Brussels, 15 July 2025: The International Sweeteners Association (ISA) urges caution when interpreting results of the recent study by Meng et al on aspartame. This is a small mice study with limited statistical power, whose results should be considered preliminary and cannot be directly translated to humans.
Aspartame has been the subject of an overwhelming number of scientific studies and has been thoroughly researched and approved for use. Food safety authorities such as the WHO/FAO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) in 2023 and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2013 reviewed the totality of evidence, including on cancer risk, and found no concerns for human health.
A key limitation of the Meng et al study is the assumption that aspartame directly affects the gut microbiota. Actually, aspartame is rapidly broken down in the small intestine into its metabolites, phenylalanine, aspartic acid, and a small amount of methanol, and does not reach the colon, where the majority of gut microbes reside, as an intact molecule. Notably, the authors acknowledge not investigating aspartame metabolites, raising questions about the biological plausibility of a direct aspartame–microbiota interaction.
As part of an overall healthy diet and lifestyle, aspartame can be used to further public health objectives on sugar intake reduction and ultimately assist in weight and diabetes management, as well as with dental health.