The Aesthetics Advisor

The world’s most widely used and controversial artificial sweetener is slated to be labeled “possibly carcinogenic to humans” next month by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) cancer research arm—decades after scientists first sounded the alarm about the sugar substitute’s cancer-causing properties. The International Agency for Research (IARC)’s external experts conducted a safety review of aspartame based on all published evidence and finalized a ruling earlier this month, two sources familiar with the process told Reuters. The IARC’s job is to examine the cancer-causing potential of substances. Advice on how much of the product a person can safely consume will come from a separate WHO expert panel on food additives—the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)—and national regulators. The JECFA will announce its findings on July 14, the same day IARC is expected to announce its decision. A spokesperson for the IARC and JECFA said the findings were “complementary” and...

The safety of artificial sweeteners has long stirred a heated debate. Several studies have shown that artificial sweeteners can increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Experts advise choosing natural sugars whenever possible, while individuals with diabetes may want to consider xylitol. Artificial sweeteners are used in food processing and beverages to replace real sugar. Common sugar substitutes include aspartame, saccharin, erythritol, neotame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, cyclamate, tagatose, stevia, and derivatives. Increased Risk of Cerebrovascular and Cardiovascular Events In February, researchers from the Cleveland Clinic published  a study  in the renowned journal Nature Medicine. They examined over  4,000 individuals  from the United States and Europe and found that those with higher levels of erythritol in their blood had an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, or death. Furthermore, erythritol was found to induce blood clot formati...

Neotame, an artificial sweetener that’s chemically similar to aspartame, 1   may seriously damage the human intestine and overall gut health. 2   Sometimes listed on food ingredient labels as E961, neotame is a relative newcomer to the artificial sweetener market, despite well-known health concerns, is expected to reach a global market value of $3 billion by the end of 2025. 3 Neotame, developed in 2002 as an alternative to aspartame, is up to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar 4  and widely used in drinks, sauces, sweets, savory foods and chewing gum. Yet, “Despite widespread global use of neotame, there are surprisingly few research studies on the biological and physiological effects of the sweetener,” researchers wrote in Frontiers in Nutrition. 5 The team, from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, England, found neotame poses serious risks to gut health, including causing healthy gut bacteria to become diseased. 6 Neotame M...

Last month, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) – a branch of the World Health Organization – announced it had designated aspartame, the common low-calorie sweetener used in diet beverages such as Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper, as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” The bitter news was met with swift criticism and disagreement from the sweetener industry and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ), the latter noting that they had “identified significant shortcomings in the studies on which IARC relied.” Who’s right? Should we avoid the ubiquitous sweetener, or brush off the IARC’s announcement as a false alarm? What does the announcement mean? The IARC’s ruling has swept through mainstream media, where the mere inclusion of “aspartame” and “carcinogen” in the same headline is likely to spread alarm among consumers. But even taking the announcement at face value, we have little reason for heightened concern. In reviewing chemical compounds and other exposures su...