The World Health Organisation (WHO) is set to issue new guidance that a common sweetener, used in Diet Coke and other products, could possibly cause cancer.
Aspartame, an artificial sweetener used in a multitude of fizzy drinks, including Diet Coke, Dr Pepper, and Coke Zero, will be listed as being ‘possibly carcinogenic to humans’ in a reclassification by the WHO, set to be made within the coming weeks, putting pressure on the multi-billion soft drinks market.
This is based on the findings of the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), with a group of external experts reaching the decision after assessing whether products could represent a potential hazard, based on all published evidence.
It remains unclear how the conclusion was reached, with the full decision expected to be announced on 14th July.
The sweetener, which was first developed in the 1960s and introduced to the market two decades later, is around 200 times sweeter than sugar. Because less is needed per gram to achieve the same sweet result as sugar, it is commonly used in popular products listed as ‘diet’ or ‘sugar-free’.
It is found in a multitude of drinks, like Diet Coke and Pepsi Max, along with Extra’s sugar-free chewing gum. Other brands including Lucozade, Fanta, and Sprite, also list the sweetener on their ingredients list. It can also be found in diet jellies and yoghurts popular with those seeking to cut back on calories.
Health concerns around the sweetener have been expressed for years, with concerns that it can cause cancer, trigger depression, and lead to obesity by increasing your appetite.
However, the decision by the WHO is likely to be met with caution, with regulators insisting that the sweetener is safe – having repeatedly declared aspartame as safe for use following safety assessments.
Regulators say the latest report does not consider how much aspartame that a person can consume safely. The advice comes from a body called JECFA, which has, since 1981, said the sweetener is safe to consume within accepted daily limits. It’s a view which has been accepted by national regulators across the world, including in the US and Europe.
Regulators who have reviewed all the available evidence around aspartame use have authorised it for use globally, and major food and beverage producers have for years backed their use of the ingredient. In its June review, the IARC said it had assessed 1,300 studies relating to the sweetener.
“We remain confident in the safety of aspartame given the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence and positive safety determinations by food safety authorities in more than 90 countries around the world,” Kate Loatman, ICBA executive director said in response to today’s reports.
Aspartame has been the subject of comprehensive studies for decades. In 2022, an observational study from France, conducted among 100,000 adults, showed that those who consumed bigger amounts of artificial sweeteners, including aspartame, had a slightly higher risk of cancer. Those who consumed higher amounts of all artificial sweeteners combined were 1.13 times as likely to develop cancer overall as those who did not consume artificial sweeteners.
Recent research also casts doubt on the belief that sweeteners are a healthier, low-calorie alternative to sugar, suggesting that consuming artificial sweeteners can send mixed messages to the gut and brain that they might actually increase cravings, and ultimately, food consumption – meaning they end up defeating their purpose.