Abstract
There is evidence that aspartame consumption can provoke adverse neurological reactions, most notably headache, in a susceptible subset of the population. The available experimental and clinical data on human aspartame consumption and adverse reactions, the concept of chemical headache and its relevance to aspartame-provoked headache, the methodological issues in the assessment of adverse reactions, and the studies of aspartame-provoked neurological symptoms currently in progress are reviewed. Some future implications for the study of aspartame-provoked headache are formulated.
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Ad Hoc Committee on Classification of Headache. (1962). Classification of headache. Arch. Neurol. 6:173–176.
Blau, J.N., and Cumings, J.N. (1966). Method of precipitating and preventing some migraine attacks. Br. Med. J. 2:1242–1243.
Blundell, J.F., and Hill, A.J. (1986). Paradoxical effects of an intense sweetener (aspartame) on appetite. Lancet ii: 1092–1093.
Boehm, M.F., and Bada, J.L. (1984). Racemization of aspartic acid and phenylalanine in the sweetener aspartame at 100°C. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 81:5263–5266.
Bradstock, M.K., Serdula, M.K., Marks, J.S., Barnard, R.J., Crane, N.T., Remington, P.L., and Trowbridge, F.L. (1986). Evaluation of reactions to food additives: the aspartame experience. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 43:464–469.
Centers for Disease Control. (1984). Evaluation of consumer complaints related to aspartame use. Morb. Mortal. Weekly Rep. 33:605–607.
Coulombe, R.A., and Sharma, R.P. (1986). Neurobiochemical alterations induced by the artificial sweetener aspartame (NutraSweet). Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 83:79–85.
Dalessio, D.J. (1972). Dietary migraine. Am. Family Physician 6:60–65.
Drake, M.E. (1986). Panic attacks and excessive aspartame ingestion. Lancet ii:631.
Ferguson J.M. (1985). Interaction of aspartame and carbohydrates in an eating-disordered patient. Am. J. Psychiatr. 142:271.
Fernstrom, J.D., Fernstrom, M.H., and Gillis M.A. (1983). Acute effects of aspartame on large neutral amino acids and monoamines in rat brain. Life Sci. 32:1651–1658.
Filer, L.J., Baker, G.L., and Stegink, L.D. (1984). Aspartame ingestion by human infants. In Stegink, L.D., and Filer, L.J. (eds.), Aspartame: physiology and biochemistry. New York: Marcel Dekker, pp. 579–591.
Frey, G.H. (1976). Use of aspartame by apparently healthy children and adolescents. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health 2:401–415.
Guyatt, G., Sackett, D., Taylor, D.W., Chong, J., Roberts, R., and Pugsley, S. (1986). Determining optimal therapy-randomized trials in individual patients. N. Engl. J. Med. 314:889–892.
Henderson, W.R., and Raskin, N.H. (1972). “Hot-dog” headache: individual susceptibility to nitrite. Lancet ii:1162–1163.
Johns, D.R. (1986a). Migraine provoked by aspartame. N. Engl. J. Med. 315:456.
Johns, D.R. (1986b). Benign sexual headache within a family. Arch Neurol. 43:1158–1161.
Knopp, R.H., Brandt, K., and Arky, R.A. (1976). Effects of aspartame in young persons during weight reduction. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health 2:417–428.
Koch, R., Schaeffler, G., and Shaw, K.N.F. (1976a). Results of loading doses of aspartame by two Phenylketonurie (PKU) children compared with two normal children. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health 2:459–469.
Koch, R., Shaw, K.N.F., Williamson, M., and Haber, M. (1976b). Use of aspartame in Phenylketonurie heterozygous adults. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health 2:453
Kohlenberg, R.J. (1982). Tyramine sensitivity in dietary migraine: a critical review. Headache 22:30–34.
Kulczycki, A. (1986): Aspartame-induced urticaria. Ann. Intern. Med. 104:207–208.
Leviton, A. (1984). To what extent does food sensitivity contribute to headache recurrence? Dev. Med. Child Neurol. 26:534–545.
Littlewood, J., Glover, V., and Sandler, M. (1982). Platelet phenolsulphotrans-ferase deficiency in dietary migraine. Lancet i:983–986.
McLeod, R.S., Taylor, D.W., Cohen, Z., and Cullen, J.B. (1986). Single-patient randomised clinical trial. Use in determining optimum treatment for patient with inflammation of Koch continent ileostomy reservoir. Lancet i:726–728.
Moffett, A., Swash, M., and Scott, D.F. (1972). Effect of tyramine in migraine: a double-blind study. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psych. 35:496–499.
Moffett, A., Swash, M., and Scott, D.F. (1974). Effect of chocolate in migraine: a double-blind study. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psych. 37:445–448.
