Migraine sufferers:You may need to ditch bacon (and other stuff)
- by Douglas Reid
- in Health Care
- — Oct 21, 2016
Dr. Michael Zitney says new bacterial research offers hope that a treatment may be found for migraines.
It is believed some foods which are known to lead to migraines are high in nitrates.
It's already known that certain foods trigger migraines, such as chocolate and wine and those containing nitrates.
About 12 percent of Americans experience these migraines, and a new study suggests they could be blamed on the bacteria living in their mouths.
Researchers found that the mouths of people who suffer from migraines harboured significantly more of the microbes that break down nitrates found in certain foods.
The researchers used the publicly available data from the American Gut Project to look for a link between bacteria that increase levels of nitric oxide and migraines.
This, they said, is particularly important as roughly four in five cardiac patients who take nitrate-containing drugs have reported severe headaches as a side effect. Each participant also had completed a survey indicating whether they had a history of migraines.
The bacterial gene sequencing found that bacterial species were found in different abundances between people who get migraines (migraineurs) and non-migraineurs. This means that people suffering from migraines could be creating more nitric oxide, which has been linked to migraines, as they process those nitrates.
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In oral samples, these genes were significantly more abundant in people with migraines.
The bacteria convert nitrates into nitrites.
Scientists at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have found an association between the debilitating headaches that afflict 38 million Americans, and the microbes in their mouths.
With evidence of these bacteria at higher levels than normal, it might be that the nitrates are being broken down more and consequently parts of the brain are dilating, causing migraines.
The new study was published in mSystems.
Researchers have found evidence to suggest migraine sufferers have a slightly different stomach make up to people who are less susceptible. That is, you want to eat chocolate because you're about to get a migraine, rather than chocolate being the cause.
The study's authors say they still need to determine whether the bacteria are a cause or a result of migraines, or are indirectly linked in some other way.
Migraines are an unfortunately common occurrence for many women - we're around three times more likely than men to have them, which is extremely not cool.
