At the start of the study, participants had an average of 16 “headache days” per month, but after 16 weeks the group who had increased their fish consumption and avoided vegetable oils had an average of 4 “headache days”. “Less per month compared to the control group, as well as a 30-40 percent reduction in the” headache hours “per day. The group that increased their omega-3 intake without reducing their omega-6 intake also showed benefits, although they saw a slight improvement of 2 fewer days each month with no headaches. Both groups reported having shorter and less severe headaches than the people in the control group. They also used less pain relievers like acetaminophen.
The researchers also observed differences in key blood biomarkers. The two groups that increased their fish consumption had higher levels of compounds known as oxylipins, which are involved in pain relief. They had particularly high levels of 17-HDHA, an oxylipin that other studies have shown to relieve pain in people with arthritis.
Rebecca Burch, a neurologist who wasn’t involved in the new study, said the results were surprising. He wrote an editorial in the BMJ noting that recently approved migraine drugs have shown in studies to produce two to two and a half fewer “headache days” per month compared to placebo, which is less than the reduction caused by dieting High in omega-3 and low in omega-6 by four days.
“Four days a month really beats anything we’ve seen of any preventive drug,” said Burch, a headache medicine specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School.
Burch said that people who suffer from migraines are often motivated to follow restrictive diets in an attempt to relieve their condition. But until now, there hasn’t been much evidence that a particular diet worked. “This is the first time we have a solid diet that we can recommend to patients,” he added.
For people who want to try the diet for themselves, the easiest way to increase your omega-3 fatty acid intake is to eat more oily fish like sardines, anchovies, mackerel, salmon, whites, and trout. Some of the best and cheapest options are canned and bagged fish. For vegetarians, plant sources rich in omega-3 fatty acids include ground flax seeds, chia seeds, and walnuts.
Another important part of the diet is avoiding fried foods, processed foods, and fast foods, which are usually made with oils that are low in omega-3 and high in omega-6. Beth MacIntosh, co-author of the new study, said extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, macadamia oil, coconut oil, and butter typically contain low amounts of omega-6 fatty acids.
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