Aspartame

GI(Glucose = 100)

0^*0^*

Energy(kcal/100g)

0 kcal^*0 kcal^*

Carbs(g/100g)

0 g^*0 g^*

Sugars(g/100g)

0 g^*0 g^*

Functional benefits

No cited minerals or other functional notes on file yet.

Cited minerals can add up to +2 on Best sweetener for everyday health — see Methods.

Risks & side effects

• Phenylalanine (PKU)

  caution

  FDA labeling requirement. Avoid if you have PKU. Not scored — it matters only to people with phenylketonuria, a rare inherited condition, for whom the answer is avoid, not a few points.

  FDA — Aspartame and other sweeteners in food (PKU labeling) (2023)

• IARC Group 2B

  caution

  Possibly carcinogenic (limited evidence in humans, for liver cancer). JECFA reaffirmed ADI 0–40 mg/kg bw; dietary exposure within ADI not a health concern. Not scored on its own — a hazard class (could it cause cancer at some dose), not a risk estimate. The cancer signal below scores the human cohort link; IARC's liver-cancer evidence is why that signal also applies on Easy on the liver.

  WHO — IARC Group 2B + JECFA ADI reaffirmation for aspartame (joint release) (2023)

• Cancer link (cohort)

  note

  PLOS Medicine 2022 NutriNet-Santé (102,865 adults): overall cancer HR 1.15 (1.03–1.28) for higher consumers vs non-consumers; breast cancer HR 1.22. Observational association, not proof of cause; JECFA (2023) found the evidence not convincing and kept the ADI. Scored: cancer signal −7 on every list, Easy on the liver included (synthetics are not on Diabetic-friendly).

  Debras et al. — Artificial sweeteners and cancer risk: NutriNet-Santé cohort (PLOS Medicine) (2022)

• Headache / migraine trigger (sensitive subset)

  note

  RCT in self-identified susceptible adults: more headache-days on aspartame than placebo. Not proven for everyone. FDA AERS reports are surveillance noise, not causal proof. Not scored — shown only in a self-selected sensitive subset.

  Van Den Eeden et al. — Aspartame ingestion and headaches, randomized crossover (Neurology) (1994)

• WHO: not for weight control

  caution

  WHO 2023, conditional (low certainty): not for weight control or lowering disease risk — no long-term body-fat benefit. Not a safety ruling. Scored: the energy points it earns over sucrose are taken back on Everyday Health, Weight goals and Easy on the liver; not on Diabetic-friendly (WHO excludes people with diabetes).

  WHO — Use of non-sugar sweeteners: WHO guideline (2023)

• Cerebrovascular disease link (cohort)

  note

  BMJ 2022 NutriNet-Santé (103,388 adults): HR 1.17 (1.03–1.33). Observational association, not proof of cause. Scored: CV signal −7 on Everyday Health and Weight goals (synthetics are not on Diabetic-friendly; not on Easy on the liver), once per sweetener however many links.

  Debras et al. — Artificial sweeteners and risk of cardiovascular diseases: NutriNet-Santé cohort (BMJ) (2022)

Not medical advice. Published recipe penalties (if any) are on Methods — not a clinical severity scale.

Notes

• No cited functional-benefit mechanism beyond intense sweetness on this row. WHO/IARC 2023 hazard classification (Group 2B, limited evidence) is already listed under Risks; JECFA kept the ADI unchanged.

  Editorial honesty note. Do not extend IARC 2B to other intense sweeteners without their own cites.

  WHO — IARC Group 2B + JECFA ADI reaffirmation for aspartame (joint release) (2023)

Notes explain what the open axis or risk labels alone can miss — not medical advice.