Sweetener safety: What experts say!

4 Sep 2024

Sweetener safety: What experts say!

Greetings, keen investigator! Guess what? There's been a big investigation by some super smart scientists about a sweetener called aspartame. They wanted to see if it can cause cancer in people.

The scientists who did the investigation are from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). They even got help from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). That's a lot of big names!

So, here's what they found: they said there is "limited evidence" that aspartame might cause cancer in humans. But hold your horses! Before you start worrying, let me tell you more. The amount of aspartame you would need to eat to even come close to a harmful level is crazy! Imagine drinking 9 to 14 cans of diet soda every single day. That's a lot of soda, right?

So, for most people, it's safe to enjoy foods and drinks with aspartame as long as it's not too much.
Aspartame Investigation: Limited Risk

The WHO and IARC want to keep studying and looking for more evidence to make sure they have all the facts. They even want other scientists to join in and do their own research. They take this stuff seriously because cancer is a big deal. Did you know that 1 in 6 people die from cancer? That's why they're always checking things out to keep us safe.
 	Dr. Francesco Branca from the WHO says that they want to learn more about aspartame and any possible effects it might have on our bodies. They're not worried about it right now, but they want to be sure. So, more and better studies are needed to get all the answers.
 	The IARC and JECFA did their own investigations separately, but they agreed on some things. They both said that there isn't enough evidence to say for sure that aspartame causes cancer. But they also said that more research is needed to know for sure. They want to be really careful and make sure they have all the information.
 	The IARC looks at how likely something is to cause cancer, while the JECFA looks at the chance of harm happening from a specific thing, like cancer. They both looked at the evidence and made their own conclusions. The IARC said that there is limited evidence of aspartame being possibly carcinogenic to humans. That's a big word, right? It means there's a small chance it could cause cancer, but they're not totally sure. The JECFA, on the other hand, said that the evidence isn't strong enough to say there's a link between aspartame and cancer in humans.
 	The scientists are super serious about getting their facts right. So, they looked at lots of studies and reports from different places. They even had experts check everything to make sure they weren't just making stuff up. Plus, they really want to make sure that what they say is true and that we're safe.
 	So, my little friend, don't worry too much about aspartame. Enjoy your favorite foods and drinks, but remember to have a balanced diet. The scientists are working hard to keep us healthy and happy. And if they find any new information, you bet they'll let us know. Stay curious and keep being awesome!

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