Dietary considerations in migraine management: does a consistent diet improve migraine?

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Gastroenterology
• Immunology

Background:

• Migraine expression is closely linked to diet and gastrointestinal (GI) health.
• Factors include gut dysfunction, food triggers, obesity, and food allergies (e.g., dairy, gluten).
• Diet influences comorbid GI and systemic inflammation, affecting migraine severity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current data on dietary consistency in migraine management.
• To examine migraine from the perspectives of illness, disease traits, and inflammation.
• To assess the limited evidence for dietary consistency's role in migraine prevention.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of existing data on diet, GI issues, and migraine.
• Analysis of migraine as a vulnerable state and disease with specific symptom traits.
• Consideration of local and systemic inflammation in migraine pathogenesis.

Main Results:

• Migraine is significantly influenced by dietary and GI factors.
• Practitioners often recommend lifestyle consistency, including dietary patterns, for migraineurs.
• Rigorous evidence directly linking dietary consistency to migraine improvement is scarce and largely indirect.

Conclusions:

• While diet impacts migraine, strong evidence for dietary consistency's benefit is lacking.
• Further investigation is needed to establish firm recommendations regarding dietary consistency for migraine.
• Understanding the interplay of diet, inflammation, and migraine is crucial.