Is there any relationship between aspartame and headaches?

Headaches are one of the most common ailments. Many factors can cause headaches, ranging from stress and sleep disturbances to physical illnesses. Studies on the relationship between aspartame and headaches have shown that there is no correlation.

A carefully controlled clinical study published in the New England Journal of Medicine supports the fact that aspartame does not cause headaches or migraines. Forty individuals who were convinced that aspartame had caused their headaches were admitted to the Duke University Medical Center Research Unit to participate in a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. The subjects were given the placebo and aspartame in doses of 30 mg/kg in three divided doses on separate study days. The results showed that 35 percent of the subjects had headaches after taking aspartame, compared with 45 percent who had headaches after taking the placebo, confirming that aspartame does not trigger headaches.