Having a headache when eating carbs and sugar could be a sign of a migraine

Why do carbs and sugar give me a headache?

It is common for people to experience a headache after eating certain foods. Those high in sugar or refined carbohydrates, like chocolate cake or pasta, are among the usual suspects.

These food triggers are often reported by people who have migraines, said Dr. Peter Goadsby, professor of neurology at King’s College London and the University of California at Los Angeles. “The person asking that question most likely has a migraine,” he said, particularly if certain foods seem to be repeated triggers.

Unlike the more common tension-type headaches that most people experience from time to time, migraines — which affect about 18% of women and 6% of men each year in the United States — are very common. more debilitating, said Dr. Rashmi Halker Singh, an associate professor of neurology and a headache medication specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona.

In an analysis of studies published in 2018, researchers concluded that nearly 30% of patients reported that certain foods or eating habits triggered their headaches.

But recent studies by Goadsby and other researchers suggest that it’s probably not the foods that cause migraines, but the migraines that make people eat certain foods.

In the initial stage of a migraine attack — the premonitory or prodrome phase, which can begin a few hours or days before the headache phase — people may experience symptoms such as fatigue, mental confusion, mood swings, sensitivity to light, muscle stiffness, yawning and increased urination, said Goadsby.

During this time, brain imaging studies have shown that the hypothalamus, the region of the brain that regulates hunger, is activated, causing people to crave certain foods. “It’s pretty clear that this area is changing in its activity before the pain starts,” he said. Some people want savory or spicy snacks, while others crave sweets and chocolate.

So once the craving is sated and the headache phase of migraine begins, it’s natural for people to wonder if something they ate contributed to the pain, Halker Singh said.

“Sometimes people come in and say to me, ‘I drank some chocolate, and right after that my migraine started,'” leading them to guess that the chocolate itself triggered the headache. But what could also have happened, she said, “is that maybe the chocolate craving was really the beginning of the migraine.”

Chocolate is among the most reported food triggers for migraines, but in a review of studies published in the journal Nutrients in 2020, researchers concluded that there was not enough evidence to say that chocolate can cause migraines.

In the above scenario, Goadsby said, the person would likely get a headache whether they ate the chocolate or not. So if you’re craving a treat during the early stages of a headache, he said, it’s okay to taste it.

If you often have food cravings before your migraine, it’s still a good idea to write them down, along with other symptoms of the prodrome, so you can prepare for what’s to come. You can use that time to find your ideal medication and choose to go to bed early, he said.

Margaret Slavin, an associate professor of nutrition and food studies at George Mason University, said foods high in sugar or refined carbohydrates can also cause a spike in blood sugar, leading to “an outsized insulin response.”

Insulin helps normalize blood sugar, but too much insulin can go over target, leading to low blood sugar. This condition is called reactive hypoglycemia, and headache is one of its symptoms. The person may feel weak, shaky, tired and dizzy.

For people who suffer from migraines, it’s also possible that a regular diet high in refined sugar and processed carbohydrates could increase levels of inflammation in the body and make them more susceptible to attacks, Slavin said. Some limited research supports this idea, and it may be worth trying to cut down on sugar and switch to anti-inflammatory foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, whole grains, and fish.

Skipping meals and fasting are also commonly reported migraine triggers, so Halker Singh advises his patients to eat regular, nutritious meals, as well as get enough sleep, exercise regularly, and manage stress.