In an age of health-consciousness, aspartame has been touted as the sugar-substitute, but there are thousands who say that aspartame's not only bad for you, but it's also addictive.

Channel 4's Joe Conger has more on aspartame addicts.

Aspertame Investigation Joe Conger has spent several weeks investigating claims of adverse health affects from the commonly used artificial sweetener, Aspertame. Links to lots more online information, both pro and con

Despite the fatigue, the headaches and the dizziness Rosemarie Lindsey says she gets from aspartame, she still keeps it on her pantry shelves in her Westside home.

"Now I'm so chemical-conscious, but it's really hard to get off of something that you've been on for years," Lindsey said.

Lindsey is one of thousands who went online to share her experiences with dieting and the effects aspartame had on her body. On the Internet, she discovered that she wasn't alone when it came to problems with the sugar substitute.

"It has a taste that people appeal to and it's so easy when the headaches start, to go to the medicine cabinet and take two aspirin," Lindsey said.

There's a network out there, and the common thread is Mission Possible and its director, Betty Martini. Based out of Atlanta, the volunteer organization wants aspartame off the market.

"People are dying from it and dying from the diseases it triggers and dying from symptoms of it, and it's being pushed on the very groups it can harm the most," Martini said.

Martini hands out documents at health fairs and scientific conferences telling doctors worldwide about aspartame's history, and what she calls "it's victims." She spends much of her time answering e-mails from people in pain.

"We've been flooded with thousands of case studies all over the world with people suffering, and the worst part is, they go to a doctor and a doctor can't diagnose them," Martini said.

Volunteers with mission possible have tens of thousands of documents. Some of them from the Food and Drug Administration, talking about the dangers of aspartame, and the medical community is waking up, publishing books about the additive.

Those books are making it to the shelves in health stores and health care professionals. Five aspartame detoxification centers have now sprung-up across the nation.

Chiropractor Dr. Paula Rhodes maintains one of them in Atlanta.

"The results can be dramatic," Rhodes said. "We've got people who sought care from neurologists, psychologists, psychiatrists. They're on a whole grocery list of medications for complaints that end up being traced to aspartame."

One of Dr. Rhodes' patients is Christina Davis. Medical doctors originally thought the 31-year-old mother was suffering from multiple sclerosis.

"I told her that I had about 10-cups of coffee a day with aspartame in it," Davis said. "She said to completely cut it out and be aware some of your yogurt and gum, beware of your intake. I did that, it was a very gradual improvement, but it was improvement."

The FDA, Nutrasweet, and the companies that use aspartame to sweeten their products all say it's safe. They cite numerous case studies to support their claim, going as far as to list them in their company websites.

Martini says you can do your own un-scientific study and reap the benefits.

"Got medical problems? Don't use it for 60 days and see for yourself," Martini said. "Once they get off it and all their symptoms disappear, they know its aspartame."

Lindsey says all she knows is that she feels better when she's not drinking the diet drinks. She also knows she's tempted to drink them again.

"It's so easy to drink it because you like the taste of it."

It's a taste she realizes has bittersweet consequences.

Previous Stories:

• February 02, 2001: Artificial Sweeteners: How Safe?