Soy isoflavones supplementation helps fight migraine in women: BMC

A new study published in BMC Nutrition Journal suggests that supplementing with soy isoflavones may be thought of as an additional therapy for migraine-prone women in order to lessen the burden of the condition and relieve migraine symptoms.

A migraine is characterized as a severe, unilateral throbbing headache that is frequently accompanied by vomiting, nausea, photophobia, and phonophobia. Regular physical activity can make migraines worse. There is evidence in the literature linking estrogen levels to the etiology of migraine headaches. It's unknown, nevertheless, how soy isoflavones affect migraine symptoms. In this study, Maedeh Babapour and colleagues sought to determine how soy isoflavones affect migraine symptoms and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) levels in migraine-prone females.

83 people who were given 50 mg of soy isoflavones or a placebo every day for eight weeks underwent a randomized double-blind controlled experiment. At the beginning and completion of the intervention, serum CGRP levels were assessed along with migraine severity, migraine days per month, frequency, and length of episodes. Intention-to-treat (ITT) and bivariate comparison were employed for analysis.

The key findings of this study were as follows:

1. When compared to the placebo group, soy isoflavone consumption significantly reduced the mean frequency, length of migraine episodes, and CGRP level (-12.18 ng/l vs -8.62, P = 0.002).

2. Additionally, a substantial improvement in quality of life was discovered.

3. However, there was no statistically significant difference in the severity of the migraines or the patients' mental state (P > 0.05).

To conclude the findings of this study researchers stated that, in migraine sufferers, soy isoflavones have been shown to considerably reduce the symptoms of migraine attacks, such as headache, frequency, and duration, as well as clinical markers including MI, HDR, and MHIS. At the conclusion of the trial, CGRP levels and quality of life also increased. Depression, stress, and anxiety-related mental status measures, however, were unaffected. These results will eventually need to be confirmed by other research.

Reference: Babapour, M., Khorvash, F., Rouhani, M.H. et al. Effect of soy isoflavones supplementation on migraine characteristics, mental status and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) levels in women with migraine: results of randomised controlled trial. Nutr J 21, 50 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-022-00802-z