Is Chocolate a Trigger or Craving for Migraine?

I love chocolate. Chocolate makes the world a better place...except when I'm getting a migraine. I definitely crave chocolate most times when I am having a migraine. I often feel worse after I eat chocolate and do my best to not have any. But the craving is there nonetheless. Is it a trigger for me? I would have to answer yes. I try to stay away from chocolate, although, if I could, I would probably eat it in some form each day! Here is what the research says about chocolate and migraine.

Does chocolate trigger migraine attacks?

Many people with migraine avoid chocolate or are told they should avoid it, but it’s unclear whether it’s even a trigger. In a 2020 article, "To Eat or Not to eat: A Review of the Relationship between Chocolate and Migraines," the research concluded that there wasn't enough evidence to confirm whether chocolate is a migraine trigger or that people with migraine should not be advised to avoid it. However, there have been a few studies which have found chocolate to be associated with migraine in a small minority of people with migraine. Most of these studies asked participants to recall their triggers after migraine attacks and choose them from a set list. Chocolate was listed as a trigger for their migraine attack.

Do migraine attacks cause chocolate cravings?

Recent research suggests that during the very first stage of a migraine attack, known as the prodrome stage, some people crave certain foods. Other prodrome symptoms include a stiff neck, excessive yawning, feeling thirsty, and tiredness. These symptoms can occur a few minutes to 3 days before the migraine attack. Prodrome stage symptoms are much subtler than the symptoms of the main attack stage of migraine. Many people don’t realize they are already in the beginning stages of a migraine attack during this stage. Dr. Andrew Charles at UCLA, explains further about this connection:

"Early in this stage you may crave chocolate, have it, and then feel the

painful part of the attack. Chocolate is then identified as the trigger when

it's actually the chocolate craving that's the indication that they have

already started to have a headache."

There is no treatment for food cravings, but if you are aware of how food cravings predict an oncoming migraine attack, you can take preventative measures for the migraine. It would be really hard to not have any chocolate ever. The question is: do we eat it or not?

Source: https://migrainetrust.org/news/chocolate-and-migraine/