For shorter attacks and less pain.. foods that “conquer” migraines
Amman Today
publish date 2021-08-21 22:39:43
A recent study concluded that the right diet can provide relief for some people who suffer from frequent migraine attacks.
According to a study recently published in the British Medical Journal, eating foods that contain large amounts of “omega-3” fatty acids, and oils found in some fish, while limiting foods rich in “omega-6” fatty acids, such as many vegetable oils, Relieves migraine headaches.
Both omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids are essential for health, and because our bodies cannot make them, they must be obtained from foods.
Just as omega-3 is found in abundance in fish, vegetable oils are high in omega-6, which is often used for cooking and is found in many packaged foods and restaurant meals.
Migraine is one of the most common causes of chronic pain, affecting many people, resulting in a state of exhaustion, causing severe pain, nausea and other symptoms, and sharply increasing the likelihood of depression and anxiety.
Studies have found that migraine attacks can negatively affect productivity in the workplace as well, causing people to lose, on average, about four working days a year.
Dr. Christopher E. Ramsden, a clinical researcher at the US National Institute for Research on Aging and lead author of the study, says the findings suggest that dietary changes could be a useful “complement” to existing treatments for chronic pain.
“Many people who complain of chronic pain continue to struggle despite taking medication,” Dr. Ramsden adds. “I think this[diet]is something that can be combined with other treatments to improve their quality of life and reduce their pain.”
Amazing results
In the new study, 186 participants were randomly divided into 3 groups and followed for 16 weeks. One group followed a diet high in omega-3 fats and relatively low in omega-6 fats.
This group ate a lot of foods like wild salmon, tuna, albacore and trout, while trying to cut back on sources rich in fats, such as omega-6 fats, such as corn, soy and canola oils.
To facilitate the diet, all subjects were given snacks and recipes prepared by a dietitian throughout the study period.
In a second group, researchers added more fish and other rich sources of omega-3 to their diets without reducing their intake of omega-6, and a third group of people, acting as controls, consumed typical amounts of both types of fat.
At the start of the study, participants experienced, on average, about 16 days of headaches per month, but after 16 weeks, the group that increased the fish intake and avoided vegetable oils had an average of 4 fewer headache days per month, compared to the third group that consumed Typical amounts of both types of fat.
Plus a 30 to 40 percent reduction in everyone’s “headache hours” during the day.
The placebo group who increased their omega-3 intake without decreasing their omega-6 intake also benefited, although they improved less for two days without headaches each month.
In both groups, participants reported shorter, less severe headaches than people in the third group, and they also used fewer pain relievers such as acetaminophen.
The researchers also noted differences in important biomarkers in the blood. The two groups who increased their intake of fish had higher levels of compounds known as oxylipins, which contribute to pain relief.
The participants also turned out to have particularly high levels of 17-HDHA, an oxilipine that has been shown in other studies to reduce pain in people with arthritis.
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Source : اخبار الاردن