Last week I heard that The Venezuelan Goverment had ordered Coca-Cola Co to withdraw its 'Coke Zero Beverage' from the country.
Health Minister Jesus Mantilla said the zero-calorie Coke Zero could no longer be sold, and stocks of the drink removed from store shelves, citing unspecified dangers to health.
The Health Minister Mantilla, did not say what health risks Coke Zero, posed to the population,....except that it contains sweetners.

I sat down and wondered whether their argument against sweetners, was just an excuse NOT to import Coca-Cola, and thus save money?
Then I remembered that Venezuela exports lots of oil to the US, ....so foreign exchange would not be the problem would it?
After reading the 'unspecified danger to health' I discovered that Coke Zero, and Diet Coke contained the sweetner Aspartame.
Well so do hundreds of other items of food and drink, sweetners are present in Foods all around the world, from chewing gum to certain alcoholic drinks.
What I didnt expect was the huge amount of data accusing Aspartame of causing just about every disease imaginable.

And I mean just about every disease, since Aspartame is synonymous with Nutra-Sweet, Canderal, and other sweetner names.
I would'nt call these articles 'Definitive Health' by any means. Which is why I have posted this out of the way in Not Quite Science Forum?
There is a lot to read, so just make up your own mind.

http://www.mpwhi.com/aspartame_news.htm

I too researched Aspartame a whike ago as I was encouraged to use it (or other sweeteners) as part of a weight loss diet. I started having some problems with digesting food as the same time, and had a lot of investigation (which scared me silly!) The results were negative. I then noticed a tiny little notice that Aspartame can have a laxative effect! I'd have said more like emetic!~ However I got rid of it in my everyday diet and the symptoms stopped. What I found however is that this stuff is in EVERYTHING! It is in most sweetened yoghurts, drinks, confectionery-- virtually anything labelled as diet, low calorific or healthy. The reading I have done indicates it has a very doubtful benefit normally, it certainly, in my opinion, has no place in a child's diet at all. Good luck with trying to avoid it-- there is no chewing gum without it in Oz- and soft drinks are hard to find. Just in case you are hoping other sweeteners are OK-- a lot taste awful and many ( look up saccharine) are really harmful. I'm afraid it's a win for the 'eat fresh and non-processed brigade'.

Scientific journals state that aspartame causes: depression, headaches, Fibromyalgia, Thrombocytopenia (a condition where not enough platelets are produced in your blood & cause abnormal bleeding), Sjogren’s syndrome (where your white blood cells attack your body & can cause symptoms like dry eyes & dry mouth.

Aspartame is an excitotoxin or a neuro toxin, which basically jangles your nerves. It can particularly affect those with behavioural problems, ADHD, or those with learning difficulties. In fact scientists are linking sweeteners with mental disorders in young people, & poor memory .