Importance of Diet and Other Nutrients for the Management of Migraine Pain

The etiopathogenesis of migraine is multifactorial and demands several drugs for its treatment, yet these therapeutic drugs cause various adverse effects. Migraine is a frequent neurovascular disorder affecting women three times more than men. Migraine has a severe impact on the sociocultural, financial, and overall quality of life (QoL) of affected patients as well as hampering their productive life. Migraine is considered one of the leading causes of disability around the globe. Frequent attacks of headaches with sensory and motor aura are hallmarks of migraine. Non-pharmacological approaches as preventive medicine either individually or in combination with conventional pharmacotherapies are emerging for the management of various diseases including migraine. Clinical representation of migraine is affected by dietary practices and food components. Cumulative evidence from preclinical and clinical studies identified several dietary components as migraine triggers. This leads to the emergence of dietary practices that involve the restriction of certain dietary components using elimination diets or ketogenic diets. Alternatively, the concept of comprehensive diets which involve selective use of certain food components or nutrients in the diet for the management of migraine is also proposed. The use of nutrients such as magnesium, Coenzyme Q10, alpha-lipoic acid, L-carnitine, and vitamins are novel approaches to alleviating symptoms of headache in migraine patients; all of which have modest adverse effects. These nutrients improve mitochondrial function, decrease inflammation, and boost antioxidant status, resulting in reduced and less intense migraine episodes. This book chapter emphasizes the role of nutrients and diets in the management of migraine.