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Migraines and Cane Sugar

By Joy Healey

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Published: 22Jan2009
Word count: 424
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The Lancet study of 1979 (which became the basis for so many subsequent studies on food sensitivity and migraines) listed ten common food triggers, of which cane sugar is just one(1).

The correlation between migraines and cane sugar or refined sugar consumption has been exhaustively covered in many migraine forums, and sugar remains on the top ten most wanted list for migraine triggers. One German biochemist claims to have completely alleviated migraines in himself and many acquaintances by simply eliminating cane sugar from the diet(2).

Sugar sensitivity is not always strictly an allergy - in fact, many migraines connected with sugar are actually related more to excessively high or low blood sugar. Diabetics report severe migraines in cases of a "dump" of sugar into the system, supporting the fact that migraines can be triggered by sugar, even if it is not due to a 'sensitivity' as the term is commonly used. Hypoglycemic patients report even more instances(3).

One Italian study compared insulin sensitivity in 30 patients with migraine with 15 healthy comparison subjects. When given a high-sugar drink, participants were monitored for changes in previously stable blood sugar levels. Migraine patients' levels remained much higher than those of comparison subjects for up to 3 hours after the test, and other indicators showed that insulin sensitivity was impaired in the migraine group(4).

An interesting point to be made relates cane sugar sensitivity to reports of migraines caused by MSG. The flavor enhancer and meat tenderizer, widely found in many foods, but most commonly associated with "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome", has long been thought to be a culprit in the migraine trigger family. Many consumers are unaware that MSG is often made from cane sugar, which makes the assumption of it being a migraine trigger quite believable(5).

If sugar can be deleted from the diet for a period of two to four weeks, then reintroduced in a controlled test, then it may be possible to pinpoint if it is causing a problem. Charting blood sugar levels and correlating them to migraine occurrences may also be helpful. Like any food sensitivity, cravings for the trigger often occur, and rebound migraine is also a possibility.

Research by Grace Alexander

References:
(1) Food, Allergies and Migraine. Grant ECG, Lancet, May 5, 1979;966-969. 37344
(2) Low R. Migraine. New York: Henry Holt. 1987
(3) Byer, JA and Dexter, JD, Hypoglycemic migraine, Mo. Med., 72, 194, 1974
(4) SOURCE: Cephalalgia, August 2005.
(5) Is MSG Causing Your Headaches? C. Young, LifeScript, Pub. June 23, 2008

Joy Healey qualified as a nutritionist in 2000, at the prestigious Institute for Optimum Nutrition in London. Her specialist subject was migraine. To read more articles on migraine and for some unusual possibilities of food intolerance subscribe to the free mini-course at: http://www.StopTheMigraineMadness.com

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