Molinary, S.V. (1984). Preclinical studies of aspartame in nonprimate animals. In Stegink, L.D., and Filer, L.J. (eds.), Aspartame: physiology and biochemistry. New York: Marcel Dekker, pp. 289–306.
Monro, J., Carini, C., and Brostoff, J. (1984). Migraine is a food-allergic disease. Lancet ii:719–721.
Moskowitz, M.A., Henrikson, B.M., and Beyerl, B.D. (1986). Trigeminovascular connections and mechanisms of vascular headache. In Rose, F.C. (ed.), Handbook of clinical neurology, Vol. 4. New York: Elsevier, pp. 107–115.
Nehrling, J.K., Kobe, P., McLane, M.P., Olson, R.E., Kameth, S., and Horwitz, D.L. (1985). Aspartame use by persons with diabetes. Diabetes Care 8:415–417.
Novick, N.L. (1985). Aspartame-induced granulomatous panniculitis. Ann. Intern. Med. 102:206–207.
Peatfield, R., Littlewood, J.T., Glover, V., Sandler, M., and Rose, F.C. (1983). Pressor sensitivity to tyramine in patients with headache: relationship to platelet monoamine oxidase and to dietary provocation. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psych. 46:827–831.
Peatfield, R.C., Glover, V., Littlewood, J.T., Sandler, M., and Rose, F.C. (1984). The prevalence of diet-induced migraine. Cephalagia 4:179–183.
Perkin, J.E., and Hartje, J. (1983). Diet and migraine: a review of the literature. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 83:459–463.
Raskin, N.H. (1986). Ice cream, ice pick and chemical headache. In Rose, F.C. (ed.), Handbook of Clinical Neurology, Vol. 4. New York: Elsevier, pp. 441–448.
Raskin, N.H., and Knittle, S.C. (1976). Ice cream headache and orthostatic symptoms in patients with migraine. Headache 16:222–225.
Sandler, M., Youdim, M.B.H., and Hannington, E. (1974). A phenylethylamine oxidising defect in migraine. Nature 250:335–337.
Schaumberg, H.H., Byck, R., Gerstl, R., and Mashman, J.H. (1969). Mono-sodium L-glutamate: its pharmacology and role in the Chinese restaurant syndrome. Science 163:826–828.
Selby, G., and Lance, J.W. (1960). Observations on 500 cases of migraine and allied vascular headache. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psych. 23:23–32.
Seltzer, S. (1982). Foods, and food and drug combinations, responsible for head and neck pain. Cephalalgia 2:111–124.
Smith, I., Kellow, A.H., and Hannington, E. (1970). A clinical and biochemical correlation between tyramine and migraine headache. Headache 10:43–52.
Stegink, L.D., Filer, L.J., and Baker, G.L. (1981). Effect of aspartame and sucrose loading in glutamate-susceptible subjects. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 34:1899–905.
Stern, S.B., Bleicher, S.J., Flores, A., Gombos, G., Recitas, D., and Shu, J. (1976). Administration of aspartame in non-insulin-dependent diabetes. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health 2:429–439.
Sturtevant, F.M. (1985). Use of aspartame in pregnancy. Int. J. Fertil. 30:85–87.
Tollefson, L., and Barnard, R.J. (1987). Quarterly Report on adverse reactions associated with aspartame ingestion. Health and Injury Related Surveillance Subprogram Postmarketing Surveillance System. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C.
Walton, R.G. (1986). Seizure and mania after high intake of aspartame. Psycho-somatics 27:218–220.
Wurtman, R.J. (1983). Neurochemical changes following high-dose aspartame with dietary carbohydrates. N. Engl. J. Med. 309:429–430.
Wurtman, R.J. (1985). Aspartame: possible effect on seizure susceptibility. Lancet ii:1060.
Yokogoshi, H., Roberts, C.H., Caballero, B., and Wurtman, R.J. (1984). Effects of aspartame and glucose administration on brain and plasma levels of large neutral amino acids and brain 5-hydroxyindoles. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 40:1–7.
Yokogoshi, H., and Wurtman, R.J. (1986). Acute effects of oral or parenteral aspartame on catecholamine metabolism in various regions of rat brain. J. Nutr. 116:356–364.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1988 Birkhäuser Boston
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Johns, D.R. (1988). Aspartame and Headache. In: Wurtman, R.J., Ritter-Walker, E. (eds) Dietary Phenylalanine and Brain Function. Birkhäuser Boston. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-9821-3_37
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-9821-3_37
Publisher Name: Birkhäuser Boston
Print ISBN: 978-1-4615-9823-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-9821-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive