The World Health Organization (WHO) is reportedly about to declare that a sweetener named aspartame included in Diet Coke and other sugar-free carbonated beverages may cause cancer.

Aspartame, which is a component of the well-known soft drink brand, will reportedly be categorized as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” by the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as of next month (14 July).

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Aspartame is safe to take within established daily limits, which are based on an individual’s bodyweight, according to the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) regulation since 1981. According to calculations, a 9-stone individual would need to consume 12 to 36 cans of Diet Coke each day in order to experience aspartame’s negative effects.

In their responses to Reuters, experts recommended people to hold off until the IARC made its final pronouncement, pointing out that just because something may be potentially carcinogenic does not imply it necessarily poses a risk to humans under normal conditions.

The American Academy of Family Physicians claims that aspartame is one of the sweeteners that has been the subject of more than 100 studies worldwide. Aspartame has not been classified as carcinogenic by the US National Cancer Institute, while being categorized as potentially carcinogenic by the WHO.

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Here are 5 foods and drinks containing Aspartame-

Cereals and Oats

Breakfast cereals such as General Mills’ Cheerios, Kellogg’s Special K and Post Honey Bunches of Oats have been reported to contain aspartame.

Chewing Gum

Popular chewing gums like Trident, Extra and Orbit contain aspartame.

Tastes and formulations can alter over time, so it’s a good idea to check the package or the ingredient list of a particular gum product to make sure it if it does or doesn’t contain aspartame. Additionally, due to legal restrictions, ingredient lists may fluctuate between various areas or nations.

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Ice Cream

Breyers No Sugar Added Ice Cream, Edy’s and Skinny Cow Ice Cream contain aspartame.

Soda

Apart from diet coke, aspartame has also been seen in the ingredient list of many other popular fizzy drinks such as Diet Pepsi, Sprite Zero, Coca Cola Zero Sugar and Diet Mountain Dew.

Pudding

The formulation and flavor of the pudding will determine whether or not aspartame is present, and this will depend on the brand and product in question. However, it’s crucial to remember that aspartame is often not a component in classic pudding recipes. They are usually sweetened with sugar instead.

Having said that, pre-packaged pudding cups or professionally prepared pudding mixes may contain aspartame or other artificial sweeteners. Aspartame is used as a sugar substitute by some producers to create pudding options that are sugar-free or have decreased sugar levels. On the packaging of these items, the words “sugar-free” or “low-sugar” are frequently used.