These days,
people’ s relationship with food is getting increasingly complicated. Different experts say to avoid sugar, fat, preservatives, chemicals and a host of other ingredients, leaving people to wonder which foods should really be on their plate. But this struggle takes on new meaning when you know that ingesting certain foods can lead to a migraine.
Migraineurs have long been told to avoid the usual suspects— red wine, aged cheeses, cured meats( which contain additives, such as tannins and sulfites), chocolate and preservatives, such as monosodium glutamate( MSG).
But one person’ s migraine trigger might be another’ s delicious treat. That’ s because there are no universal food triggers, doctors say, when it comes to setting off a migraine.
“ It’ s variable between people as to what foods play a role in their migraines,” says Frederick G. Freitag, DO, FAHS, medical director at Baylor University Medical Center’ s Comprehensive Headache Center and member of the National Headache Foundation’ s board of directors.
Understanding the role food plays in triggering your migraines, and how what you eat interacts with other common triggers, is an important part of managing migraine pain.
THE ROLE OF FOOD
People who struggle with migraines commonly cite food as a major contributor to their pain.“ About 20 % to 40 % of people coming into the headache clinic report having food as a trigger,” says Bert B. Vargas, MD, assistant professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Although both health care professionals and patients have recognized a relationship between food and migraines for years, the science to support these claims has been largely lacking. Recently, however, a controlled study published in the International Headache Society’ s monthly journal, Cephalalgia, offers some credence to the idea that a connection between migraines and diet does exist.
According to Dr. Vargas, the study, which was“ conducted on the presumption that allergens in certain foods precipitate headaches,” tested patients for IgG antibodies, substances that help
30 HEAD WISE | Volume 1, Issue 1 • 2011