The idea that oranges are considered a possible trigger for migraines has surprised many of us, since orange juice is often considered beneficial in our diet.
Not if you are sensitive to citrus. The citrus food group, which includes fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits, is a known allergen. Additionally, a large amount of commercial orange juice is squeezed with the peel, subsequently bruised, and synephrine, a vasoconstrictor, is released.
There have been links between migraines and synephrine, as well as related vasoconstrictors, so it makes sense that this could be a trigger. Many patients found that freshly squeezed homemade orange juice was not a problem for them.
A 2004 study found that: “In migraine patients, plasma levels of octopamine and synephrine were higher compared to controls, although in migraine with aura, the difference was not significant.” (one)
Synephrine is a stimulant that increases blood pressure, which can also trigger migraines. The theory is that migraine sufferers with a citrus allergy can get relief with a low dose of daily blood pressure medication.
Citrus fruits also cause magnesium deficiency in some patients, and magnesium deficiency has been linked to migraine without aura. In a study in which thirty migraineurs were treated with magnesium versus ten treated with placebo, the number of patients experiencing relief was so high that the chance that the test results were coincident was less than 1 in 1000. ( 2) Magnesium was administered as a magnesium citrate supplement, 600 mg per day, orally. The patients were evaluated by computed tomography before and after the three-month treatment period.
Citrus fruits also contain histamine, another food allergy suspect. A study from Texas Tech in El Paso TX found a correlation between high histamine levels and migraine attacks in susceptible people. Antihistamines seem like a logical choice for treatment! (3)
An unhappy relationship between hypoglycemia and migraine can be intensified by drinking orange juice, lemonade, or other citrus juice in an attempt to raise blood sugar; Orange juice can actually increase migraine pain and is blamed on the blood sugar level. This justifies the importance of keeping a food diary and testing for food allergies. (4)
One woman recounted how she had taken migraine medications daily for years, taking them with an 8 oz glass of orange juice each morning. Finally, when her children were diagnosed, it became clear that by giving them juice daily, she had simply been stimulating the cycle of migraines. By the way, orange-flavored drinks like Tang and Sunny D also contain migraine-triggering substances similar to natural fruits, so if citrus fruits are a problem for you, avoid them too!
Eliminating citrus fruits is much simpler than many other migraine trigger foods and it is relatively easy to live without them. For people with severe food intolerance migraines, living without orange juice, lemonade, and key lime pie was a minor exclusion from their diet.
Sources:
(1) pubmed15159465.do, Cure Hunter, 05/25/2004
(2) Magnesium Research, June 2008; 21 (2): 101-8. PMID: 18705538, by Koseoglu E, Talaslioglu A, Gonul AS, Kula M. Erciyes University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Kayseri, Turkey
(3) Mansfield LE, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 86 (4 Pt 2): 673-6, October 1990.
(4) Leira R, Rodríguez R, Revista de Neurologia 1996 May; 24 (129): 534-8
Grace Alexander investigation