Aspartame, one of the most widely used artificial sweeteners, is causing controversy over its safety. Aspartame is a solid sweetener used in many commonly consumed, sugar-free foods and beverages. There have been consumer complaints about health problems that consumers attribute to the use of aspartame. However, consuming excessive amounts of aspartame can put the health of the human body at risk. Aspartame, in normal amounts, has not been proven to cause health problems. The benefits of using aspartame are many. For example, “Aspartame is a dipeptide (L-aspartyl-phenylalanyl-methyl ester) which has a sweetening power 180 to 200 times that of sucrose” (Stegink, 1837). This is useful for the purpose of sugar-free foods to aid the diet. A diet aid may not be helpful if aspartame causes disease. In one study, researchers analyzed reports of symptoms believed to be caused by aspartame. He concluded, “Despite the great overall variety, most of the frequently reported symptoms were mild and common in the general population” (Bradstock, 468). The fact that the general public experiences these symptoms with or without consuming aspartame creates doubt that these symptoms are coming from aspartame. The symptoms may be caused by sensitivity to aspartame and not be harmful to the general public, but further studies would be needed. The risks from normal consumption appear low. Aspartame can cause harmful side effects at high doses. In 2006, a study was conducted to see if aspartame consumption was related to brain cancer. Although the major types of brain cancer had no correlation with aspartame, some subtypes did. “Due to its large size, we could examine relatively rare subtypes of hematopoietic and brain cancer and had sufficient power (80%) to detect a moderate association… half of the article…ebp.aacrjournals .org/content /15/9/1654.full.pdf+htmlSoffritti, M., Belpoggi, F, et al. (September 2007) Lifetime exposure to low doses of aspartame starting prenatally increases the effects of cancer in Rats. Environmental Health Perspective, 115(9). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1964906/Bradstock, K. Evaluation of reactions to food additives: the aspartame experience. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 43(3), 464-469 .full.pdf+htmlWalton, Ralph G., Hudak, R., J., Green-Waite, Ruth J. (1993) Adverse reactions to aspartame: double-blind challenge in patients from a vulnerable population Biol Psychiatry,. 34,13- 17. http://thetruthaboutstuff.com/pdf/(54)%20Walton%20-%20Double-Blind%20Adverse%20Reactions%20to%20Aspartame.pdf