Study suggests change in diet could lessen severity of headaches

The findings of a new study have shown how a change in diet based on certain classes of fatty acids decreased headaches in patients over a 16-week period. The findings of the study were published in the journal 'The BMJ'. Migraine is one of the largest causes of disability in the world and existing treatments are often not enough to offer full relief for patients. This new study demonstrated additional options patients can use in their effort to experience fewer migraines and headaches - a change in diet. Among lifestyle modalities, diet plays a notable role in headache/ migraine. Therefore, adjusting one' diet could be useful in preventing and treating headaches. In addition to their current treatments, patients adhered to one of three diets for 16 weeks: a control diet that maintained the average amount of n-6 and n-3 fatty acids that a person living in the U.S. consumes, a diet that increased n-3 and maintained n-6 fatty acids, and a diet that increased n-3 and decreased n-6 fatty acids. Participants were provided with 2/3 of their daily food requirements and were also given an electronic diary to record how many hours each day they had headache pain. Participants reported fewer days a month with headaches, and some were able to decrease the amount of medication they needed for their pain. However, participants did not report a change in the quality of life.