I recently ran across several articles about the low-calorie sweetner aspartame found in diet soft drinks and low-calorie foods. Every one I read mentioned that aspartame is toxic and can cause problems with the thyroid, among many other diseases. I started dieting about 2 years ago and started drinking a lot of diet soda. Then, I started losing my hair and having bad muscle aches. The doctors diagnosed me about 5 months ago with hypothyroidism. I am concerned the aspartame may have triggered my problem. Has anyone else heard about the side-effects of aspartame? If so, let me know. I'm wondering if these articles are legitimate. If so, I need to put down my diet Dr. Pepper!!