title: Aspartame and dizziness: preliminary results of a prospective, nonblinded, prevalence and attempted cross-over study.
abstract: Aspartame is a low-calorie food sweetener recently approved by the FDA for general human consumption. One of us (AJG) treated a patient whose symptoms of episodic vertigo and continuous unsteadiness resolved upon ceasing aspartame intake. A literature review revealed that although dizziness has been associated with aspartame intake, no systematic study of the problem exists. As an initial attempt to ascertain the prevalence of aspartame-related dizziness in an otolaryngologic clinic, we elected to study prospectively all patients entering with the complaint of vertigo by means of a standardized questionnaire. Those patients determined to consume aspartame were further studied in a nonblinded manner to see if aspartame intake could be correlated to symptomatology. A cross-over limb was also attempted, but no patient would participate. This presentation details the case history of the propositus patient and the preliminary results of the currently ongoing prospective study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Georgetown University, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Gulya
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Sessions
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Troost
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001218:Aspartame / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004244:Dizziness / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D001218:Aspartame