Aspartame is the artificial sweetener that people love to hate. It's also one of the most common alternatives to sugar, found in over 6,000 products and sold as NutraSweet® and Equal®.

A widely used artificial sweetener, aspartame, commonly found in diet beverages, chewing gum, and low-sugar yogurts, may elevate insulin levels, potentially increasing the risk of heart disease ...

Aspartame doesn’t have a strong aftertaste. However, it is broken down at very high temperatures and starts to lose its sweetness, so it is not ideal in dishes that require high-temperature cooking.

In a 1981 report, JECFA said that an adult weighing 60kg (132 pounds) would have to drink between 12 and 36 cans of diet soda – depending on the amount of aspartame in the beverage – every day ...

A warning has been issued over a cult diet soft drink was linked to cardiovascular disease and disease of blood cells in the brain.