Migraine? A Mediterranean Diet can help with that.

Migraine? A Mediterranean Diet can help with that.

It’s truly incredible just how much a Mediterranean diet can help in improving the health of average people around the world. Over the past few years, Mediterranean diets have been proven to help stave off dementia, control heart disease, aid in weight loss, and so many other health benefits.

Yet another study on the benefits of the Mediterranean diet has been released, and it shows that switching up your diet could also help with migraines—especially if you choose foods that contain oily fish.

How It Works
Omega 3 fatty acids are an often-neglected part of American diets. Omega 3 fatty acids come from oily fish and a few specific seeds such as chia. Omega 3 fatty acids are special because they are precursors to important pain reducing molecules called oxylipins.

Most people don’t get enough of these pain reducing fatty acids, but they do get quite a bit of a pain amplifying precursor—omega-6 fatty acids. These come from grains, and are far more prevalent in our diets than Omega 3s.

In the recent study, published in the British Medical Journal, scientists wanted to see if balancing that ratio would help. They found 182 patients who suffered from migraine headaches frequently (between 5 and 20 times a month) and divided them into 3 groups.

Each group had a diet change, with the only difference between the diets being the quality and source of omega 3s, and whether omega 6s were lowered or kept the same. The final group was a control group, which kept the level of omega 3s and omega 6s about the same.

In both groups that increased omega 3s, the patients experienced fewer headache hours, and fewer headache days. While the headaches weren’t lower an intensity, they didn’t last as long or come as often.

How Mediterranean diets help
Both of the diets that reduced headaches were similar to a Mediterannean diet. The focus is on fruits, vegetables, oily fish and poultry, with red meats limited. Whole grains are part of the diet, but in balance with omega 3s.

This diet naturally falls into line with diets that reduce migraines. Oily fish in particular are an important part of the Mediterranean diet, with pan-seared salmon, grilled mackerel, and other oily fish favorite foods. Even the diet that included more poultry but shifted away from highly processed grain made a difference in migraines.

Not sure if the Mediterranean diet is right for you?
Stop by Aladdin’s and let us show you the best a Mediterranean diet has to offer. Try our “Catch of the Day” to get your omega 3 fatty acids, or try anything on the menu to start experiencing better health, one day at a time.
The Mediterranean diet has huge benefits, and can help in almost every aspect of your life. If you’ve been looking for an easy way to improve your health, it can be as easy as choosing a new place for dinner. You never know until you try.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/jun/30/mediterranean-diet-with-oily-fish-could-help-reduce-migraine-frequency
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/mediterranean-diet/art-20047801