Long favored by people wishing to lose weight, aspartame is today losing speed on the side of consumers because of its possible risk of cancer recognized in 2023. That year, it was officially classified as “Maybe carcinogenic ” by the International Center for Research on Cancer (CIRC) of the World Health Organization (WHO). In January 2025, the Cancer League, Foodwatch and Yuka launched a petition to request its ban in our food and drinks.
Definition: What is aspartame?
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener with a sweet taste which is in the form of a white odor powder. The first marketing authorization of this sweetener was granted to the United States by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1974. Its advantages: it is low in calories and has a suits approximately 200 times higher than that of sugar. It is found as a food additive in the manufacture of a large number of “light” drinks and foods, as well as in certain drugs.
What is the composition of aspartame?
Aspartame is a dipeptide composed of two amino acids: L-Phenylalanine, in the form of a methyl ester, and the acid l-aspartic. It is referenced in the European Union by code E 951.
In which products do we find aspartame?
Aspartame is mainly found in:
- Sodas watered down like Coca-Cola Zero, Orangina Zero, Zero lemonade, Pepsi Max, Sprite Zero
- Energy drinks
- Table sweeteners (of a sunset type)
- sweetened dairy products such as o% yoplait yogurt
- Chewing gum (mentos for example)
You can also find it, but it is less frequent, in cookies and chips. The free Open Food Facts application makes it possible to identify the products available on the market and which contain them.
Is aspartame allowed in case of diabetes?
“”What is scientifically proven is that excess sugar and sugary drinks has deleterious effects on the risk of diabetes, and more generally on health: cardiovascular mortality, hypertension, cavities, disease of foie gras … “Lists Dr. Mathilde Touvier. Diabetic patients could therefore be tempted to turn to sweetened products. A fair balance is to be found, in consultation with their doctor and/or diabetologist. In the current state, the health authorities n ‘Not encourage the substitution of sugar with sweeteners.
Are there any dangers to consume aspartame?
Potential risks on the microbiota have been highlighted in experimental studies carried out in animals. Risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes have also been suggested. Aspartame’s admissible daily dose is 0 to 40 mg per kilogram of body weight. For the WHO “A person can consume aspartame without risk within the limits of this daily quantity“. For example, with a light carrier of soft drink containing 200 or 300 mg aspartame, an adult weighing 70 kg should consume more than 9 to 14 cans per day to exceed the admissible daily dose, assuming no other aspartame from other food sources.
Does aspartame promote the risk of cancer?
WHO and the International Center for Research on Cancer (CIRC) classified aspartame as “perhaps carcinogenic” in 2023. In 2022, the results of French researchers published in the journal Plos Medicine, highlighted a Association between the consumption of sweeteners and an increased risk of cancer. “”In this study, the locations of cancer for which links were noted were more specifically breast cancers, and those linked to obesity, that is to say cancers for which obesity is a risk factor“, Underlines our interlocutor. According to Philippe Bergerot, president of the league against cancer quoted by Franceinfo, there is “No reason to allow people to be exposed to a risk of completely avoidable cancer.”
Thank you to Dr Mathilde Touvier, director of the research team in nutritional epidemiology (EREN), UMR U1153 Inserm, U1125 INRAE, CNAM, Sorbonne Paris Nord University; Research center in epidemiology and statistics, Paris Cité University (Cress)
