back to indexHow Fish Oil & Omega-3s Can Help Reduce Headaches | Dr. Andrew Huberman
Chapters
0:0
9:46 Massive Reduction in Headache
9:49 Robust Reduction in Headache
00:00:02.560 |
What I'd like to discuss next, I find extremely exciting. 00:00:06.960 |
Well, what I'm about to describe is a compound 00:00:16.240 |
in reducing the frequency and intensity of headaches. 00:00:23.580 |
to have significant effects in reducing the intensity 00:00:29.480 |
migraine type headaches, as well as hormone type headaches 00:00:43.280 |
is what is the compound that I'm referring to? 00:00:47.040 |
Well, it turns out this over-the-counter compound 00:00:53.140 |
So it turns out that nutrition can have a very strong impact 00:00:58.480 |
although supplementation with this particular compound 00:01:02.980 |
What I'm referring to here are omega-3 fatty acids. 00:01:13.760 |
And omega-3 fatty acids are commonly distinguished 00:01:19.640 |
Omega-6 fatty acids come in a bunch of different foods, 00:01:23.160 |
and they, of course, can be supplemented as well. 00:01:25.160 |
Omega-3 fatty acids come in a bunch of different foods 00:01:31.060 |
or I should say common sources of omega-3 fatty acids 00:01:36.980 |
including salmon, salmon skins, sardines, anchovies, 00:01:41.960 |
Common sources in supplement form are so-called fish oil, 00:01:53.240 |
we're talking about a combination of EPA and DHA, 00:01:56.880 |
but really it is the quantity of EPA omega-3 fatty acids 00:02:04.960 |
that we're going to talk about in a few minutes. 00:02:14.560 |
I know nowadays seed oils have become quite controversial. 00:02:18.280 |
I've given my stance on this in a prior podcast, 00:02:23.320 |
I am not of the belief that all seed oils are bad, 00:02:38.200 |
and taught us all about nutrition in great depth. 00:02:44.200 |
that people are consuming a lot more oil generally. 00:02:51.680 |
include a lot of the so-called omega-6 fatty acids. 00:02:59.000 |
that's going to be relevant for today's discussion 00:03:09.680 |
that many people are consuming far too many seed oils, 00:03:13.240 |
and in doing so are consuming far too many calories, 00:03:27.720 |
that we could all stand to get more omega-3 fatty acids, 00:03:39.600 |
and for the potent anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3. 00:04:02.560 |
and deliberately reducing the amount of linoleic acid, 00:04:10.960 |
in reference to the role of omega-3 fatty acids 00:04:24.800 |
that they looked at an enormous number of people. 00:04:31.760 |
I like the fact that they included men and women 00:04:45.360 |
They looked at body mass, total energy intake, 00:04:53.400 |
they're going to be consuming some omega-3s, hopefully, 00:05:01.480 |
likely going to get far more of both of those things 00:05:13.480 |
So the reason they explored omega-3s is worth mentioning. 00:05:24.300 |
We won't go into these in too much detail now, 00:05:42.180 |
the structural constituents of neurons and other cells 00:05:45.660 |
are actually made up of or include certain fatty acid, 00:05:52.520 |
for the actual construction of those tissues, 00:05:59.720 |
and other things that can cause inflammation. 00:06:08.240 |
that looked at the so-called analgesic effect, 00:06:20.480 |
what they found was that diets high in omega-3s 00:06:28.320 |
And as compared to diets that were just reduced omega-6s, 00:06:39.280 |
So in the context of the seed oil discussion, 00:07:02.080 |
in which they controlled things well, as we say, 00:07:05.720 |
they are holding constant the caloric intake. 00:07:08.480 |
So it's not just that you're removing fat, eating less fat, 00:07:10.760 |
there's actually a removal of certain fats and fatty acids 00:07:13.720 |
and a replacement of those with omega-3 fatty acids. 00:07:20.240 |
and you're using other food types and macronutrients 00:07:30.120 |
is that increasing omega-3s and reducing omega-6s 00:07:38.800 |
which is that when you hold caloric intake constant 00:07:44.600 |
whether or not you decrease omega-6 fatty acids or not, 00:07:47.760 |
you find is that increasing omega-3 fatty acids in the diet, 00:08:15.520 |
that can significantly reduce the severity of headache 00:08:18.660 |
in both tension type headache and in migraine. 00:08:28.840 |
a more or less similar type of overall design 00:08:43.280 |
"Dietary Alteration of Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids 00:08:48.280 |
for Headache Reductions in Adults with Migraine." 00:08:56.920 |
and then they get swapped randomly into another condition. 00:09:08.820 |
and any number of other variables as best as one can. 00:09:12.280 |
In this study, they had people either ingest a diet 00:09:15.460 |
that had increased omega-3s, so increased EPA and DHA, 00:09:30.540 |
Or a control diet in which they had people taking, 00:09:34.560 |
well, it's essentially the average intake of omega-3s 00:09:39.800 |
what the general results of this study are going to be. 00:09:43.680 |
that there were reductions in headaches, okay? 00:09:47.520 |
is it was a massive reduction in headache, okay? 00:09:50.520 |
They refer to it as a robust reduction in headache, 00:09:57.280 |
and reduced the amount of linoleic acid that they took. 00:09:59.840 |
The other thing that I really like about this study 00:10:03.040 |
the exact underlying mechanism for the effect, 00:10:05.800 |
