Gut bacteria may be connected to migraines, suggested scientists in a new study that found some headache sufferers have a different mix of such bacteria, making them more sensitive to certain foods.
The Guardian said the study published on Tuesday in the journal mSystems could explain why some people are more susceptible to crippling headaches and why some foods appear to act as its triggers.
The study examined bacteria found in 172 oral samples and 1,996 fecal samples from healthy participants, and in both kinds of samples people who reported having migraines had slightly higher levels of bacteria linked to breaking down nitrates.
The researchers based at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine said they found that the mouths of migraine sufferers had significantly more microbes with the ability to modify nitrates than people who don't get migraine headaches.
"There is this idea out there that certain foods trigger migraines — chocolate, wine and especially foods containing nitrates," said Antonio Gonzalez, a programmer analyst in the Knight Lab at the University of California, San Diego. "We thought that perhaps there are connections between what people are eating, their microbiomes and their experiences with migraines."
The research team made its discovery by using a bioinformatic tool called PICRUSt to analyze which genes were likely to be present in the two different sets of samples, given the bacterial species present.
"We know for a fact that nitrate-reducing bacteria are found in the oral cavity," said Embriette Hyde, project manager for the American Gut Project.
"We definitely think this pathway is advantageous to cardiovascular health. We now also have a potential connection to migraines, though it remains to be seen whether these bacteria are a cause or result of migraines, or are indirectly linked in some other way." Hyde added.
The researchers said their next steps will include looking at more defined groups of patients, separated into the handful of different types of migraines.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.