Study Findings: Migraine While On A Diet Often Experienced By Women, This Is The Cause

Illustration of woman experiencing migraine (Unsplash/Anh Nguyen)

JAKARTA – Migraine is a condition that affects physically, mentally, and even socially. This annoying headache actually has several causes. It is experienced by about 12-15 percent of the world's population and is more often experienced by women.

Outside of the diet program, women are more prone to migraines. The frequency, duration, and severity of one of them can be influenced by nutrition.

In a study published in the Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research found a significant relationship between headaches and the type of food consumed. This includes protein, carbohydrates, fats, fruits, and vegetables.

More specifically, the study found that there was a significant association between headaches and frequency of consumption of red meat, white meat, cereals, vegetables, fruits, salad dressings, and eggs.

In addition, there is also a migraine relationship with the type of oil consumed, dairy products, fruit, vegetables, and meat.

On the one hand, diet aims to improve eating patterns. But more importantly it is recommended to pay attention to the amount, type, and time of eating to reduce the incidence of pain in the head.

Based on prevalence, three quarters of all migraine sufferers are women. This study was reported in the United States. Its influence is quite large on welfare, it can even affect the economy.

In a study conducted by Maryam Eghbali, MSc. and Fatemeh Nazari, MSc. found that fatty acids and linoleic and oleic acids contribute to migraine headaches.

Migraines often occur when there is an increase in free fatty acids and blood lipids along with platelet aggregation, reduced serotonin, and increased levels of prostaglandins.

Reducing fatty substances as much as 20 percent per day can usually reduce the frequency, duration, and severity of migraines.

Choosing the right diet also plays a big role in reducing the risk of migraines. Even improper cooking methods can also affect health, including triggering migraine headaches.

In addition to the food consumed, migraines are also influenced by physical and mental stress at work. This is evidenced in another study which reported that working women have the potential to increase their stress hormone levels after performing a task.

The results of this study showed that the more often they ate eggs, red meat, white meat, fruits, vegetables, dressings, and cereals, they experienced significantly higher migraines.

From the results of the report, it is recommended to consume nutrition and types of food in a balanced way so that the potential for migraines is reduced. Research involving 170 Iranian women as participants found the more frequent consumption of pasta and chocolate, the higher the chance of experiencing migraines.

On the other hand, one group of participants in the study experienced fewer migraines when they ate more tomatoes, cabbage, mushrooms, zucchini, olive oil, carrots, and eggplant.