Migraine is among the biggest reasons for disability worldwide. Current treatment options are sometimes inadequate for providing complete relief for sufferers. Research has found that a change in diet provides one more option sufferers are able to use in their attempt to have less headaches and migraines.1✅ JOURNAL REFERENCE
DOI: 10.1136/bmj.n1448
Polyunsaturated fatty acids, which the body are not producing, have significantly increased in our diet as a result of addition of oils like cottonseed, soybean and corn to a lot of processed foods like granola, crackers and chips.
Polyunsaturated fatty acid classes looked at in this research were omega-3 (n-3) and omega-6 (n-6). Each has important functions in the body, but should be consumed in balance, as n-3 fatty acids have been found to help with reduction of inflammation and a number of derivatives of n-6 have been found to promote pain. But, because of the quantity of processed food ingested nowadays, the majority of individuals in the U.S. are consuming considerably less n-3 fatty acids and more n-6.
To see if the quantity of these fatty acids in an individual’s diet might affect pain from headaches, 182 individuals currently identified as having as well as having treatment for migraines were took part in this study.
Besides their current treatments, participants followed 1 of 3 diets for 16 weeks: a control diet which maintained the average quantity of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids that an individual residing in the U.S. eats, a diet which increased n-3 and maintained n-6 fatty acids, and a diet which increased n-3 and reduced n-6 fatty acids.
Individuals were given 2/3 of their daily food requirements, and were also provided an electronic diary for recording the amount of hours every day they experienced headache pain.
Individuals following either diet experienced less pain in comparison to the control group. Individuals following the diet low in n-6 and high in n-3 fatty acids had the most significant improvement.
Individuals reported less days per month with headaches, and several could actually reduce the quantity of medication they required for their pain. The effect seen for the reduction of headaches is comparable to what is seen with certain medications. This research exclusively tested n-3 fatty acids from fish rather than from dietary supplements, and the results are not applicable to supplement use.
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