The World Health Organization (WHO) considers that the sweetener aspartame, present in low-calorie soft drinks, sweets and even medicines, is “possibly carcinogenic” to humans. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), The WHO body that is responsible for identifying the carcinogenic potential of substances has concluded, after studying the available scientific evidence, that this sweetener may have the capacity to cause cancer in the population. It classifies it, however, within level 2B, which is the penultimate step within its identification pyramid of dangers: this means that the evidence is very limited and, although safety is not a concern at the doses commonly used, potential harmful effects have been described. However, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), which is responsible for determining these risks for the population and establishing an acceptable daily intake dose, has also evaluated the available evidence and has decided to maintain the recommendation of acceptable daily intake that I already had: 40 milligrams per kilo of weight per day.
