ABS Audio Newsletter Issue 16
Issue 16: WHO Classifies Aspartame as "Potentially Carcinogenic".
ISSUE 16:
Should we be concerned about aspartame being classified as “Potentially Carcinogenic” by the WHO?
Welcome to the 16th edition of the ABS audio newsletter. Today’s topic has been permeating through the news as well as on social media. Many were shocked to see that the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it was classifying, the common artificial sweetener, as “potentially carcinogenic”. As expected, pandemonium ensued on the news and across social platforms as, seemingly, all the anti-artificial sweetener zealots appeared like sharks to freshly chummed water.
This news obviously caused quite a stir; the fearmongering ensued and in short order the evidence-based crew was out in force doing breakdowns of what this actually meant. So now it’s time for me to throw my hat in the ring and give everyone my take on the matter, given the current state of the evidence. As always, context is key when discussing these topics and the evidence as some evidence exists on both sides of the argument. However, not all evidence is created (or weighted) equally. See below the hierarchy of evidence pyramid (a generally good model to rank evidence).
IARC Monogram Classifications for Human Carcinogenicity
Group 1: Carcinogenic to humans
Group 2A: Probably carcinogenic to humans
Group 2B: Possibly carcinogenic to humans
Group 3: Not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans
IARC Monogram List : Click Here
Safety of Aspartame: Click Here
The outline of our conversation:
1. General intro and disclaimer.
2. The WHO’s Carcinogen Classifications.
3. What evidence is there?
4. The dose makes the poison (basic toxicology).
5. Should we be concerned and must we stop drinking our diet beverages?
6. Closing and motivation sendoff!
I greatly appreciate your viewership; catch you all in the comments. Stay tuned for the 17th issue next week!