migraine and insulin resistance

[Guest guest]

I found a new study re the relationship between insulin sensitivity and

migraine, a subject that interests me because I have observed for years that

most any kind of sugar, including fructose, is a major trigger to my

migraines. For a long time, I've suspected that my hyperinsulemia and my

migraines were somehow related, so this study was interesting. It doesn't

establish a cause-and-effect relationship, but does suggest an association.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? I'm going to ask my neuro

but would be interested in knowing if other migrainers in the group have

noticed similar problems with sugar as a trigger. Also wondering how many

with migraines have been told they have some insulin resistance as reported

in this study. The last year of two I have also had to limit carbs of all

kinds due to increasing headaches. I have done this reluctantly because CPT

def is supposed to be treated with a high carb diet.

Barbara

Cephalalgia. 2005 Aug;25(8):593-7. Insulin sensitivity is impaired in

patients with migraine.

Rainero I, Limone P, Ferrero M, Valfre W, Pelissetto C, Rubino E, Gentile S,

Lo Giudice R, Pinessi L.

Neurology III-Headache Centre, Department of Neuroscience, University of

Turin, Italy. irainero@...

Several studies have shown the presence of a comorbidity between migraine

and vascular diseases, like hypertension and stroke. The mechanisms of this

comorbidity are unknown. Impaired insulin sensitivity has recently emerged

as a risk factor for hypertension and stroke. We evaluated insulin

sensitivity in 30 young, nonobese, nondiabetic, normotensive migraine

patients and in 15 healthy controls. During the OGTT, glucose plasma

concentrations were significantly higher in migraineurs than in controls.

Insulin sensitivity, as measured by ISI-stumvoll and OGIS-180 indexes, was

significantly altered in migraine. Our data show that insulin sensitivity is

impaired in migraine and suggest a role for insulin resistance in the

comorbidity between migraine and vascular diseases.