Can Gluten Cause Migraines? The Surprising Truth
Gluten is from a family of proteins that are usually found in wheat, barley, oats, or rye. It can also be found in some medications and toothpaste. There can be a variety of reasons to avoid gluten. One of the most common reasons to avoid gluten is because people have celiac disease. Celiac disease is actually due to the formation of antibodies in the reaction of gluten. It is an autoimmune disorder. However, most are familiar with the digestive upsets gluten can cause but we want to know, can gluten cause migraines?
Gluten Headaches have a connection with celiac disease too as gluten headaches are the early symptoms of celiac disease. Gluten affects the nervous system of those people who have celiac disease. People with this disease have to avoid gluten at all costs. Even a small amount of gluten can cause serious issues.
Another reason can be the intolerance to the protein which is called Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS). It may be due to the intolerance of nutrients in the small intestine which usually leads to diarrhea, weight loss, or bloating. These are the gastrointestinal symptoms. Those people who have migraines usually experience sensory disturbances or pains, strange smells, fatigue, appetite loss, and other feelings of discomfort. These are the digestive issues that are common in people with NCGS
Many recent studies found strong associations between gluten and migraines. According to some studies, gluten can be a reason for migraines. Not only can those with celiac disease but it also affects the nervous system of those who have an intolerance to gluten. It means that gluten headaches are not only common in people with celiac disease but also in those who don’t have celiac disease but intolerant or sensitive to gluten.
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) is different from celiac disease but the symptoms are almost the same. A study suggested that 25% of people with gluten intolerance can show gluten headaches or gluten migraines. Gluten headaches are more common in women as compared to men due to hormonal changes. 10% to 29% of women show gluten headaches during menopause as was reported in a study.
Women in their 30s have been reported to show significant symptoms of NCGS with the most common symptom which is gluten headaches. The major causes of gluten headaches are still unknown but it was suggested that it can be due to changes in blood vessels and nerves. Usually, the symptoms are intestinal but some symptoms can be outside of the intestines which can be called extra-intestinal symptoms.
These symptoms in their early onset can be shown as headaches or migraines. These extra-intestinal symptoms include neurological symptoms i.e. brain fog and it can also lead to systemic issues like fatigue or malaise. Food sensitivities can cause these extra-intestinal symptoms.
The most common neurological symptom which can be seen in people with NCGS is gluten headaches. A study in a journal reported that 56% of people with NCGS can have gluten headaches. The other symptoms can be brain fog, anxiety, or depression.
Systemic symptoms were also reported in people with NCGS. An Italian study suggested that 68% of people with gluten intolerance can feel fatigued or can be unwell. These symptoms develop between few hours to a day of ingesting gluten.
According to the journal Headache, people with celiac disease, NCGS, and inflammatory bowel disease can have gluten headaches or migraines as compared to those without these conditions. The sample of this study was 500 of which 188 were with celiac disease, 25 with NCGS, and 111 people with bowel disease. The results showed 30% of people with celiac disease had gluten headaches, 56% of people with NCGS, and 23% of people with bowel disease had gluten headaches.
A recent study suggested that those with celiac disease or NCGS have a higher prevalence of gluten-related headaches.
There are some tests for celiac disease and NCGS. It includes simple blood tests to screen for celiac disease which include checking the presence of antibodies in the blood.
Additionally, there are food intolerance tests you can do at home that tell you if you are gluten-intolerant or not. These tests can tell you if you are sensitive to environmental factors if you have increased metals in your system and other nutrient deficiencies you may have.
Biopsy of tissue from the small intestine can be done to diagnose celiac disease. Usually, the diagnosis process starts from the blood test which is tTG-IgA. It is an antibody test that shows whether the person has celiac disease or not and is eating gluten.
A food sensitivity test can be done at home. It can be done temporarily to eliminate food sensitivities at home. This test usually checks the antibody reactivity levels to food proteins including gluten. Through this test, you can suspect that whether gluten is the main cause of your headaches or not so that you can avoid gluten in your diet.
In-home urine or stool test can also be done to determine the presence of gluten in the past 24 to 48 hours if you face the symptoms of gluten intolerance. Some doctors also offer saliva tests but as mentioned above these tests are not validated.
For NCGS, usually, wheat allergy tests are done. Doctors also recommend testing for celiac disease. If the tests come negative it means you need to eliminate gluten from your diet. Gluten headaches usually improve from a gluten-free diet.
Other tests like the EMA test, Total serum IgA test, Deamidated gliadin peptide (DGP) test, and genetic testing can also be done to determine gluten intolerance. Endoscopy with biopsy can also be done.
There is evidence that “going gluten-free along with probiotic supplementation may inhibit the immune-inflammatory cascade in MDD course and improve both psychiatric and gut barrier-associated traits.” (Karakula-Juchnowicz et al., 2019)
In 2001, there was a paper published of ten celiac patients with headaches. Those celiac patients mostly had neurological symptoms. The results stated that seven out of ten celiac patients had improvements in their headaches after switching to a gluten-free diet.
Some studies found gluten-free diet can help people with celiac disease to reduce the severity of headaches. Nutrients like magnesium and B-12 can help to reduce headaches. Migraines can lead to anxiety as well, so I have written a post here about what deficiencies can cause anxiety and magnesium is one of the ones on the list.
The above-mentioned Nutrients review found that those who followed a gluten-free diet had a significant reduction in their headaches for like 51.6% of reduction in headaches and up to 75% found complete relief for headaches due to gluten-free diet.
There were significant results in children too. Those children who followed a gluten-free diet had a significant reduction in their headaches i.e. 69.2% and 71% of children found complete relief from headaches.
The duration i.e. how long will it take to feel better is still unclear but generally many people can feel better after a few days of taking gluten-free diets. Headaches can be clear up after few weeks and it can take some time to be on a complete relief.
Most people just think of bread being the only source of gluten, however, it is the most common but it is not the only. Soy sauce and even flavored chips could contain gluten!
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References:
Karakula-Juchnowicz, H., Rog, J., Juchnowicz, D., ?oniewski, I., Skonieczna-?ydecka, K., Krukow, P., . . . Kaczmarczyk, M. (2019). The study evaluating the effect of Probiotic supplementation on the Mental status, inflammation, and INTESTINAL barrier in major depressive disorder patients using gluten-free or Gluten-containing Diet (sangut STUDY): A 12-week, randomized, double-blind, And placebo-controlled clinical study protocol. Nutrition Journal, 18(1). doi:10.1186/s12937-019-0475-x
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