Examining the Classification of Aspartame: A Potentially Carcinogenic Substance”

Aspartame is a chemical sweetener that is used in many food products globally, including low-calorie beverages consumed by children and pregnant women. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), aspartame will be listed in July as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” for the first time. This means that aspartame is a potential hazard based on all the published evidence, but it does not take into account how much of a product a person can safely consume.

The Ramazzini Institute (RI) reported in 2006 and 2007 that aspartame causes dose-related increases in malignant tumors in multiple organs in rats and mice. Increased cancer risk was seen even at low exposure levels approaching the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI). Prenatal exposures caused increased malignancies in rodent offspring at lower doses than in adults.
However, there are critics who question the accuracy of RI’s diagnoses of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissue tumors (HLTs) .Artificial sweeteners, including aspartame, are chemically synthesized substances that are used instead of sucrose (table sugar) to sweeten foods and beverages. Six artificial sweeteners are approved as food additives by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA): saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame potassium (acesulfame-K, or Ace-K), sucralose, neotame, and advantame. Before approving these sweeteners, FDA reviewed numerous safety studies that were conducted on each sweetener to identify possible health harms. The results of these studies showed no evidence of an association between artificial sweeteners and cancer.

In summary, aspartame is classified as a “possibly carcinogenic to humans” substance by the IARC, but this does not take into account how much of a product a person can safely consume. There are studies that suggest aspartame is a chemical carcinogen in rodents, but there are also critics who question the accuracy of these studies. The FDA has approved aspartame and other artificial sweeteners as food additives and has found no evidence of an association between artificial sweeteners and cancer