Opinion on a possible link between the exposition to aspartame and the incidence of brain tumours in humans
The French Food Safety Agency (Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des aliments; Afssa) was requested, on October 16, 2000, by the “Direction générale de la concurrence, de la consommation et de la répression des fraudes” to assess the possible link between the exposition to aspartame and the incidence of brain tumours in humans.
Aspartame is authorised in France as a sweetener to be used in table-top products and in a number of foods (French Official Journal, October 2, 1997). In articles published in the media and on the Internet (ATIC, 1998), consumption of aspartame has been implicated in the occurrence of a number of adverse effects in humans. According to these publications, this sweetener could have toxic effects on the central nervous system and, in particular, it might be implicated in an increase in the incidence of brain cancers in the United States.
This report has been produced by the Afssa Specialist Experts Committee on Additives, Flavourings and processing aids based on the available scientific literature. The aim of this report would be to reassess: (i) the toxicity of aspartame on the central nervous system in laboratory animals and in humans, (ii) the exposure of French consumers to this sweetener and, (iii) the public health risk related to the consumption of aspartame.
At the European community level, the Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) is currently conducting an assessment of the scientific data on the effects attributed to aspartame. This assessment is being conducted by the British Food Standards Agency (FSA). Accordingly, the Afssa and the FSA are working in partnership, with the Afssa’s contribution on the evaluation of the neurological effects of aspartame, which will be included in the FSA
report.
