A migraine is not your run-of-the mill headache. And if you’re one of the millions of Americans who’s had one, you know… there are no words to describe the excruciating pain.
But despite the fact that millions of Americans suffer from these debilitating headaches, their cause is still pretty much a mystery.
Of course, scientists have made a few guesses… like maybe they’re caused by an imbalance in brain chemicals or a problem with you trigeminal nerve (which is a major pathway for pain).
They’ve even identified a lot of migraine triggers, like fluctuating hormones, processed foods, stress, loud sounds, bright lights, barometric pressure and some medications.
But all in all, they haven’t gotten to the real root of the problem. At least until recently.
Now, it may not be the cause for all migraines. But if you’re a chronic migraine sufferer, you’ll definitely want to know about this…
A study conducted by researchers from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center found that the majority of children, teens and young adults with migraines have mild deficiencies of several vitamins.
The vitamins these young migraine sufferers were missing were vitamin D, riboflavin (otherwise known as B2) and coenzyme Q10. And this isn’t the first study that’s found a link between migraines and deficiencies in these vitamins…
A study published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice in 2014 found that vitamin D levels were significantly lower in people with migraines.
And a study published in the European Journal of Neurology in 2004 found that by giving migraine sufferers a high-dose (400 mg) riboflavin supplement, researchers were successfully able to reduce the frequency of their migraine headaches.
Finally, a study published in the journal Neurology in 2005 found that coenzyme Q10 cut the frequency of migraines for 50 percent of people who took it.
So clearly all three vitamins are supported by enough research to make you wonder whether maybe, just maybe they are the culprit behind your head-splitting migraines.
And even if they aren’t the only cause, there’s a good chance they could still really help reduce the frequency and severity of your migraines…
But if you do decide to give these vitamins a shot, make sure you take pretty healthy doses. Based on the research, you should try a 400 mg dosage of riboflavin daily. And for coenzyme Q10, you can take 100 mg three times per day. The amount of vitamin D you should take is a little less concrete…
The Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board says you should only take 600 IU of vitamin D per day, but most experts will tell you that’s woefully inadequate. The Endocrine Society recommends a higher dosage — 2,000 IU per day. And The Vitamin D Council, a vitamin D research and advocacy organization, says you should take a whopping 5,000 IU every day. In the end, the choice is yours, but your best bet is to test your vitamin D levels and see how low you are. That will help determine the right dosage for you.
Sources:
“Diseases and Conditions: Migraine.” The Mayo Clinic. http://www.mayoclinic.org. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
“Many with migraines have vitamin deficiencies, says study.” Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. EurekaAlert! http://www.eurekalert.org.
“New study finds low vitamin D levels may be related to migraines.” The Vitamin D Council. https://www.vitamindcouncil.org. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
Boehnke, U. Reuter, U. Flach, S. Schuh-Hofer, K.M. Einhäupl, G. Arnold. “High-dose riboflavin treatment is efficacious in migraine prophylaxis: an open study in a tertiary care centre.” The European Journal of Neurology. 2004 Jul;11(7):475-7.
S. Sándor, L. Di Clemente, G. Coppola, U. Saenger, A. Fumal, D. Magis, L. Seidel, R. M. Agosti, J. Schoenen. “Efficacy of coenzyme Q10 in migraine prophylaxis: A randomized controlled trial.” Neurology February 22, 2005 vol. 64 no. 4 713-715.
