Summary This study, conducted by Iranian research departments, investigated the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of alpha-lipoic acid on several factors involved in clinical symptoms of migraine. 92 women with migraine participated in this trial and received either 300 mg of alpha-lipoic acid or a placebo twice daily for 3 months. Blood samples were taken and…
Summary Oxidative stress plays a significant role in the development of migraine. Antioxidant micronutrients have therefore been used in migraine treatment and prevention. This review, conducted by three Polish research departments, summarizes studies on micronutrients with antioxidative properties, including vitamin C, curcumin, and coenzyme Q10. The review indicates that several antioxidant micronutrients are a valuable…
Summary Since omega-3 fatty acids and curcumin have been shown to protect nerve cells from damage and suppress inflammation, a clinical trial evaluated the ability of these micronutrients to decrease a specific inflammatory substance (TNF-α) involved in migraine development. The trial was performed for 2 months and included 74 migraine patients who were divided into…
Summary This Turkish study investigated the effect of vitamin D on children’s headaches, including migraines. 147 headache patients and 69 healthy controls aged 5 to 16 years were involved in the study. Each group was divided into two subgroups based on high and low sun exposure. Several parameters, including vitamin D blood levels, were measured.…
Summary This review, conducted by the University of Birmingham, UK, summarizes the role of metabolism in the development of migraine and migraine susceptibility. Studies have shown that a well-functioning metabolism is essential in connection with this condition, which is caused by abnormal brain activity. Micronutrients such as magnesium, coenzyme Q10, and vitamin B2 are required…
Summary Vitamin B2 has shown positive effects in adult migraine patients. To investigate the effectiveness of vitamin B2 in younger patients, 68 children with migraine received 10 or 40 mg of vitamin B2 per day. Average migraine frequency per month was evaluated before the study and after 3 months of vitamin B2 therapy. The results…
Summary This review, conducted by researchers from the Medical University of Tokyo, Japan, explored the effects of vitamin B2 on migraine. Inflammation of the nervous tissue and increased oxidative stress levels play an important role in migraine. Studies have shown that vitamin B2, also named riboflavin, has anti-inflammatory properties and can protect the body against…
Summary To investigate the effects of vitamin D supplementation on migraine symptoms, 65 migraine patients aged 10 to 61 years were enrolled in a study. Vitamin D was administered to 33 patients for 10 weeks with a dosage of 50,000 IU (1250 µg) of vitamin D per week. The other 32 patients received a placebo.…
Summary Turkish research departments investigated whether migraine in children is associated with vitamin D deficiency. An additional focus of this study was the effect of vitamin D on the frequency, duration, and severity of migraine attacks. 92 children with migraine were divided into two groups: Patients with low vitamin D levels who received a vitamin…
Summary This French study investigated whether a micronutrient combination containing, among others, coenzyme Q10 and magnesium is effective in preventing migraine. Adult patients suffering from migraine were administered one tablet of this combination per day for 3 months during the study. Supplementation significantly reduced the number of days with migraine headaches. This decrease was progressive…
Summary This Iranian study, which aimed to assess the effects of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) on the severity, frequency, and duration of migraine attacks, was conducted on 66 patients with migraine with aura. This severe headache is characterized by vision, sensation, or speech disturbances. Patients were allocated to receive either 80 mg of vitamin B6 or…
Summary Researchers from Brazil studied the preventive effects of omega-3 fatty acids on migraine. To this end, they examined 60 chronic migraine patients who were divided into two groups. One group of patients received an omega-3-fatty acids supplement; the other group was administered a placebo in addition to conventional treatment. Two-thirds of the patients taking…
Summary Due to the common side effects and financial burden of current treatments, there has been increased research interest in new therapies for headaches. Potential alternative therapies include micronutrients like vitamin B2, coenzyme Q10, magnesium, and vitamin D. An increasing number of high-quality studies on this subject shows that alternative treatments like nutritional supplements are…
Summary This review, conducted by a research department in New York, USA, evaluated the evidence for complementary and alternative therapies (e.g., vitamin and mineral supplements) to prevent migraine, including micronutrients such as magnesium, vitamin B2, and coenzyme Q10. The review shows that alternative non-pharmaceutical treatment options could be used as a replacement or supplementary therapy…
Summary This trial, executed by two Italian research departments, aimed to evaluate and compare various food supplements to prevent headaches. Patients of all ages and with diverse types of headaches were involved. The participants received different combinations of micronutrients, including, among others, magnesium, various B-vitamins, vitamin D, and coenzyme Q10. The results showed that the…
