While sugary sodas have become the focus of negative attention, diet sodas have risk factors as well. Alternatives to soda, such as diet soft drinks and other low-calorie beverages are made with aspartame, an ingredient at the root of controversy between doctors and researchers alike.

Residents of the Central Valley consume more soda than the rest of California, according to a recent study performed by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. The study also found that Central Valley occupants are more obese then most Californians.

In an article by Eddie Jimenez, published in the Fresno Bee, statistics showed that Kings, Fresno, Madera and Tulare counties all lead in soda consumption for the Central Valley. In Fresno County, 35 percent or more of the adult population consume more than one soda a day, while 58 percent of adults are overweight or obese. Statistics based on the study also showed that adults who drink more than one sugary soda per day were 27 percent more likely to become overweight or obese.

According to aspartame.org, the additive is a low-calorie sweetener used to sweeten a wide variety of reduced-calorie foods and beverages, including low-calorie tabletop sweeteners. While aspartame offers consumers an option with fewer calories, it also may be damaging to their health.

The documentary, “Sweet Misery, A Poisoned World,” focuses on the history of aspartame and testimonies of individuals who, after consuming products that contained the additive, developed serious health problems.

Aspartame is a chemical made up of three components, according to H.J. Roberts, M.D., a board-certified internist who is featured in the film. Two of the ingredients are amino acids, Phenylalanine and Aspartic acid. The last is methyl ester, which becomes the poison methyl alcohol (methanol), when swallowed.

Jim Bowen, M.D., started drinking low-calorie Kool-Aid in 1983.

“Had I seen the chemical forms on this product, I would never have touched it,” Bowen said in the film. Almost immediately after consuming the drink, Bowen said he felt his body deteriorate, he lost his balance and could no longer swim.

“Within a couple of days I’d gone from being a two mile-a-day swimmer, to having such a toxic cardiomyopathy that I could hardly climb the stairs to my apartment,” said Bowen, who suffered methyl alcohol poisoning and neurotransmitter depletion. Bowen said his recovery begin when he stopped drinking Kool-Aid flavored with artificial sweetener.

Even with cases of people showing health problems as a result of consuming problems with artificial sweeteners like aspartame in it, scientists and researchers are still debating whether or not aspartame is as dangerous as it sounds.