50 years ago, scientists blamed migraines on cheese and chocolate

Chocolate, cheese and migraines — Science News, August 10, 1974

A new study of migraine and food ingestion … is reported in the July 26 Nature. [Scientists] studied a group of migraine sufferers, administering placebos and capsules containing phenyl­ethylamine. Thirty of the 36 had no migraine reaction from the sugar capsules, while 18 of the 36 suffered a migraine attack after the phenylethylamine.

Update

Foods that contain phenylethylamine, such as chocolate and cheese, contribute to some migraines. But scientists now know that many factors, including hormone fluctuations, stress and weather changes, can trigger attacks. Certain genes have also been found to increase migraine risk (SN: 5/3/18). Although the process behind how migraines develop is still coming into focus, researchers have identified a key player in kicking things off: CGRP, a protein that helps transmit pain signals in the nervous system. Drugs targeting CGRP’s activity, first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2018, have provided relief for many patients (SN: 3/22/21).