14 DAY TRIAL // Over the past few decades, a worrying trend was observed, in which children begin drinking very early on, and become very familiar with alcohol, and sometimes even tobacco, by the time they reach high school. For these individuals, German researchers show in a new study, the incidence of migraines and tension-type headaches (TTH) is significantly higher than in their peers who do not drink alcohol or smoke. The correlation is extremely clear for high school students, the group behind the work says.
Additionally, it was discovered that those who drink coffee and generally have a sedentary lifestyle (without going out too much, or exercising), tend to experience more migraines of higher intensity than their peers. The new data provides additional insight into the risk factors that dictate the health of the younger generations, the team says, adding that most of these factors can be easily modified. This means that a young person experiencing migraines can do so either because of coffee, cigarettes or alcohol, or any combination of the three, PhysOrg reports.
“A great number of teens are engaging in activities such as drinking and smoking which can trigger headaches. Intervention studies that assess psycho-education programs to educate youths about headache-triggering behaviors are recommended,” says team leader Astrid Milde-Busch, PhD, a professor based at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich. The new work was conducted on a group of more than 1,260 students, and details appear in the latest online issue of the esteemed scientific journal Headache, that is published by the American Headache Society.
All the test participants were recruited from eleven school districts, and were asked relevant questions about their habits, such as for instance “Did you have headache during the last seven days/three months/six months?” This was the primary criteria which helped researchers in dividing the youngsters into groups. Other questions included “How much beer, wine and cocktails do you normally drink?” “How much coffee do you normally drink?” and “Do you smoke?” “Our study confirms, adolescents with any type of headache might benefit from regular physical activity and low consumption of alcoholic drinks. In teens suffering from migraine a low coffee consumption should also be suggested,” Dr Milde-Busch concludes.