Aspartame, an artificial sweetener found in many popular foods and fizzy drinks, could be classified as "possibly carcinogenic", it has been reported.
According to international media the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) - the cancer research arm of the World Health Organisation – will for the first time place this label on aspartame next month.
However, such branding has caused confusion in the past as it is not immediately clear if the risk to human health is small or substantial. Other substances that have been labelled in similar terms include aloe vera.
So what is aspartame and what are the risks? The National explains.
What is aspartame found in and how does it compare to sugar?
Aspartame was discovered by American chemist, James Schlatter, in 1965 and approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1974.
It is popular because it is about 200 times sweeter than standard sugar but has no calories. Awareness campaigns over the negative health consequences of sugar and taxes on its use over the past few decades has led to the mass usage of artificial sweeteners such as aspartame.
Today it is listed as an ingredient in a string of diet or sugar free drinks, chewing gum, yoghurts such as Diet Coke; Diet Pepsi; and Pepsi Max. But it is used in thousands of food items encompassing confectionery, desserts and sugar-free cough drops. It is additionally used enhance the flavour of tinned foods and powdered drinks.
Is aspartame safe?
Aspartame is used across the globe. Authorities from at least 90 countries such as Germany, the UK, France, Denmark, New Zealand and Australia say it is safe for human consumption. According to Reuters, the US Food and Drug Administration states the acceptable daily intake is 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day with Europe’s regulatory body recommending 40 mg/kg/day.
Depending on the ingredients, this would mean someone who weighs 60kg would need to drink dozens of cans a day to reach such limits.
Why is it being potentially classified as possibly carcinogenic?
Despite its approval for use, there has long been debate about the sweetener. The IARC has been conducting a major safety assessment involving 1,300 studies and its potential links to cancer. It uses four classifications:
Group 1: Carcinogenic to humans
Group 2A: Probably carcinogenic to humans
Group 2B: Possibly carcinogenic to humans
Group 3: Not classifiable
Reuters reported the sweetener is expected to fall into the third category which is on the lower end of the scale. But the labelling can cause confusion as it does not take into account how much of a product a person can consume safely. That advice typically comes from the Joint World Health Organisation and Food and Agriculture Organisation's "Expert Committee on Food Additives" in conjunction with national regulators.
What else do authorities say about sweeteners?
Despite often being labelled as 'diet' the World Health Organisation in May said product with artificial sweeteners do not help people to control their weight.
Researchers examined data from scores of studies and said consumption of non-sugar sweeteners has been linked to rising numbers of people who are overweight or obese, and increases Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and tooth decay.
What happens next?
The report – along with the separate expert committee on food additives decision – is expected to be released on July 14, Reuters said, and we will learn more then.
Schedule:
Friday, January 12: Six fourball matches
Saturday, January 13: Six foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sunday, January 14: 12 singles
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eamana%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Karim%20Farra%20and%20Ziad%20Aboujeb%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERegulator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDFSA%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinancial%20services%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E85%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESelf-funded%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
MATCH INFO
World Cup 2022 qualifier
UAE v Indonesia, Thursday, 8pm
Venue: Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
