Is aspartame safe for people with epilepsy?

Both the Epilepsy Foundation of America and the Epilepsy Institute have concluded that aspartame is safe for people with epilepsy and is not related to epileptic seizures. In addition, the FDA reviewed 251 anecdotal reports of seizures that individuals believed were caused by aspartame. After monitoring seizure complaints, medical records, consumption patterns and challenge tests, the FDA concluded that the occurrence of seizures couldn’t be linked to the consumption of aspartame.

Additional scientific studies in animals and humans show that aspartame does not cause or worsen seizures in any group of people, including children and those with epilepsy. One random, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study looked at adults and children who had experienced seizures allegedly from consuming aspartame. Subjects received both a placebo and a single, 50-mg/kg dose of aspartame (equal to about 17 cans of diet soft drink) on separate days and were evaluated for five days with continuous EEG monitoring to record the electrical signals of the brain. Results, published by Epilepsia, showed that aspartame was no more likely to cause seizures than a placebo.

In another 4-week study, the effect of aspartame on seizures was compared with a placebo on children with seizure disorders. Results show that doses of aspartame equaling about 10 times actual consumption levels did not cause or worsen seizures in these children.