The World Health Organization WHO’s new classification of the sweetener aspartame as “possibly carcinogenic” does not give reason to reduce intake, according to toxicologist Johan Ålander.
Anyone who wants to can drink liters of diet soda every day.
The WHO’s body for cancer research, IARC, has reviewed the health effects of the sweetener aspartame in a study and now classifies it as “possibly carcinogenic” to humans.
– IARC has looked at all the research available and concluded that it might cause cancer in humans, but that more research is needed, says Johan Ålander, toxicologist at the Swedish Food Agency.
Several liters a day
The study has not given the Swedish Food Agency reason to change the recommendations regarding aspartame. At the same time as IARC’s new study, another research group at WHO JECFA, which has been looking at the same thing, has also made a publication.
It states that the previous recommendation that you can ingest up to 40 milligrams of aspartame per kilogram of body weight per day without it being a risk, says Johan Ålander.
This means that a person weighing 60 kilograms can drink up to 4 liters of soda per day.
Aspartame is also used as a sweetener in other products such as desserts, candies and chewing gums.
– Everything is on the table of contents, says Johan Ålander.
As the sweetener is 200 times sweeter than regular sugar, large amounts are not needed.
“Water is the best”
– Aspartame ends up in the same classification (perhaps cancer-classified substances) as aloe vera and pickled vegetables to put it in relation, says the toxicologist with reference to IARC’s lists.
TT: So you shouldn’t panic?
– Absolutely not, I wouldn’t have that.
TT: Is there reason to be moderate given that the assessment is that more research is still needed?
– Not because of this, but you can still think about how much soda you drink in general. We at the Swedish Food Agency usually say that water is the best meal drink.
FACT Aspartame
Aspartame is a sweetener made up of two amino acids.
It was developed in 1965 and introduced to the Swedish market in the early 1980s.
Since it is 100-200 times sweeter than regular sugar, only very small amounts are needed to achieve the sweetening effect.
Aspartame may be used, among other things, in desserts, ice cream, confectionery, fruit and vegetable preparations, breakfast cereals with a high fiber content, jam, marmalade, jelly, soft drinks, certain soups, sauces, dietary supplements, table sweeteners and as a flavor enhancer in chewing gum.
The WHO has established the acceptable daily intake (ADI value) at 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day. This means that a person weighing 60 kg can consume 2.4 grams of aspartame per day without risk to health.
Source: Swedish Food Agency
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