Aspartame and susceptibility to headache.
Published
Journal Article
We performed a double-blind crossover trial of challenges with 30 mg of aspartame per kilogram of body weight or placebo in 40 subjects who reported having headaches repeatedly after consuming products containing aspartame. The incidence rate of headache after aspartame (35 percent) was not significantly different from that after placebo (45 percent) (P less than 0.50). No serious reactions were observed, and the incidence of symptoms other than headache following aspartame was also equivalent to that after placebo. No treatment-related effects were detected in vital signs, blood pressure, or plasma concentrations of cortisol, insulin, glucagon, histamine, epinephrine, or norepinephrine. Most of the subjects were well educated and overweight and had a family or personal history of allergic reactions. The subjects who had headaches had lower plasma concentrations of norepinephrine (P less than 0.0002) and epinephrine (P less than 0.02) just before the development of headache. We conclude that in this population, aspartame is no more likely to produce headache than placebo.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Schiffman, SS; Buckley, CE; Sampson, HA; Massey, EW; Baraniuk, JN; Follett, JV; Warwick, ZS
Published Date
- November 5, 1987
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 317 / 19
Start / End Page
- 1181 - 1185
PubMed ID
- 3657889
Pubmed Central ID
- 3657889
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- 0028-4793
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1056/NEJM198711053171903
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- United States