Are there side effects for diabetics who use aspartame as a sugar substitute?
[Please see comments at end, regarding some dangerous misinformation that Thommy has added to his answer.] There have been some rumors going about that connect aspartame (AKA NutraSweet ) with all manner of bizarre illnesses. No scientific evidence exists to support any of these claims; and in fact, aspartame has probably been subject to far more scientific examination than any other food additive, and most solidly proven to be safe for all but a tiny handful of people. Products containing aspartame have been on the market now for over twenty years, and have been very popular. If aspartame really was harmful, we’d be seeing very clear evidence of it by now; and we have seen no such evidence. There is a rare genetic disorder called phenylketonuria (PKU), which causes those so afflicted to be unable to properly process certain chemicals, including aspartame. For those who are afflicted with PKU, aspartame may indeed be harmful. For the vast majority of people, who do not have PKU, aspart
