▎ WuXi AppTec content team editor
As the saying goes, "All meals are medicine, and all medicines are in food". The impact of dietary therapy on human health has attracted more and more attention from scientists.
Recently, researchers from Stony Brook University and the University of Pennsylvania found that adopting a Low Inflammatory Foods Everyday (LIFE) diet rich in dark green leafy vegetables may help alleviate the symptoms of chronic migraines. A male migraine sufferer managed to get rid of the pain for more than 12 years after trying the LIFE diet treatment.
The paper was published in the BMJ Case Reports
"It hurt like the little blood vessels on the top of the head were 'dancing,' and the whole head and eyes hurt." Migraine is a neurological disease that affects more than 1 billion people worldwide. The prevalence of migraine in China is about 9.3%, and the prevalence of women is about 3 times that of men. The onset is characterized by unilateral, pulsatile headache lasting 4 to 72 hours, accompanied by other symptoms including nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to sound and light, and about one-third of patients develop neurologic aura before the onset of the disease.
Although there are currently a variety of medications to treat and prevent migraines, they can help patients prevent attacks and reduce symptoms to some extent. But there is growing evidence that diet also promises to provide an effective alternative therapy, but also to avoid certain drug-related side effects.
Image credit: 123RF
The researchers suggested dietary intervention therapies to a male patient with severe migraines and conducted research.
The patient had endured migraines without warning for more than 12 years, and had tried various methods to reduce the severity and frequency of headache attacks, all with little success. This includes taking the approved prescription drugs zolmitriptan and topiramate; reducing consumption of a variety of potentially inducing foods such as chocolate, cheese, nuts, caffeine, and dried fruits.
Before receiving dietary interventions, the man's migraine had become chronic, with episodes occurring 18-24 days a month. Blood tests showed that he did not have high levels of systemic inflammation and β-carotene levels were normal (53 g/dl).
The researchers note that this is most likely due to the patient's daily consumption of sweet potatoes. Previous studies have shown that β-carotene and vitamin C can prevent or alleviate migraines by binding to free radicals and inhibiting systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. Although sweet potatoes are high in β-carotene, they have no effect on alleviating symptoms in patients.
Conversely, two other studies found that the LIFE diet not only significantly increased patients' β-carotene levels, but also significantly reduced systemic inflammation as measured by highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP).
Therefore, the male patient was treated with a LIFE diet that included a daily intake of at least 5 ounces (about 141 grams) of raw or cooked dark green leafy vegetables (such as spinach, kale, and watercress); 32 ounces (about 946 ml) of LIFE vegetable juice per day; and restrictions on intake of whole grains, starchy vegetables (such as potatoes, peas, etc.), oils, and animal protein (especially dairy products and red meat).
In a 2-month follow-up, the patient's reported frequency of migraine attacks had dropped to just 1 day per month, and both duration and severity had decreased. Blood tests showed a significant increase in β-carotene levels in his body, from 53 g/dl to 92 g/dl.
In the second month of starting the LIFE diet, he discontinued all medications for migraines.
After 3 months, his migraines had completely disappeared. There was no recurrence after more than 7 years, and he couldn't even remember when the last seizure was. During the 3 to 6 months period, the patient had consumed atypically induced foods such as egg whites, salmon, or iced tea, but he had a much smaller pain, shorter duration, and no medication than before.
Blood tests showed that the male patient's β-carotene levels peaked at 175 g/dL at the 5th month of the LIFE diet and remained above 150 g/dL for the next 7.5 years.
In addition, the LIFE diet also successfully alleviated the man's allergic symptoms and improved his blood lipid levels, so that he no longer needed to take antihistamines that reduced allergic reactions, and cholesterol-lowering salbutamol and rosuvastatin, which comprehensively improved his quality of life.
The research team concluded that a whole-plant-based diet may provide a safe, effective and permanent treatment for reversing chronic migraines. However, this result now needs to be verified by more and larger trials.
Dr Duane Mellor of Aston University in the UK commented: "While this case is not yet a solution for all migraine sufferers, the dietary regimen adopted by this patient largely aligns with dietary recommendations in many countries, including eating more vegetables, especially dark leafy greens. ”