Participants who ate a diet low in vegetable oil and higher in fatty fish also had lower blood levels of pain-related fats, researchers note.
Despite fewer headaches and less pain, these participants reported only small improvements in quality of life.
Ramsden doesn’t think omega-3 supplements would supply the same benefits. He suspects that omega-3 and other nutrients in fish may work in tandem to reduce pain.
Dr. Vincent Martin, president of the National Headache Foundation and a professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio, recommends diet changes to his migraine patients.
“There are other diets that we use. I think sometimes people will follow a Keto diet, sometimes they’ll follow a low-fat diet or a low glycemic index diet,” he says. “So there are a variety of different diets that we do recommend.”
The problem is that these diets are hard to stick with, Martin says. And if you don’t like fish, the diet tested in this study is almost impossible to stay with.
“This example exemplifies one type of diet that might benefit people who like fish in particular; otherwise, this is going to be a tough diet to follow,” he says.
Like Ramsden, Martin is not a fan of supplements. Omega-3 supplements, for example, don’t lower omega-6 fatty acids, a key to reducing the frequency and pain of headaches, he says.
“A healthy migraine diet is one where you eat natural foods,” Martin says. “You don’t eat foods with a lot of preservatives, so anything in a box, in a bag and a can usually have preservatives in them, and/or flavor enhancers that can trigger headaches.” He also advises patients to cut out sugar.
The study was published online June 30 in the BMJ.
More information
To learn more about migraines and diet, visit the National Headache Foundation.