More than half of young migraine patients are deficient in vitamin D and B2 as well as coenzyme Q10 and folate.
Is there a link between vitamin deficiency and migraine? Many research teams have studied this question. A new study is added to this abundant literature. Presented at 53th American Headache Society Annual Meeting, it shows that a significant proportion of children, adolescents and young adults with migraine have serious deficiencies in vitamin D, vitamin B2, coenzymes Q10 and folate.
To reach these conclusions, researchers at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital (United States) measured the blood levels of these 4 vitamins in more than 7,000 patients. Analyzes reveal that more than half of the participants suffer from deficiencies in all of these vitamins. In detail, the results show that girls and young women are more likely than their male counterparts to be deficient in coenzyme Q10, an antioxidant essential for energy production in cells. Conversely, vitamin D deficiency more often affected boys and young men. In addition, patients with chronic migraines were more often deficient in coenzyme Q10 and vitamin B2 than others.
Benefit of supplementation
During the study, a large part of the participants received treatment for migraine as well as vitamin supplementation to compensate for these deficiencies, stress the authors. Others received only supplementation. It is therefore difficult for the authors to conclude on the role played by these deficits and the interest of food supplements.
However, the researchers point out that a link with migraine has already been suggested for all of these molecules. Thus, these deficiencies could be involved in the occurrence of migraine in these young patients. “Further work will be needed to determine whether vitamin intake is effective in patients, and whether those with severe deficiencies are more likely to benefit from this intake,” said Dr Suzanne Hagler, responsible for this work.
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