In recent weeks, industry associations in the beverage industry have new coalition It is led by former President Donald J. Trump’s appointee Alex Azar and former President Bill Clinton’s appointee Donna Shalala. Both Azar and Shalala were former secretaries to the Ministry of Health and Human Services.and Opinion article In Newsweek magazine earlier this month, they endorsed the FDA’s position on aspartame’s safety, calling it “the world’s gold standard for independent regulatory agencies.”
The industry group previously challenged a separate review of aspartame’s potential cancer links in California. In 2016 the State Commission Discussed I considered aspartame, but it didn’t go any further.
California officials said this week that the state may review the WHO’s latest decision.
Besides aspartame, the WHO Cancer Agency has identified other carcinogenic properties, ranging from seemingly benign ones such as ginkgo biloba extract and aloe vera leaf extract, to more concerning ones such as gasoline exhaust and perfluorooctanoic acid. It is considered that there is a possibility of matter. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have recently been the subject of multi-billion dollar settlements over drinking water pollution.
Deeming aspartame a possible carcinogen, IARC has stepped into one of the central controversies in aspartame research. It concludes that there is some evidence of cancer in experimental animals, based on a study conducted by the Ramazzini Institute in Italy, citing that same institute finding an increase in tumors in aspartame studies from the mid-2000s. bottom. However, the findings were considered limited based on concerns with the group’s method and interpretation.
On the other hand, the Ramazzini Institute said in 2021 The company’s research on aspartame was validated, and its early findings were “strongly attacked by the chemical and processed food industries and their allies in regulatory agencies,” it said.
WHO’s Dr Blanca said at a press conference on Wednesday, answering questions about the need for IARC review, that 10 million people die from cancer each year. “So there are societal concerns that our organization needs to address,” he said.
He said the results clearly demonstrate the need for further high-quality research.
“In a way, we’ve raised the flag here, which shows that the situation needs to be further clarified,” Dr Branca said. “It’s not something you can ignore at this point.”
Julie Creswell contributed a report to this article.
