As with all other products when big money is involved there is a disagreement in the scientific community about exactly how bad aspartame really is. Most agree that it has many negative health effects while a few claim it's not dangerous at all. This is pretty much a complete list of diseases and ailments that through different studies have been connected with aspartame:


Adverse reactions and side effects of aspartame include:

Eye
blindness in one or both eyes
decreased vision and/or other eye problems such as: blurring, bright flashes, squiggly lines, tunnel vision, decreased night vision
pain in one or both eyes
decreased tears
trouble with contact lenses
bulging eyes

Ear
tinnitus - ringing or buzzing sound
severe intolerance of noise
marked hearing impairment

Neurologic
epileptic seizures
headaches, migraines and (some severe)
dizziness, unsteadiness, both
confusion, memory loss, both
severe drowsiness and sleepiness
paresthesia or numbness of the limbs
severe slurring of speech
severe hyperactivity and restless legs
atypical facial pain
severe tremors

Psychological/Psychiatric
severe depression
irritability
aggression
anxiety
personality changes
insomnia
phobias

Chest
palpitations, tachycardia
shortness of breath
recent high blood pressure

Gastrointestinal
nausea
diarrhea, sometimes with blood in stools
abdominal pain
pain when swallowing

Skin and Allergies
itching without a rash
lip and mouth reactions
hives
aggravated respiratory allergies such as asthma

Endocrine and Metabolic
loss of control of diabetes
menstrual changes
marked thinning or loss of hair
marked weight loss
gradual weight gain
aggravated low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
severe PMS

Other
frequency of voiding and burning during urination
excessive thirst, fluid retention, leg swelling, and bloating
increased susceptibility to infection

Additional Symptoms of Aspartame Toxicity include the most critical symptoms of all
death
irreversible brain damage
birth defects, including mental retardation
peptic ulcers
aspartame addiction and increased craving for sweets
hyperactivity in children
severe depression
aggressive behavior
suicidal tendencies

Aspartame may trigger, mimic, or cause the following illnesses:
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Epstein-Barr
Post-Polio Syndrome
Lyme Disease
Grave’s Disease
Meniere’s Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease
ALS
Epilepsy
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
EMS
Hypothyroidism
Mercury sensitivity from Amalgam fillings
Fibromyalgia
Lupus
non-Hodgkins
Lymphoma
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

Well, I'm still a smoker too. So I guess I live dangerously.

Ah yes, I remember from your 'Quitting Smoking' threads.

How many of us have started those?

I have a plan now, though. It just involves losing 2-3 more clothing sizes and THEN quitting again. I gained too much weight back the first time I tried and FREAKED OUT. I've been back on the straight and narrow with food and drink and excersize. Somehow, I can't manage to do it all at once.

More aspartame products? No thanks.

More aspartame products? No thanks.

I just smoked what I'm hoping will be my last cigarette, today at least (good start! ). It's just coming up to 7am. I had heatstroke a couple of days ago from beer, lack of water and too much sunbathing, but now I'm feeling better. My plan is stretches in a bit, then do some weights. A week of that and no smoking and hopefully I'll be able to breathe properly again and we'll go swimming regularly near here as we've been planning to for ages. I'm also going to go and shoot a few hoops sometimes with Mon and a friend of mine.

I'm HOPING I'll gain weight and have a good appetite. I doubt I'm over 165 lbs right now.

I've been abusing my body for the last two months so it's time.