- Artificial sweetener aspartame has been placed among the potentially carcinogenic substances by the World Health Organization, although at the same time consumption has been considered safe.
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used in soft drinks and many other foods. The World Health Organization (WHO) says Friday may cause cancer but says regular consumption is “safe.” Thousands of products labeled “light” or “0%” contain this substance, as well as the “sugar” that is usually put into coffee.
WHO experts have placed the sweetener within group 2B. "There's danger, even if it's hard," explains chemist Oliver Jones at RMIT University in Australia. However, there has been insufficient research on aspartame.
The safe daily amount of WHO is 40 mg/person, and it is stated that it can be consumed “without risk”. Francesco Branca, WHO Director of Nutrition, Health and Development, points out that more research is needed to "clarify more situations".