According to Reuters sources, aspartame will be defined as a potentially carcinogenic substance.
Sweetener aspartame may be declared a potentially carcinogenic substance, sources from the Reuters news agency say.
Aspartame is widely used, for example, as a sweetener in soft drinks and juices.
IARC, the organization for cancer research under the WHO, maintains a list of carcinogenic substances and activities based on scientific research.
Catalog does not consist only of substances from the food industry, but also includes, for example, working conditions and pharmaceutical substances.
Aspartame would be moved to category 2B, which includes “possibly carcinogenic” things.
The same category includes, for example, birth control pills that only contain luteinizing hormone, i.e. minipills, and the use of a mobile phone.
Classification nor does it take into account how much of a carcinogenic substance a person can safely consume.
Recommendations on usage amounts are given by JECFA under WHO. It is supposed to evaluate the safe use levels of aspartame later in the summer.
According to Reuters, the classification of aspartame’s carcinogenicity and recommendations for its use are scheduled to be published on July 14.
Until now, JECFA has considered aspartame safe for normal daily use. Only extreme use has been considered a risk. This would be the case, for example, if an adult weighing 60 kilograms drank 12 to 36 cans of a drink sweetened with aspartame daily.
In spring The WHO did not recommend the use of aspartame as an aid in weight control.
The conclusion of an extensive review commissioned by the health organization is that sweeteners are of no long-term help in weight management, even if they replace foods with a lot of added sugar.
“People should reduce the sweetness of their diet at an early stage of their lives in order to improve their health,” said the head of nutrition and food safety at the WHO Francesco Branca in the organization’s bulletin.
Read more: We crave sweets, but sweeteners do not reward our brains like sugar – New research data on effects on the brain, intestines and weight