50 Years Ago Health & Medicine

50 years ago, scientists blamed migraines on cheese and chocolate

Excerpt from the August 10, 1974 issue of Science News

Close-up of woman lying down on a bed with a pained expression. Her right hand is pinching the area between her eyebrows.

Yes, an ingredient in cheese and chocolate can cause migraines. But there are also many other potential triggers, including hormone fluctuations and changes in the weather.

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By Emily Conover

Chocolate, cheese and migraines — Science News, August 10, 1974

A new study of migraine and food ingestion … is reported in the July 26 Nature. [Scientists] studied a group of migraine sufferers, administering placebos and capsules containing phenyl­ethylamine.