Clinical Trial Finder Team
Keywords: Diet for Migraines, Migraine Diets, Keto Diet, Elimination Diet
A migraine is a neurological disorder that is characterised by a moderate to severe recurring headache usually felt as a throbbing or pulsating pain on one side of the head. Migraines can be incredibly debilitating, and can often severely affect or completely take over people’s lives, especially in chronic migraine sufferers.
The migraine condition has been proposed as a disorder linked to metabolism, and as a result, many diet therapies have become part of treatment plans for the management or prevention of migraines. Unfortunately, there are few consistent, reliable or recent studies available to the public with many studies referenced today being based on dated dietary guidelines that are 10-15 years old. For example, saturated fats like ghee and coconut oil are still in many journals quoted as ‘bad fats’ along with trans fats such as those found in fast food and confectionery. We now know that saturated fats are beneficial in supporting ‘good’ cholesterol, immune system functioning, and brain functioning, making it one of the many overlooked types of foods and/or diets that could benefit people with a number of health conditions including migraines.
When looking at potential treatments for migraines, it’s important to understand all the research.
Common food triggers for migraines can have anything from serious to no effect on different people, as migraines are very individual. In your research to better understand your migraines, you should be keeping an active diary on your food intake to monitor any triggers.
As researchers are finding out more about the effect of food on migraines, diets such as the ketogenic diet, elimination diets and comprehensive diets have come into the spotlight.
Here we will review helpful studies on migraine treatments, their outcomes and ways you can test these out yourself.
Useful Diets to Prevent Migraines
1. Ketogenic diet
The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat, moderate protein diet. If you currently follow a low-fat diet or no diet at all, your metabolism is most likely using glucose from carbohydrates as its primary fuel source. After switching to a high-fat, low-carb diet you are giving your body only fat (or ketones) to use as a fuel source. This diet includes foods like fatty fish, meat and poultry, plus eggs, leafy greens, nuts and oils. A number of recent studies have found that ketogenic diets have beneficial effects on migraine sufferers. The keto diet has shown to promote neuroprotection, improve mitochondrial function and suppress inflammation in the brain – supporting the prevention of migraines.
2. Elimination diets
Often people take on elimination diets like The Migraine Diet etc. in an attempt to figure out their ‘triggers’ as it can often be something you’re consuming daily and don’t notice. Speak to your doctor about the elimination diet and how you can try it yourself. It requires constant commitment and can take 6-12 months to longer to see any results if any.
Non-useful Diets to Prevent Migraines
Intermittent fasting
One common trigger for migraines in migraine sufferers is skipping meals, making intermittent fasting a risky and potentially adverse reaction diet to try when looking for solutions to migraines.
Supplements to Support Migraine Prevention
1. Vitamin B2
Riboflavin has been studied in a few trials and has been shown to be potentially beneficial. It is often recommended for those who sugar from migraines to support other medication/lifestyle changes. It is also quite easily tolerated by most users and has very few to no side effects.
2. Coenzyme (CoQ10)
CoQ10 is an antioxidant that has been studied in migraine prevention. Although not all studies have shown positive effects of CoQ10 usage for the prevention of migraines, it is still recommended often as part of a treatment plan as it is well tolerated and has few side effects. Some regulatory bodies strongly recommend the usage of this supplement for the prevention of migraines.
3. Magnesium
Magnesium is an important mineral for a number of bodily and brain functions. Low magnesium in the brain has been linked to migraines, and often magnesium supplements are recommended for those who suffer from migraines with aura and menstrually-related migraines.
4. Probiotics
Studies have found a link between different gastrointestinal diseases and migraines, with migraine symptoms often involving gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. As a result, several studies have begun to study the link between the brain and gut, suggesting there might be a stronger relationship than previously thought. Probiotics have shown to be beneficial for the treatment of other neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease, but more research needs to be completed on its potential effect on migraines.
Sources:
HealthLine.com
HealthLine.com
AmericanMigraineFoundation.org
Headaches.org
MedicalNewsToday.com
NCBI.nlm.nih.gov
MigraineTrust.org
