The Comprehensive Systematic Review of Efficacy of Dietary Supplements for Headaches
Abstract
Introduction: Migraine and other primary headache disorders represent a significant global health burden, often inadequately managed by conventional pharmacotherapy due to issues of efficacy, side effects, and patient preference. This has spurred interest in dietary supplements as potential prophylactic and therapeutic alternatives. This report synthesizes the current evidence on the efficacy and safety of various dietary supplements for headache management. Methods: A systematic approach was employed to identify relevant studies involving participants with primary headache disorders, interventions with standalone dietary supplements, and quantitative headache-related outcomes. Data were extracted on supplement details, headache types, participant characteristics, outcomes, efficacy results, study design, and safety profiles from included studies. Results: The analysis demonstrated significant efficacy for several supplements. Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly when combined with reduced omega-6 intake (H3-L6 diet), reduced headache days by 4.0 days per month (Ramsden et al., 2021). High-dose EPA/DHA outperformed FDA-approved prophylactic medications in a network meta-analysis (Tseng et al., 2023). Vitamin B2 (400 mg/day) significantly reduced migraine frequency and showed comparable efficacy to sodium valproate with fewer side effects (Chen et al., 2021; Rahimdel et al., 2015). Magnesium (500-600 mg/day), Coenzyme Q10, vitamin D, and butterbur also showed consistent…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Bioactive Molecules Released in Food by Lactic Acid Bacteria: Encrypted Peptides and Biogenic Amines
- A central role for amyloid fibrin microclots in long COVID/PASC: origins and therapeutic implications
- Bioaccessibility and bioavailability of phenolic compounds
- The Glutamate Hypothesis in ALS: Pathophysiology and Drug Development
- Therapeutic Approaches to Genetic Ion Channelopathies and Perspectives in Drug Discovery
- Effects of the Mediterranean Diet on the Components of Metabolic Syndrome Concerning the Cardiometabolic Risk
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.