Vitamin D Could Potentially Benefit Migraine Patients
As a primary headache, migraine has been established as the first leading disability cause worldwide in patients aged less than 50 years. A variety of dietary supplements have been introduced for migraine complimentary treatment. In a recent review, researchers have reassured that Vitamin D provides an additional benefit in the treatment of migraine. The study findings were published in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine on October 13, 2021.
As an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent, vitamin D has become a topic of interest in recent years. Studies have shown a higher prevalence of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency among migraineurs compared to controls. However, there is no consensus in prescribing vitamin D in clinical practice and it is not well established to use vitamin D supplementation for migraine. Therefore, Dr Chen Hu, from the Chongqing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China, and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis to explore the efficacy of vitamin D for migraine patients.
In this systemic review and meta-analysis, the researchers searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, EBSCO and Cochrane library databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) exploring the effect of vitamin D for migraine patients. They included data from six randomized controlled trials with 301 patients.
Key findings of the study:
♦ Upon analysis, the researchers found that vitamin D supplementation could reduce
- Headache attacks per month (mean difference, −2.74)
- Headache days per month (mean difference −1.56) and
- Migraine disability assessment questionnaire scores (mean difference −5.72 compared with controls.
♦ However, they observed no obvious influence on attack duration (mean difference = −2.20) or headache severity (mean difference = −0.56).
The authors concluded, "Vitamin D supplementation provided additional benefits to treat migraine."
They further noted, " Our analysis is based on only six randomized controlled trials, and all of them have relatively small patient samples. We need more randomized controlled trials with the large patient [samples] to explore this issue"
For further information:
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.