The Sweet Treat Triggering Your Migraines
Happy second day of Christmas! I’m not sure what you’d do with a pair of turtledoves, but I certainly hope you didn’t wake up with the gift of a migraine today, either.
But if you did, a common holiday habit could be to blame.
Migraines are a mystery to the medical community. Because no one really knows the root cause of this neurological disorder.
The best thing you can do is identify your personal migraine triggers—and AVOID them at all costs.
In a recent study, researchers identified a common trigger that could be giving you more intense headaches more often.
For this study published in Nutritional Neuroscience, researchers analyzed more than 1,800 cases of chronic migraine.
They used data from the prognostic nutritional index (PNI), a blood test that evaluates nutritional status.
And they found that folks with ANY degree of malnutrition tended to have more intense and more frequent headaches.
Those who had the most severe migraines also tended to lack enough of the following vital nutrients:
- Dietary fiber
- Folate
- Riboflavin
- Selenium
- Potassium
- Magnesium
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin K
Frequent migraine sufferers also tended to drink MORE coffee and had higher levels of theobromine in their blood.
Theobromine is found in several popular holiday foods, including chocolate and hot cocoa. You’ll also find it in green coffee beans and tea in small amounts.
Nutrient deficiencies are more common in the developed world than you’d think. Even so-called “healthy” vegetarians and vegans are often so deficient in necessary nutrients that they need to take supplements to fill their dietary gaps.
The deficiencies are typically even worse for the countless people eating a diet heavy in ultra-processed foods.
The bottom line is that diet can be a major trigger of migraines. I recommend working with your doctor to correct any nutrient deficiencies. And cut back on that holiday chocolate to see if it’s a trigger for you.
You could prevent your migraines—and a host of other health problems in the process.
P.S. In another study, folks with the highest levels of one of the vitamins listed above were 80 percent less likely to experience migraines than those with the lowest levels. Click here for all the details… and advice on how to raise your levels.
SOURCE:
“Association between the prognostic nutritional index and severe headache or migraine: a population-based study,” Nutritional Neuroscience, DOI: 10.1080/1028415X.2022.2143958
