The World Health Organization's recommendation
on how much aspartame we can eat or drink remains unchanged, while concerns
about this sugar substitute causing cancer have been raised. Two groups of
experts at WHO are reviewing the scientific papers in this regard. The label
'probable cause of cancer' often creates fear and anxiety, but it also means
that the evidence is insufficient. Most people consume less than the
recommended amount of aspartame, but the World Health Organization recommends
that people with obesity reduce it further. Aspartame is found in diet or
sugar-free varieties of foods. It is 200 times sweeter than sugar but does not
contain as many calories as sugar. Popular brands such as Diet Coke, Coke Zero,
Pepsi Max, and Seven Up Free have aspartame sweeteners. But it is also found in
about 6,000 products such as toothpaste, chewing gum, yogurt, and sweet cough
drops. Despite its widespread use, the safety of this chemical was
controversial during the 1980s. Dr. Francisco Branca, Director of the Department
of Nutrition and Food Safety at WHO, asked what is the healthier choice: sugar
or sweeteners?
"If
you have to decide whether to drink cola with sweetener or cola with sugar, I
think there is a third way to drink water and limit the consumption of sweet
things," he said. A review of the papers raised 'concerns' that aspartame
is not good for health. People who drink diet drinks or anything else
containing aspartame should not be concerned, "the problem is for heavy
consumers," the International Agency for Research on Cancer WHO
said. First, the evidence was examined. WHO describes four possible types:
The World Health Organization has classified
aspartame as one of the substances it says is 'probably carcinogenic.' The list
also includes aloe vera and lead. The reason for this decision is three papers
that linked it to liver cancer. However, 'probable' is written because it
relates to scientific evidence. If the evidence were solid, aspartame would be
ranked higher. Dr. Marie Shobarbergen of the International Agency for Research
on Cancer says the 'evidence was of good quality and not acceptable' and 'this
is a message for researchers to do more research on sweeteners.
Cancer classifications often make false
headlines. Alcohol and plutonium are carcinogenic so are in the same
classification but one is much more dangerous. Therefore, it is the task of the
'Expert Committee on Food Additives', a joint department of the World Health
Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization, to determine the safe
amount of the product. They reviewed the evidence for aspartame causing cancer,
heart disease, and type 2 diabetes, but found 'insufficient evidence' and have
not changed their recommendation since 1981. Therefore, the safe intake of
aspartame is 40 mg/kg of body weight per day. This is not a target but a
maximum suggested amount. It is related to body weight and children are more
likely to approach the threshold.
Dr. Branca said putting a sugary carbonated
drink on the table at dinner time was 'not a good decision' as it could set
children up for lifelong sugar addiction. He said there is solid scientific
evidence that sweeteners do not help people lose weight. He recommends that
people shift to a low-sugar diet, thereby reducing both sugar and sweeteners,
while companies create less sweet but tastier products. The biggest question is
how aspartame causes cancer. According to the World Health Organization report,
aspartame breaks down very quickly in the intestine into three substances:
phenylalanine, aspartic acid, and methanol.
But they are formed during the digestion of
many types of food and have nothing to do with cancer. According to
researchers, aspartame does not directly cause cancer in people's DNA. A
possible cause could be increased levels of inflammation in the body. Frances
Huntwood, secretary general of the International Sweeteners Association, said
the review has once again proven the safety of aspartame. "Aspartame, like
other low-calorie sweeteners, reduces people's sugar intake through a balanced
diet and is an important public health issue," he said. There are also
some people who cannot use aspartame safely. These are people who have a
congenital condition called PKU. Such people cannot digest phenylalanine, which
is formed by the breakdown of aspartame.
5. The Future of Humanity: Advancements in Editing Human DNA
