Migraine Trigger: Cross-reactions
Food allergens are top migraine triggers. Cross-reactions are when your body attacks other foods that have similar proteins as the foods you are allergic to.
This may trigger the same problems as your top migraine triggers.
Cross-reactions Damage the Gut
Cross-reactions were identified in the 1970s when coeliac patients who tested positive for wheat allergies also had an inflammatory response to corn (study link).
The inflammatory response from corn damaged the lining of the gut in the same way as wheat.
This is a problem because wheat is a top migraine trigger and so is a damaged gut.
Migraine sufferers are more likely to have a damaged gut and those with damaged guts are more likely to have migraines.
Cross-reactions Increase Migraine Food Triggers
Both migraine sufferers and those with gut inflammation test positive for more food allergens (article link).
The theory is that an inflamed gut may allow proteins to sneak by the gut and enter the blood stream; your body then identifies those food proteins as a problem, and you end up allergic to more foods (study link).
Allergy Test are Inaccurate
You may also be allergic to a food and not know it. Food allergen testing is not 100 percent accurate.
For example, a Korean study found that 50 percent of patients with acne had food allergies, but 95 percent of those patients didn’t test positive for the standard IgE allergen test (study link).
The top triggers were eggs, milk, wheat, and soybeans. These are also top migraine triggers that often don’t show up during a standard allergy test.
Unsurprisingly, children who suffer from migraines have seven times the odds of also having acne (study link).
Cross-reactions Make Elimination Diets Excruciating
The limitations of allergy testing make finding food triggers difficult. Cross-reactions to other foods make an elimination diet excruciating.
An incredible study from 2013 sought the answer as to why 30 percent of coeliac patients on a gluten-free diet didn’t improve and only 8 percent of patients had their guts return to normal.
The damage was caused by cross-reaction foods.
The top ten cross-reaction foods were the following:
- Milk products
- Yeast
- Oats
- Corn
- Millet
- Instant coffee (ground coffee had no reaction)
- Rice
- Potatoes
- Soy
- Eggs
These foods may be a problem during an elimination diet because they are often consumed in large quantities.
For example, most gluten-free substitutes contain corn, soy, or milk.
Instant coffee may be a problem because many instant coffees contain trace amounts of gluten.
You Can’t Eliminate All Possible Allergens
There are hundreds of foods that we could be allergic to or have cross-reactions to.
It’s simply impossible to eliminate them all.
A Simple Solution
For these reasons, the most common approach is to reduce or eliminate the top migraine triggers and monitor all other foods in a food diary.
Look for foods or food combinations that have been consumed within three days of any headache occurring.
Eliminate any foods suspected of being a trigger.
