WHO expert cancer group states that the sweetener aspartame is a possible carcinogen, but evidence is limited – 6 questions answered

Research on possible links between aspartame consumption and cancer is ongoing and far from conclusive. celsopupo/iStock via Getty Images Plus

The World Health Organization declared on July 14, 2023, that the widely used synthetic sweetener aspartame could be a “possible” carcinogen, or cancer-causing agent, on the basis of “limited evidence for cancer in humans.”

But the agency also concluded that the currently available data does not warrant a change of the acceptable daily intake of aspartame at this time.