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SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 2015
J OEL F UHRMAN , MD
High salt intake linked to headaches
www.shoppelocal.biz
Headaches
(including
migraines) are a common
health issue affecting approxi-
mately one-fifth of all
Americans.
Several dietary factors are
known to trigger headaches,
including alcohol, caffeine,
chocolate, cheese, nuts, citrus
fruits, processed meats, artifi-
cial sweeteners and fatty foods.
However, salt is rarely men-
tioned as a potential trigger,
and there has been little or no
research on sodium intake and
headaches published until
recently.
Salt intake in our modern
food environment is unnatural-
ly high; the average daily sodi-
um intake worldwide is 3,950
mg (3,600 mg in the U.S.), far
above the American Heart
Association’s guideline of
1,500 mg/day, and the World
Health Organization guideline
of 2,000 mg/day.
It has been estimated that 15
percent of all deaths from car-
diovascular disease are due to
excess salt intake. Processed
foods, fast foods and restaurant
foods are notoriously high in
salt, and increasingly, these
sources are where people’s
meals come from. In addition
to cardiovascular disease, high-
salt diets are implicated in bone
loss, stomach cancer, autoim-
mune disease and possibly
headaches, too.
Researchers analyzed data
on headaches from the DASH-
Sodium
trial
(Dietary
Approaches
to
Stop
Hypertension), which tested
the effects of two different
dietary patterns, each with
three levels of sodium, on
blood pressure. The control diet
was a typical American diet,
and the experimental diet was
the DASH diet.
The DASH diet limits fats,
red meat and sweets, is focused
on vegetables, fruits and low-
fat dairy, and also includes
whole grains, poultry, fish and
nuts. Within each diet, there
were three different levels of
sodium: 1150 mg/day (low),
2300 mg/day (intermediate),
3450 mg/day (high).
Overall, the risk of headache
in participants assigned to the
DASH diet was not any lower
than that of those on the control
diet. However, when low, inter-
mediate and high sodium
intake within each diet were
compared, low sodium intake
was associated with a reduced
risk of headaches. Compared to
the control diet with high sodi-
um, the DASH diet with low
sodium was associated with a
36 percent reduction in
headaches.
Is it because a high-salt diet
could elevate blood pressure?
The researchers aren’t sure.
It is unclear whether elevated
blood pressure provokes
headaches; reports on the rela-
tionship between blood pres-
sure and headaches are incon-
sistent. Regardless, this study
suggests that reducing dietary
salt is an important part of a
dietary plan to fend off
headaches and provides anoth-
er reason to limit added salt in
the diet.
Whether or not you have fre-
quent headaches, sodium in
excess is harmful. By primarily
relying on the sodium present
in natural foods and preparing
most meals in the home, we can
avoid most sources of added
salt and take in adequate but
not dangerously high levels of
sodium. Increased levels of cel-
lular toxins and heightened cel-
lular inflammation are the chief
causes of headache syndromes
in general.
A diet rich in phytonutrients
and antioxidants is the key to
resolution. I have utilized an
eating plan for headache suffer-
ers with remarkable success;
described in my book Eat For
Health. For people who have
frequent headaches, the solu-
tion is almost always dietary.
This anti-headache diet starts
with my basic nutritarian
dietary principles and addition-
ally eliminates some healthful,
yet potential trigger foods, such
as nuts and avocados, which
may be added back in at a later
time.
A huge nutritional improve-
ment over the DASH diet, a
nutritarian diet is naturally low
in sodium, and rich in green
vegetables and other plant
foods that enhance the body’s
natural detoxification mecha-
nisms and promote superior
health.
It is not merely elimination
of trigger foods that is effec-
tive, it is that the person
becomes
healthier
and
improves their detoxification
capabilities and remove cellu-
lar waste as they follow such a
healthful diet.
If you have regular
headaches, you can banish
them forever and earn back
great health that will also offer
you protection against later life
stroke, heart disease and cancer
simultaneously.
Dr. Fuhrman is a New York
Times best-selling author and
board certified family physician
specializing in lifestyle and nutri-
tional medicine.
Visit his website at Dr
Fuhrman.com, or submit questions
and comments to news questions
@drfuhrman.com.
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The title of the workshop is
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Doors open at 8:30 a.m. for
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541-997-6054
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