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Q. I have had headaches for as long as I can remember. Some were debilitating, and some I just had to soldier through. Recently they were becoming more frequent, with the most common being a sharp sensation on one side of my head.
Then a friend suggested I do some research on artificial sweeteners. After reading numerous accounts of headaches caused by aspartame, I immediately stopped drinking diet soda and using sucralose in my coffee. Within 24 hours, the headaches completely stopped. I still get a monthly hormonal migraine, but my life has improved dramatically since eliminating these chemicals from my diet.
A. Your story is a good reminder that a food diary can help headache sufferers determine if a specific food triggers their headaches. There has been significant controversy over whether aspartame (found in NutraSweet) can cause headaches, but migraine specialists recognize that some people may be sensitive to this artificial sweetener (Clinical Journal of Pain, June 2009).
There is also a case report of migraine triggered by sucralose, the sweetener in Splenda (Headache, March 2006). Diet soda is not essential for health, so you are fortunate to have found a good way to prevent many of your headaches.
About 7-8 yrs ago, when Splenda showed up on the market, I tried it. I had daily headaches for a month and realized that the sweetener as the problem. I have never drunk diet soda or the fat free/low fat versions of anything. Though I should lose a few pounds, I'd rather eat a little of whatever I want rather than a lot of a an artificially altered food.
Not only is this for the taste but we don't know the long term effects of many of these chemicals/alterations. I don't have a lot of control over the air we breathe or the environment where I live but I can and do choose to put in real food into my body.
For those hormonal headaches, I have found that a daily magnesium has reduced my amount of migraines to zero. It is also good for PMS. It's cheap, effective, & a natural mineral that our body needs anyway.
I found that drinking diet sodas give me a terrible belly ache followed by terrible diarrhea. I can afford to lose some pounds but I'd rather keep the pounds than put this artificial stuff into my body and that includes High Fructose Corn Syrup. I purged my pantry of all and anything with artificial sweeteners and High Fructose Corn Syrup as well.
Migraines ruled my life for years, each episode lasting around 72 miserable hours. About six months ago I had an almost immediate headache after using syrup sweetened with aspartame. What a miracle that association turned out to be, as I've not suffered a migraine since then! I am constantly amazed at the items containing aspartame.
I've only found one sugarless chewing gum that doesn't include it, and diet sodas are extremely limited as well. Fountain diet sodas, including lemonade, are culprits, too. Nowadays, not a label gets by me without being read. It's great not losing three days of my life just because of a little aspartame. Thank you for shedding light on the migraine/aspartame connection.