Here’s when you should be concerned about your aspartame consumption

Photo by Mike Mozart

Is the latest news on aspartame freaking you out? If so, breathe easy- even if you are a diet pop drinker. Now that’s not to say that drinking copious amounts of diet pop is great for you but the latest news from the World Health Organization (WHO) should not send you into a tizzy.

First the news.

The World Health Organization just released a statement on their aspartame hazard and risk assessment results and said the sweetener was a possible cancer causing agent. But here’s the kicker: they said their statement was based on ‘limited evidence” and they reaffirmed the acceptable daily intake of 40 mg/kg body weight.

That means, as a can of  adiet soft drink contains 200 or 300 mg of aspartame, an adult weighing 70 kg would need to consume more than 9–14 cans per day to exceed the acceptable daily intake, assuming no other intake from other food sources.

if you’re drinking that many cans of a diet cola, what’s going on with your energy levels?

At the same time, another WHO expert committee also conducted an evaluation and concluded the organization’s guidance regarding aspartame does not need to change.

Consider, though, that this sweetener is found in an assortment of food products including diet soft drinks, low-calorie or sugar-free yogurt, sugar-free or “light” desserts, such as gelatin, puddings, and ice cream, sugar-free or “light” fruit juices,  sugar-free chewing gum and sugar-free or “diet” snack foods, like cookies, candies, and snack bars.

It’s important to note that aspartame is regulated and has been considered safe for consumption, for many decades, by various food safety authorities around the world, including the Health Canada, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). There is, though, a tiny segment of the population with a specific medical condition called phenylketonuria (PKU) must avoid aspartame since their bodies cannot properly metabolize an amino acid found in aspartame called phenylalanine.

If this news worries you, what are you really eating?
If you’re guzzling cans and cans of diet pop followed by sugar free snacks and desserts, you have more to worry about in terms of your nutritional intake than you do about aspartame. This would mean that your menu includes copious amounts of ultra-processed foods, as opposed to whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, pulses and nuts and seeds. What else is in these aspartame-sweetened foods – possibly lots of caffeine, colourings and additives?

But it’s really more of a concern about what you’re missing from these nutritious eats. Focus on what you should be eating, not on what you should cut out.

So relax and take the WHO statement with a grain of salt. Remember it took them two years to even acknowledge Covid was airborne.