Summary This review, performed by researchers from the USA, China, and Abu Dhabi, aimed to evaluate the effects of supplements, containing, for instance, coenzyme Q10, vitamin B2, and magnesium, on migraine attacks. The review included studies conducted in participants aged between 18 and 65 years and showed a beneficial and effective role of herbal supplements…
Summary This study aimed to determine the prophylactic effects of vitamin B2 on migraine in children. 90 children with migraine were allocated into three groups: placebo, low-dose, and high-dose vitamin B2. Frequency, intensity, and duration of headaches were measured at the start of the study and after 12 weeks of supplementation. The results showed a…
Summary Researchers from Saudi Arabia studied the role of vitamin B2 in protecting different mechanisms within the nervous system. Studies have shown that vitamin B2 can significantly tackle the developing mechanisms of neurological disorders such as migraine. For instance, it was found that vitamin B2 ameliorates oxidative stress and inflammation of the nervous tissue. Further…
Summary American researchers executed this study to evaluate the efficacy of vitamin B2 in children and adolescents with migraine. 42 patients with migraine, aged between 6 and 18 years, were involved. Doses of vitamin B2 were based on weight and recommended for migraine prevention. Patients treated with vitamin B2 showed a significant reduction in headache…
Summary Two reviews, conducted by researchers from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio, USA, summarize the role of various nutrients and specific diets in preventing migraine attacks and as their potential trigger. Part two of these reviews showed the beneficial effects of micronutrients like omega-3 fatty acids and folate. Diets containing a…
Summary Despite the high prevalence of migraine and its health, social, and economic burdens, few effective prophylactic medications have been available. This clinical trial, executed by Iranian research departments, aimed to assess the potential beneficial effects of coenzyme Q10 in migraine prophylaxis. During this trial, 80 patients with migraine headaches received either only their current…
Summary Researchers from Iran aimed to assess the effects of micronutrients in reducing deficiencies of various micronutrients like B-vitamins, magnesium, coenzyme Q10, and vitamin D, which are associated with migraine. This review indicates that supplementation with diverse micronutrients has prophylactic and therapeutic effects on migraine patients. More details can be found in the review. References…
Summary This German study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a supplement containing 600 mg of magnesium, 400 mg of vitamin B2, and 150 mg of coenzyme Q10 as prophylactic treatment for migraine. 130 adults aged 18 to 65 years with 3 or more migraine attacks per month were divided into a supplementation group or…
Summary Migraine and inflammation are correlated. This Iranian study aimed to assess the effect of coenzyme Q10 supplementation, an anti-inflammatory agent, on inflammation and clinical features of migraine. 45 women aged 18 to 50 years and diagnosed with migraine participated in this trial. 23 patients received 400 mg/day coenzyme Q10, and 22 patients received a…
Summary Iranian researchers aimed to determine the effects of combined coenzyme Q10 and L-carnitine supplementation on, among others, migraine symptoms. A total of 56 migraine patients aged 20 to 40 years with migraine headaches participated in this study. Subjects received 30 mg/day coenzyme Q10 and 500 mg/day L-carnitine simultaneously or a placebo for 8 weeks.…
Summary Curcumin and coenzyme Q10 have neuroprotective effects due to their ability to decrease inflammation and oxidative stress, which are usually increased in migraine patients. This study evaluated the combined effects of curcumin and coenzyme Q10 on migraine symptoms and the quality of life in migraine patients. 100 patients were divided into four groups: 1)…
Summary This Iranian trial explored the effects of vitamin D supplementation in migraine patients. 80 patients received either a daily dose of vitamin D (2000 IU/50µg) or a placebo for 12 weeks during the trial. At the start and after the trial, headache characteristics (by diaries) and inflammation parameters (by blood analysis) were determined. The…
Summary This Danish study investigated whether vitamin D supplementation could benefit adult patients with migraine. 24 out of 48 participants received a vitamin D3 supplement (100 µg/day), the other 24 participants received a placebo. Migraine attacks and related symptoms were assessed by self-reported diaries. After 24 weeks of treatment, a significantly reduced frequency of migraine…
Summary This study, conducted by different medical institutions in Iran, examined the effect of zinc supplementation in migraine patients. To this end, 80 participants with migraine received either a zinc supplement (220 mg/day) or a placebo for 8 weeks. The researchers assessed zinc concentrations and characteristics of migraine attacks at the start and end of…
Summary This trial, executed by several Iranian research departments, aimed to assess the effects of folic acid alone and in combination with vitamin B6 on migraine attacks in adult migraine patients with aura (i.e., sensory disturbances including flashes of light, blind spots, and other vision changes). During this trial, 95 Iranian migraine patients with aura,…