The role of food associated with the
headache has been the subject of scientific research since 1900, especially for
migraine patients. A substantial proportion of patients (ranging from 12 to 60 %) report that their
migraine attacks may be precipitated by dietary elements, certain eating habits (fasting) and abuse (
caffeine and alcoholic beverages abuse and withdrawal). The
biological mechanism by means of triggers in general and food in particular precipitate
migraine attacks remains obscure. Based on the data in the literature, we performed an osservational study searching for possible correlations between nutrition and primary
headaches. We enrolled 50 consecutive patients from the
Headache Center of the Neurology Department of Hospital "Cardinal Massaia" of Asti and submitted them a 14-item questionnaire for the assessment of relationship between primary
headache and food. Our preliminary data, although the follow up is still in progress, show that there are strong associations between the onset of the
headache and dietary habits. It will be necessary to analyze a larger sample in order to draw more precise conclusions on this topic.