Aspartame, meat and the news

Aspartame: a hazard and an acceptable daily intake

On 14 July 2023 the WHO published two evaluations of the sweetener aspartame at once. IARC classified it as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B), based on limited evidence for hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer. In parallel, the joint FAO/WHO expert committee on food additives (JECFA) kept the acceptable daily intake at 0–40 mg per kilogram of body weight.

The WHO gave an example: an adult weighing 70 kg would have to drink more than 9 to 14 cans of a diet drink a day, each containing 200 or 300 mg of aspartame, to exceed that intake, assuming no other sources. One finding is about hazard, the other about risk, and they do not contradict each other.

Processed and red meat

IARC has classified processed meat in Group 1, used when there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans, and red meat in Group 2A, the second-highest hazard classification. The WHO notes that these categories reflect the strength of the evidence and do not measure the likelihood that cancer will occur. The evidence shows that eating processed meat causes colorectal cancer. For red meat the evidence is limited; the strongest association is with colorectal cancer, with some evidence for pancreatic and prostate cancer. The risk increases with the amount eaten.

Three questions for any headline

• Is this about hazard (can it?) or risk (how likely, at what dose)?
• Which group, and on what kind of evidence?
• Has another body assessed the risk at real levels of exposure?

This page explains how evaluations work; it is not medical advice.