Health & Medicine
Migraine Attacks May Be Triggered By Bacteria In Your Mouth, Experts Explain How
Johnson D
First Posted: Oct 20, 2016 05:00 AM EDT
Experts have identified a number of factors that trigger a migraine attack. Now, a breakthrough research, published in the journal mSystems, made an astounding discovery about migraines. The findings revealed that people who suffer from migraines have an increased amount of a specific kind of bacteria in their mouths, which trigger the attacks.
According to Quartz, about 38 million Americans suffer from migraines without exactly knowing what cause it. These disabling headaches can take hours to tone down, which oftentimes leave patients to take pain relievers which may help decrease the intensity of a headache, or daily medications to try to prevent the headaches. Even though doctors have already determined what trigger a migraine attack, including foods like chocolate, wine, and processed meats, they can't seem to figure out the reason why.
For the study, a team of researchers led by experts from the University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine examined 172 oral and 2,000 stool samples from healthy people who participated in the American Gut Project, one of the largest crowd-sourced science projects in the U.S., and found that having an increased amount of bacteria in the mouth, Rothia mucilaginosa and Haemophilus parainfluenzae, which modify nitrates, could be a contributing factor of headaches in some people.
These bacteria help convert nitrates into nitric oxide a chemical that is thought to play a role in headaches. "Bacteria in the oral cavity may contribute migraine-triggering levels of nitric oxide," the researchers wrote. The team was headed up by first author Antonio Gonzalez and programmer analyst Rob Knight. The premise is explained simply by Knight: "We thought that perhaps there are connections between what people are eating, their microbiomes, and their experiences with migraines."
Nitric oxide is known to help maintain cardiovascular health by improving blood flow and reducing blood pressure. For this reason, some cardiac patients are given nitrate-containing drugs to treat congestive heart failure and chest pain. Among these patients, about 4 in 5 report severe headaches as a side effect of taking these drugs. Gonzalez and his team saw the possible association and decided to delve into the details, reported Medical News Today.
Live Science reported that although the study found a connection between these bacteria and migraines, there were not able to prove that the said bacteria can cause a debilitating headache. The authors said they hope that their study can spark more research into how oral bacteria could be connected to migraines.
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First Posted: Oct 20, 2016 05:00 AM EDT
Experts have identified a number of factors that trigger a migraine attack. Now, a breakthrough research, published in the journal mSystems, made an astounding discovery about migraines. The findings revealed that people who suffer from migraines have an increased amount of a specific kind of bacteria in their mouths, which trigger the attacks.
According to Quartz, about 38 million Americans suffer from migraines without exactly knowing what cause it. These disabling headaches can take hours to tone down, which oftentimes leave patients to take pain relievers which may help decrease the intensity of a headache, or daily medications to try to prevent the headaches. Even though doctors have already determined what trigger a migraine attack, including foods like chocolate, wine, and processed meats, they can't seem to figure out the reason why.
For the study, a team of researchers led by experts from the University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine examined 172 oral and 2,000 stool samples from healthy people who participated in the American Gut Project, one of the largest crowd-sourced science projects in the U.S., and found that having an increased amount of bacteria in the mouth, Rothia mucilaginosa and Haemophilus parainfluenzae, which modify nitrates, could be a contributing factor of headaches in some people.
These bacteria help convert nitrates into nitric oxide a chemical that is thought to play a role in headaches. "Bacteria in the oral cavity may contribute migraine-triggering levels of nitric oxide," the researchers wrote. The team was headed up by first author Antonio Gonzalez and programmer analyst Rob Knight. The premise is explained simply by Knight: "We thought that perhaps there are connections between what people are eating, their microbiomes, and their experiences with migraines."
Nitric oxide is known to help maintain cardiovascular health by improving blood flow and reducing blood pressure. For this reason, some cardiac patients are given nitrate-containing drugs to treat congestive heart failure and chest pain. Among these patients, about 4 in 5 report severe headaches as a side effect of taking these drugs. Gonzalez and his team saw the possible association and decided to delve into the details, reported Medical News Today.
Live Science reported that although the study found a connection between these bacteria and migraines, there were not able to prove that the said bacteria can cause a debilitating headache. The authors said they hope that their study can spark more research into how oral bacteria could be connected to migraines.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone