WASHINGTON (July 13, 2023)— The World Health Organization (WHO) is expected to release two separate committee reports on Friday that will designate aspartame, one of the most commonly used artificial sweeteners, as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the Joint WHO and Food and Agriculture Organization's Expert Committee on Food Additives, are expected to release separate reports that will have complimentary findings on the artificial sweetener.
Allison Sylvetsky is an associate professor of exercise and nutrition sciences at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. Her research focuses broadly on obesity and diabetes in youth. Her primary research interests are in studying the consumption and health effects of sugar-sweetened beverages and low-calorie (artificial) sweeteners, with a key focus on their use during childhood. She can comment on the previously released research on aspartame and the existing evidence of its connection to cancer.
To request an interview with Prof. Sylvetsky please contact Kathy Fackelmann, [email protected] or Rachel Larris, [email protected].