SWEETENERS used in Diet Coke are set to be labelled a cancer risk by the World Health Organization, according to reports.
Aspartame, which is also used in some chewing gum, is set to be designated as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” by the WHO’s cancer research arm, insiders say.
Getty – ContributorSweeteners used in Diet Coke are set to be labelled a cancer risk by the World Health Organization[/caption]
Its ruling, which aims to determine if something is a potential hazard or not, will come in next month, according to Reuters.
A spokesperson for the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, which will make the decision, said its findings will be confidential until July.
But they said it will be “the first fundamental step to understand carcinogenicity”.
Separate advice on how much is safe to consume will also be issued by a WHO expert committee on food additives known as JECFA.
Both decisions will be announced on July 14, according to insiders.
Businesses and regulators fear holding both processes at around the same time could be confusing, letters show.
Nozomi Tomita, of Japan‘s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, sent a letter to the WHO in March asking “bodies to coordinate their efforts in reviewing aspartame to avoid any confusion or concerns among the public.”
The letter also pleaded for the conclusions of both bodies to be released on the same day, as is now the case.
The Japanese mission in Geneva, where the WHO is based, did not respond to a request for comment.
It comes after the WHO issued guidelines advising people not to drink sugar-free sweeteners to lose weight last month.
The chemicals may also increase the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, the international agency said.
Aspartame has been ruled safe to consume within daily limits since 1981 by JECFA.
It has been studied for decades, with research last year showing people who consume larger amounts of sweeteners including aspartame were at a slightly higher risk of cancer.