Hong Kong food safety experts have urged residents not to worry about consuming aspartame, an artificial sweetener found in some soft drinks and chewing gum that will reportedly be declared “possibly carcinogenic” by the World Health Organization’s cancer research agency.

Specialists on Friday said an adult would have to drink more than a dozen cans of Diet Coke a day to be at risk, noting the possible classification did not necessarily mean the substance would cause cancer. But they called on the public to avoid excessive consumption of goods containing the sweetener.

Aspartame, one of the most common artificial sweeteners made of two naturally occurring amino acids, is around 200 times sweeter than sugar, but is low in calories. It is commonly found in diet soft drinks and snacks, such as Coca-Cola’s Diet Coke and Wrigley’s Extra sugar-free chewing gum.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer, an arm of the WHO, has four different levels of classification: carcinogenic; probably carcinogenic; possibly carcinogenic; and not classifiable. The classifications are made according to the strength of evidence of the substance’s ability to cause cancer, but not the likelihood of it doing so.

Reuters reported on Thursday that aspartame would be listed as “possibly carcinogenic”, indicating there was limited evidence of its ability to cause cancer in humans, sufficient proof in animals, or that it exhibited key characteristics of a human carcinogen.

Other agents in the category include aloe vera, engine exhaust fumes from petrol, traditional Asian pickled vegetables, and radiofrequency electromagnetic fields.

Dr Winnie Wong Wan-chi, head of the division of health and science at Hong Kong Metropolitan University, said the decision did not necessarily mean aspartame caused cancer.

“[The classification] means it is not 100 per cent certain that the substance is carcinogenic, but points to a potential risk of it,” said Wong, who is also a registered dietitian.

“It serves as an alert to the public that they may need to learn more about the substance before consumption, and should avoid overconsumption, but there’s no need to panic at all.”

A can of diet soft drink commonly contains 180 milligrams of aspartame. The acceptable daily intake of the substance is 40 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day, according to the European Food Safety Authority.

Therefore, a person weighing 60kg (132lbs) must consume more than 13 cans a day to be at risk.

Noting that diabetic patients and people trying to lose weight might choose diet soft drinks to reduce sugar intake, Wong said the move was not a long-term solution for weight control.

“This could only serve as a short-term solution to reduce dependency on sugar,” she said. “If one could not reduce the appetite for sweets, in the long run he or she may crave even sweeter food and beverages and subsequently increase calorie intake.”

Professor Terence Lau Lok-ting, chair of the Food Safety Consortium, agreed that residents did not need to worry too much about the classification, adding more research was needed to prove the link.

“But it’s important for the government to do more risk communication to ease public concern over the matter and prevent unnecessary panic, especially among diabetes patients,” Lau said.

He said he believed that if more studies proved aspartame was a carcinogen, manufacturers of food and drink products might need to develop alternatives, but noted the level of public acceptance was a key factor.

“Many processed meat products were also found to be carcinogenic, but still appear in the Asian diet. People know they should not consume too much, but they do not stop eating them.”

The Post has reached out to several manufacturers of relevant products, including Swire Pacific and Mars, for comment.

The Department of Health said it was aware of the assessment conducted by the WHO agency and it would closely monitor updates on scientific evaluations of the artificial sweetener to formulate advice accordingly.

The Centre for Food Safety said it was also closely monitoring developments, including evaluation results to be released in mid-July by the cancer body and a joint international expert committee under the WHO, as well as assessments by other authorities.

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3226173/no-need-panic-hong-kong-food-safety-experts-urge-residents-not-worry-over-possibly-carcinogenic?module=live&pgtype=homepage

Category: Hong Kong