Parisa Akhondtabar, Ahmad Negahi and Mohammad Satarzadeh*
Background: Migraine is recognized as the second most disabling disease in the world, which can be accompanied by Bell's palsy, hearing loss and cerebral nerve paralysis. In this study, we investigated the impact of dietary triggers on the exacerbation of migraine headaches.
Methods: Individuals were randomly selected from the population of migraine patients referred to the hospital of Shahid Mohammadi in Bandar Abbas (located in southern Iran). Two-stages questionnaire was used, with the first stage including demographic information and the second stage including the dietary habits of individuals with migraines for fasting and 15 types of nutrition’s.
Results: Our study examined 200 individuals, including 133 women (66.5%) and 67 men (33.5%). The age range of participants was from 13 to 66 years old and the mean age of the study population was 31.42 years. Fasting showed the highest incidence of headache exacerbation, followed by coffee, alcoholic beverages and high-fat foods. The least stimulating type can be attributed to non-alcoholic carbonated drinks and soft drinks. Nuts and walnuts (good sources of omega-3) seemed to be the least irritating among the population, although citrus fruits were not significantly different.
Conclusion: Our results confirm the role of dietary triggers, specially fasting as a factor in the onset and exacerbation of migraine headaches. Although, some dietary triggers roles in migraine physiology remains unknown. More studies are needed to clarify feasibility of migraines controlling through diet.
Published Date: 2023-10-03; Received Date: 2023-08-28
