Poll: Does chocolate stop or start migraines?

By Gail Appleson

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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For years I’ve been told that chocolate might be triggering my migraines. I’ve never believed it. In fact I sometimes think a lack of chocolate causes my headaches. And maybe I’m right. Researchers from Missouri State University say an animal study shows that dietary supplements of cocoa might repress inflammatory responses in the brain linked to migraines.

The study was presented at the International Headache Society’s 14th International Headache Congress in Philadelphia this month.  Results from the study indicated that consuming a diet enriched with 10 percent cocoa increased levels of anti-inflammatory compounds in the brain as well as repressing levels of pro-inflammatory processes.

“It appears that a cocoa-enriched diet in rats can repress the proteins that are associated with the promotion and maintenance of inflammatory responses such as migraine,” said Paul Durham of Missouri State University’s Center for Biomedical & Life Sciences, an author of the study.

The researchers believe this is first evidence indicating that the use of cocoa as a dietary supplement could repress expression of acute and chronic inflammatory responses within the trigeminal ganglia, which is thought to play a role in migraines.

“Importantly, our data also provide evidence that cocoa contains biologically active compounds that could be beneficial in the treatment of trigeminal-mediated diseases of the head and face,” the study said.

Some 36 million Americans have migraines, more than either diabetes or asthma.

The headaches are sometimes preceded by flashes of light, blind spots, tingling in the arms or legs, or anxiety. Suffers generally experience a pounding sensation in one side of the head and many undergo nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and noise. The symptoms are often severe and debilitating, lasting anywhere between four and 72 hours.

Does chocolate stop or start migraines?