According to a new study, frequent migraine sufferers experienced a decrease in their headache frequency and intensity when they ate a diet high in fatty fish. In the July 3 issue of BMJ, researchers from the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism were able to publish their findings.The team's work on chronic pain and linoleic acids was expanded upon in this study of 182 adults suffering from frequent migraines. Linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated fat acid, is commonly found in American diets from soybean, corn, soybean, and similar oils as well as nuts and seeds. In smaller studies, the team examined if linoleic acids inflamed migraine-related pain processing tissue and pathways in the trigeminal nervous, which is the most complex and largest of the 12 cranial nerves in the body. This pain pathway inflammation could be soothed by a diet low in linoleic acids and high in omega-3 fatty acid (such as those found in shellfish and fish).Participants were randomly assigned to one or more of three healthy diets during a 16-week dietary intervention. All participants received meals that included vegetables, hummus and salads as well as breakfast items. One group was served meals with high amounts of fatty fish oil or oils from fatty seafood and lower linoleic acids. The second group was served meals with high levels of fatty fish, and higher linoleic acids. To mimic the average U.S. diet, the third group was served meals that contained high levels of linoleic acids and lower amounts of fatty fish.Participants were asked to track their migraine frequency, duration, intensity, and the impact on their ability to function at school, work, and social life. They also had to monitor how frequently they took pain medication. Participants had an average of 16 headache days per month and more than five hours of headache pain per day when the study began. They also had baseline scores that showed a significant impact on their quality of life, despite taking multiple headache medications.A diet with less vegetable oil and more fatty fish resulted in between 30% and 40% decreases in total headache hours per week, severe headache hours per week, and overall headache days per year compared to the control. The participants had blood samples with lower levels of pain-related cholesterol. These same participants experienced minor improvements in their migraine-related quality of life, despite the decrease in headache frequency and pain.Chronic pain, loss of work, and lower quality of life are all common symptoms of migraine, which is a neurological condition. Over 4 million people suffer from chronic migraines (at least 15 migraine days per year) and more than 90% of those suffering from migraines are unable or unable to work. An attack can last anywhere between four hours and three days. The most common type of migraine in women between the ages 18 and 44 is the severe form. An estimated 18% of American women suffer from it. The current migraine medications offer only partial relief. They can cause side effects such as sedation and dependence.Luigi Ferrucci (M.D., Ph.D.), scientific director at NIA, stated that "this research found interesting evidence that dietary modifications have potential to improve a very debilitating chronic condition like migraine without having the associated downsides of prescribed medications."Chris Ramsden was the NIH team's leader. He is a UNC adjunct faculty member and a clinical investigator in NIA and NIAAA Intramural Research Programs. Ramsden and his group specialize in studying lipids, fatty acids compounds found in natural oils. They also study their role in aging, particularly chronic pain, and other neurodegenerative conditions. Doug Mann, M.D. of the Department of Neurology and Kim Faurot (P.D. ), of the Program on Integrative Medicine led the UNC team. Beth MacIntosh (M.P.H.) from UNC Healthcare's Department of Nutrition and Food Services designed the meal plans.Ramsden stated that dietary changes could provide some relief to millions of Americans suffering from migraine pain. It's yet another proof that food choices can have an impact on pain pathways.These findings are a validation that diet-based interventions that increase omega-3 fats and reduce linoleic acids sources have better potential to help people with migraines reduce the frequency and impact of their headaches than supplements based on fish oil. They also reduce the need for pain medication. The researchers plan to continue expanding their research to examine the effects of diet on chronic pain conditions.###This study was funded by the NIH NIA intramural research programs and NIH grants, including T32 AT003378 and DK056350.
