aspartame

And comedian Kevin James does too. Saying, "Everybody thinks they got the secret. 'You know what you got to do. You got to chew sugar-less gum. That's your problem right there.' Yeah, because my ass got fat from Bazooka!"

But new research begs to differ, claiming that chewing gum actually works.

A New Zealand doctor has "confirmed" a case of aspartame poisoning from excessive consumption of chewing gum.

There is no link between artificial sweetener aspartame and cancer - according to a new study. This large study involved data from surveys filled out 10 years ago detailing food and beverage consumption. This was then measured against those people that developed blood-related cancers. No link to aspartame consumption was found.

BBC News reports on a link between the artificial sweetener aspartame and leukemia in rodents. Compared with control rats given no sweetener, many of the female rats in the experiment developed lymphomas or leukaemias - the risk increasing with the dose of aspartame.

As more artificial sweeteners appear on the market, things only get more bewildering for the consumer. Then there is the childish bickering between various players in the industry (see this blow-by-blow time line of the fight between the Sugar Association and Splenda - thanks Lillian).