A 42-year-old corporate professional would have episodic headaches at first. Over time, the pain became more intense, then intolerable. By the time he came to see me, he would suffer headaches daily that disrupted his life. During history-taking, I found that he was in the prediabetes stage, fuelled by irregular diet, long sedentary hours and stress. He was also addicted to Coke, having three cans a day. But given his elevated blood sugar levels and the fact that he couldn’t think without the soda pop, he had switched over to Diet Coke. Therein lay the problem. He told me that he would develop a headache within half an hour of drinking the beverage. Now what many people do not know is that aspartame, the artificial sweetener, while keeping your blood sugar levels in check can trigger headaches and migraines in certain people, particularly among long-time users. Why aspartame might cause headaches The research is mixed on the subject but once aspartame breaks down in the body, its components might interfere with brain chemicals like serotonin and …