Can Coca-Cola sweeteners really cause cancer – study
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The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a division of the World Health Organization (WHO), classified aspartame, the artificial sweetener used in Diet Coke, as “possibly carcinogenic” on July 14. This is reported by The Economist. Aspartame is found in more than 5,000 products, including cough drops and toothpaste. The agency assigned the sweetener to the third of four levels of danger. The first – and most serious – concerns things that are considered unequivocally carcinogenic, such as tobacco and sunlight; the second is for “probable” cancer risks. For Tier 3 products that are “probable” carcinogens, the evidence for their potential to cause cancer in humans is “limited.” Photo: eskaylim/Depositphotos Aspartame – along with fern, some pickled vegetables and aloe vera. “Although the IARC report lists aspartame as a possible hazard, this does not mean that it poses a hazard when consumed in amounts commonly encountered in everyday life,” said Professor Kevin McConway of the Open University. The agency that assesses the actual risk of food additives, a joint committee convened by the WHO and the UN, published an independent but complementary report at the same time as the IARC. The researchers noted that there is currently no conclusive evidence that animals or humans have experienced adverse effects after consuming the artificial sweetener aspartame. The agency’s guidelines suggest that it is safe to consume 40 mg of aspartame for every kilogram of body weight. This means that a 60 kg person would need to drink more than 12 cans of Diet Coke every day for aspartame consumption to pose a risk. The aspartame studies on which the IARC drew its conclusions have limitations. Among the three relevant human cancer studies reviewed by IARC, artificially sweetened beverages were used as a substitute for aspartame. They showed a positive association between drinks and liver cancer risk, but could not rule out “randomness, bias or confounding” as an explanation. Three published studies also found an increased incidence of tumors in rodents, but the IARC questioned these studies. In addition, the committee found no evidence that aspartame can damage DNA or chromosomes to cause cell mutations that can cause cancer. The researchers concluded that “it is impossible to establish a link between the effects of aspartame on animals and the occurrence of cancer.” Some companies have replaced aspartame with other artificial sweeteners in recent years. In 2015, Pepsi-Cola removed it from its low-calorie sodas in America, then reinstated and removed it again in 2020. However, not all sweeteners are created equal: companies must consider price, ease of processing, and taste. When Coca-Cola changed the recipe for its original drink in 1985, it received more than 40,000 calls and letters with complaints. A psychiatrist hired to listen to the company’s hotline told executives that some people spoke as if they were discussing the death of a family member. It will be recalled that the WHO Cancer Research Agency called the sweetener aspartame a possible source of carcinogen. This sweetener is used to make diet Coca-Cola and chewing gum. Read also: Cancer cells will kill themselves: scientists are developing new drugs against oncology
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