It is not the first time that international scientists have warned about the sweetener aspartame.
Now a study links the common popular additive, which is used in diet soda, chewing gum and low-calorie foods, to developmental disorders in fetuses.
Aspartame, which is one of the world’s most popular sweeteners, is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar.
In the summer of 2023, the WHO added the sweetener to its list of potentially carcinogenic substances. Something that flared up in a big debate. The Swedish Food Agency then came out and said that the sweetener is as harmless as pickled vegetables.
Now, however, pregnant women are warned about the additive, something like Illustrated Science first reported on.
The sweetener is suspected of increasing the risk of autism in boys if their mother consumed foods with aspartame during pregnancy. Like, for example, diet soda.
A single diet soda is harmful
It is researchers at UT Health San Antonio who found the risk in male fetuses.
According to the study, the risk for autism is three times greater if the pregnant mother drank at least one diet soda a day, or comparable amounts of aspartame in other foods.
“Our results raise concerns about potential harm in children exposed daily to diet drinks and aspartame during the mother’s pregnancy,” says the lead author behind the studyRaymond F. Palmer, who is a professor of community medicine at UT Health San Antonio and lead author.
Warns pregnant women
The WHO recommendation of around 40 milligrams per kilogram per day still remains. A person weighing between 60 and 70 kilos would therefore need to consume 9-14 cans of diet soda a day to exceed the limit.
It’s a large consumption compared to a can that this study warns pregnant women about.
According to the study, however, no statistically significant connection has been found regarding autism and aspartame in female fetuses. Despite that, the researchers issued clear calls.
“The findings suggest that women should be cautious when considering consuming these products during pregnancy,” said Palmer Raymond F.
When TV4 Nyheterna contacted the Swedish Food Agency, they did not want to comment on the study.
“Over time, new studies will come about ingredients or substances found in food. The Swedish Food Agency’s role is to take an overall view of the collected science in order to formulate advice or recommendations. Therefore, the Swedish Food Agency refrains from commenting on individual studies,” they write.