OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the relationship of diet and food components with the frequency of migraine attacks.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Sixty patients (mean age 35.5±8.9 years, 85% women) with frequent episodic (EM) and chronic migraine (CM) were examined. Anamnestic information on food triggers was clarified for all participants. The patients kept a food diary for 7 days. For each meal, the content of food components (proteins, fats and carbohydrates) was calculated using tables and an electronic calculator of the Federal State Budgetary Institution «Nutrition and Biotechnology». Based on the data obtained, the average daily consumption of the main components of food and the ratio of their proportions to each other were calculated. The results of the data analysis were used to clarify the relationship between the individual characteristics of the diet in terms of food components and the severity of migraine.

RESULTS

The main food triggers of migraine were red wine (43.3%), coffee (35.0%), cheeses (21.7%), spices (20.0%), additives of nitrite or monosodium glutamate (20.0%). The average daily intake of carbohydrates had an inverse relationship (p=0.044, r=–0.275), and fats had a direct relationship (p=0.011, r=0.336) with the number of days with migraine.

CONCLUSION

The results indicate the protective role of carbohydrate consumption in the development of migraine, which may correspond to the compensatory strategy of the body aimed at energy supply to the brain. Further study of the cerebral metabolic aspects of migraine should improve the understanding of its pathophysiology and chronicity, which will allow the formation of a correct diet preventive strategy.