Too much coffee could promote the onset of migraines

A team of scientists from Harvard University studied the effects of coffee consumption on migraine patients to determine whether caffeine could play a role in the onset of seizures. Their study shows that the risk can increase from three cups of coffee a day.

Migraine is a chronic disease which is characterized by intense pain in the skull. Seizures may be accompanied by nausea, hypersensitivity to sound and / or light, and may last up to 72 hours in some patients.

According to the World Health Organization, "Between half and three quarters of adults aged 18 to 65 worldwide had a headache in 2016, and of these, more than 30% reported migraines."

If migraine has been known for a long time, this disease remains mysterious, although many triggering factors have been identified, such as genetic predisposition, changes related to the environment (fatigue, stress, climatic variations) and the consumption of certain food products.

Researchers at Harvard University (USA) conducted an experiment on 98 patients with frequent migraine headaches to determine whether their coffee consumption could be a factor favoring crises.

"The impact of caffeine depends both on the dose and some frequency but as there have been few prospective studies of the immediate risk of migraines following the consumption of caffeinated beverages, there is little evidence to make dietary recommendations to migraine sufferers", however, emphasizes Elizabeth Mostofsky.

1 to 2 cups of coffee a day would not increase the risks

Participants completed a diary each morning and evening for at least 6 weeks, indicating the frequency and intensity of their migraine episodes, as well as their consumption of coffee, tea or energy drinks.

Patients also provided detailed information on other common migraine triggers: medication consumption, alcoholic drinks, level of physical activity, depressive symptoms, psychological stress, sleep patterns, menstrual cycles, etc.

Based on these data, Elizabeth Mostofsky's team individually compared the incidence of participants' migraines on days when they were taking caffeinated beverages to those where they did not drink at all.

Migraine patients who consume 3 (or more) cups of coffee a day were more likely to have migraine the same day or the day after they consumed coffee.

"Interestingly, despite the fact that some patients with episodic migraine think they have to avoid caffeine, we found that the consumption ofone or two cups of coffee a day was not badociated with an increased risk of headache. More work is needed to confirm these results, but this is an important first stepsaid Elizabeth Mostofsky, who led the study published in The American Journal of Medicine.