I like aspartame and it likes me. The second relationship is not true for many other people, however. Some are sensitive. They should not consume it. (Doctor, it hurts when I do that. Well don’t do that!)
I went for years tolerating very dull headaches that even aspirin/acetaminophen/ibuprofen wouldn’t cure. I had gastro problems as well, usually tolerable but sometimes severe.
After a suggestion by my GP, I cut out all soda for 3 weeks to see how I responded. After the first week, the headache was completely gone and my regularity returned to normal. I haven’t touched soda again.