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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2003 >> Lettuce as a trigger ??
        
(Message started by: floridian on Nov 9^th, 2003, 7:03am)

Title: Lettuce as a trigger ??
Post by floridian on Nov 9^th, 2003, 7:03am

Are lettuce and spinach triggers? They are a prime source of nitrate and nitrite in the diet.

Nitrates and nitrites boost nitric oxide, which opens up blood vessels. In small amounts in normal people, that is good. In cluster headaches, there is too much NO, which opens blood vessels so much it pinches nerves and causes pain. Alcohol triggers major NO production and CH. Viagra and ginseng increase NO, and might be triggers. Cured meats (ham, hot dogs, sausages) have been named as a trigger. But vegetables may be the biggest source of nitrites in most people's diet:

Quote:

High amounts of nitrate are a normal component of vegetables. Beets, celery, lettuce, spinach, radishes and rhubarb all contain about 200 milligrams (mg) of nitrate or 100 gram (g) portion (2000 parts per million or ppm). Cruciferous vegetables such as mustard, kale, turnips and cabbage are also high in nitrate.

http://interactive.usask.ca/ski/agriculture/food/foodnut/constit/constit_add5.html

Quote:

More than 85 percent of a person's daily intake of nitrite comes from nitrate in green, leafy vegetables or root vegetables, such as lettuce, spinach and carrots, and some drinking water. At most, about 5 percent of a person's daily intake comes from cured meats.

http://www.medem.com/MedLB/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZ80XEN0IC&sub_cat=380

I think that 5% is somewhat misleading. The average person doesn't eat cured meats every day. On days when they do, it may account for a major spike of nitrites. But their point that some vegetables contain lots of nitrite is valid.

Title: Re: Lettuce as a trigger ??
Post by Prense on Nov 9^th, 2003, 11:06am

Why the link to nitrates and nitrites? I rarely eat those types of veggies, I can't drink alcohol and I still get hit like a ton of bricks.

Title: Re: Lettuce as a trigger ??
Post by Karla on Nov 9^th, 2003, 1:22pm

I always thought clusters where not like migraines and thus have no food triggers. At least for me I get hit even if I fast and don't eat a thing for days. I get hit no matter what. So food is not a trigger for me at all.

Title: Re: Lettuce as a trigger ??
Post by Ueli on Nov 9^th, 2003, 1:32pm

For me lettuce is definitely a trigger, for the sole reason that there is no ready made salad dressing nor plain vinegar available that isn't poisoned with MSG. [smiley=hurl.gif]

Title: Re: Lettuce as a trigger ??
Post by floridian on Nov 9^th, 2003, 2:26pm

Quote:

Why the link to nitrates and nitrites? I rarely eat those types of veggies, I can't drink alcohol and I still get hit like a ton of bricks.

Nitrates in food are not the underlying cause of clusters, but might aggravate it. Alcohol and Nitroglycerin are reliable triggers; both increase nitric oxide. Nitrates and nitrites can be metabolized to nitric oxide.

This article argues that production of NO is abnormally high in CH via a stoked up arginine metabolism.

Quote:

Cephalalgia. 2002 Feb;22(1):33-61. Increased plasma nitrites in migraine and cluster headache patients in interictal period: basal hyperactivity of L-arginine-NO pathway? D'Amico D, Ferraris A, Leone M, Catania A, Carlin A, Grazzi L, Bussone G. Neurological Institute C. Besta, Milan, Italy.

Nitrite concentrations in plasma were investigated in a population of migraine and cluster headache patients and a group of healthy non-headache controls. A hundred migraine patients and 69 cluster headache patients in the interictal period, and 112 controls, were studied. Significantly higher nitrite concentrations were found in migraine patients, with and without aura, and cluster headache patients, in remission and cluster phase, than in controls. These findings suggest that a basal dysfunction in the L-arginine-NO pathway may be involved in the peripheral mechanisms predisposing subjects with neurovascular headaches to individual attacks.

This article argues that the NO production isn't elevated by the arginine pathway, but that clusterheads are unusually susceptible to NO from whatever souce.

Quote:

Cephalalgia. 2003 Jul;23(6):407-13.

