Eating a diet of oily fish could ease migraines, new research has found.
Salmon
An excessive caffeine or alcohol intake has long been linked to the onset of migraines but the new study has found that those who ate more omega 3 fatty acids - found in oily fish such as salmon and mackerel - went on to have fewer headaches.
Scientists from the University of North Carolina analysed 182 people who endured a migraine on up to 20 days per month. They were randomised to eat one of three diets, with varying amounts of omega fatty acids, for 16 weeks.
Omega 3 fatty acids are precursors to molecules regulating pain and inflammation and experts suggest the findings have taken them "one step closer" to a "migraine diet backed up by robust results".
The scientists wrote in the British Medical Journal (BMJ): "This study provides a biologically plausible demonstration that pain can be treated through targeted dietary alterations in humans.
"Collective findings suggest causal mechanisms linking 3 and 6 fatty acids to [pain regulation] and open the door to new approaches for managing chronic pain in humans."