How aspartame made the 協議事項 of the 世界保健機構's 癌 研究 arm
By Jennifer Rigby
LONDON, July 13 (Reuters) - The 切迫した move to label aspartame as a possible carcinogen comes after years of advocacy from a 主要な 消費者 group in the 部隊d 明言する／公表するs and a handful of 癌 scientists hoping to settle a １０年間s-long 審議 over the sweetener's safety.
Reuters 報告（する）／憶測d last month that the 癌 研究 arm of the World Health Organization (世界保健機構), known as the International 機関 for 研究 on 癌 (IARC), was 始める，決める to make that 宣言 on July 14, によれば two sources with knowledge of the 過程.
The 任命 as "かもしれない 発ガン性の to humans" will 供給する an incentive to 基金 more rigorous 研究 into the safety question, toxicology and 癌 専門家s say.
"I don't see how, without better-designed 熟考する／考慮するs, we can make any 結論s on this," said Andy Smith, a professor with the MRC Toxicology 部隊 at the University of Cambridge.
Smith said regulators 世界的な may also 再考する the data in the wake of the IARC 宣言 and an 近づいている review by another 世界保健機構 委員会.
Aspartame is one of the world's most 広範囲にわたって used sweeteners, appearing in 製品s from Coca-Cola's 国会 Coke to 火星' Extra sugar-解放する／自由な chewing gum, but questions have been raised about its safety since not long after U.S. health regulators first 認可するd its use four １０年間s ago. Regulators 世界的な have 支配するd that aspartame is 安全な to 消費する within 始める，決める 限界s.
"Since 1981, when the 製品 got formal 是認s, there has been 現在進行中の 論争," said Peter Lurie, 大統領，／社長 of the U.S.-based 中心 for Science in the Public 利益／興味 (CSPI). "We have been 押し進めるing for an IARC review for many years now."
IARC, a 半分-自治権のある arm o f the 世界保健機構, 支配するs whether a 実体 is 潜在的に 発ガン性の based on all the published 科学の 証拠, but does not take into account how much a person would have to 消費する for it to be risky.
The "possible carcinogen" 分類 also 反映するs the 限られた／立憲的な 証拠 示唆するing a link, and puts aspartame in the same 部類 as whole-leaf 抽出する aloe vera and some pickled vegetables.
A separate 推薦 on 安全な 消費 levels is also 推定する／予想するd on Friday from the 共同の Food and 農業 Organization/世界保健機構 専門家 委員会 on Food Additives (JECFA).
NEW EVIDENCE
The IARC first said aspartame was a "medium 優先" for review in 2008. It was 指名するd again in 2014 by the CSPI, Lurie said, with the support of former 最高の，を越す IARC 公式の／役人 James Huff and 顧問 Ron Melnick, both 癌 専門家s who used to work at the U.S. 国家の 学校／設けるs of Health.
After the 2014 指名／任命, aspartame was 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる）d as "high 優先" by the IARC "because of its 普及した use, ぐずぐず残る 関心 over its 発ガン性の 可能性のある, and 最近の 報告（する）／憶測s of 肯定的な findings in 熟考する／考慮するs of carcinogenicity in animals", によれば 文書s published at the time by the 機関.
But no 活動／戦闘 was taken until 2022, after aspartame was again 指名するd for review by CSPI and Melnick in 2019.
"There's been a 抱擁する number of 熟考する／考慮するs 成し遂げるd on aspartame, which 圧倒的に show that it's very 安全な, and has no 発ガン性の potency," said Dr Samuel Cohen, a professor of oncology at the University of Nebraska 医療の 中心 who has 熟考する／考慮するd sweeteners for １０年間s, served on a number of 専門家 パネル盤s and 協議するd for 産業.
産業 団体／死体s said the JECFA review was a more important moment and IARC's review could "誤って導く 消費者s".
The IARC 拒絶する／低下するd to comment on the 欠如（する） of 活動／戦闘 on aspartame for over a １０年間. The 機関 updates its 優先 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） every five years, and usually 審議する／熟考するs on many - but not all - of the 実体s in each period. Some items are 再考するd: coffee, for example, was 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる）d as a possible carcinogen in the 1990s, but taken off the 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） in 2016.
The 研究 団体／死体 has said "new 証拠" 誘発するd its aspartame review, without giving any 詳細（に述べる）s. 専門家s point to 熟考する／考慮するs since 2000 that signal a 可能性のある 危険 in animals and humans as the likely 誘発する／引き起こすs for the IARC. However, 非，不，無 are 最終的な in showing a link.
The most 最近の 熟考する／考慮する （機の）カム out in March 2022. It was an observational 熟考する／考慮する from フラン の中で 100,000 adults and showed that people who 消費するd larger 量s of 人工的な sweeteners, 含むing aspartame, had a わずかに higher 危険 of some 癌s.
However, the NutriNet-Sante 熟考する／考慮する led by 研究員s at the University of Paris does not show that the 危険 was 原因（となる）d by aspartame and critics say its design, based on people self-報告（する）／憶測ing their real-world 消費 of sweeteners, is a 制限.
Erik Millstone, a professor of science 政策 at Britain's University of Sussex, said the French finding, while not 権威のある, was likely to have been a factor in the IARC discussion. The French 研究員s 拒絶する／低下するd to comment.
"That's important - there are new data from new 熟考する／考慮するs," Millstone said. "加える, aspartame is just about the most 広範囲にわたって used additive on the 惑星."
(報告（する）／憶測ing by Jennifer Rigby, Editing by Michele Gershberg and Catherine Evans)
