Why does artificial sweetener give me a headache

For people suffering from blood sugar problems, going sugar-free and consuming only products that contain sweeteners might seem like a logical choice. The reality is not so simple.

Sweeteners might not only raise your blood sugar, but they could also lower it too far, resulting in hypoglycemia. This is the case with stevia. Stevia is a popular sweetener used by many people, including diabetics. Stevia lowers the blood sugar, which for some, is a reason for consuming it; however, when already restricting diet to keep the blood sugar low, Stevia can be a step too far.

The sweetener may cause blood sugar levels to drop too much, making a person seriously ill. This is of especial concern for diabetics who must constantly monitor their blood sugar. When their levels drop too low, the solution is to reach for something sweet to give a sugar boost. If that product happens to be a drink or food flavoured by stevia, or certain other sweeteners, the anticipated effects will not be felt.

The blood sugar will not rise significantly, and, in the case of stevia, the blood sugar may drop even lower. Equally, not all sweeteners are good for diabetics, or people watching their blood sugar. Sorbitol and xylitol, for instance, though used in sugar-free products, actually can raise the blood sugar levels. Meaning their consumption needs to be monitored as carefully as eating products containing sugar.

Even non-diabetics can experience problems with their blood sugar as it rises and falls during the course of a day.

Symptoms of low blood sugar in a non-diabetic include hunger, shakiness, feeling sleepy, feeling anxious, dizziness, confusion, sweating, trouble speaking, feeling irritable, and, at the worst end of the spectrum, fainting. The medical recommendation for when suffering a sugar low is to consume 15 grams of something containing a carbohydrate sugar is a carb. This could be fruit juice, glucose tablets, or a hard candy. If you have experienced any of the symptoms above and consume sugar-free products, cutting them out of your diet may alleviate the problem.

However, you should also consider seeing your doctor as frequent episodes of low blood sugar can be a sign of further health problems. The same can apply to some forms of hard candy. Few people are aware of the effect that certain sweeteners can have on blood pressure. Stevia, which is marketed as a natural sweetener made from the stevia plant, has long been known to act as a vasodilator—that means it widens the blood vessels, causing the blood pressure to drop.

This trait of stevia is often advertised as a benefit, and for some people it is. However, for those with naturally low blood pressure, or who are taking medications to reduce their blood pressure, the long-term effects of regular consumption of stevia could be serious. Medical News Today recommends that anyone with chronic low blood pressure or those taking medications to reduce blood pressure should speak to their doctor before consuming stevia.

Conversely, a recent review of 37 studies on the effects of consuming artificial sweeteners organised by the University of Manitoba, discovered that there was a link between sweeteners and an increased risk of high blood pressure.

Meghan Azad, Assistant Professor at the university, stated:. Given the widespread and increasing use of artificial sweeteners and the current epidemic of obesity and related diseases, more research is needed to determine the long-term risks and benefits of these products.

This low sugar jam contains sweeteners and has a warning about possible side-effects of consuming them. For many people, the consumption of sweeteners is part of a plan to lose weight or to keep weight off. Yet, more and more evidence is indicating that sweeteners are as much to blame for obesity as traditional sugar.

In the same review of studies that discovered sweeteners could be linked to high blood pressure see above , it was noticed that, despite claims, sweeteners were not helpful in weight loss programmes. Ryan Zarychanski of the University of Manitoba. It seems counter-intuitive that diet drinks and foods could actually be making you fat, but the evidence for such a correlation is increasing. In the s, the San Antonio Heart Study examined 3, adults over a seven- to eight-year period, looking at their gender, race and diet, and recording their BMI over the period.

Those participants who drank artificially sweetened products had a higher BMI at the end of the study than those who did not drink low-calorie beverages. A similar study by The American Cancer Society produced the same results. For both studies, see here. The reasons for this trend are complicated. It is known that sweeteners increase the appetite follow the link above for studies and that people who consume a diet drink before a meal will eat more than a person who has drunk water, or a naturally sweetened drink.

Other experts contend that the link between diet products and obesity is psychological, with people feeling that as they have "been good" by drinking a low-calorie product, they can eat more.

Though the exact explanation for why sweeteners cause weight gain is still debated, one thing is clear—despite an increasing number of people opting to consume diet products and using artificial sweeteners, obesity is still on the rise. The stevia plant is used to produce the commercial sweetener of the same name.

Nutrition Cooking and Baking Sweeteners. What is a Sucralose Migraine? By Jessica Jacobs. Jessica Jacobs. Jessica Jacobs is a registered dietitian and professional writer, contributing to "Fitness Magazine" since She received a B. Sucralose may give you headaches. Video of the Day. In the case of aspartame, the quantity consumed and whether it was taken with other food or drink may alter the development of a headache. Essentially, if you notice that you tend to develop a headache roughly half of the time after exposure to a certain stimulus, it could be a possible trigger.

Related: Tips and Resources for Headaches. Triggers can also act to magnify one another. For example, a woman who tends to develop headaches as a result of hormonal decline might become more sensitive to other triggers.

Similarly, individuals who already have a history of suffering from migraines are more likely to be susceptible to headaches from aspartame. However, consuming one drink made with aspartame is unlikely to cause a headache on its own.