Vitamin E for Headaches

Unlike most well-known vitamins, vitamin E does not refer to a specific compound. Vitamin E is a name used to describe a group of eight fat-soluble antioxidant compounds. Found in high abundance in vegetable oils and vegetable oil margarines, the compounds that fall under the vitamin E name are associated with a variety of nutritional benefits.

Tocopherols and Tocotrienols

Vitamin E compounds can generally be broken down into two groups: tocopherols and tocotrienols. Each of these broader groups contains four varieties, known as alpha, beta, delta and gamma tocopherols and tocotrienols. Of these eight varieties, the most prevalent is gamma tocopherol, while alpha tocopherols are the most biologically important. Despite having more powerful antioxidant properties, thus helping prevent damage to healthy cells caused by free radicals, tocotrienols are not as well-studied due to their limited nutritional availability.

Alpha Tocopherol and Other Compounds

Alpha tocopherol is the most widely studied vitamin E compound due to its range of potential health benefits and nutritional availability. While most research focuses on the antioxidant properties of alpha tocopherol, this compound is involved with a host of other biological processes. These include cell signaling, gene expression, immune function and metabolic processes involving enzymes. Research into other vitamin E compounds focuses primarily on their antioxidant functions, though they are associated with a range of possible neuroprotective effects. Despite being the most nutritionally available vitamin E compound and a potentially powerful antioxidant, gamma tocopherol levels in the blood drop as alpha tocopherol levels rise. Not only does this make it difficult to investigate the effects of gamma tocopherol, but it also indicates a preference in your body for alpha tocopherol.

Headaches

Headaches can generally be classified as either primary or secondary. Primary headaches include migraines, cluster headaches and tension headaches. Secondary headaches may have symptoms similar to primary varieties, but are associated with an underlying physical problem, such as spinal injuries, bleeding in the brain and tumors. Tension headaches account for the majority of headaches, are not associated with serious physical problems and can be treated without over-the-counter medications. If you experience regular or excessively uncomfortable headaches, however, you should seek medical attention to rule out any underlying physical problems.

Headache Causes

The cause of tension headaches is not clear. As you may have experienced, headaches can often be attributed to emotional and physical stress, though some headaches seem to have no definite cause. Though once believed to arise from muscle contractions in your head and neck, such factors seem to be unrelated to tension headaches. Instead, a combination of neurotransmitters, pain sensitivity and perception seem to contribute to the development of tension headaches.

Vitamin E and Headaches

Despite its numerous biological functions, the most important for reducing and preventing headaches seems to be the most studied aspect of vitamin E compounds: their antioxidant properties. As noted in a 2010 study by Simon Vaculin and colleagues at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, antioxidants can help prevent bodily pains. While these researchers did not find that antioxidants can reduce pain in those already experiencing it, Ahmet Hacimuftuoglu of Ohio State University and colleagues found evidence for such an effect. In their 2006 study, these researchers found that antioxidants may help prevent and reduce pain associated with both inflammation and neurological conditions. As such, it appears as though vitamin E may play a role in preventing and reducing the pain associated with headaches.