Migraine Linked To Bacteria In Mouth: Study

Twelve out of every 100 Americans experience blur vision, flashing lights and familiar throbbing pain in head that grow stronger and stronger. A new study suggests the bacteria living in mouths are to be blamed for such migraines.

Details of the new study are published in the American Society for Microbiology’s open-access journal mSystems. It writes those who get migraines have a higher abundance of mouth bacteria that reduce compounds called nitrates into nitrites that otherwise could be converted into nitric oxide.

Meanwhile, a separate research also adds increased amount of nitric oxide in bloodstream is linked to migraines.

The new study tries to point out how certain foods like lunch meats and hot dogs which contain nitrates could trigger migraines.

Solid link between mouth bacteria and migraines is yet to be established and further to have new ideas for treatment.

According to assistant project scientist at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, Embriette Hyde, even solution like introduction of a probiotic species or mouthwash may not be targeted as bacterial balance is a delicate one and in fact it is a complicated puzzle.

Hyde is also the co-author of the new study. He found in abundant the bacterial genes that reduce nitrates into nitrites and nitric oxide among people who have migraines.

Hyde said, “While the link between migraines and nitrates has been known for a while, researchers still aren’t sure about the nature of this link. We know it depends on eventual formation of nitric oxide, but the exact mechanism hasn’t been established yet.”