On July 14, WHO reported in official website that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the FAO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) released the health impact assessment results of aspartame. IARC cited "limited evidence" of human carcinogenesis, and classified aspartame as possibly carcinogenic to human beings (IARC 2B Group). JECFA reiterated the acceptable daily intake of 40 mg/kg body weight.
Everybody don't panic. Seeing that aspartame was classified as a team that might cause cancer, we began to be afraid. Let's get to know each other.
Aspartame, also known as sodium cyclamate, is a synthetic low-calorie sweetener. It consists of phenylalanine, methyl aspartate and formaldehyde, and is obtained by chemical synthesis. Aspartame is the darling of food and drink.
Compared with sucrose, aspartame has zero calories, but its sweetness is 200 times that of sucrose, so it is chosen by many people to reduce calorie intake and control blood sugar. But for people with abnormal phenylalanine metabolism, excessive intake of aspartame can easily lead to health problems.
JECFA concluded that the evaluated data showed that there was not enough reason to change the previously determined acceptable daily intake of aspartame from 0 to 40 mg/kg body weight. For example, if a 70kg person does not consume aspartame from other food sources, a sugar-free beverage containing 200-300ml aspartame needs to drink more than 9- 14 cans a day to exceed this acceptable daily intake value, and vice versa.
However, WHO has released relevant news, so we can't pretend not to know. This is a major event related to health, and cancer is inevitable. Since aspartame is an artificial sweetener, it means that this sweetener is actually added to many foods. Maybe you eat and drink it every day! You can't eat the food on the list of carcinogens, but it is right to eat as little as possible. The following common foods contain aspartame:
Sugar free beverage
Like Pepsi-Cola, Coca-Cola, diet sprite, fruity soda, etc. , are very common drinks with good sales. Although it claims to be sugar-free, in fact, with the addition of aspartame, you can no longer show off the "fat house happy water" happily? I thought it might be unhealthy, but I didn't expect it to cause cancer!
puffed food
Happy cucumber chips, chips, chips, etc. These puffed foods are delicious, but you should pay a little attention to the ingredient list, because there are so many ingredients in it.
Chewing gum
When I was chewing gum, I couldn't figure out what was added to it. It tastes a little sweet without sugar, but with aspartame! Hyun Mai chewing gum, Yida chewing gum and Green Arrow all contain aspartame to replace traditional sugar and make it sweet without increasing calories.
Nutrition Express, Mengniu Fruit, Jiuji Plum, Ice Cream and Yogurt may all contain aspartame. If you don't want to buy food or drink containing aspartame, you have to learn to read the ingredient list (ingredient list on the label). If it says aspartame or E95 1 (the international number of aspartame), then you should consider buying it or not.
In fact, in addition to aspartame, there are two common additives that also have cancer risk:
? nitrite
Nitrite is a common preservative in meat products, such as bacon and bacon. It can not only preserve the meat, but also brighten the color of the meat, and has an inhibitory effect on botulinum. However, in high temperature or acidic environment, substances harmful to human body will be released, which is carcinogenic. Therefore, it is necessary to eat in moderation, eat less or try not to eat pickled food.
sodium benzoate
Sodium benzoate is also a preservative with low toxicity. It is often used to keep fresh in canned food, sauce and soy sauce. A small amount of sodium benzoate can be metabolized normally by human body. If it exceeds the standard, it may increase the risk of leukemia and cause certain harm to the human body.
As long as a reasonable small amount of intake, the harm to the human body is extremely small. As a product of modern industry, food additives are widely used in the world, and its existence is definitely necessary. Instead of worrying about additives and poisons, it is better to develop good living and eating habits yourself!