Anyone who has experienced a migraine can tell you just how horrific they can be. In high school, I used to get them and it felt like someone was dropping acid on my brain. I would have to lock myself in a room with the shades drawn and suffer through it, often to the point of vomiting. While there are many triggers to migraines, there are some easy dietary changes you can try that may influence it.

The way we have eaten as a species has dramatically changed. We’ve introduced some nasty, non-species appropriate foods into our diets. If you’ve been following my nutrition blog at all, I’m sure you’ve picked up on the fact that vegetable oils, a.k.a. Industrial seed oils, take the blame for many of the problems we face. This is no exception. And should we be surprised that if we ingest something that was intended initially as a lamp oil and machine lubricant has some negative consequences?

Vegetable oils are a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA). PUFAs are an essential fatty acid and include omega 6 and omega 3. The problem is, the ratio of omega 6 to 3 has drastically changed. Historically, we ingested these PUFAs at a ratio of 1:1 and in the last 3 decades, that has jumped to 20:1 with omega 6 far outweighing omega 3 (Simopoulos, 2016). The reason there has been a massive change in the ratio is because of the uptick in vegetable oils in our foods, which are an omega 6 oil.

In July of 2021, a systematic review, which is one of the highest levels of evidence, sought to determine the link between diet and migraines (Burch). They found that a diet with a normal ratio of omega 6 to 3 significantly reduced headache frequency and intensity. Omega 6 and omega 3 are precursors to a molecule known as oxylipins. Oxylipins have opposing effects when it comes to regulating pain and inflammation in the body, depending on their precursor. Oxylipins from omega 6 are pro-inflammatory whereas when derived from omega 3, it is anti-inflammatory.

Additionally, we know that adipose tissue (fat tissue) can secrete cytokines which signal inflammation. A diet that is high in omega 6 and low in omega 3 increases the risk for obesity (Simopoulos, 2016). When there is inflammation in the gut, it can travel to the brain and cause headaches via the gut-brain axis (Arzani et al., 2020).

The results are in. Vegetable oils can have a cascade of negative consequences in the body. The problem is they are in so many food items. If it has a label, chances are it contains vegetable oil. Here are ones to avoid:

Soybean oil

Safflower oil

Canola oil

Ricebran oil

Cottonseed oil

Corn oil

Grapeseed oil

Sunflower oil

And where do we get omega 3’s? Oily fish like mackerel and salmon, oysters, sardines, eggs, and grass fed red meat.

References:

Burch, R. (2021). Dietary omega 3 fatty acids for Migraine. BMJ. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1535

Simopoulos, A. (2016). An increase in the omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio increases the risk for obesity. Nutrients, 8(3), 128. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8030128

How Dietary Fats May Influence Migraines