aspartame in coke zero

I just received a text message from a concerned friend of mine. She is also a young mother like me, so probably she just wanted to share this message to me. this is her exact message:

"FYI! the new coke zero contains aspartame which is known to be carcinogenic or cancerous. and fyi cancer is now the leading cause of deaths worldwide, so don't drink Coke Zero. And always be a label reader. Please forward this message".


I'm such a big fan of coke ever since a kid,and i like the black coke in can.
I know that too much of this can really blow up your belly. So i took sometime to do my research on this and here's what i found:


ASPARTAME: a crystalline compound C14H18N2O5 that is a diamide synthesized from phenylalanine and aspartic acid and that is used as a low-calorie sweetener.
Based on Merriam-Webster dictionary.. it doesn't say toxic.

here's another one:

Aspartame has been the subject of controversy regarding its safety and the circumstances of its approval by the American FDA and European FSA. Aspartic acid, into which aspartame is metabolized, is a known NMDA receptor antagonist. Aspartame itself has been shown to have antinociceptive properties through effecting NMDA receptors in mice. Some studies have also recommended further investigation into possible connections between aspartame and negative effects such as headaches, brain tumors, brain lesions, and lymphoma.[16][17][18] These findings, combined with possible conflicts of interest involving CEO Donald Rumsfeld in the approval process, have engendered vocal activism regarding the possible risks of aspartame.[19][20]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame

This aspartame issue is been here for ages already, the controversy has been always there but why is it reopened? and why coke? There's nutra sweet, Pepsi, and tons of sugar free products.

then i came across this site:
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp

i still have a lot of things in mind, but for now i guess i can go back to drinking coke once in a while.





















oh coke..