SAN ANTONIO – Certain foods, drinks, or weather changes can trigger migraines. However, a new study shows certain dietary changes can reduce the frequency and severity of headaches.
In the U.S. we tend to eat a diet high in fat, and that fat is usually omega-six oils.
Experts say new research shows that if you eat a diet low in omega-six oils and high in healthier omega 3 oils it can lower your chances of getting a migraine and the severity of the headaches.
According to the BMJ, an international research journal, those reductions in migraines are large.
After four months of the eating regimens, the high omega-3 + low omega-6 diet produced between 30% and 40% reductions in total headache hours per day, severe headache hours per day, and overall headache days per month compared to the control group.
The findings offer hope for the 1 billion people around the world — including 12% of Americans — who suffer from migraines and are looking for dietary options that could offer relief, experts say.
Both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are types of healthy fat humans must get from food. but they’re out of balance in the average U.S. diet researchers say.
Linoleic acid — the predominant omega-6 in the western diet — is found in vegetable oils, including corn, safflower, and soybean oils, abundantly found in pastries, crackers, snacks, and other processed foods.
Experts say molecules made when the body digests omega-6 fats are linked to pain processes and are known to trigger pain omega-3 fatty acids, on the other hand, have anti-inflammatory properties.
The best sources include cold-water fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring, and sardines.
Researchers say other healthy omega-3 foods that can help migraines include plant-based sources like walnuts, flaxseeds, and chia seeds.