Does Grape Juice Help With Migraines?

Migraine headaches typically result in severe throbbing and often are accompanied by vomiting, nausea and extreme sensitivity to light 2. Subtle changes often signal the onset of a migraine and can include moodiness and depression, a stiff neck, diarrhea or constipation and food cravings. Sometimes, you can discover specific triggers for your headaches and make sufficient changes to avoid the triggers. Red wine often is a trigger for many migraine sufferers, while grape juice and grape seed extract can provide relief for many people. Before trying any alternative treatments or making dietary changes, talk to your doctor to prevent additional complications.

Causes

Heredity and environmental factors typically play a role in the development of migraines, according to the Mayo Clinic website. An imbalance of your brain chemicals, particularly serotonin levels, also leads to the severe pain. Nutritional deficiencies that can be corrected with supplements and diet may prove to be the culprit behind your headaches. Finding the triggers that precede your headaches can help to mitigate their effects. Common foods that can trigger migraines include:

• aged cheese
  
• alcohol
  
• chocolate
  
• caffeine
  
• monosodium glutamate
  
• or MSG

Stress, changes in the weather, intense exercise and irregular sleep patterns also can trigger your migraines.

Nutrition

Skipping meals can lead to migraine headaches, and you may need additional nutrition to prevent your headaches 2. In particular, vitamin B2, or riboflavin has been found to be effective in treating migraine headaches 2. One study showed treating patients with riboflavin decreased the number of migraines they experienced by 50 percent, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center 6. Magnesium, the amino acid 5-hydroxytryptophan, or 5-HTP, feverfew and butterbur are other nutritional supplements that may help with migraine symptoms.

Grapes

Grapes are high in vitamins C and A as well as B2 and other antioxidants. Making your own juice and incorporating the skin and seeds provides the highest levels of riboflavin and other nutrients that may relieve your migraines, according to grape-grower Delta Packing 1. You’ll want to take advantage of all the compounds found in the grapes to get the most benefit from the juice.

Benefits

The B2 found in grapes and grape juice also may interact favorably with your liver functions, which often play a role in migraine development, according to clinical research resource Acu-Cell 2. Classic migraines that aren’t associated with sinus congestion or hormonal fluctuations often are related to abnormal liver function. Vitamin B2 acts as an iron antagonist to reduce iron contents. Donating blood often produces the same effect, but it is not always practical. The high vitamin C content in grapes may effectively balance your iron levels if your migraines are associated primarily with irregular estrogen levels.