Cancer link to use of sweetener

Call to cut back on gum and fizzy drinks

- ROB FREEMAN

AN artificial sweetener used in thousands of products including diet fizzy drinks, ice cream and chewing gum has been ruled a "possible" cause of cancer by the World Health Organisation.

But a panel of experts has said the sugar substitute aspartame is safe in limited quantities.

In a report released on Thursday, the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer classified aspartame as "possibly carcinogenic to humans".

The IARC has two more serious categories, "probably carcinogenic to humans" and "carcinogenic to humans".

The Food and Agricultural Organisation's Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives, who carried out a complementary study, retained its advice that it is safe for a person to drink 0-40mg per kilogram of body weight each day.

The WHO said a person weighing 70kg would need to consume more than between nine and 14 cans of diet soft drink per day to exceed the daily guideline.

Dr Francesco Branca, director of the WHO's department of nutrition and food safety, said: "Cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally. Every year, one in six people die from cancer.