A recent study published in Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain reports that dietary intake of the B vitamin thiamine may help prevent migraine in some people.
Migraine headaches can be severe and challenging to treat. Each affected individual will experience different symptoms at different times. Researchers are still trying to figure out what causes migraine headaches and how to stop them.
Specific triggers for migraine headaches, such as stress or hormonal changes, have been identified. One factor that can influence migraine headaches is diet. However, specialists are still trying to figure out the specifics. Each person may have distinct food triggers or prophylactic strategies.
Experts say the information gained from their new research indicates a protective factor that may help improve outcomes for people who experience migraine.
Dr. Clifford Segil, DO, a neurologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in California, noted a few examples of this in his remark:
“Dietary triggers are common for migraine. Wines, cheeses, and caffeine can trigger a migraine headache. I ask patients on their first visit with me to keep a headache journal to see if any medications trigger headaches. Caffeine can both cause and help headaches, so it is hard to generalize if something like this causes or helps headaches.”
People who suffer from migraines may consult their doctors and other specialists to determine the causes of their headaches. Clinical recommendations for therapy may change as additional information about the connection between nutrition and migraine headaches becomes available.
In a recent study, scientists looked at the relationship between two B vitamins, thiamine (vitamin B1) and riboflavin (vitamin B2), and the likelihood of suffering from severe headaches or migraines. In this cross-sectional investigation, researchers examined information from individuals who took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 1999 and 2004. In their investigation, researchers used more than 13,000 people. 2,745 of these patients had a severe headache or migraine within the previous three months.
By examining the information gathered from the individuals’ computer-assisted interviews, the researchers examined the 24-hour dietary consumption of thiamine and riboflavin. They took into account the individuals’ ages, habits, demographics, and comorbidities, among other things.
According to research, consuming more thiamine in the diet was linked to a decreased risk of migraine. Particularly among the female participants, this was true. The risk associated with riboflavin did not, however, significantly diminish, according to the study.
Dr. James Giordano, a professor of neurology and biochemistry at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., who was not involved in the study, noted that: “This study provides important data to support that nutritional factors can be influential upon the induction of migraine headaches. Of particular note is that this study demonstrated a statistically significant role of thiamine (vitamin B-1) in mitigating migraine. Thiamine is particularly important in regulating brain levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin; abnormalities in serotonin function have been directly implicated in the pathophysiology of migraine.”
The study was subject to some restrictions.
First, the data is based on participant self-reports, which can be unreliable. For instance, there is a presumption that participants who reported a severe headache presumably experienced a migraine when assessing the incidence of migraine. The 24-hour recall technique may result in inaccurate data collecting. Additionally, not all intestinal disorders were discussed in the interviews, and the researchers did not examine dietary habits. Additionally, the researchers did not examine the use of dietary supplements, which might have affected the consumption of thiamine and riboflavin. Additionally, this type of study cannot demonstrate that a thiamine deficiency causes migraines due to the possibility of errors based on the analysis procedures used.
Overall, the study mentions thiamine’s potential influence on migraine headaches. It might pave the way for additional study in this area and eventually serve to direct particular clinical treatments.
Parvathy Sukumaran 
