The World Health Organization’s (WHO) cancer agency designated the sweetener aspartame — used in diet soda, sugar-free gums, and a variety of other foods — as a “possible” cause of cancer earlier this week, but stressed the designation is based on “limited evidence” and that “more research” is required. According to a recent poll conducted by LocalCircles, a community social media platform, many Indians consume items containing this low-calorie, popular artificial sweetener. According to a survey of over 23,000 people from 295 districts in India, one-third of those who consume artificial sweeteners do so in the form of diet soda drinks and sugar-free gums, 26% in the form of energy drinks, and 18% in the form of sugar-free chocolates and ice cream.
According to a survey conducted by LocalCircles, 38% of Indians admitted to eating foods containing artificial sweeteners at least once a month. However, when informed of the WHO warning, 91% stated they want food producers to prominently display the use of artificial sweeteners on the front of the pack. From June 6 to 13, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives, conducted the first-ever review of the carcinogenic level of aspartame. Based on the scant information provided, it was classified as Group 2B, which especially concerns hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of liver cancer.
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