Migraine Diet

A migraine is the second most common type of primary headache and some 28 million people in the US alone will experience migraine headaches varying in intensity and frequency.

Recent studies have suggested a definite link between migraine and diet. And one of the most interesting of these studies is the effect of tyramine in our diet.

Tyramine is a natural substance and it is formed from the breakdown of protein in food as it starts to age. It is therefore found in foods that are aged, fermented and spoiled so that the longer a high-protein food ages, the greater the potential tyramine content. This means that any food containing protein will build up tyramine content if it is sitting in the refrigerator for many days. So very fresh or frozen food is important.

The sort of products we are talking about with a high level of tyramine would be:

o Aged cheeses such as Blue, Brie, Mature Cheddar, Emmenthaler, Gruyere, Parmesan;
o Spoiled meats;
o Some aged and cured meats such as canned meats, fermented sausages;
o Fish products such as caviar; pickled herring, salted dried fish such as herring or cod;
o Marmite and other products containing yeast extract;
o Sauerkraut;
o Soybean products such as soy sauce and tofu;
o Broad bean pods;
o Certain fruits and vegetables such as overripe avocados and figs as well as bananas and red plums;
o Breads or crackers containing cheese;
o Bouillon and other soup cubes;
o Draft beer (that is beer on tap), bottled or canned beer and ale, red or white wine, port, sherry and vermouth.

These are all products which have the highest level of tyramine.

Other food products contain lesser amounts of tyramine but it is always possible that if you have several of these products together in one meal, the level of tyramine could be sufficient to trigger a migraine. Diet, therefore is very important when it comes to the triggering of migraine headaches.

If you feel that you might be affected by the tyramine in your diet and that this is triggering your migraine headaches, you might find it helpful to try avoiding such products on a trial basis to see if an improvement follows. You will then be able to work out a diet to suit you.

Below are listed some of the foods which are very low to low in tyramine:

o Beverages, breads and fats;
o Cheeses such as cottage, ricotta, cream cheese, processed cheese slices, sour cream, yoghurt and milk.
o Meat, poultry , fish and shellfish;
o Eggs
o Vegetables and fruit (except where mentioned in the “to avoid” list earlier in this article) – oranges and tomatoes should be eaten in moderation.
o Soy milk.

If you suffer from migraines you may well find relief from changing to a low-tyramine migraine diet. It is certainly worth investigating.

Migraines are quite common – according to estimates as many as 10% of the population suffer from them. Some people are advised to either apply cold (ice) or warmth on the head to provide migraine pain relief. But this is risky as it can backfire and make the pain more intense.

Go to our Migraine and Headache Treatment page

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