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Aspartame, a popular artificial sweetener found in soft drinks like Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi, may be declared a potential carcinogen by a World Health Organization committee. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is expected to release its findings on Friday, which has caused concern among public health leaders and food industry executives who fear it will confuse and panic consumers. The review was prompted by recent studies that suggested a link between high aspartame consumption and an increased risk of developing certain types of cancer. However, experts caution that these studies have flaws and that animal studies have shown no evidence of aspartame causing cancer. The FDA and other health organizations have stated that aspartame is safe for the general population. Aspartame is found in a wide range of products, with diet beverages being the most popular. The FDA has established an acceptable daily intake level for aspartame, and an adult would have to consume an extremely high amount to exceed this level. The IARC, the group making the potential carcinogen recommendation, has faced criticism for its classification system, which has been deemed confusing. Aspartame’s mechanism for potentially causing cancer is not yet clear.
