Magnesium and Migraines

Migraines take a real bite out of a life: the pain, the nausea, and the way light and sound turn hostile. Medication and lifestyle changes work well for some people and not for others, which is why so many people who get migraines end up reading about nutrition. Magnesium is the one that comes up most, so it is worth explaining properly.

Where the link comes from

Magnesium is involved in over 300 biochemical processes, among them nerve signalling, muscle relaxation and neurotransmitter balance. Studies have repeatedly found that people who get migraines are more likely than average to have low magnesium levels.

That is an association, and an association is not a cause. Low magnesium may be part of the picture for some people and beside the point for others. Anyone who tells you it is the answer is going further than the evidence does.

What magnesium does around nerves and blood vessels

Magnesium has a role in how blood vessels widen and narrow, and in how readily nerves fire. Both of those are part of the machinery a migraine runs on, and that mechanism is what people are pointing at when they raise it.

Where you get it

• Leafy greens, especially spinach and silverbeet
• Nuts and seeds, particularly almonds and pumpkin seeds
• Whole grains
• Legumes
• Dark chocolate, which is the one everybody remembers

Getting it in is only half of it. Alcohol, some medications, digestive conditions and a diet heavy on processed food all work against absorption.

If you get migraines

See your GP. Migraine is a genuine neurological condition with real treatments behind it, and it deserves a proper assessment rather than a nutritional guess. Take the food side seriously as well, because it is cheap and it does no harm, but alongside medical advice rather than instead of it.