World Health Organisation Warn Diet Coke Sweetener May Be Cancer Risk

An artificial sweetener used in diet Coke could be a possible carcinogen according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The artificial sweetener, which is used in Diet Coke, is expected to be declared a possible carcinogen next month by a leading global health body, according to Reuters, Thursday, June 29.

Official Announcement From WHO In July

WHO is set to release information in July that will list aspartame, the sweetener found in products such as Coca-Cola diet sodas and Mars’ Extra chewing gum, as ‘possibly carcinogenic to humans.’

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a wing belonging to WHO, is charged with examining external evidence and determining whether something is a potential hazard or not.

Previous IARC rulings for different ingredients have caused controversy and in some cases confusion amongst the public. Some food manufacturers have had to recreate recipes and seek alternative ingredients.

A decision is expected on July 14, when JECFA, the WHO committee on additives, who are also looking at the aspartame additive, will give their verdict at the same the as the IARC.

Since its discovery, Aspartame has been subject to intense scrutiny, and remains one of the most rigorously tested food ingredients.

As early as 1981, JECFA has said that aspartame is safe to consume within accepted daily limits. To help clarify this they gave an example of an adult weighing 60 kg (9.45 stones) who would be at risk if they consumed between 12 and 36 cans of diet soda every day, this would also depend on the amount of aspartame in the drink.

Which Products Contain Aspartame?

Typically aspartame can be found in many popular food product such as diet soda, chewing gum, ice cream, and breakfast cereal. Some of the soda drinks that contain Aspartame include: Diet Coke, Coca Cola Zero Sugar, Lucozade Energy, Dr Pepper Zero, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max.

Aspartame is around 200 times sweeter than table sugar and was first submitted as a food ingredient in 1974.