Health officials classify aspartame 'possibly carcinogenic' despite 'limited evidence' it causes cancer
FDA says 'possibly carcinogenic to humans' does not mean 'linked to cancer'
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Health officials said Thursday there is "limited evidence" to suggest that there is an association between the consumption of aspartame, one of the most common artificial sweeteners in the world, and cancer.
The World Health Organization's (WHO) cancer research agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), classified aspartame as "possibly carcinogenic" even though it cited "limited evidence for cancer in humans (specifically, for hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer)," according to documents released Thursday from the WHO.
At the same time, the Joint WHO and Food and Agriculture Organization's Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), reaffirmed the acceptable daily intake for consumers at current levels. American Beverage Interim President and CEO Kevin Keane said this is "another strong testament to aspartame’s safety."
On Thursday, the IARC and JECFA released independent but complimentary assessments on the health impacts associated with the consumption of aspartame, which is found in a wide variety of products like Coca-Cola diet sodas, sugar-free Ricola cough drops and certain sugar-free Extra chewing gum products.
The IARC evaluated the potential carcinogenic effect of aspartame while the JECFA reviewed the acceptable daily intake and dietary exposure of the artificial sweetener. It was the first time that the IARC evaluated aspartame and the third time for the JECFA.
"After reviewing the available scientific literature, both evaluations noted limitations in the available evidence for cancer (and other health effects)," the documents from IARC and JECFA said.
Health officials say there is "limited evidence" to suggest that there is an association between the consumption of aspartame, one of the most common artificial sweeteners in the world, and cancer. (Richard Levine / Corbis via Getty Images / File / Getty Images)
The IARC conducted studies in which the consumption of artificially sweetened beverages was considered a good proxy for aspartame exposure. In three studies, officials observed a positive association between the "consumption of artificially sweetened beverages and risk of liver cancer, either overall or in important subgroups of the studied populations," according to the documents.
However, "chance, bias or confounding could not be ruled out as an explanation for the positive findings," the documents said.
The IARC further noted that "there was also limited evidence for cancer in experimental animals and limited evidence related to the possible mechanisms for causing cancer."
Aspartame is found in a wide variety of products like Coca-Cola diet sodas, sugar-free Ricola cough drops and certain sugar-free Extra chewing gum products. (Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto via Getty Images / File / Getty Images)
Immediately following the release of the report, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a statement that it disagrees with the IARC's conclusion to classify aspartame as a possible carcinogen to people based on these studies. It also tried to quell concerns by saying that "aspartame is being labeled by IARC as ‘possibly carcinogenic to humans’ does not mean that aspartame is actually linked to cancer."
The FDA first approved aspartame in 1974 for use as a tabletop sweetener and in various products. Since then, the FDA has approved aspartame for other uses, including as a general-purpose sweetener in 1996.
Aside from people who have a rare genetic disorder called phenylketonuria (PKU), the FDA concluded that aspartame – one of the most studied food additives in the human food supply – "is safe for the general population when made under good manufacturing practices and used under the approved conditions of use," according to its website.
The FDA continues to monitor the scientific literature for any new information on aspartame.
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Still, global health experts are in agreement that more research needs to be conducted in order to better understand whether the consumption of aspartame poses a carcinogenic hazard.
Dr. Moez Sanaa, the head of the WHO’s Standards and Scientific Advice on Food and Nutrition Unit, said that while the JECFA "concluded that the evidence of an association between aspartame consumption and cancer in humans is not convincing," more studies need to be conducted.
Sanaa said the studies need to be better and suggested that they, in part, have longer follow-up and repeated dietary questionnaires in existing cohorts.
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Dr. Francesco Branca, the WHO's director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, agreed, saying that "the assessments of aspartame have indicated that, while safety is not a major concern at the doses which are commonly used, potential effects have been described that need to be investigated by more and better studies."
Branca underscored the importance of additional research, saying that cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally.