Medline Plus lists eight vitamins in the B complex. They include B-1, or thiamine; B-2, or riboflavin; B-3, or niacin; B-5, or pantothenic acid; B-6; B-7, or biotin; B-12; and folic acid, sometimes called folate or vitamin B-9. Protein foods, such as fish or dairy products, and leafy green vegetables are good sources of B vitamins. These vitamins help your body derive energy from food and aid in red blood cell formation. Certain B vitamins may help in the treatment of some types of headache. A headache may also be a symptom of a B vitamin deficiency.
Types of Headaches
Headaches result from tension, hormone imbalances, tumors, sinus infections or as a rebound effect from over-use of medications. Teeth-grinding at night or lack of sleep may also contribute to daytime headaches. Cluster headaches and migraines are generally thought to occur because the blood vessels in and around your brain either dilate too much or constrict too much. Some B vitamins may affect headaches.
Riboflavin and Headaches
Vitamin B-2, or riboflavin, is one B vitamin that researchers have examined in the treatment of migraine headaches. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, or LPI, combining vitamin B-2 supplements with other medications prescribed by your doctor may keep you from having migraines as often. The LPI lists recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, of vitamin B-2 for adolescent and adult males at 1.3 mg per day, for females, 1.1 mg. Riboflavin is found in leafy green vegetables, liver, beans and peas, eggs, dairy products and fortified breads and cereals. Dr. Carolyn Bernstein of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston suggests 400 mg of supplemental riboflavin for migraine headache prevention, but the National Headache Foundation recommends you consult your physician before supplementing your diet with such a large dose of this vitamin.
Niacin and Headaches
Niacin, or vitamin B-3, is found in dairy products, fish, lean meat and nuts. The RDA for this vitamin is 16 mg NE, or niacin equivalent, per day for men, 14 for women. Severe vitamin B-3 deficiency leads to a condition called pellagra, a potentially fatal disease with a variety of symptoms, including headaches. Pellagra was common among poor people in the U.S. South in the early 1900s, but is rarely found these days, as most people have more variety in their diet. Nicotinic acid, a form of niacin supplement sometimes used to lower cholesterol, can cause headaches if taken in doses higher than the Tolerable Upper Intake Level, which the Food and Nutrition Board has set at 35 mg per day, according to LPI. People who are susceptible to migraines may also be at greater risk for experiencing other side effects of this supplement.
Vitamin B-6, Pantothenic Acid and Headaches
Some researchers have examined the use of vitamin B-6 in treating migraine headaches, but at least one of these studies, published in the journal "Contraception" in 1997, found it wasn't any more effective than a sugar pill. People with pantothenic acid deficiency also complain of headaches, but researchers at LPI note that you must be severely malnourished to be deficient in this vitamin.
References
- Medline Plus: B Vitamins
- National Headache Foundation: Complete Guide to Headaches
- "Linus Pauling Institute"; Riboflavin; Jane Higdon, Ph.D., et al; June 2007
- "Linus Pauling Institute"; Niacin; Jane Higdon, Ph.D., et al; June 2007
- "TheBostonChannel.com"; Does Vitamin B2 Prevent Migraines?; Dr. Carolyn Bernstein; Oct 2009
- National Headache Foundation: Vitamin B-2
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