At the end of last June, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced that they will list Aspartame, the world's most popular artificial sweetener, as a cause of cancer. At that time it was included in category 2B, which can cause cancer in humans. It puts it in the same category as red meat, aloe vera leaves and cooking food at high temperatures.
After discussions with the WHO, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), the IARC also said that aspartame is safe for human consumption according to previously approved measurements. The safe level for human consumption is 40 mg/kg which is equivalent to drinking more than 9-14 cans of water per day for an adult.
Although 9-14 cans is seen as a very large amount for the average person, scientists warn that Aspartame is widely used in products such as gelatin, breakfast cereals, vitamins, instant coffee, yogurt, juice and more, it can make people unaware that they have exceed the daily intake limit.
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