC indicates the level of evidence there is for a substance being carcinogenic.
The IARC uses four categories: 1 - causes cancer; 2A - probably causes cancer; 2B - possibly causes cancer and 3 - no evidence available on cancer risk.
Aspartame was classified as 2B, "possibly carcinogenic", on the basis of limited evidence for cancer in humans (specifically hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer).
Other possible 2B carcinogens in the group include aloe vera, bracken ferns, lead and working as a hairdresser.
The scale does not say how much exposure you need to raise your cancer risk - it just identifies the substances as hazards.
Alice Davies, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, told Sky News: "Something being classed as a carcinogen doesn't tell you how much it could increase the risk of cancer.
"Sometimes there are things that might cause cancer in theory, but in reality the dose that you're exposed to is too low to increase your risk.
"So, for example, processed meat and smoking are both carcinogens but smoking causes about 54,000 cases of cancer in the UK each year whereas processed meat only causes about 5,400."
So how much aspartame can I have a day?
This is where another arm of the WHO comes in, the Joint WHO and Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Expert Committee on Food Additives - JECFA for short.
JECFA reviewed the data on aspartame consumption and said adults can safely consume up to 40mg per kilo of body weight.
This does not change the daily limits recommended previously.
That means an adult who weighs 70kg could consume 2,800mg of aspartame a day.
Aspartame is found in drinks including Coke Zero, Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max, Sprite Zero and Fanta Zero.