Unexpected News About Migraines

Headaches are painful. Migraines—those intense, throbbing aches that make you want to curl up in a dark room—can be debilitating. Sometimes they come with nausea, dizziness, or extreme sensitivity to light, sound, or smells. They’re also relatively common. Migraines afflict about 28 million Americans, 70 percent of them women, according to the National Headache Foundation. But for all that, migraines remain something of a mystery, and research on them continues to produce surprises.

Research Discoveries

Scientists recently discovered that women who get migraines may be less likely to develop breast cancer. In a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, researchers followed 9,000 women and found that those who had experienced migraines were 26 percent less likely to have had breast cancer. The authors believe that this effect may be related to changing hormone levels. Migraines are known to occur following drops in estrogen levels.

But as any migraine sufferer will tell you, getting these headaches is certainly not a good thing. What’s more, new research suggests that they may actually alter the brain.

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Possible Causes

A study published in a June issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that late-in-life brain lesions occur more often in women who suffer from a common form of migraine—the kind that comes with "auras," certain bodily sensations that precede the headache's onset. Researchers followed more than 4,600 men and women for 40-plus years. Participants recorded their experiences of migraines at midlife and then submitted to brain scans decades later. Brain lesions were found in some people of both sexes. But among the women, the risk was higher for those who had experienced migraines with auras. The lesions were particularly noticeable in the cerebellum, the part of the brain responsible for motor control and sensory integration.

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Does this mean migraines are causing these or other changes in the brain? The truth is, we don’t know. We are also unclear about what causes migraines in the first place. Some studies suggest that various nerves are involved, while others point to the regulation of brain chemicals such as serotonin. Genetics may also play a part. And environmental factors such as stress, changes in the weather, and even certain foods (including processed meats, aged cheeses, alcohol and MSG) can trigger migraines, too.

Treatment Options

Various medications can help treat migraines or even prevent them from occurring in the first place, especially if the headaches tend to follow a predictable pattern. Nevertheless, a National Headache Foundation study found that more than 43 percent of sufferers had never used preventive therapy—which, in addition to medication, may include exercising or avoiding trigger foods. If you have migraines, talk with your doctor about starting a treatment and prevention plan.

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