Nitric oxide pathway and response to nitroglycerin in cluster headache patients: plasma nitrite and citrulline levels. Costa A, Ravaglia S, Sances G, Antonaci F, Pucci E, Nappi G. University Centre for Adaptive Disorders and Headache, University of Pavia, Institute of Neurology IRCCS C. Mondino, Pavia, Italy. alfcosta@libero.it

Nitric oxide (NO) may participate in the mechanisms underlying vascular headaches, such as migraine and cluster headache (CH), by triggering neurogenic inflammation and activation of fibres conveying nociceptive inputs to the trigeminal ganglion. Similarly to migraine, the administration of the NO donor glyceryltrinitrate (GTN) to CH patients is a known model of inducing spontaneous-like attacks. We carried out a GTN test (0.9 mg, sublingually) in 18 patients with episodic CH in active phase and 12 controls. The plasma levels of NO metabolite nitrites (NO2-), after conversion of nitrates to NO2-, were measured spectrophotometrically at baseline, at the maximum intensity of the induced response (or 45 min after GTN in controls), and 120 min after GTN administration. The basal plasma levels of L-citrulline were also assayed in patients and controls using high-performance liquid chromatography. Basal NO2- levels, similar in GTN-responsive patients and controls (48.3 +/- 10.6 and 44.6 +/- 9.5 micromol/l, respectively) were found to be increased significantly at pain peak in patients (76.1 +/- 10.2 micromol/l) and after 45 min in controls (78.2 +/- 9.6 micromol/l) (P < 0.01 vs. respective baseline values), but not after 120 min, without differences between groups. L-citrulline levels in basal conditions showed no differences between groups (patients 64.8 +/- 11.7, controls 67.3 +/- 10.8 micromol/l). These data do not support the presence of a basal hyperactivity of the L-arginine-NO pathway in CH patients. Increased NO production may be of importance in the mechanisms leading to CH attacks, but other factors are likely to render CH patients hyperresponsive to NO, and ultimately to cause the occurrence of pain and associated features.

So we know that nitric oxide is involved in CH pain. We know that nitrates and nitrites can increase nitric oxide levels, and trigger CH. We know that some foods are good sources of nitrates and nitrites. The question then becomes: do these food sources affect the frequency or severity of cluster headaches?

Title: Re: Lettuce as a trigger ??
Post by ave on Nov 10^th, 2003, 8:20pm

In addition it is useful to know that the nitrate content of these vegetables is highest in late spring. When you think you are getting nice fresh new veggies! Especially for spinach and I think chicoree. You'd do best to use frozen foods just then..

Title: Re: Lettuce as a trigger ??
Post by sandie99 on Nov 14^th, 2003, 9:10am

That was interesting study! :)

I have been eating a lot of round lettice since autumn 2001 and it was then when my first ch attacks appeared...
Aguess this means that I must start to cut back my regular dose of lettuce and cellery, both my favourites! Oh crap... :)

Best wishes & PFdays,
sandie99

Title: Re: Lettuce as a trigger ??
Post by BobG on Nov 14^th, 2003, 9:46pm

I eat lettuce with bacon on my tomato with mayo and salt sandwiches and I get cluster headaches. Hmmmmm......

This is going on my, growing every day, "trigger" list.

Now, to be serious, Nitrates have been blamed for triggering attacks by many folks here. Could be some truth to it.

Title: Re: Lettuce as a trigger ??
Post by banger on Nov 15^th, 2003, 8:32am

hi im new here and just been reading what all of you have been saying. i get ch every time i eat onions.i dont eat onions any more and i still get ch but i know onions are one of the fings that trigger an BAD ch [smiley=huh.gif]

Title: Re: Lettuce as a trigger ??
Post by Paigelle on Nov 15^th, 2003, 3:53pm

Lettuce bothers me, but not my head. But onions trigger migraines for me. I also can't have eucalyptus in the house. I love onions, but I totally avoid them now.

Title: Re: Lettuce as a trigger ??
Post by BobG on Nov 15^th, 2003, 9:09pm

banger and Paigelle :'(

Quote:

i get ch every time i eat onions.i dont eat onions any more and i still get ch but i know onions are one of the fings that trigger an BAD ch

Quote:

But onions trigger for me. I love onions, but I totally avoid them now.

THAT SUCKS. Onions are one of God's favorite foods. That's why he sent them to us.

You can't have a good cheesburger without a big, thick slice of raw onion.

If there were no onions in meatloaf or potato salad then they wouldn't be worth eating.

And the Onion Loaf at Outback or Tony Roma's is to die for.

Prayers go out to you both that someday you will overcome this horrible, tragic trigger and be able to enjoy greasy fast food again.

[smiley=laugh.gif]

Title: Re: Lettuce as a trigger ??
Post by HannahFroukje on Nov 18^th, 2003, 3:47pm

on 11/15/03 at 08:32:12, banger wrote:

This one strikes me. Because twice my hubby got hit when he was peeling onions , it never even occurred to me that it could be a real trigger? Now I'm ashamed that I asked him to peel the darn things .... :-[ :-[ :-[

Never even thought about the lettuce too.

It's going on our list. THANKS!

Title: Re: Lettuce as a trigger ??
Post by floridian on Nov 18^th, 2003, 3:59pm

Don't be ashamed - if onion is a trigger, very few people have recognized that. Show sympathy for clusterheads when they are suffering, but when they are fine, its ok to ask them to get off their butt and help around the house.

Here are two articles on onion causing blood vessels to expand with an increase of nitric oxide. This suggests a mechanism for onions as triggers, but we need more brave or foolish people to challenge themselves with onions to get more data. Your guy has done enough already, he doesn't need to try for 3.

Quote:

Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2003 Jun;67(6):1305-11. Antihypertensive effects of onion on NO synthase inhibitor-induced hypertensive rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Sakai Y, Murakami T, Yamamoto Y. Graduate School of Human Life Science, Osaka City University, Sugimoto 3-3 138, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585, Japan.

This study was designed to show the effects of onion on blood pressure in N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) induced-hypertensive rats and stroke prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) using dried onion at 5% in their diets. For the experiment with L-NAME induced-hypertensive rats, male 6-weeks-old Sprague-Dawley rats were given tap water containing L-NAME to deliver 50 mg/kg BW/day. In this experiment, we found distinct antihypertensive effects of onion on the L-NAME induced-hypertensive rats and the SHRSP. Dietary onion decreased the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in plasma in these hypertensive rats. Also, onion increased the nitrate/nitrite (products of nitric oxide (NO)) excreted in urine and the NO synthase (NOS) activity in the kidneys in SHRSP. These results suggested that the increased NO caused by the greater NOS activity, and additionally by the increased saving of NO by the antioxidative activity of onion, was one of the cause of the antihypertensive effect of onion in SHRSP. In the L-NAME induced hypertensive rats, onion did not significantly block the inhibition of NOS activity by L-NAME, and decreased nitrate/nitrite excretion in urine was not restored. The mechanism of the antihypertensive effect of onion probably involves increased saving of NO by antioxidative activity of onion in L-NAME induced-hypertensive rats.

Quote:

J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 1999 Apr;33(4):515-20. Welsh onion (Allium fistulosum L.) extracts alter vascular responses in rat aortae.

Chen JH, Tsai SJ, Chen HI. Department of Food Health, Chia Nan College of Pharmacy and Science, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.

Welsh onion, a member of the genus Allium, has been consumed for prevention of cardiovascular disorders. However, its underlying mechanisms are still unclear. We investigated whether Welsh onion extracts (green or white portion, raw or boiled) can alter vascular responses in vitro in the thoracic aortae of Sprague-Dawley rats. The possible roles of endothelium-derived factors in the Welsh onion extract-induced vascular responses were examined by applying various inhibitors, such as Nomega-nitro-L-arginine (10(-4) M), tetraethylammonium (10(-3) M), and SQ29548 (10(-5) M). Our results showed that Welsh onion extracts caused vasodilation on precontracted vessel rings. These effects were most pronounced in vessel rings treated with raw green-leaf extract (RG). Low doses of RG induced vasorelaxation, which was mediated by endothelium-derived nitric oxide. High doses of RG induced endothelium-independent vasorelaxation. On the other hand, the boiled Welsh onion extract also stimulated the release of an endothelium-derived contracting factor, which might be thromboxane A2. We conclude that Welsh onion extract can modulate vascular tone in both endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent manners.

Peeling the onions could also trigger a "spread of allied reflex" - this type of thing is what happens when a person walks out into bright sunshine and sneezes - there is so much activation of the squint reflex and the constrict the pupils reflex that these "leak" to other nerves and the sneeze reflex gets activated.

Title: Re: Lettuce as a trigger ??
Post by NewHeadPLZ on Nov 21^st, 2003, 3:21pm

AH CRAP!!!! I ain't givin up my onions n lettuce [smiley=nono.gif]

Title: Re: Lettuce as a trigger ??
Post by BlueMeanie on Nov 23^rd, 2003, 5:49pm

No scientific proof, but I think it is the smell of the onion that enters your brain via bloodstream and nostrols or whatever. Just like hairspray, air freshners and such. All trigger my CH. I hide that stuff until my cycle ends. Of course having NO BEER really SUCKS. Better than a cluster though !

PFDAN

Title: Re: Lettuce as a trigger ??
Post by Paigelle on Nov 24^th, 2003, 5:12pm

I will not eat onions when I am having a cycle. The other times of year. I love a good Vidalia! Geez, I am so hungry!