The next time your head is starting to thump, it may be time to work out exactly how much salt you’re taking in your diet.
New research from John Hopkins University suggests cutting down on salt could cut your headaches by a third, with people who reduced their salt intake to 3g a day suffering significantly fewer headaches.
It’s believed by cutting the salt intake in your diet, you will lower blood pressure and pulse pressure – two common causes of headaches.
The study was conducted with 400 people, who were either assigned a low-fat diet including lots of fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products, or a diet typical by Western standards. Participants ate foods with almost 9g of salt a day for a set period, which reflects the average salt consumption in Western diets.
The salt intake for participants was then dropped to 6g, until finally being reduced to 3g for the final period of the study.
As well as documenting side effects such as bloating, dry mouth, thirst and fatigue, side effects such as headaches and nausea were monitored.
The results found that by reducing the salt intake by more than half the usual intake, participants were 31% less likely to have the onset of a headache.
Analysing the results of the study, Professor Graham MacGregor, of Queen Mary University, London said:
“We have long suspected that reducing salt intakes reduces the number of people developing headaches, and this study confirms our suspicions. Blood pressure drugs do reduce headaches, various studies and anecdotal evidence shows.
“Clearly reducing blood pressure and pulse pressure does lower headaches, even if blood pressure is already in the normal range. This is the first well-controlled trial that really demonstrates a very large reduction in headaches just from modest reductions in salt intake.”
