Is Aspartame a Potential Cancer Risk?
Key Highlights :
Aspartame, an artificial sweetener used in a variety of diet and sugar-free products, is set to be declared a potential cancer risk in the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) reclassification next month. Despite the reclassification, the WHO has ruled since 1981 that an adult weighing 60kg would need to drink between 12 and 36 cans a day to become at risk. Aspartame is found in a variety of products such as chewing gums, fizzy drinks, ready meals and cakes, and is roughly 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is used in a wide variety of “diet” and “sugar-free” products, including Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Pepsi Max, Fanta, Lucozade and Dr Pepper.
So, is Aspartame a potential cancer risk? Navid Sole, an expert pharmacist, explains what the change will mean for you and whether you should be concerned about the change in classification of Aspartame. Aspartame is dangerous because it is metabolised in the body to different metabolites including methanol, aspartic acid and phenylalanine which can result in headaches, convulsions and potentially depression. However, it is more to do with the amount of aspartame a person consumes. The benefits of having some levels of aspartame is that it benefits calorie-conscious consumers, does not promote tooth decay and it enhances and extends flavours.
Depending on the severity, the WHO ruling may put a warning sign on products containing aspartame that this may cause cancer. However, this may be difficult due to the fact that almost 6,000 products of food and drink we consume contain aspartame, and having many warning signs on food packaging may cause harm to the public.
The public should not panic, but this is a good sign of raising awareness so the public are aware of what they are consuming and to what extent they can consume the product. It is important to be aware that some people may be more vulnerable and have a higher risk towards cancer than others due to genetics, pre-existing medical conditions or being immunosuppressant. Therefore, it is important to be mindful of how much of a product that is considered to be ‘possibly’ or ‘probably’ carcinogenic is consumed. Over-use of a product that can potentially be carcinogenic will mean you are increasing the risk of cancer.
Overall, Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used in a variety of diet and sugar-free products. It is important to be aware of how much of a product that is considered to be ‘possibly’ or ‘probably’ carcinogenic is consumed, as over-use of such a product can potentially increase the risk of cancer. The World Health Organisation is set to reclassify Aspartame as a potential cancer risk next month, but it is important to remember that the WHO have ruled since 1981 that an adult weighing 60kg would need to drink between 12 and 36 cans a day to become at risk.
