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Migraines and Wheat

By Joy Healey

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 01Oct2008 Word count: 654 Viewed: 1853 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

There have been several case studies linking food intolerance to migraine. This is one article in a series taking a closer look at the individual culprits which have become the usual suspects when a food intolerance is thought to be at the root of a migraine problem.

Most people think first of red wine, chocolate and cheese as the most common foods that will cause a migraine. However as long ago as 1979 the prestigious Lancet published a study on migraine and food intolerances citing wheat as the most common reactive food(1).

In fact wheat has recently been linked to a flurry of other health problems ranging from fatigue to bloating.

Wheat is a major allergen, and about 78% of people with migraines linked to food intolerance are sensitive to wheat as the main trigger(1). Often this is undiagnosed for a lengthy period of time, as wheat is so prevalent that cutting it out completely is extremely difficult and involves careful reading of labels for unexpected sources. Consult your health professional for detailed advice otherwise you may put yourself to considerable inconvenience yet be unwittingly still consuming wheat-containing food or drinks.

Some maintain that claiming allergy to wheat is an affectation, citing the desire to follow celebrities such as Rachel Weisz who has been public about her wheat intolerance. Many others, however, simply point to the incredible obstacles that face those who would cut wheat and gluten out of their diet, and ask what person would struggle to surmount them if there was no real benefit.

Many migraine sufferers are actually believed to also be victims of celiac disease, a severe wheat and gluten intolerance which can cause major gastrointestinal problems and fatigue in addition to migraines. One of the most frustrating aspects to migraines is the inability to stop them once they gain control, so any form of prevention is always welcome.

In a study done at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, Italy, researchers discovered a marked improvement in migraines among celiac patients when placed on a gluten free diet, leading some to speculate that a large percentage of migraine patients do in fact have celiac disease(2).

Other links between wheat intolerance and migraines have been studied, and in at least one instance another link between wheat gluten and headaches was made when nine out of ten patients experienced relief from headaches - and the tenth refused to eliminate gluten from their diet(3).

Many people choose to go vegan to improve their diet and remove foods they are intolerant to. While a significant number of them cease having headaches shortly after beginning a vegan lifestyle, others have a sharp increase in the number and severity of headaches.

The Coeliac society has several forums and many reports of first hand experiences of vegans who discovered they had celiac disease causing various health problems, as many vegans depend on wheat/soy products to replace the protein they would normally gain from meat and dairy. For some it turned out that the large amount of wheat they were eating to replace proteins and carbohydrates they were missing out on by avoiding dairy and meat had triggered gluten intolerance. Once the large amounts of gluten were removed from the diet, the migraines ceased(4).

Based on this information, it seems more than likely that wheat and gluten are responsible for a large proportion of migraine sufferers, and that a trial abstinence period might be a way to reduce or eliminate migraines(5).

Sources:
(1) Grant ECG, Food, Allergies and Migraine, Lancet, May 5 1979;966-969
(2) Am J Gastroenterol. 2003 Jul;98(7):1674; March edition of American Journal of Gastroenterology.
(3) American Academy of Neurology (2001, February 14); Gluten In The Diet May Be The Cause Of Recurring Headaches; Science Daily.
(4) The Celiac Society, The Gluten-free Vegan
(5) Celiac Disease, A Hidden Epidemic, Peter Green, MD.

Research by Grace-Alexander

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