they did spend some time delineating what it is 00:10:12.160 |
are likely doing to either offset or exacerbate headache. 00:10:18.840 |
but it does seem that people who ingest more linoleic acid 00:10:21.800 |
and omega-6 are experiencing more inflammation. 00:10:25.400 |
And that is evident in a bunch of different conditions. 00:10:28.800 |
One, for instance, is increases in things like CGRP. 00:10:33.640 |
that's associated with a calcium signaling pathway. 00:10:37.600 |
the expansion of the blood vessels and capillaries. 00:10:42.960 |
to exacerbate certain forms of headache, okay? 00:10:56.440 |
And trust me, you do not want a thunderclap headache. 00:11:04.700 |
but they're resting on this known analgesic, anti-pain, 00:11:19.160 |
that omega-6 fatty acids, in particular linoleic acid, 00:11:25.480 |
by way of increasing things like CGRP, vasodilation, 00:11:30.840 |
related to the so-called inflammatory cytokine pathways. 00:12:04.480 |
or capsules, which is perhaps the most efficient way 00:12:08.840 |
will lead to a level of one gram or more of EPA per day. 00:12:15.880 |
So if you're, for instance, taking supplemental fish oil, 00:12:20.240 |
and you're getting what you determine to be 2,000 milligrams 00:12:27.440 |
keep in mind that's going to include EPA and DHA. 00:12:30.520 |
And it does seem that getting above one gram per day 00:12:40.320 |
for reductions in the frequency and intensity of headaches 00:12:43.320 |
that include both tension headaches and migraine headaches. 00:12:52.040 |
generally through supplementation, but again, 00:12:56.260 |
can also be beneficial for other things such as mood. 00:12:59.360 |
And indeed, there's a whole literature related 00:13:07.400 |
So that's going to require quite a high intake of omega-3s 00:13:17.160 |
The basic range that I was able to find in the meta-analysis, 00:13:20.720 |
so meta-analyses are where a researcher will look 00:13:23.680 |
at the results of a bunch of different studies 00:13:26.760 |
look at the different strength of those studies. 00:13:29.320 |
They'll do all sorts of cool statistical gymnastics, 00:13:35.940 |
and see whether or not there's still an effect 00:13:38.760 |
Or for instance, they will swap in and out different studies 00:13:43.000 |
and different combinations to see whether or not 00:13:44.920 |
any one study is really leading to the conclusion 00:13:48.920 |
In any case, in the meta-analyses of omega-3 fatty acids 00:13:52.880 |
and that includes all the different kinds of headache, 00:13:58.600 |
of omega-3 supplementation ranging from 200 milligrams 00:14:03.880 |
it really was at the one gram or higher dosage per day 00:14:10.180 |
in reducing headache frequency and intensity was found. 00:14:15.560 |
that not only has omega-3 fatty acid supplementation 00:14:18.320 |
been shown to be effective in reducing the frequency 00:14:37.680 |
associated with certain phases of the menstrual cycle 00:14:40.360 |
as well as other phases of the menstrual cycle 00:14:43.800 |
In a study entitled "Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids 00:14:47.480 |
on Premenstrual Syndrome, a Systematic Review 00:14:57.520 |
effectively reduce the severity of PMS symptoms. 00:15:01.260 |
And one of the symptoms in particular that they found 00:15:03.720 |
that was reduced was the pain-related symptoms 00:15:08.120 |
And they actually had some very nice hypotheses 00:15:13.040 |
And in fact, point out that in earlier studies, 00:15:16.080 |
omega-3 fatty acids have actually been considered 00:15:18.600 |
as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in some cases. 00:15:26.460 |
And I highlight that not because I think people need 00:15:31.280 |
They're actually quite hard to obtain and quite expensive. 00:15:34.840 |
But because I think oftentimes when we're talking 00:15:39.400 |
the fact that they are available over the counter 00:15:42.400 |
in a supplement or by liquid or available in food 00:15:45.120 |
for that matter, leads many people to conclude that, 00:15:49.420 |
This is something that it's going to have relatively weak 00:15:56.440 |
But let's just say that the fact that it exists 00:16:00.120 |
as a prescription drug in its highest potency form, 00:16:03.360 |
at least in my opinion, points to the potency 00:16:06.760 |
of omega-3 fatty acids in dealing with analgesic effects, 00:16:13.840 |
as well as some of the known cardiovascular improvements 00:16:23.600 |
They are also being marketed as prescription drugs. 00:16:25.920 |
So I do think they need to be considered as quite potent. 00:16:28.580 |
And at least as far as these papers that again, 00:16:31.240 |
include meta-analyses of many other papers and data sets, 00:16:34.880 |
indicate that supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids 00:16:38.600 |
to a point where you're getting above one gram per day 00:16:41.880 |
of EPA is not just going to be beneficial for treating 00:16:54.420 |
you account for more than 70% of the total types 00:17:01.980 |
at least to my knowledge, have not been evaluated. 00:17:06.700 |
would not be beneficial for those types of headaches. 00:17:09.500 |
But at least as far as the data sets we talked about here 00:17:14.640 |
Omega-3 fatty acids are going to be a very potent way 00:17:18.520 |
to reduce pain and to reduce inflammation in ways 00:17:21.960 |
that can reduce the frequency and the intensity