Newsletter - How dietary fats influence pain - New evidence

Dietary changes alone can significantly reduce migraine pain

For the millions of people who suffer from the disabling pain of migraine, the findings of a new clinical trial show dietary changes can reduce this. 

Results showed:

1. Simply including more fish and seafood - rich in the long-chain omega-3 fats EPA and DHA - significantly reduced both the frequency and severity of headache pain and the number of days lost to migraine headaches.
2. The benefits were even greater if patients also reduced their intake of vegetable oils, and other foods rich in omega-6 fats, such as meat and dairy products.

These results support earlier clinical trial findings by the same researchers that increasing dietary omega-3 and reducing omega-6 can reduce chronic daily headache pain.  

They are also in keeping with other new evidence confirming that the type and balance of fats found in typical western-type diets increases sensitivity to both pain and inflammation.

This is because Western diets have such a low dietary omega-3 / omega-6 ratio

By contrast, traditional 'Mediterranean-type' diets - well-known for their health benefits - have a higher omega-3 / omega-6 ratio, as they contain fish and seafood (providing omega-3 EPA/DHA, which have anti-inflammatory, pain-reducing effects) and far fewer omega-6 fats than modern western-type diets.

All vegetable oils - and therefore almost all processed foods with any fat – contain the short-chain omega-6 fat, linoleic acid.  So factory-made cakes and desserts, biscuits, ice-creams, crisps and other snacks, fried foods, takeaways, and most 'ready meals', salad dressings and sauces all provide omega-6 fats – which in excess promote both inflammation and pain sensitivity.

Omega-6 fats are also found in all nuts, seeds and whole grains; and in meat and dairy products. Importantly, however, there is no evidence that fresh, unprocessed versions of these foods - in moderation - are a problem.

Instead, the issue is the 'ultra-processed', industrially mass-produced foods that now make up such a large proportion of most modern, western-type diets - especially in the UK and US. 

These foods are strongly implicated in raising risks for obesity and diabetes, heart disease, allergic and immune disorders, and most other chronic diseases.

Their unhealthy fat profile is now also shown to be a major cause of chronic pain. 

See also:

• Diet with more fish fats, less vegetable oils can reduce migraine headaches

• Dietary omega 3 fatty acids for migraine

For details of the research study itself - and its clinical implications - see:

• Ramsden C et al 2021 - Dietary alteration of n-3 and n-6 fatty acids for headache reduction in adults with migraine: randomized controlled trial

• Burch R Et Al 2021 - Dietary Omega 3 Fatty Acids For Migraine

And for another new study that confirms the effects of dietary imbalances of omega-3 vs omega-6 fats on pain, see:

• Western high-fat diet can cause chronic pain, according to research team
  
  Further information on this topic can also be found here:

• Omega-3/Omega-6 ratio - research

And for more information on the links between diet and pain, see:

• Pain - News & Research

More FAB News

• Is it time for a new junk food tax?       

There is no doubt – as a nation, we’re snacking more, and what once were occasional treats are now consumed on a daily basis. Could a junk food tax be the solution to this problem?

• ‘Fake-meat’ and real meat are not nutritionally equivalent

Lab analysis shows several substances known to be important to human health are found either exclusively, or in greater quantities, in beef compared with plant-based meat substitutes.  They included creatine, spermine, anserine, cysteamine, glucosamine, squalene - and the long-chain omega-3 fatty acid DHA (essential for vision and brain health).

• Methylglyoxal detoxification deficits causes schizophrenia-like behavioural abnormalities (Possible role for Vitamin B6 and/or antioxidants?)

A new study in animals shows Methylglyoxal (MG) detoxification deficits can contribute to the development of schizophrenia symptoms. These detoxification deficits are already known to affect a subset of patients with schizophrenia, and in theory Vitamin B6 and/or antioxidant supplementation might help – although this still needs testing.

• Study associates organic food intake in childhood with better cognitive development

Better scores in fluid intelligence and working memory were associated with higher organic food intake, and lower fast food intake.

• Gut microbe secreted molecule linked to formation of new nerve cells in adult brain

Gut microbes that metabolize tryptophan—an essential amino acid—secrete small molecules called indoles, and these stimulate the development of new brain cells in adults, a new study has shown.

• Study shows potential dangers of sweeteners

Some of the sweeteners most commonly found in food and drink—including saccharin, sucralose and aspartame—can make normal and 'healthy' gut bacteria become pathogenic, according to new research.

• Obesity in teens raises adult diabetes risk, even after weight loss

A new study shows that teens who are overweight or obese may be more likely to develop type 2 diabetes or have a heart attack in their 30s and 40s – irrespective of their weight as adults.  

Latest research

• Vitamin D deficiency exacerbates UV/endorphin and opioid addiction

• Passive transfer of fibromyalgia symptoms from patients to mice

• Omega-3 fatty acid intake during pregnancy and risk of infant maltreatment: a nationwide birth cohort - the Japan Environment and Children's Study

• Urban environment and obesity and weight-related behaviours in primary school children

• A metabolomics comparison of plant-based meat and grass-fed meat indicates large nutritional differences despite comparable Nutrition Facts panels

• Artificial Sweeteners Negatively Regulate Pathogenic Characteristics of Two Model Gut Bacteria, E. coli and E. faecalis

• Disrupted Dorsal Mid-Insula Activation During Interoception Across Psychiatric Disorders

• Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids protect against inflammation through production of LOX and CYP450 lipid mediators: relevance for major depression and for human hippocampal neurogenesis

• Association Between Childhood Consumption of Ultraprocessed Food and Adiposity Trajectories in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children Birth Cohort

INCREASING AWARENESS – HOW COULD YOU HELP?

Please help us to keep helping you – and others who could benefit from the information FAB Research provides - by

• forwarding this newsletter to your friends and colleagues,
• following us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook 

We know how overloaded inboxes can get – so in case you may have missed our latest E-newsletters, these are now available on the website:

• Food Additives and their toxic effects

• Alleviating stress and depression through nutrition

• Reducing visual impairment and blindness

And if you’re not already an Associate member, please join FAB Research if you can:  

Benefits include

• access to exclusive educational resources,
• a monthly Associates Newsletter
• discounts for FAB Events in preparation, and
• a FREE online consultation with Founder Director Dr Alex Richardson, to answer your personal, professional or research questions about nutrition and behaviour.

Many thanks for your interest. 

If you have any feedback or suggestions for particular topics that you’d like us to cover in future newsletters (and webinars), please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Best wishes

The FAB Research team