Aspartame, a popular artificial sweetener found in Diet Coke, chewing gum, yogurt and other food products, is set to be declared a possible carcinogen next month by a World Health Organization arm, Reuters reported on Thursday (Jun 29).
WHAT IS ASPARTAME?
Discovered in 1965 by American chemist James Schlatter, aspartame is about 200 times sweeter than regular table sugar.
It was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 1974 for use as a tabletop sweetener and as an additive in chewing gum, breakfast cereals and dry bases for foods.
WHY ASPARTAME?
Despite its intense sweetness, aspartame has almost zero calorific value and no bitter aftertaste like saccharin, and grew in popularity as a more diet-conscious consumer emerged.
WHAT PRODUCTS CONTAIN ASPARTAME?
The low-calorie sugar substitute can be found in soft drinks, gelatin, confectionery, desserts, and sugar-free cough drops.
It is also used to enhance the flavouring of baked and canned foods, powdered drink mixes, candy and puddings.
WHAT OTHER ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS ARE IN USE?
Saccharin, sucralose and neotame are among five other artificial sweeteners alongside aspartame authorised by a WHO expert committee on food additives.
The FDA has also approved the usage of three types of plant- and fruit-based sweeteners, including extracts obtained from the stevia plant, swingle fruit extracts and a group of proteins called Thaumatin.
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