Two conflicting advertisements about aspartame. "Possible carcinogen" And"Its consumption is safe"

Two agencies affiliated with the World Health Organization announced today, Friday, that aspartame sweetenerPossible carcinogen”, but remains safe when consumed at already agreed upon levels.

The announcement comes based on the decisions of two different committees affiliated with the World Health Organization, one of which was looking at evidence that the substance poses a potential danger, and the other was evaluating the amount of actual danger this substance poses to life.

mention that Aspartame is one of the most popular sweeteners In the world, it is used in many products that are diet-friendly.

Francesco Branca, head of nutrition at the World Health Organization, during a press conference ahead of the announcement, tried to help consumers understand the two advertisements, which may seem conflicting, especially for those looking for artificial sweeteners to avoid sugar.

“If consumers are making a decision whether to eat cola with sweeteners or to eat cola with sugar, I think a third option should be considered … which is to drink water instead,” Branca said.

The Lyon-based International Agency for Research on Cancer said in its first public announcement of the substance early Friday that aspartame was a “probable carcinogen”.

This classification means that there is limited evidence that a substance can cause cancer.

But it does not take into account how much a person would need to be at risk, which is considered by a separate panel, the Geneva-based Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives, in which the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are involved.

After conducting its own comprehensive review, the committee said Friday that it had no convincing evidence of harm from aspartame, and continued to recommend that it be preserved. consumption levels of aspartame Less than 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day.