I won't say it's harmless, but I won't say it's real harmful, either. But shoot--I've gotta have something!

I literally grew up on saccharin, then drank Diet Pepsi with saccharin from my late teens to the time NutraSweet came out, then switched to that. I spent a lot of years drinking that stuff, then a few years back switched to Diet Rite. I'm 44 years old and haven't died of AS yet--who knows, maybe next year?

I do, however, have a sister-in-law who is very sensitive to AS. NutraSweet gives her headaches and Splenda gives her tingles. She doesn't use them--and I don't blame her.

Here's one thing to think about, though. Just because the FDA approves something doesn't mean it's harmless. Look at HRT. On top of that, look at the BST they pump into milk cows to increase milk production. That stuff's just plain nasty, and it's only just now dawning on a few people that these hormones are passing onto our children, causing early development.

Still, unless something truly horrific and shocking comes out about Splenda, I'm going to use a little of it. Life's too short to be afraid of living, at least a little.