NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Sweet news for migraine sufferers: scientists say chocolate does not trigger headache onset.
"Contrary to the commonly held belief of patients and physicians, chocolate does not appear to play a significant role in triggering typical migraine, tension-type, or combined headache," according to a study led by Dr. Dawn Marcus of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Chocolate is only one of a number of foods (including cheese, peanuts, pork, citrus fruits, and alcohol) which contain compounds called vasoactive amines. These chemicals are related to the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine, chemical messengers in the brain, and have long been suspected of triggering migraines.
The Pittsburgh study, which appeared in a recent issue of the neurological journal Cephalalgia, compared the effects of chocolate (which contains various amines, including caffeine) against those of carob (which does not) in a group of 63 women. Half of the women suffered from migraine, while the rest experienced some other form of chronic headache.
The women were first asked to cut out amine-rich foods for an initial two-week 'wash-out' period. The researchers then asked each of them to consume two unmarked, 60 gram samples containing either chocolate or carob, eaten at random intervals.
Each participant also kept a special diary which recorded her daily dietary intake and any incidence of headache.
The Pittsburgh team found that "chocolate was not more likely to provoke headache than was carob in any of the headache diagnostic groups." In fact, the women in the study blamed their headache onset on the ingestion of chocolate in only 3.1% of cases -- and the researchers say that in two of those cases, the 'chocolate' turned out to be carob instead.
Interestingly, the researchers speculate the desire for chocolate -- but not chocolate itself -- may be the real link between the popular candy and headache. They point out that previous studies have already identified "sweet craving" as a precursor to headache onset. "Fulfilling this craving with chocolate," they explain, "could lead to the (erroneous) belief that the chocolate caused the headache."
Finally, the investigators note that a craving for sweets often comes during periods of stress. When questioned, migraine sufferers consistently identify stress as the number one trigger for their headaches.
SOURCE: Cephalalgia (1997;17:855-862)
