Aspartame, one of the most common artificial sweeteners in the world, is listed as "a substance that may cause cancer" by the International Cancer Research Agency (IARC) under the World Health Organization (WHO).As soon as the news came out, it caused uproar.

IARC's move has a significant impact. The biggest doubt caused by it is that the market contains other artificial sweeteners, including Asba sweets, can drinks and foods be consumed?Of course, other huge impacts also include contradictions and oppositions between WHO, IARC and the food industry and regulatory agencies.

Now, a conclusion is that even if IARC lists artificial sweeteners as "substances that may cause cancer", so -called sugar -free foods containing artificial sweeteners can still be eaten.The fundamental reason is that the dose can determine whether a substance is toxic or carcinogenic.Moreover, even if a certain material is carcinogenic, we must see that this is only one of the food. Compared with other substances people eat, the proportion of sugar -free drinks is relatively small.In addition, there are other factors such as carcinogenic and cancer, such as lifestyle, genetic factors.

On the other hand, according to IARC's classification of carcinogens, it also has different degrees.According to the probability and possibility of cancer caused by carcinogenic substances, it can be divided into five categories: Category 1: confirmed carcinogenicity for humans; Class 2A: It is likely to cause carcinogenicity to humans; Class 2B: Perhaps carcinogenic cancer; Category 3 category; Category 3: It cannot be determined whether it is carcinogenic to the human body; 4 categories: basically no carcinogenic effect on the human body.

IARC will list Asba as 2B, which is the third category in the carcinogen, which is possible, not confirmation.If compared to other carcinogens, the possibility of Asba's sweet carcinogens is relatively mild.For example, betel nut is determined to be a first -class carcinogen by IARC. The reason is that betel nut fibers are rough and chewing betel nut can cause damage to the oral mucosa and teeth. At the same time, betel nut contains multiple compounds, including alkaloidCauses inflammation and cause oral injury.

The physical damage and chemical damage of betel nut can cause continuous damage to the oral mucosa, so it is a very common carcinogenic risk.But asba is not so.The definition of type 2B carcinogens is: substances or mixtures that are less likely to cause carcinogenic carcinogens, the carcinogenic evidence found in animal experiments is not sufficient, and the carcinogenic evidence of the human body is limited.These substances and factors include coffee, kimchi, mobile phone radiation, chlorine, drops, dichlorvos, sanitary balls, nickel metals, nitrobenzene, diesel fuel and gasoline.

Coffee and kimchi are categories 2B. How many people do not drink coffee and kimchi?In the same way, this should be the same.

According to some research, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) gives a recommended value to Asba's sweet dose, that is, daily acceptable intake (ADI).The standard of the FDA is that the sweet intake of Asba per kilogram of body is within 50 mg. The standard of EFSA is that the sweet intake of the body weight per kilogram of body is within 40 mg.The World Health Organization Food Additives Joint Expert Committee (JECFA) evaluated Asba's sweet safety in 1980 and 1993, respectively, and also gave the daily acceptable intake of 0-40 mg per kilogram of weight.

Now, among the 500 ml of sugar -free cola sold in the world, the highest content of Asba is 0.3 grams.A person weighing 60 kg will take 3 grams of Asta sweetly to reach the FDA limit, and take 2.4 grams of Asta sweet daily to achieve the limitation of EFSA.Therefore, drinking 10 bottles of sugar -free cola every day will reach the limited edition of the FDA, and drink 8 bottles to reach the limited edition of EFSA.

Obviously, in real life, not many people can drink 8 to 10 bottles of sugar -free cola or other sugar -free drinks a day.

Standard for the use of national standard food additives in China Food Safety (GB2760-2014) stipulates that the sweet upper limit of Asba is 60 mg per kilogram of weight per kilogram, which is equivalent to 60 kilograms of people who weigh more than 12 bottles (can) 330 per day.The millis of sugar -free drinks that use Asba sweetly as a source of sweetness and its addition to the standard upper limit will reach the upper limit of the intake.However, in real life, few people can drink 12 bottles of sugar -free drinks a day.

For the choice of sugar -free drinks, it must be compared with diets in other aspects.Sugar -free drinks are to reduce people's consumption of sugar. If you do n’t drink sugar -free drinks and eat sugar -free foods, it will inevitably allow more people to choose sugar drinks and foods, especially children and women.Excessive ingestion of sugar is not recognized by the World Health Organization, because excessive sugar intake is more correlated with obesity, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease and cancer.In comparison, intake of Asba's sweet beverages and foods is safer than taking pure sugary drinks and food.

Of course, the healthiest drink is boiled water and tea, but if the amount of drinking water per day is 1500 to 2500ml (200 ml of 200 ml, about 7.5 cups to 12.5 cups), drink one or two cups of sugar drinks,The rest of the drinking white water or tea is neither damaged nor harm.

The same important is that the mechanism and evidence of Asba's sweet sugar -free drinks and food can cause cancer and evidence that it is not clear and controversial.Some studies have found that after hydrolysis in the human body, Asta sweets will generate amino acids (citizen, phenylalanine) and methanol. Methanol can cause blindness and carcinogenic, and acute poisoning can cause death.At the same time, excessive intake of citizes and phenylalanine can also cause depression and damage nervous system.However, the dose relationship is not very clear.

It is not only aspal sweet. At present, the food sweetener commonly used in the food and beverage industry includes low -twice sweeteners such as liery alcohol, maltosol, and moss glycol, as well as sweetin, glycosyl, AnsaimiThere are also some natural high -power sweeteners such as artificially synthesized with tricychrinetic sucrose, such as sweet chrysantheonoside, Luo Han Guotin, and so on.

Some studies have stated that the sweetener, including stevan glycoside, will deceive the sweet nerves of the brain, which will cause insulin secretion, but this conclusion must be further confirmed.However, if it is relatively natural and artificial sweetener, it is still more safe for natural sweeteners.

From the perspective of evaluation evidence, IARC should refer to and adopt high -quality scientific research evidence for decades to avoid choosing low -quality scientific research results to avoid misleading consumers.At the same time, the carcinogenicity of sweet -flavored agents, including Asba, requires causal relationships and direct relationships to confirm, rather than referenced correlation.And in terms of correlation, it is necessary to exclude the false correlation, and consider whether it is the only correlation or a variety of correlations to be convincing.

At present, sugar -free drinks and foods are not unable to eat, but do not eat too much. It is not a big deal of sugar -free drinks a day (can).However, one point is confirmed that for very few patients with phenyloneuria (a genetic disease), because phenylalanine cannot be metabolized and can not be consumed by beverages and foods containing Asba.

The author is Beijing scholar