Friday, October 27, 2006

Migraine and Blood Sugar

Migraine patients may have a new strategy for minimizing headaches.

Italian researchers at the Headache Centre at the University of Turin investigated the confirmed link between migraines and an increased risk of blood vessel-related disorders such as high blood pressure.

The Turin team recruited 30 migraine patients and a control group of 15 healthy subjects without migraines. When blood sugar levels were measured after each subject drank a beverage with high sugar content, blood sugar levels in the migraine group remained much higher than those in the control group for up to three hours after taking the drink. Other measures also indicated a general insensitivity to insulin among the migraine group.

Lead researcher Innocenzo Rainero, M.D., told Reuters Health that methods for addressing insulin insensitivity - such as regular exercise and avoidance of high glycemic foods - might help prevent migraine attacks.

-HSI

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