Dietary alteration of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids help achieve biological impact as well as reduces the frequency and severity of migraine headaches but fails to improve the quality of life in patients, suggests a study published in the BMJ.
In the instant study, researchers evaluated the effect of different levels of dietary omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids on migraine. While Omega-3 fatty acids are thought to be anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive, omega-6 fatty acids are pro-inflammatory.The study was conducted by a group of researchers from U.S.A to determine whether dietary interventions that increase Omega-3 fatty acids with and without reduction in Omega-6 linoleic acid can alter circulating lipid mediators implicated in headache pathogenesis, and decrease headache in adults with migraine.
The researchers a total of 182 participants with migraines on 5-20 days per month. Following which they performed a three-arm, parallel-group, randomized, modified double-blind, controlled trial in the academic medical center in the United States for over 16 weeks.
All participants received foods accounting for two-thirds of daily food energy and continued usual care. The authors designed three diets designed with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and linoleic acid altered as controlled variables:
- H3 diet (n=61)—increase EPA+DHA to 1.5 g/day and maintain linoleic acid at around 7% of energy
- H3-L6 diet (n=61)—increase n-3 EPA+DHA to 1.5 g/day and decrease linoleic acid to ≤1.8% of energy
- The Control diet (n=60)—maintain EPA+DHA at <150 mg/day and linoleic acid at around 7% of energy.
The primary endpoints (week 16) were the antinociceptive mediator 17-hydroxydocosahexaenoic acid (17-HDHA) in blood and the headache impact test (HIT-6), a six-item questionnaire assessing headache impact on quality of life.
The results of the study are as follows:
- In intention-to-treat analyses the H3-L6 and H3 diets increased circulating 17-HDHA (log ng/mL) compared with the control diet.
- The observed improvement in HIT-6 scores in the H3-L6 and H3 groups were not statistically significant.
- Compared with the control diet, the H3-L6 and H3 diets decreased total headache hours per day moderate to severe headache hours per day, and headache days per month.
- The H3-L6 diet decreased headache days per month more than the H3 diet, suggesting an additional benefit from lowering dietary linoleic acid.
- The H3-L6 and H3 diets altered n-3 and n-6 fatty acids and several of their nociceptive oxylipin derivatives in plasma, serum, erythrocytes, or immune cells, but did not alter classic headache mediator's calcitonin gene-related peptide and prostaglandin E2.
Thus, the researchers concluded that the H3-L6 and H3 interventions altered bioactive mediators implicated in headache pathogenesis and decreased frequency and severity of headaches, but did not significantly improve quality of life.
Reference:
Dietary alteration of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids for headache reduction in adults with migraine: a randomized controlled trial
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1448
Disclaimer: This website is primarily for healthcare professionals. The content here does not replace medical advice and should not be used as medical, diagnostic, endorsement, treatment, or prescription advice. Medical science evolves rapidly, and we strive to keep our information current. If you find any discrepancies, please contact us at corrections@medicaldialogues.in. Read our Correction Policy here. Nothing here should be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We do not endorse any healthcare advice that contradicts a physician's guidance. Use of this site is subject to our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and Advertisement Policy. For more details, read our Full Disclaimer here.
NOTE: Join us in combating medical misinformation. If you encounter a questionable health, medical, or medical education claim, email us at factcheck@medicaldialogues.in for evaluation.