ASPARTAME
- SCI & TECH
News:
Explained | What does aspartame
being ‘possibly carcinogenic’ mean?
What's
in the news?
●
The World Health Organization (WHO)
recently declared aspartame, an
artificial sweetener used in the food industry, as a possible carcinogen.
Key
takeaways:
●
The report in which aspartame was
evaluated – and several such declarations that christen a substance as being
carcinogenic – are authored by a committee of experts under the authority of
the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
International
Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC):
●
The agency,
headquartered in Lyon, France, was established under the WHO in 1965 with a mandate to study the
causes of cancer.
●
To date, the IARC has assessed more than a
thousand substances or putative risk factors for their roles in carcinogenesis.
○
Substances that potentially cause cancer
are called carcinogens.
Grading
System of IARC:
Grade
1:
●
Grade 1 substances are factors known to cause cancer in humans, with sufficient
evidence supporting their carcinogenicity.
●
This category includes smoking, asbestos, and processed meats, all
of which have been linked to a higher cancer hazard.
Grade
2:
●
Grade 2 substances, or exposures, are
classified as being probably or possibly
carcinogenic to humans. Within Grade 2, there are two subcategories.
○
‘2A’
includes agents that are probably carcinogenic in humans, supported by ample
evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals but limited data regarding
humans. Red meats, DDT pesticide, and
night-shift work fall into the 2A category.
○
On the other hand, ‘2B’ includes agents that are possibly carcinogenic in humans but
for which there is insufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in animals and
limited or inadequate evidence in humans. For example, cell phone radiation and occupational exposure as a hairdresser
falls under 2B.
Grade
3:
●
A Grade 3 recommendation is assigned to
agents that can’t be classified as carcinogenic due to limited or inadequate data, even in experiments.
●
Coffee,
mercury, and paracetamol are examples of agents in this
category.
Aspartame:
●
Aspartame is present in a wide range of
food products – sugar-free diet soda,
ice tea, ice cream, low fat yoghurt, cereals, and medicines such as chewable
vitamins.