Headaches have the ability to throw a day’s activities out the window.
They’re painful, affect our ability to concentrate, and heavily interrupt our daily lives.
Migraines, in particular, are really exhausting and can even cause people to lie in a dark room for a few hours, until they pass.
But a new study has found that they may not be as random as we might think and, in fact, what we eat could play a huge role in them.
In the study, published by Nutritional Neuroscience, researchers looked at historical data and found that mild, moderate, and severe malnutrition were connected to participants experiencing intense headaches more frequently.
Researchers also noted that those who experienced severe headaches and migraines often had a diet lacking vitamins and nutrients.
These indiviuals also were drinking more coffee and consuming more theobromine – a property found in chocolate.
As a result, the team concluded that diet was associated with the risk and severity of migraines.
‘Off the bat, the finding that moderate to severe malnutrition is associated with migraines is not surprising to me,’ said Sydney Greene, MS, RD.
‘Migraines can be triggered by low blood sugar levels.
‘If someone is going long intervals between meals, skipping meals, or cutting out major food groups, specifically carbohydrates, this can cause blood sugar levels to dip.
‘In addition, prolonged malnutrition usually leads to vitamin and mineral deficiencies – and deficiencies in some vitamins (mostly the B vitamins) and the mineral magnesium might contribute to more severe migraines.’
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