Aspartame: it is the risk that matters, not the hazard

The JECFA assessment takes into account all health hazards from consuming aspartame as a food and drink additive, not only cancer. Since 1981, the JECFA have kept their upper ADI level for aspartame at 40 mg/kg bodyweight*, even after intervening reviews to consider new evidence. The other two agent...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The lancet oncology 2023-08, Vol.24 (8), p.824-825
Main Author: McConway, Kevin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cancer
Carcinogenicity
Carcinogens
Classification
Cosmetics
Food additives
Health risk assessment
Health risks
Isoeugenol
Methyl eugenol
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Summary:The JECFA assessment takes into account all health hazards from consuming aspartame as a food and drink additive, not only cancer. Since 1981, the JECFA have kept their upper ADI level for aspartame at 40 mg/kg bodyweight*, even after intervening reviews to consider new evidence. The other two agents classified by IARC in their current summary document are isoeugenol, a compound that occurs naturally in many plants and is used for fragrance and flavour in some food, cosmetics, and other products, and methyleugenol, another compound from plants that is used in cosmetics and personal care products. The only lower classification, Group 3, is for agents that are “Not classifiable as to [their] carcinogenicity to humans.” Because the IARC classifications are not based on the actual risk of cancer, agents in the same group have very different risk levels for the public.
ISSN:1470-2045
1474-5488
DOI:10.1016/S1470-2045(23)00342-X