What is Aspartame? 6 Things To Know About The Sweetener That May Pose Cancer Risk

Aspartame, one of the most popular artificial sweeteners in the world, might be declared a possible carcinogen next month by WHO's cancer research unit.

Aspartame will be listed in July as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" for the first time by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization's (WHO) cancer research arm, Reuters reported citing two sources.

The WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) ruling aims to evaluate the potential hazards of something based on the available published evidence. It is not concerned with determining the safe consumption limits of a product. Individual guidance regarding safe consumption is provided by the Joint WHO and Food and Agriculture Organization's Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), in addition to determinations made by national regulators, according to Reuters.

The decision of the IARC is influenced by the input of the group's external experts, who convened earlier this month.

What is Aspartame?

1. Aspartame is a sugar substitute that is used in products from Coca-Cola diet sodas to Mars' Extra chewing gum and some Snapple drinks.

2. It is approximately 200 times sweeter than table sugar.

3. Since its initial approval by the FDA for human consumption in 1981, aspartame's safety has undergone five subsequent reviews. Its usage has been approved in over 90 countries.
4. Aspartame is a dipeptide composed primarily of two amino acids, phenylalanine, and aspartic acid. These, and other amino acids, are natural constituents of protein-containing foods consumed in any healthful diet. When phenylalanine and aspartic acid are combined in a certain way to form aspartame, they produce an intensely sweet-tasting substance. Aspartame is not heat stable and loses its sweetness when heated, so it typically isn't used in baked goods, according to FDA.

5. Aspartame is broken down into amino acids during digestion, which are utilized for protein synthesis and metabolism. Along with aspartic acid and phenylalanine, aspartame also produces a small amount of naturally occurring methanol, found in foods like fruits, vegetables, and juices. The methanol content in an aspartame-sweetened beverage is approximately five to six times lower than that in an equivalent volume of tomato juice.

6. Pepsico removed Aspartame from sodas in 2015, bringing it back a year later, only to remove it again in 2020.

It has to be noted that the WHO had earlier asked people not to use artificial sweeteners for weight loss.

"Replacing free sugars with NSS does not help with weight control in the long term. People need to consider other ways to reduce free sugars intake, such as consuming food with naturally occurring sugars, like fruit, or unsweetened food and beverages," said says Francesco Branca, WHO Director for Nutrition and Food Safety.