Alexandra Jones

Alexandra Jones

Alexandra Jones
Cargo

Senior Research Fellow in Food Policy and Law at The George Institute for Global Health (Australia)

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Reactions: aspartame sweetener is classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans, although the acceptable daily intake remains unchanged

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) have published a health impact assessment of the sweetener aspartame. Citing "limited evidence" of carcinogenicity in humans, IARC has classified aspartame as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B). For its part, JECFA has not changed the acceptable daily intake of this sweetener, which is set at 40 mg/kg body weight. According to these bodies, with one can of diet soft drink containing 200-300 mg aspartame, a 70 kg adult would need to consume more than 9-14 cans per day to exceed the acceptable daily intake - assuming no other intake from other dietary sources.

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