Migraines and Food Cravings: Are They Related?

If you have migraines, you might wonder if there are typical warning signs before an attack. Among other symptoms, some people experience food cravings before a migraine. Some people say that eating certain of these foods may trigger migraines. However, studies have not proven a strong link between foods or food cravings and migraine symptoms or causes.^1-4

We do know that certain conditions can make migraines more likely to occur. Three common ones are fatigue, high stress, and low blood sugar. All these can affect the way you eat, possibly triggering food cravings.^1-5

Before a migraine: What are the signs?

In the period before a migraine starts, you might have hours or even days of symptoms. Experts call this the prodrome, pre-migraine, or premonitory stage. People with migraines report many issues during this time, including:^1-3

• Food cravings
• Mood changes (depression, elation, irritability, inability to concentrate)
• Trouble with bright light or inability to focus their eyes
• Sensitivity to noise or smells
• Tiredness
• Trouble sleeping
• Feeling sick to their stomach
• Diarrhea
• Stiff neck and shoulders
• Yawning
• Needing to pee often

Food cravings: Trigger or symptom?

Studies show that food cravings and migraines do seem to be related. But does craving, and eating, certain foods lead to a migraine? Or do migraine brain changes lead to food cravings?^1-6

These questions matter because if a food or foods trigger a migraine, craving them may signal that one is coming. And avoiding those foods might minimize or prevent migraines.^1-6

A 2020 study asked people about their pre-migraine food behavior to find out its relationship to migraines. One group of participants had naturally caused (spontaneous) migraines. In the other group, an injected substance led to a migraine. The researchers compared the answers to see whether both groups experienced similar symptoms.³

Both groups did have similar symptoms. So, researchers then compared the reported cravings/eating choices to the timing of the migraines. In both cases, two clear associations showed up.³

Skipping meals was related to pre-migraine food cravings. And certain foods were associated with food cravings. The researchers concluded that these two conditions might be signs of the brain gearing up for a migraine.^2,3,5

Are certain foods suspects?

Studies have looked at whether certain foods actually lead to migraine attacks. Little scientific evidence exists to support that idea.^2,5

A 2021 study looked at whether foods thought to trigger migraines were really triggers. The scientists found that people with migraines ate similarly to people without them. Supposed trigger foods were:²

• Chocolate
• Wine, beer, or other alcoholic drinks
• Aged cheese
• Sweeteners
• Citrus foods
• Caffeine (coffee, energy drinks)
• Sweetened soft drinks

Then the study asked the people with migraines whether they had pre-attack food cravings. For those who did have cravings, they happened with 1 out of 4 migraines. But the study and others like it concluded that the cravings led to eating the craved food but not necessarily to the migraine itself.^2,5,6

What about chocolate?

Chocolate has a bad rap among those living with migraines. Many migraine treatment clinics and specialists advise avoiding it. But according to a 2020 review of 25 studies, scientific evidence does not fully support that advice.⁴

A few studies do seem to tie chocolate to migraines. One found that between 2 and 22 percent of people with migraines reported a link. The researchers showed that cocoa, chocolate’s active ingredient, might start migraine events.⁴

But avoiding a food trigger (like chocolate) may make you react more strongly when you do eat it. On the other hand, eating the trigger often might help your body adjust to it. Then chocolate would lose its trigger effect. That’s why avoiding chocolate might not be the best advice.⁴

The review also pointed out that chocolate, especially very dark chocolate, contains many healthy ingredients. It contains:⁴

• Flavonoids – Nutrients that protect your cells and help your nervous system, heart, and metabolism
• Serotonin – A chemical messenger that helps with mood, memory, and sleep
• Vitamins and minerals – Compounds the body needs for health
• Cacao – An ingredient that may stop calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) release, which can lead to migraines

The bottom line regarding chocolate as a migraine trigger is that a few studies have connected the 2. But the review concluded that only a small percentage of study participants (1 to 33 percent) supported the link.⁴

What is the takeaway?

There is just not enough convincing scientific evidence to connect specific foods or food cravings to migraines. Further studies using an electronic food diary might come closer to proving or disproving the tie. With these diaries, dates and times of food habits could be accurately compared with dates and times of migraines.^1-4.6

In any case, if you have migraines, tell your doctor. Together, you can find links between your eating habits, lifestyle, and activities and your migraines. Those clues may help you to spot an attack coming and take action to stop or minimize it.^1-4