Apartame Withdrawals

Here is a great article from NaturalNews.com highlighting the negative effects often associated with the consumption of aspartame:  Aspartame Withdrawal and Side Effects Explained

Some highlights in the article:

• Dr. Betty Martini...explains that it is an "addictive, exitoneurotic, carcinogenic, genetically engineered drug and adjuvant that damages the mitochondria."
• University Of Miami Miller School Of Medicine and at Columbia University Medical Center...discovered that those who drank diet soft drinks on a daily basis were more likely to contract vascular diseases compared to those who took none.
• The US Food and Drug Administration has received reports of 92 medical health problems resulting from aspartame, ranging from abdominal pain to migraines, dizziness and hives.

And despite all of that, it is still deemed safe for consumption by the FDA.

On a more personal note, in the mid-nineties, my grandfather went to the eye doctor to be examined because he was "seeing" lightning flashes randomly throughout the day.  After a once over, the doctor asked him, "Do you drink diet sodas?"  The answer of course, was "yes."  The doctor went on to explain that, at that time, he had been witnessing an increase in patients who were coming in and complaining of similar problems with their eyes.  He recommended that my grandfather stop drinking diet sodas; within a few days, the ocular manifestations subsided.

So, what is the truth on this?  In the world of statistics, can we come to the conclusion that out of a U.S. population of 313 million (source: usnews.com), there are likely to be a small percentage of people that experience negative effects from the consumption of various food-like products? 

As for me and my house, we'll attempt to avoid becoming part of the statistics.