Study: Salt relates to headaches

Researchers are finding that reducing high quantities of salt in patients’ diets may help people avoid headaches. Some studies also show that chocolate, cheese and alcohol appear to trigger migraine and cluster headaches.

The current clinical trial, which included 390 people, compared the effects of two dietary approaches on high blood pressure (hypertension). One is the DASH diet, which is low in sodium. The second was the standard diet. Sodium in both groups ranged from 1,150 mg of salt a day to a high of 3,450 mg a day.

Although there is already evidence that hypertension is tied to frequent headaches, the researchers concluded that reducing high-sodium intake in the study was also associated with headache frequency.

Though they couldn’t establish a direct link, they saw that reducing salt in the diet was independently associated with headache frequency. It especially helped people avoid tension-type headaches.