Skip to main content

BPAs and Migraine Headache

Chemical commonly found in plastics makes migraines worse, researchers show

November 12, 2013
By C.J. Janovy
Lydia Vermeer, Ph.D.


Researchers at the University of Kansas Medical Center have shown that a compound frequently found in plastics, Bisphenol A (BPA), can worsen migraine headache-related symptoms. The findings suggest that migraine sufferers might be able to reduce the frequency and severity of their headaches by changing their diets.
Nancy Berman, Ph.D., a professor of anatomy and cell biology at KU Medical Center, is one of the country's leading experts on migraine. Building on her previous research showing a connection between migraines and the hormone estrogen, Berman developed a way to test potential headache drugs in laboratory rats. The discovery was significant because, while potential treatments are frequently tested first in animals, there had been no definitive test to determine whether a rat had a headache.
"Currently, migraine has no specific biomarker test, and analysis of symptoms is the only way to diagnose this disorder," Berman says. In conjunction with Kenneth E. McCarson, Ph.D., and the staff of the KU Medical Center's Rodent Behavior Facility, she discovered that rodents with headaches behave much the same as humans: they avoid light, sound, grooming, and routine movements. These studies open the door for testing new treatments for migraine, and for identifying factors that may worsen it.
BPA is considered an "environmental estrogen" because it mimics the hormone estrogen in the body. It is estimated that greater than 90 percent of the U.S. population has BPA in their bodies. The effect of BPA exposure on cancer has been widely studied, but little is known about the role of BPA in worsening migraine and other pain syndromes.
Berman and Lydia Vermeer, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in Berman's lab, studied the behavior of rats after they were exposed to BPA. "We hypothesized that BPA exposure would activate estrogen receptors, exacerbating migraine symptoms," says Vermeer, lead author on the study, which was recently published in the journal Toxicological Sciences. In a group of rodents with migraines, those that had been exposed to BPA showed significantly worsened migraine symptoms than those that had not.
"This is an entirely new direction for the field of migraine," says Berman. The scientists now believe that a change in diet might provide some relief for migraine sufferers, who make more than 68 million visits to physicians' offices or emergency rooms in the United States each year.
The authors note that a small clinical study conducted by Ruthann A. Rudel and colleagues at the Silent Spring Institute in Newton, Mass., in 2011, used a "fresh foods" diet that eliminated all plastic and canned packaging. It demonstrated a 66 percent decrease in urinary BPA in patients after just three days. "These findings, combined with our results, suggest that a clinical trial to decrease BPA exposure and levels in migraine sufferers may reduce the frequency and severity of headaches and may increase the quality of life for migraine sufferers," Vermeer says.
"There are no new drugs in the pipeline, and you don't need Food and Drug Administration approval to change your diet, so this could be really helpful to a lot of migraine sufferers," Berman says.
This work was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a division of the NIH, grant number 2T32ES007079-31, and by the Kansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (K-INBRE) which is funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, a division of the NIH, grant number P20GM103418. 
Categories: Research, School of Medicine

Source: KUMC News

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Living with Chronic pain hits the big screen!

Been to the movies lately?  Jennifer Aniston is on the big screen in a recent release titled "Cake." Her character, Claire is a victim of chronic pain...she belongs to a support group, where all of the members are coming to terms with the suicide of one of their members.  Of course, she also takes pain medication and addiction is another of her problems...and of course there's more! I guess I am writing this post just to bring readers' attention to the fact that Hollywood has become aware of the crisis that is chronic pain.  This movie is a testament to that. People that don't have to live with this kind of pain don't fully understand the whole story.  Maybe this movie will shed some light on the issues. Here is the official trailer for the movie: Sources: prweb;NorthJersey.com;YouTube
Post a Comment
Read more

Sciatica: A common pain in the butt!

Sciatica pain results from pressure or damage to the sciatic nerve.  This nerve originates in the spine and runs down through the buttocks and the back of the leg...so if you've ever literally had a pain in the butt, it is possible that sciatica is the problem.  The cause of the pressure can be from a number of sources...for instance,  compression in the spinal cord due to disc injury or a tumor. The sciatica pain sensation can vary widely..it can present as a numbness or tingling, dull ache, burning, and in severe cases the pain can make movement quite difficult. Over time, it is possible for sciatica to resolve on its own.  If it does not, it is important to seek medical help to determine the root cause of the pain. The usual first course of remedies for sciatica include ice application to the affected area for the first 48-72 hours, followed by heat.  Over the counter pain medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen are also appropriate.  ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Non Drug Pain Management Ideas: Applying the 80/20 Principle

The idea for today's post comes from my husband, who has in recent years become a follower of the paleo/primal diet.  Most of the time he is very strict about this diet, making sure not to eat anything taboo.  On occasion, he breaks from the rigidity of his new found way of life and enjoys a few cookies, maybe a bottle of beer, or a new pasta dish. Why, you ask?  He says that according to others who follow this course, there is an 80/20 rule.  This means that that if you adhere to the rules 80% of the time, you can allow yourself some leeway the other 20% of the time.  It is important to bring this concept to the readers of this blog for a number of reasons: 1)If you have been following this blog at all, you know there are a lot of lifestyle changes that can tremendously enhance relief from chronic pain.  For a lot of people this not an easy thing to do.  By opting to follow the 80/20 rule these lifestyle modifications suddenl...
Post a Comment
Read more