Coffee lovers, this one's for you. If you have been chugging down several cups of coffee lately and complain of headache at the same time, you may blame your beloved drink for the same. According to a recent study, published in the American Journal of Medicine, intake of three or more servings of caffeinated beverages in a day may increase the risk of migraine. The researchers found out that caffeinated beverages may be a potential trigger for migraine.
For the study, 98 98 adults with frequent episodic migraine completed electronic diaries every morning and every evening for at least six weeks. The participants reported the intake of total servings of caffeinated coffee, soda, tea and energy drinks every day and also filled out the details of headache reports twice daily at the onset, duration and the intensity along with medications used for migraines since the previous diary entry. They also shared information about other common migraine triggers, including medication use, alcoholic beverage intake, activity levels, depressive symptoms, psychological stress, sleep patterns and menstrual cycles.
The researchers conducted a self-matched analysis to assess the association between caffeinated beverage intake and migraine headache on the same day or on the following day. Self-matching also allowed for the variations in caffeine dose across different types of beverages and preparations.
Among patients who experience episodic migraine, the researchers found that one to two servings of caffeinated beverages were not associated with headaches on that day, but three or more servings of caffeinated beverages may be associated with higher odds of migraine headache occurrence on that day or the following day.
"While some potential triggers - such as lack of sleep - may only increase migraine risk, the role of caffeine is particularly complex, because it may trigger an attack but may also help control symptoms, caffeine's impact depends both on dose and on frequency," said Elizabeth Mostofsky from Harvard University.
"One serving of caffeine is typically defined as eight ounces or one cup of caffeinated coffee, six ounces of tea, a 12-ounce can of soda and a 2-ounce can of an energy drink," Mostofsky said.
"Those servings contain anywhere from 25 to 150 milligrams of caffeine, so we cannot quantify the amount of caffeine that is associated with heightened risk of migraine. However, in this self-matched analysis over only six weeks, each participant's choice and preparation of caffeinated beverages should be fairly consistent," Mostofsky added.