Then I found this study, which concluded that “neurological symptoms, including learning and memory processes,” may be related to consuming high amounts of aspartame.

Of course, there’s also the cancer claims, such as the recent rat study that linked aspartame consumption with an increase in malignant tumors. (About the equivalent of five diet sodas a day.) Now it’s been pointed out that there are many flaws with this study, and I’ll agree. But that doesn’t mean that there couldn’t be some merit. Mike Eades‘ does a nice job of discussing this study as well as other research on the possible health risks of aspartame here.

A friend of mine recently won a battle with cancer, and he too was a Diet Coke addict. He’s only 35, and of course, can’t know if aspartame caused or contributed to the disease. But as he now puts it, diet soda doesn’t appear to have any positive health benefits–like green tea, red wine, or even fruit juice–so why risk it? It’s not going to make his health better. And in theory, it’s either going to have no effect or make it worse.

Keep in mind that the FDA says aspartame is safe in normal amounts. But the question is, how many people are drinking higher than normal amounts? My guess is a lot.