According to researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, eating more fatty fish might reduce migraine headaches.
For anybody who struggles with migraines, you know this is a big deal. Anything that might reduce the frequency or intensity of migraines (as long as it’s low risk and safe) is worth trying, right?
Here are some key points from this recent study:
- 182 adults with frequent migraines participated
- At the beginning of the study, participants averaged more than 16 days of migraines per month and more than 5 hours of headache pain per day on migraine days
- Participants were assigned to one of 3 diets with different ratios of fish and vegetable oils
- The diet high in fatty fish and low in vegetable oil reduced headache days per month, headache hours per day, and headache severity by between 30% and 40%
Fatty fish are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have become less and less common in the typical diet. This study suggests that it might be worth intentionally shifting away from vegetable oils (and the processed foods where they hide) and more toward omega-3 rich foods (like fish and nuts and seeds).
